Any help with this one, Please...

[Mock1]

We just bought just under three acres of property. It has some log banding on
it which we are picking out as we clear it. I will be buying
a MasseyGC 2410 or GC2610 next week. I would like some advice on a mower.
The dealer has two five foot used rough cut mowers ($600 and $900CDN). He also has a Massey 54" mulching MMM used for $1200.00. I know the MMM
will be a bit of a head ache to re and re. The property looks like this.
Any help with this one would really be appreciated.

 

[kebo]

Is the whole 3 acres like that in the picture?? That lot looks like it really just needs a finish cut mower to maintain it, but seeing all the steel banding is there I might have to go with the 3pt hitch bush hog. You're gonna need something tough enough to handle the banding getting wrapped around the spindle cause it looks like there's plenty of it there. My hunt club has a 75 acre lease from a paper company and about 12acres of it used to be a wood yard where they loaded timber onto train cars for hauling to other states. There was plenty of banding left over there and occasionally when we bush hog it, we will get some wrapped around the spindle. You just have to stop and work at with tin snips to get it off. Be sure and block up the deck so it won't come down on you!! If you get the MMM, you'll probably have to remove it to clear it, then you'll have to put it right back on to finish up. Could get aggraving after a few times.

Btw, you can buy a cheap metal detector (make sure it has the "all metal mode") and go through that place and find most all of the banding and dig it up. Will take some effort but I think it would be worth it. If you get it all cleaned up, then I would most likely get a MMM mower or a 3pt hitch finish cut mower.

So, maybe the answer here is get a rough cut mower to start with, and once you feel like all the banding is gone, you could always sell it and then go get a MMM??

Btw, love that lot you bought, fantastic view there!!! What mountains are those??

 

[jenkinsph]

I would use something such as an S tine field cultivator to find all the metal bands asap (before the grass and weeds have a chance to cover and hide them. I know what you are up against as I have a 30 acre field that has lots of 5/16" round banding from the 1880's. Wrapping either of these up in a tiller, disc or rotary cutter makes for a real mess.

Another tool you could use is a boxblade with the rippers all the way down to search out all the banding, and for a small plot may make more sense.

For the rotary cutter I would go with whichever is the better of the two. I would not concern myself with a mmm until I had the place whipped into shape.

 

[Mock1]

Thanks for the replies. We used a quad, brush cutter, and a diamond harrow
that my son discovered on the property to get this far. You know you have hit banding if you have a brush cutter in your hands. Hey Kebo, I think the Mnts.
are the Selkirks. Just Google Nelson, BC, Canada,then click on satelite. Here is a picture near our beach.
As jenkinsph suggested, we will be purchasing a box blade as well. I'm still
a little confused whether to get a four or five foot though. Any suggestions
are given the highest regards...
Thanks for the suggestions,I did need feedback.
Regards,David

 

[Matt_Jr]

With a tractor that size, I would go with the smaller box blade. The extra foot makes for some heavy pulling that my be more than those tractors can handle easily. Lots of stopping, lifting, pulling, backing up and start again. The smaller would mean less of that. My BX24 told me so with just a 5 foot scraper blade. I couldn't imagine it being a box blade, draging even more dirt. But, I've got a lot of hard clay and rock around here. Your property may differ.

 

[kebo]

For implement size, the "rule of thumb" is 5hp per foot of implement. For example, if you go with a 5ft mower, get at least 25hp. If you go with 6ft, you will want at least 30hp.

In other words:
20hp tractors work well with 4ft implements
25hp works well with 5ft implements
30hp will work with 6ft implements.

That's not to say you can't vary the size, but it's just good sense to match everything up.

Adding MFWD (4x4) will make a 20hp tractor pull about like a 24hp tractor. Being up in snow country, I would think you will want/need that option.

 

[jenkinsph]

You want the boxblade to cover your tracks, so go for 54" minimum to 60" maximum. Try to find a medium duty one if you can, it will help counter balance the front loader weight.

