B2920 and Farm Force Bush Hog

[jambx]

Every now and then you just got-ta run to the house and grab the camera for that Kodak Moment.

I was going up to my farm property to do a little hogging and thought I better snap a few pics before she gets all dirty!

The 4 foot Farm Force is far from the top of the line but it has yet to fail me every time I put it to use. It also helps that it is the right color too

 

[Singlecoil]

Those photos belong in a catalog!

It sounds like you are reasonably happy with the FarmForce bush hog. What diameter of material will it handle? I'm thinking of getting one, can I ask how much you paid?

 

[PUSHINDIRT]

Looks great! I just looked at one of those today! It sounds like it is a great piece of equipment. Any regrets or limitations to the Farm Force?

 

[DavidAubke]

Neat toolbox.

 

[jambx]

Hi Guys,

At the time I bought the Farm Force Bush-hog TSC was handling these implements. Farm Force is made by a company called Tarter Gate.

Farm and Ranch Equipment - 4 ft. Rotary Cutter SC - By Tarter

The quality in my estimation is good - not great but good. It really comes down to the application. If I was hogging 20+ acres I would have opted for a much more stout unit (this one is ~365 lbs) but, for my application (tall grass, heavy brush etc) for an acre every now and then it is all I need. In fact when I purchased this unit I had a smaller BX22 which it seems to be a perfect size match - now that I have the B2920 I could go one step up but for what i do its works great.

I am not sure TSC even sells Tarter Gate anymore however I remember I was very happy with the $499 price I paid 2 years ago (I recall it was on special). It handles up to 1 inch material just fine.

The only weak link I can find is the clips that hold the rear wheel assembly together. If you back up into a bush the clips can be unclipped easily. Using a bolt in its place fixes this.

For less than $500 you will not find a better unit.

 

[AMR]

I will second the Farm Force endorsement. I bought a TSC Farm Force rotary cutter about 4 years ago now, it is a 4 footer, yellow and has just one big tail wheel. I only do about 2 acres of cutting with it maybe 3 times a year. A lot of the time I am doing around trees on a slope and I end up backing it into some tight spots or really brushy spots. I think I paid somewhere in the $440 range on special.

I only have a B3030 and I don't think I want want to go much bigger than this. I know I have cut stuff up to 1 1/2". Frequently the blades kick in and it wobbles pretty good. I shut it down and restart it and it runs fine. Also, I store it in my garage half under my boat trailer on a couple dollies, any bigger and it would be harder to fit it.

 

[mike smith 1955]

Ok im not sure if Im in the right place . But Im new so be easy on me . I just got my first tractor last week . You guessed it Kubota 2920 with fel and backhoe with thumb . Its great !!!! . Any advice you Kubota guys can give me I will be very greatful . I dont have a brush hog yet , but I will look at farm force when Im ready . Great site .

 

[DavidAubke]

I was at TSC Saturday and looked at a Farm Force 4' rotary cutter. The one I saw was nearly identical to the photos at the beginning of this thread except there was no discharge opening anywhere. The front opening was covered by the same solid rubber flap but all other sides were solid steel.

What was I looking at? some kind of "mulching" bush hog? Wouldn't it just load up and bog down?

Price tag: $729. A far cry from the $400's you folks were paying several years ago.

 

[jambx]

No discharge sounds pretty strange to me - sounds like someone skipped a step in the manufacturing process

With the price of steel and gas I am not shocked at the $$$ - however I just bought mine 3 years ago for $499.

I hear TSC does a summer sale in July (which is the month I bought mine - so you may want to wait.

 

[Tompet]

Nice photos. What also is nice is the barn that is usually in the background of your photos! How about a few specifics...dimensions, pole or block foundation, siding? Are those Hattaras Certainteed shingles?
TP

 

[jambx]

Nice photos. What also is nice is the barn that is usually in the background of your photos! How about a few specifics...dimensions, pole or block foundation, siding? Are those Hattaras Certainteed shingles?
TP

Thanks for asking about my Barn and YES!, you know your shingles! Those are indeed the Hatteras from Certainteed.

