7 or 8 ft Cutter?

[Limbhangers]

This is not a "can my tractor handle it question". I've got a batwing on a tractor that's too big for this job (can't maneuver) and I'd got a little compact tractor with a light duty 5' for cutting around the house that is too small for this job. So I picked up a 70 pto horsepower tractor to fill the gap.

I'm trying to decide between a 3 pt - 7 ft cutter would be single spindle or 8ft double spindle. Assume both are going to have 100hp gearbox. I would be cutting what would look like CRP , using for road maintenance, food plots, and fire breaks a lot of cleanup around the edges of fields, food plots, etc.

I will not be doing a lot of pasture/grass, improved type land.

Acreage wise... assume it is more than I'd ever have time to do. Several thousand. I lease to a couple different hunting clubs. I'll never get it all before I need to cut something else.

What would you be looking at?

I'm worried about tearing up a dual spindle 8 ft. unit. I've never owned one but have always been told this kind of work described above is rough on the gear boxes.

On the flip side a 7ft cutter is big and in particular long. I don't have a FEL which will help overall maneuvering but an 8 is much shorter and not a whole lot wider on either side. Also when you are dealing with unimproved places things are particularly flat and I am not sure the 7ft unit won't be eating dirt every time I go over a bump. I'm not taking a box blade down miles of fire breaks and smooth them out like a driveway.

Next problem.... width of a dozer blade = 10ft. If I push out the fire lanes with that blade width..... That's tight for an 8ft cutter


I hope that is a satisfactory explanation.

 

[jcummins]

This is not a "can my tractor handle it question". I've got a batwing on a tractor that's too big for this job (can't maneuver) and I'd got a little compact tractor with a light duty 5' for cutting around the house that is too small for this job. So I picked up a 70 pto horsepower tractor to fill the gap.

I'm trying to decide between a 3 pt - 7 ft cutter would be single spindle or 8ft double spindle. Assume both are going to have 100hp gearbox. I would be cutting what would look like CRP , using for road maintenance, food plots, and fire breaks a lot of cleanup around the edges of fields, food plots, etc.

I will not be doing a lot of pasture/grass, improved type land.

Acreage wise... assume it is more than I'd ever have time to do. Several thousand. I lease to a couple different hunting clubs. I'll never get it all before I need to cut something else.

What would you be looking at?

I'm worried about tearing up a dual spindle 8 ft. unit. I've never owned one but have always been told this kind of work described above is rough on the gear boxes.

On the flip side a 7ft cutter is big and in particular long. I don't have a FEL which will help overall maneuvering but an 8 is much shorter and not a whole lot wider on either side. Also when you are dealing with unimproved places things are particularly flat and I am not sure the 7ft unit won't be eating dirt every time I go over a bump. I'm not taking a box blade down miles of fire breaks and smooth them out like a driveway.

Next problem.... width of a dozer blade = 10ft. If I push out the fire lanes with that blade width..... That's tight for an 8ft cutter


I hope that is a satisfactory explanation.

I've pulled both with M7040. You want the twin spindle one.

 

[rustyshakelford]

8' for sure. Pulls much easier and doesn't stick out nearly as far. I have had an mx7 and mx8 and still have the mx8 for a reason. For my place, I brought in a track hoe to remove trees so I can use the batwing. It's much quicker than the smaller ones. Is it feasible for you to do some work and keep running the batwing?

Brett

 

[LD1]

Is cut quality a concern?

The 8' will pull easier, be handled by the tractor better.

The 7' will leave a better cut in the conditions you describe.

A shorter deck, like the 8' will have, leaves the tall stemy vegetation pop back up after cutting alot more than the longer deck will. Its physics. The cutter deck lays the stuff down and it goes under the deck to be cut. The cutter is still holding the stuff down and it isnt until the vegetation clears the front of the cutter that it is allowed to stand up (under the deck) into the blades to be cut. On tall stuff, by the time this happens the base is already out of the back of the cutter where it stands up.

This is one of the issues I fight with on my 8' cutter when getting into 6-8' tall goldenrod, queen anns lace, etc. I can crawl through the stuff at a snails pace. Less than 1mph. Still stands back up. So I just go fast and mow it twice.

A longer deck will leave a much cleaner finish in one pass.

 

[jdtractor]

Go with the 7'.. you will get better results and you can throw this mower where you want it. I've got 2 pull type heavy duty mowers 15' batwing,10' pull type. I also have a 7' heavy duty 3 pth. Pull types r good for speed and volume but you can't beat a 3 pth for tight heavy or lite work. My 0.02 cts

 

[Limbhangers]

I appreciate the replies fellas.

