Any brush hogging tips?

[boggen]

--slip clutch, most rotary cutters have them. learn how to setup them up and how to maintain them. Tractor Attachments And Skid Steer Attachments For Any Tractor Or Skid Steer has some videos / text of how to maintain slip clutches.

--for myself, i like running the FEL (front end loader) down and just a couple inches off the ground. so i can push a tree limb i can not see away, to hopefully pushing baby dear / baby cow that might be laid down in the thick grass (hide on purpose by mother) and will not move.

--some folks talk the general duty bucket off there FEL. so they can make it through woods better. on other hand i want the weight out in front via general duty bucket, to help counter balance the rotary cutter. and at same time, i may back down some areas towards a lake, and not be able to get back up (loosing traction) and use FEL to work my way back up the hill.

-- i do not remember person name / thread title right off. guy was mowing down some old areas that were left to go for a few years. and was having a lot of "traction problems" going up and down the hills. to simply having enough power to keep the rotary cutter going. if memory a lot had to do with "reducing air pressure in tires" tractors are not car / trucks on paved highways. tractor tires = mud / dirt, and a lower PSI is wanted. so the tire flattens more out for traction. i do belive same person also end up having to add some more weight into the FEL general duty bucket. along with having to drive down steeper hills, and then drive back up a non steeper areas, then take next pass down the steeper section ((long drive for a short path to mow)) more of issue all the weeds are wet, and when you cut them down, it just makes for a wet muddy slick ground. even if you let the area dry and no rains for a week or longer, when you go to start cutting down tall weeds they will have mini puddles of water around the stems were leaves attach, to simply not getting enough air flow lower to the ground causing things to not really dry out at all.

--radiators love to get plugged up when rotary cutting. having say a leaf blower might help clean them out, and/or an air compressor with a long metal bendable pipe you can bend some to work your way into and behind the radiator to blow crud out. ((do not run a cold garden hose water, onto a hot radiator)) just blowing them out with air should be good enough.

--check your air/ air filters as needed. they can also get clogged up from all the pollen / dust / crud in the air.

--rotary cutters are "heavy" and more so how far they stick out behind the tractor. and they will cause the rear end to "dog tail it" and cause rear end to shake back and forth.

--make sure you get correct "sway chains / bars" and "check chains/bars" for 3pt hitch. to help reduce the "dog tailing" but also to make sure you do not destroy the 3pt hitch.

--the rotary cutter is going to cause a lot of vibration, any turn buckles (long nut with 2 bolts coming out each end, with holes in the end) take a piece of wire and loop through the turnbuckles on the 3pt hitch. so they will not unscrew themselves and fall off some place.

 

[jim44]

If you have a ROPS, WEAR YOUR SEAT BELT!

 

[Xfaxman]

A brush hog will leave a small windrow on one side, so what I do is mow clockwise or counterclockwise around the field, depending on whether I want to leave it or overlap it and chop it up.

 

[CobyRupert]

Some advice (more to myself than the OP):
Rotary mowers aren't bulldozers. Backing into a hedgerow of brush (where the tractor can't go), you will likely find: A tree or rock (or fence post) a lot bigger than you would of ever imagined could be there. You will hear a loud noise when said tree or rock pushes the back lip of the mower into the blades. Ouch!

 

[pathunt]

80's

Sorry to hear about house. Excellent tips.

If your brushog survives (as mine barely did) your learning, when you replace the blades - use new nuts, washers, and bolts when you put the new blades on. It is considered "bad form" to launch blades at your neighboor's house, whether you like them or not.

Starkiller

 

[KennyGarrison]

80's

Sorry to hear about house. Excellent tips.

If your brushog survives (as mine barely did) your learning, when you replace the blades - use new nuts, washers, and bolts when you put the new blades on. It is considered "bad form" to launch blades at your neighboor's house, whether you like them or not.

Starkiller

If you are using a 3pt type brush hog, try using a short length of chain rather than a rigid third arm. This lets you go through a small ditch, hole, or dip without jaming your third arm or taking weight off your tractor main wheels. You can still lift the bush hog when needed if you get the length right. The chain will be slack during most operations with bush hog weight supported only by two swing arms of 3 pt and the tail wheel. This also allows you to adjust front of mower height using your 3pt lift arms to meet varying conditions as you mow. It also keeps weight on your front wheels for better steering and traction if you have 4whl Drive. In other words, the bush hog acts like a "pull behind" instead of trying to levering up the front of the tractor due to tension on the 3rd arm. A tractor belly pan makes it feasible to ride over larger saplings without backing up. Front end loader can not only find rocks and stumps before the bush hog hits them. It can also push over saplings prior to cutting and push down seed heads of tall grasses like fescue or even thistle to keep the seeds from blocking radiator circulation. Front chain guards on the mower are the best investment you will ever make on a bush hog to keep wood chunks and shattered rocks off the operator. Also absolutely necessary if you have a glass tractor cab. Always mow up and down rather than sideways on hills to prevent rollover. Avoid sharp turns as they put a lot more stress on the mower drive U-joints. Do not leave the tractor seat with the PTO still engaged and mower turning. Spinning drive shaft is less obvious than the blades, but still a real danger if it grabs a shirttail. Remove any cracked blade and always make sure blades are balanced against each other after sharpening. When sharpening, grind out any sharp dings or round them out. Sharp dings become focal points for stress cracks. Adjust slip clutch on mower by trial and error so that it does not slip when cutting tall grass but will slip when it hits dirt bank, rock or stumps. Use a micrometer to measure thickness of clutch plates around the entire circumference of your clutch to make sure tension is even on all sides of the clutch. Starting from just snug and tightening each bolt and spring the same amount will get you very close.
Kenny Garrison
2004 New Holland TN75D with 10ft pull behind
Not safe to use a Ford 8N to bush hog. Lack of live power will drive you up on logs, stumps, rocks. YOU CANNOT STOP FORWARD PROGRESS DUE TO FLYWHEEL EFFECT OF THE MOWER!