I have always wanted a place to put the toys?r?tools and was going to do a simple Pole Barn (heard for the money that is a easy way to go however the more and more I got into it I felt I needed a solid floor surface) With the help from a architect friend we came up with a nice New England type structure (36 feet x 30 feet). Built in 2003. Funny but I just did a large addition to the house this year and in my estimation the building cost tripled since then.

I initially wanted to go with post and bean (solicited proposals etc) but it was recommended that if I had any interest in finishing it off then conventional construction would be easier to work with. I also found out after getting a number of quotes that the cost of the Post and Bean was even a little more expensive. So I decided to go with standard 2x4 walls and 2x12 joists / rafters. The sheathing is ｽ inch plywood and the siding is 6 inch cedar tongue & groove.

My excavator (yes - for a fleeting minute I thought I could possible dig it out with my BX22!!!) talked me into putting in radiant heating in the floor (although I have not yet had the time or ambition to hook it up to a furnace). When I do get around to finishing the barn off I will be putting in 12 inch wide Pine Flooring on the second floor and also acquired a number of antique beams (rough sawn) that I will use in various areas to emulate the Post and Beam look.

My father and I built the entrance doors from scratch and if you look at the middle one you will see that above it the transom window is actually hinged so I can take full advantage of the entire 13 foot high floor space (i.e. my center console boat with a T-Top).

Another fun father and son project was the 6 foot high Cupola with a copper roof completes with lamp.

Things I would have done differently gone with Post and Bean, never - NEVER use lolley columns again and of course MAKE IT BIGGER!!!

Here are a few pictures (sorry if there are a lot but I am proud of this build).

 

[jambx]

Here are a few of the siding and how the main door works with the hinged transom.

 

[jambx]

and the Cherry on top. Too bad copper weathers

It really was a nice Father and Son project.

 

[Tompet]

All I can say is wow! Thanks for the documentation...hopefully more people outside of the "projects" discussion will see this! Nice job Jim.
Bye the way, I'm installing those same shingles on my house.
TP

 

[Tompet]

One follow-up question...what material did you use for all the white trim? Is it Azek or painted cedar?
TP

 

[jambx]

One follow-up question...what material did you use for all the white trim? Is it Azek or painted cedar?
TP

TP,

I have always had trouble with rotting pine trim around the house so I now I only use Cedar (and paint).

 

[iplumb]

Nice Barn! How's the Farmforce rotory cutter holding up! I'm looking a at picking one up for my B2920. By the way the retail price on them now is $949.00! You got a great deal....although it been some time. It just looks like a great match for the B2920 Thanks.

 

[jambx]

Iplumb wow one of my older threads I really want to thank you for bring this up again I forgot about this thread and enjoyed re-reading it more than you know. My Dad who is seen in these photos and without him this barn would not be standing past away last year and seeing him in these pictures really hit home. I miss him dearly and think about him every day. There was not a weekend that we were not tackling a project. He was a lot of fun and had a wealth of knowledge I can not thank you enough.

As for the Farm Force, for the money it is a home run no question about it although has a couple of small weak points - the clips they use for the rear wheels if you back up into something they pop off and you will either find you wheels on the ground or chopping some nice rubber off them (I have done both) so I now use through bolts. Another area you may want to address is the rear discharge has no deflector so you may want to add something. A few weeks ago I was cutting and hit a rock just right the size of a football and it proceeded to fly off the ground no more than a yard for at least 200 feet. It was quite amazing to see - I can now see why they say you should not hog when people are within 500 feet!

One other comment was that if I was going to buy I would now probably go up to 5 feet since (when I purchased this cutter) I was riding a BX22 (another great tractor for the money). The 2920 has so much power out the back it would easily turn a 5 footer and I like the idea of cutter just over my width which the 48 does not. Just some food for thought. As you noted however for what I paid for it at the time was a sweet deal and after 4+ years its held up to all the rocks I have thrown at it and for the money the quality can not be beat.

Thanks again you made my weekend.

Jim

 

[iplumb]

Sorry to hear of your Dads passing.. And thanks for you reply. I think I have decided to go with a 52" Flail mower. Never been around one but they seem to work pretty slick.