Just to be clear either size cutter is going on the 3pt lift...... I'm not looking at a pull or a semi-mount setup

 

[leonz]

This is not a "can my tractor handle it question". I've got a batwing on a tractor that's too big for this job (can't maneuver) and I'd got a little compact tractor with a light duty 5' for cutting around the house that is too small for this job. So I picked up a 70 pto horsepower tractor to fill the gap.

I'm trying to decide between a 3 pt - 7 ft cutter would be single spindle or 8ft double spindle. Assume both are going to have 100hp gearbox. I would be cutting what would look like CRP , using for road maintenance, food plots, and fire breaks a lot of cleanup around the edges of fields, food plots, etc.

I will not be doing a lot of pasture/grass, improved type land.

Acreage wise... assume it is more than I'd ever have time to do. Several thousand. I lease to a couple different hunting clubs. I'll never get it all before I need to cut something else.

What would you be looking at?

I'm worried about tearing up a dual spindle 8 ft. unit. I've never owned one but have always been told this kind of work described above is rough on the gear boxes.

On the flip side a 7ft cutter is big and in particular long. I don't have a FEL which will help overall maneuvering but an 8 is much shorter and not a whole lot wider on either side. Also when you are dealing with unimproved places things are particularly flat and I am not sure the 7ft unit won't be eating dirt every time I go over a bump. I'm not taking a box blade down miles of fire breaks and smooth them out like a driveway.

Next problem.... width of a dozer blade = 10ft. If I push out the fire lanes with that blade width..... That's tight for an 8ft cutter


I hope that is a satisfactory explanation.

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Rather than a 2 spindle cutter perhaps an 8-10 foot flail mower would be better as it is much, much, much shorter than a twin spindle rotary cutter and you do not need 100 HP for a 8-10 foot flail mower, your current tractor will have plenty of power for a 8 to 10 foot flail mower. A flail mower of any size is much much shorter than a twin spindle cutter. A flail mower has a right angle gearbox that connects to a cross shaft that has a drive and driven set of V belt pulleys that spin the flail mower rotor.

With your mowing needs I would look at an Vrisimo flail mower or an Alamo flail mower.

 

[lpigott]

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Rather than a 2 spindle cutter perhaps an 8-10 foot flail mower would be better as it is much, much, much shorter than a twin spindle rotary cutter and you do not need 100 HP for a 8-10 foot flail mower, your current tractor will have plenty of power for a 8 to 10 foot flail mower. A flail mower of any size is much much shorter than a twin spindle cutter. A flail mower has a right angle gearbox that connects to a cross shaft that has a drive and driven set of V belt pulleys that spin the flail mower rotor.

With your mowing needs I would look at an Vrisimo flail mower or an Alamo flail mower.

Did you even read the OP's post??? Especially this part, "I would be cutting what would look like CRP , using for road maintenance, food plots, and fire breaks a lot of cleanup around the edges of fields, food plots, etc.

I will not be doing a lot of pasture/grass, improved type land.

Acreage wise... assume it is more than I'd ever have time to do. Several thousand. I lease to a couple different hunting clubs. I'll never get it all before I need to cut something else." I doubt you have a clue as to where and what type of work this person is referring to. A flail is not what he needs to succeed!

 

[Fallon]

Did you even read the OP's post??? Especially this part, "I would be cutting what would look like CRP , using for road maintenance, food plots, and fire breaks a lot of cleanup around the edges of fields, food plots, etc.

I will not be doing a lot of pasture/grass, improved type land.

Acreage wise... assume it is more than I'd ever have time to do. Several thousand. I lease to a couple different hunting clubs. I'll never get it all before I need to cut something else." I doubt you have a clue as to where and what type of work this person is referring to. A flail is not what he needs to succeed!

As much as I dislike your tone & constant hate on flails, I do have to agree with you here. Out in the middle of nowhere, so minimal benefits from flails enhanced safety. Not a big deal for cut quality either im betting. A rotary will be cheaper to buy & maintain.

 

[lpigott]

As much as I dislike your tone & constant hate on flails, I do have to agree with you here. Out in the middle of nowhere, so minimal benefits from flails enhanced safety. Not a big deal for cut quality either im betting. A rotary will be cheaper to buy & maintain.

I do not hate flails at all. Flails have there place, but in the case of the OP here the answer is clear. I just can't stand people giving terrible advice that could cost people money. I think most have given up challenging him anymore or simply have him on ignore.

 

[LD1]

I have given up debating the topic.

Flails cost more, are more maintenance intensive, and require more power to pull.

In the OP of this threads case, he is looking for a 6'-8' cutter and has 70 PTO HP, so no, HP isnt really a concern in his case as 70HP will handle an 8' of either.

But mowing CRP ground and little to no pasture type....yea.....rotary cutter all the way.

