Advice needed for cutting around a lake

[lockhaven]

a trail mower that is made for a atv will work, they are made so that the mower is off set to whatever is pulling it. We us one to get under the low limbs around the fields. Also behind a mower they cut mowing time....two cuts at once.

 

[taborekle]

I also have a rather steep hill that I have to mow by my pond. I find that there are some things that I can do that help me some.

I make sure that my front end loader is attached, and I put some weight into the bucket, and that weight (cinder blocks) is strapped in. If the tractor goes *** over backwards, I don't want that unloading on top of me. The added weight in the FEL, if I keep it low, helps in the stability of the tractor. As the tractor backs off level and down the slope of the dam, the FEL bucket naturally rises off the ground. I use the joystick to lower the FEL so that it's always just a few inches off the ground. When coming up the hill, I have to raise the FEL to keep it from dragging on the hill.

I always back the bush hog down the hill towards the pond. No cross cutting. I then pull all the way back up, angle over a little, and take the next swipe vertically down the slope. My bush hog is only 4 foot wide, so it can take quite a while to cut my dam face.

I go slow. There's no rushing it.

I make sure that I'm in low, and that I'm in 4WD.

I keep the rear wheel of the bush hog on the ground. I don't want to try to lift any weight far behind the tractor when I'm on a hill.

And when I'm no longer comfortable with the degree of the slope, I don't push it, but listen to that little voice and back off. There's some very steep part of my dam that I just can't do comfortably, so it doesn't get done.

Hope that helps,

Larry

 

[J_J]

Here are a few ideas.

 

[Gary Fowler]

The Swisher Trailmower is going to be your cheapest solution to this. I see them used in 60" wide for around $600. I think they are about $1500 new. You can pull them with your lawnmower, tractor or ATV.

 

[trook]

can the swisher arm be held at an angle/pivoted so that it can cut the inside of a pond dam?

 

[beenthere]

I will check out the offset mower options...I hadn't thought about "custom" making something.

I was considering the sickle mower option, but wasn't sure how it would handle getting wet and whether my 22 HP tractor would be able to handle one.

You will find that the 22 hp tractor is a bit light and a bit short of hp to do much in the way of hanging anything out to the side that way. Consider bigger to get the job done, being as you are likely already close to tipping toward the pond and having minimum traction.

Doubt a sickle mower would be bothered getting wet. I'd worry more about the tractor (and you) getting wet.

Lots of unhappy surprises when working around ponds, and some quite tragic. Plan carefully.

 

[EddieWalker]

I have a 4 acre pond that we have been using a weedeater to cut around for many years. I have a Kubota LB400 tractor that we use for bush hogging and it puts out around 22.5 HP. Does anyone know of an attachment that could be used with the Kubota for cutting around the edge of the lake? The lake has some steeper spots and I am afraid to get too close with the bush hog for fear of getting stuck. There is about a 4 ft. spread of grass from the lake to where my tractor will reach.

Suggestions?

I had similar problems with my pond. It was really bad the first year, but the with the filling in of the grass and drying out of the soil, it's gotten better. I couldn't get very close to the water without getting stuck. I hated that I couldn't get to the edge of the water and how ugly it looked.

If I was going to have friends over, I would back down to the waters edge to mow, then move over and back down again and again to clear an area. I really hated doing this, but it was effective.

I bought a finish mower that is a foot wider then my rotary mower, and found that with the four wheels supporting it, I could get a lot closer to the edge without getting stuck like happened every time I tried it with my rotary cutter. Those four wheels really made a HUGE difference!!!!!

Now I maintain most of it with the finish mower, and use the riding mower to really clean it up or make it nice for friends when they come over. The riding mower can get right to the edge of the water and it feels more stable on the side hill.

I thought about all sorts of pull along mowers to attach to my tractor, and after priceing and thinking it over, I was convinced that just buying a walk behind mower was the best solution. For the effort, energy and money that it would take to create an easy way to do it with my tractor, I know that it would probably be more work then it was worth. I don't like changing attachements on the back of my tractor, so that alone was a big factor in not going the tractor route.

For the price of the pull behind swisher, I'd look at a cheap riding mower from one of the box stores.

Good luck,
Eddie

 

[Localmotion]

You will find that the 22 hp tractor is a bit light and a bit short of hp to do much in the way of hanging anything out to the side that way. Consider bigger to get the job done, being as you are likely already close to tipping toward the pond and having minimum traction.

Doubt a sickle mower would be bothered getting wet. I'd worry more about the tractor (and you) getting wet.

Lots of unhappy surprises when working around ponds, and some quite tragic. Plan carefully.

Sorry to disagree with Beenthere, but 22hp should be plenty if the right implement is used - obviously you'd need a mower or verge cutter of the right size for the tractor. For example our 20hp 204s Siromer (Jinma) is actually quite a large, heavy tractor for is HP and can manage a reasonable sized verge cutter or 6' mower with no problem at all... What ever mower you choose, just make sure that is is correctly matched to the tractor.

I also agree with Eddie - a finishing mower with 4 corner wheels will add vital stability and enable to to get much nearer than a standard 3pt mounted mower, assuming of course that the ground is stable and you don't get stuck...

However back in the UK - nearly all lakes / rivers and canal banks are trimmed using hedge / verge cutters, as per my last post...

 

[Darren]

A sickle mower that will cut below the horizontal is an easy solution. We've never cut the vegetation immediately around the pond because the high grass keeps the geese out.

 

[jake98]

There's a guy near here that has a walk behind mower hooked up to the front of his tractor about 20' out. He pushes it up and down the steep spot in his yard. I don't know how he made it, a piece of pipe I guess, but it looked simple and he gets to look forward while running it.