 

[bcp]

Avoid sharp turns as they put a lot more stress on the mower drive U-joints.

I don't understand this comment. Stress on the hitch if mowing, maybe.

Bruce

 

[80sDweeb]

I don't understand this comment. Stress on the hitch if mowing, maybe.

Bruce

There are a lot of pull-behind rotary cutters, that could be where his experience comes from. I guess they're the best option if your tractor doesn't easily adapt to a 3 point hitch, but can be cumbersome in heavy brush - better for open field work.

Scott in Brighton NY

 

[N2DFire]

Hey Scott.
Sorry to hear about losing your home. I know how devastating that is.

Lot's of good info and advice here already. I'm going to throw out some things on a slightly different tangent.

1) Stay hydrated - Dehydration leads to confusion, slower reaction times and bad decisions.
2) Quit before you get tired / don't rush. There's always another day to finish. You get tired / rushed and you make mistakes.
3) If you have other things on your mind, feel like crap, etc - find something else to do. If you can't stay focused and keep your mind on what you're doing you run the risk of making mistakes or getting into some place you shouldn't have been.

Enjoy the new home place & happy tractoring

 

[N2DFire]

Not safe to use a Ford 8N to bush hog. Lack of live power will drive you up on logs, stumps, rocks. YOU CANNOT STOP FORWARD PROGRESS DUE TO FLYWHEEL EFFECT OF THE MOWER!

Respectfully - 8N's work just fine but you MUST run an override clutch on the PTO to prevent exactly what you describe from happening.

As a side note - if you add an override clutch, make sure your PTO shaft on your equipment will collapse far enough to prevent jamming into the clutch when you lift it full travel.

 

[80sDweeb]

It's been a while, so I thought I'd update this thread. I ended up getting an Alamo SHD74 flail mower (6 ft wide) from a Highway Department auction, I think they sold it because they mostly use offset and hydraulic units now, and this was a PTO unit centered on the 3 point hitch. It isn't as good at the heavy brush clearing as a rotary cutter would be, but it really mulches up the cuttings and has done a great job so far. I'd say I cut up to 1-1/2 inches comfortably, and bigger than that with effort. Once I sucked up a bunch of wire fencing (DOH!) and while cutting/battling that out of there, I noticed some missing cotter pins underneath the mower. Lucky thing, because I hadn't lost any knives yet, but if I hadn't inspected I would have.

Now that winter weather is just about here, I will try to get back out there and continue what I started. I was only able to work out there for a couple partial days so far. The mower power seems fine, the only real issue is that I could use some weight on the front of the tractor. I will see about loading the front tires on the tractor (it has some old 15 inch car radials on it now, unfortunately, but they don't tear up the lawn, so I may keep them) and I will look for a deal on weights to go on the front end (tractor has the mount.) I guess I should look while scrap prices are down!

Thanks for all the tips, they are exactly what I needed! Also, I may end up getting a rotary cutter if I find the right deal, as I know they are much faster through the rough stuff. I love having the flail for most work, because I have lots of kids, and keeping them completely away while the tractor is running isn't easy, and the flail is far safer for bystanders.

Oh, and the house? You know, the one they were saying they'd start on "any day now" back in July and August? They should start the foundation work tomorrow, but I'll believe it when I see it! After zoning boards, appeals, thousands in environmental permit fees, haz-mat air quality monitors, etc. etc. etc., my frustration level is beyond comprehension. So much that I had to choose between having a brain aneurism and throwing my hands up and saying "who cares", which is where I'm at now.

Scott in Penfield NY

 

[Code54]

Awesome on the flail, glad to hear it is working out. They are a nice mower and can be had for a good deal.

Sucks about the house, has to be frustrating to say the least - hopefully it gets moving soon and most of the hassles will be behind you.

 

[Mike9]

After zoning boards, appeals, thousands in environmental permit fees, haz-mat air quality monitors, etc. etc. etc., my frustration level is beyond comprehension.

Scott in Penfield NY

Are you building a house, or a factory?