Again!! what size brush hog with a tc30

jjcc246 · Jun 14, 2005

I sold my 60" brush hog with the thought to buy a 72" for my tc 30. Although NH lists a 60" & 72" for the TC30, i'm being told by the dealer i should be using a 60". I got rid of the 60" because my tractor is 62" wide in the rear and i wanted to cut over my tire marks. So, my question is, is there anybody out there using a 72" rotary cutter with their TC30 and if there is what's your opinion. King Kutter shows two on their website with 40HP gearboxes. Local TSC price around here for the 72" is $800. The model numbers are L-72-40-P and L-72-40-SC. I can't tell what the differances are between the two, except ones a P and ones a SC (sub compact I guess). Another distributer has a king kutter with a 80 HP gearbox for $1100 and says it's to much for my TC30. So I'm looking for opinions.As far as what i'm going to cut, probally just weeds and small saplings. thanks in advance.

F_22 · Jun 14, 2005

I have a BushHog SQ600 (60", 65 HP GB) on my TC33D HST (26.9 PTO HP). I'm sure you don't want to hear this, but I think that's about all it can handle for what I get in to. Of course it all depends on what you're cutting and at what forward speed.

Tall, thick, wild grass requires more power than just about anything else. More so than the occasional 2"-3" tree that I (accidentally, of course) sometimes back over. I've got to wonder what the structural and mechanical safety factors designed into these rotary cutters is. It must be about 400%.

Soundguy · Jun 14, 2005

I used to cut with a 5' cutter on my EX-NH1920.. I mowed 7' tall brush down as fast as i could plow thru it. i borrowed my stepfathers 6' cutter on occasion.. again.. necver had a problem. Tall thick wet grass seemed to be the hardest to cut.

Id gues sif you are clipping pasture.. 6' is fine.. if you are contractor mowing briars all day.. stick to 5'.. or mow 5' pass on a 6' mower the first time.

My old ford 8n handles a 5' mower.. and my old ford NAA and 660 handle a 6' mower.. If my 50 year old gas jobs with 32hp can do it.. your shiny new diesel should be able to.

Soundguy

have_blue · Jun 15, 2005

JJCC,

My best guess is that your dealer is right.

I had a TC29 and a 5 footer, and even it it was too much for it at times. I can't imagine trying to pull a 72 inch cutter with it.

I guess you could pull a 72 incher, but it would be painfully slow in any serious growth. If you get it anyway, keeping the blades sharp and not allowing the grass to get above knee high would help a lot... it may allow a gear above "painfully slow low".

Does a neighbor have a 6 footer you can borrow for an hour? Better safe than sorry!

Good luck,,,

jinman · Jun 15, 2005

( I got rid of the 60" because my tractor is 62" wide in the rear and i wanted to cut over my tire marks. )

If your rotary cutter was out in front of your tractor like a FEL bucket, I'd understand your statement. Truthfully, it's got me scratchin' my head trying to figure out why a 72" cutter would make any difference. Are you cutting up close to a fence or other obstacle? ...cutting around a pond? What does covering your tracks get you when you've already run over the grass with both the front and rear tires before the cutter comes along?

Everyone has answered your question pretty well about the cutter, but I'm really curious about your statement. /forums/images/graemlins/smirk.gif

djradz · Jun 15, 2005

jj, I used to use both a 72" rear finish mower and a 72" hog with my old Ford 1720. The tc30 is the modern version of the 1720, but with a few added horsepower. I think you'll be fine with the larger cutter and only on a rare occasion, have to slow down.

jjcc246 · Jun 15, 2005

jinman, i'm scratching my head wondering why i sold a perfectly good cutter just to end up buying the same thing. yes, i like the cutter wider than the machine so i can do close cutting, i guess when i said covering my tracks i should have been more specific. i think i'm going to stick with the 5'. thats pretty much what NH and the TBN'ers calls for on it and no sense in beating the machine for maybe an extra 1/2 hr. of work here and there. i might get pinstripes on the new one so i don't feel like i just did a stupid move. the one i sold wasn't pinstriped. live and learn, i guess.

dknarnd · Jun 15, 2005

( ( I got rid of the 60" because my tractor is 62" wide in the rear and i wanted to cut over my tire marks. )

If your rotary cutter was out in front of your tractor like a FEL bucket, I'd understand your statement. Truthfully, it's got me scratchin' my head trying to figure out why a 72" cutter would make any difference. Are you cutting up close to a fence or other obstacle? ...cutting around a pond? What does covering your tracks get you when you've already run over the grass with both the front and rear tires before the cutter comes along?

Everyone has answered your question pretty well about the cutter, but I'm really curious about your statement. /forums/images/graemlins/smirk.gif )

With the 60" cutter you will be running over the same grass twice on the one side and even more so if the surface is slopped. Is this not correct?

have_blue · Jun 15, 2005

( sense in beating the machine for maybe an extra 1/2 hr. of work here and there. )

JJCC,,

The smaller cutter may actually save you time.

In the power/work equation, speed usually trumps everything!

jinman · Jun 16, 2005

( With the 60" cutter you will be running over the same grass twice on the one side and even more so if the surface is slopped. Is this not correct?
)

Okay, draw a 62" box dragging a 60" box and then tell me how those tires will overlap since you have to offset the wheels on the previous cut just to get the cutter over far enough to not leave an uncut patch. I always overlap about 6" minimum, so only a small 4" swath would be run over twice. Do you see my point? You have to have the tires well out on the cut grass for the mower to extend far enough over. The narrower the mower, the farther out the wheels would have to be the way I see it. /forums/images/graemlins/smirk.gif