 

[Mock1]

Thanks Matt. I thought a four foot would be better, i really needed a little
prodding. Although the GC 2610 has a bit more hp, I'm not consumerised by
the way it is made. Bump up the fuel and you get HP. Thanks kebo for
the tractors for newbies equation of hp vs implement size. Oh by the way,
it's been a bit of a banana belt this winter so far. Last year was really bad,
but I'm looking at maybe eight inches in the yard so far.
You truly are a great bunch of people.
Thanks for everyones time with this one.
Regards,
David

 

[wrangler6831]

48" BB will cover the tracks on my gc2600 just fine. I wanted a 5' when i bought it but the dealer suggested to take the 48" and try it before spending more on a 5", glad I did the 5' bb would be to much for the GC2600. Go for a 60" mm mower. You won't regret it.
Good luck with your decision.



Rich

 

[jenkinsph]

48" BB will cover the tracks on my gc2600 just fine. I wanted a 5' when i bought it but the dealer suggested to take the 48" and try it before spending more on a 5", glad I did the 5' bb would be to much for the GC2600. Go for a 60" mm mower. You won't regret it.
Good luck with your decision.



Rich

Reading your post I investigated further, looks like Tractordata's width is based on the outside edges of the lighting which is about 54 inches wide. If the outside tires can be covered with a 48" blade then that is the best choice.

 

[Jaylegger]

Regarding box blade sizing I have a GC2600 and a 5' box blade and feel your choice on which size to get will depend on what type of terrain you're using it on and what tires are on the tractor. I've used the 5' box for levelling soil and for gravel roads and when pulling on soil, with the tractor equipped with turf tires an, approaching full, box can cause some traction issues in certain circumstances. You're pretty much right on the cusp with the 5' blade under those conditions, hard soils are manageable but softer stuff will cause you problems. While grading gravel roads with turf tires there are no issues whatsover, I've never had the tires spin at all with the box full and that using just 2-wheel drive non-the-less. The tractor has plenty of power to pull the issue is all about traction, I suspect if AG tires were used on soil the 5' box would work wonderfully.

 

[Mock1]

Thanks Jaylegger

How do you like the tractor? I'm leaning towards the GC2610 TLB.
We really need a FEL and backhoe.Although there are no major jobs,
the three acres of little ones makes sense to us.
It come equipped with the R4 tires I believe. Why did you choose the
2600 over the 2400. With current pricing the difference is only $350.00
CDN. so I thought I'd live a little.

 

[EGo_SmAsH]

That's a nice looking property you have there Mock1. if it were me i'd pick up all the banding that you can and then get a rear mounted finish mower for the spring. Though its personal preference, I'd steer away from a MMM because they are a pain to take on/off, they limit where you can go (ground clearance, weight ect.) and I think they make compact tractors look like lawn mowers, not tractors

We just bought just under three acres of property. It has some log banding on
it which we are picking out as we clear it. I will be buying
a MasseyGC 2410 or GC2610 next week. I would like some advice on a mower.
The dealer has two five foot used rough cut mowers ($600 and $900CDN). He also has a Massey 54" mulching MMM used for $1200.00. I know the MMM
will be a bit of a head ache to re and re. The property looks like this.
Any help with this one would really be appreciated.View attachment 150732

 

[Mock1]

Thanks for the info. We feel pretty lucky to get it.
196 feet of the nicest beach is a big reason for the
purchase as well. I haven't ruled out a finish mower either.
The evergreens are on the end of our beach.View attachment 150823

 

[Jaylegger]

Thanks Jaylegger

How do you like the tractor? I'm leaning towards the GC2610 TLB.
We really need a FEL and backhoe.Although there are no major jobs,
the three acres of little ones makes sense to us.
It come equipped with the R4 tires I believe. Why did you choose the
2600 over the 2400. With current pricing the difference is only $350.00
CDN. so I thought I'd live a little.

I've only had the tractor since September but so far it's been excellent. I look at my choose or lack of simply as: my previous research showed the 2600 with slightly more available engine and PTO power so the 2400 was never a consideration . Even if the power gains are modest with the 2600 I was sure using and requiring every horse and few hundred extra rpm I could muster last night blowing really wet and heavy snow.

Short video of my blowing efforts below

 

[Mock1]

Nice video. It looks like the East
is getting pounded this year. Last
year we were dumped on hard but this year it has
either been cold and dry or warm and wet.
I think we'll be getting the 2600.
Regards,
David