I run a mowing business. And as a business its all about efficiency. Or in other words, how fast can I get the job done.

So far I have about 350 acres done to date since getting my current setup last year. Most of which is no more than a years growth. So mostly pasture type weeds (goldenrod, ragweed, queen anns lace, etc) and grasses. Setup is 42 PTO HP and 8' twin spindle mower. And had to do nothing more than shoot some grease in the PTO joints and sharpen blades.

I challenge anyone to point me to a flail mower that can mow as efficiently (fast) as I can with this setup....that isnt gonna cost me an arm and a leg to maintain. I am all ears. Its about making the most amount of money in the least amount of time to increase my margins. And if flails were the answer, thats what I would be using.

Yes, flails have their place. Road side mowers for safety. Pastures that get mowed 4 times a year and you want a quality clean cut and nicely dispersed clippings. Time is no object. Etc Etc.

 

[Fallon]

I have given up debating the topic.

Flails cost more, are more maintenance intensive, and require more power to pull.

In the OP of this threads case, he is looking for a 6'-8' cutter and has 70 PTO HP, so no, HP isnt really a concern in his case as 70HP will handle an 8' of either.

But mowing CRP ground and little to no pasture type....yea.....rotary cutter all the way.

I run a mowing business. And as a business its all about efficiency. Or in other words, how fast can I get the job done.

So far I have about 350 acres done to date since getting my current setup last year. Most of which is no more than a years growth. So mostly pasture type weeds (goldenrod, ragweed, queen anns lace, etc) and grasses. Setup is 42 PTO HP and 8' twin spindle mower. And had to do nothing more than shoot some grease in the PTO joints and sharpen blades.

I challenge anyone to point me to a flail mower that can mow as efficiently (fast) as I can with this setup....that isnt gonna cost me an arm and a leg to maintain. I am all ears. Its about making the most amount of money in the least amount of time to increase my margins. And if flails were the answer, thats what I would be using.

Yes, flails have their place. Road side mowers for safety. Pastures that get mowed 4 times a year and you want a quality clean cut and nicely dispersed clippings. Time is no object. Etc Etc.

I don't have a lot of comparison, but my flail ran as fast as my rotary. I got a 5' rotary new with my 32hp L3200. When I upgraded to the beat to **** 7' flail my travel speed definitely went down, but my hours per acre didn't.

Simply looking at the drivetrain the rotary only has 1 gearbox where the flail has the same gearbox plus belts & around 4 bearings. More maintenance points & friction points to eat HP, but not that much HP.

 

[LD1]

What eats HP on a flail is it's mulching effect. Cutting the same material over and over rather than once.

Most people don't have a food comparison for power vs speed on a flail, because most arent in the commercial mowing business. And most think that you need 30hp for a 5' cutter, and to run about 3 mph ground speed too.

I'm not most.

Put a 8' flail and 8' twin rotary behind the same 40-45 PTO HP tractor in the same field and see which one can mow at a faster rate.

 

[Fallon]

What eats HP on a flail is it's mulching effect. Cutting the same material over and over rather than once.

Most people don't have a food comparison for power vs speed on a flail, because most arent in the commercial mowing business. And most think that you need 30hp for a 5' cutter, and to run about 3 mph ground speed too.

I'm not most.

Put a 8' flail and 8' twin rotary behind the same 40-45 PTO HP tractor in the same field and see which one can mow at a faster rate.

Ah, mulching was the bit I wasn't putting in my HP equations. To me that's seen a lot as "cut quality" & a big benefit. I get lots of positive feedback on cut quality & lack of clumps from clients. Lots of 5 acre lots & they are looking at the field/pasture a lot, so nice even heavily mulched clippings that dissapear quick give me an advantage over clumps of grass from rotaries that hang around a while.

 

[LD1]

Ah, mulching was the bit I wasn't putting in my HP equations. To me that's seen a lot as "cut quality" & a big benefit. I get lots of positive feedback on cut quality & lack of clumps from clients. Lots of 5 acre lots & they are looking at the field/pasture a lot, so nice even heavily mulched clippings that dissapear quick give me an advantage over clumps of grass from rotaries that hang around a while.

Yes, cut quality is better under most circumstances with a flail.

But thats a tough sell for most of my clients.

Most of my clients are either
1. wanting to clear an overgrown lot to build on (so surveyors can get in there and see what they are doing)
2. Maintaining their deer hunting area so it dont get too overwhelming
3. Horse pastures where the growing that the horses is so sparse that there are no clumps anyway.

Would be hard to sell most of those customers on paying the increased price I'd have to charge, and their only benefit being a better looking cut and fewer clumps.

Most of my customers even make comments like "not too worried how it looks. Just want to get it knocked down so we can walk through there"