Brush cutter (RC) deck vs finish cut deck

[toolz_not_toyz]

I'm trying to narrow down my attachment wish list. I don't want to spring for two mower decks if I can avoid it. My property currently has a bit of lawn (not a huge amount though) and I will be cleaning up another overgrown part over the next 12 months. I'm considering the 48" finish mower or the brush cutter (RC) mower deck. When just cutting and maintaining grass what is the difference in cut between the RC and the finish deck?

I know at the old place I chewed up the blades on my lawn tractor like crazy on a regular basis because the place was built on old farm land and a lawn (if you can call it that) to match. So I'm leaning towards RC only right now if it can do a decent job on the lawn too.

 

[cqaigy]

I only have the rough cut mower and i wouldn't give the name "lawn" to what i mow it with. It seems to do pretty well considering all the brush and trees i mow along with the grass.

It seemed to have a much smoother cut before i used it for a gravel crusher. It does pretty well on 3" minus. /forums/images/graemlins/crazy.gif

 

[BobRip]

I mowed my yard with the brush cutter once just to see what it would look like. The cutting was OK, but it left behind long cut pieces of grass. It has no lift so the cut grass is not chopped up.

I think you could get by for a while and delay the regular mower purchase, but eventually you (or at least I) would become disatisfied with the cut long grass left behind. Try it and see.

Bob Rip

 

[browns40]

Hi toolz not toyz,

I have rotary cutter that does a nice job. the blades have trailing fin designed for producing suction/lift. Not a finish mow, but like you, I could only spring for one, and the RC is multi-purpose.

Check out John Deere rotary cutter blades--others I've seen do not have the "wing" for lift, so probably mash a little more.

Good Luck * Happy tractoring! /forums/images/graemlins/cool.gif

 

[toolz_not_toyz]

You guys read my mind! I was wondering about mulching capabilities and I guess the brush cutter (like any brush cutter?) doesn't have any so-called mulching capabilities. So if your grass is long and you cut it gets chopped and sits on the ground long.

Perhaps the best strategy is really just to go with the finish deck and attack the rest of the property with other equipment but then maintain it with the finish mower. I don't see the need for bush hogging on a regular basis going forward after the first time. And I don't want the grass around the house to look like an idle farmer's field either.

Thanks for the info.

 

[MuncyBob]

Perhaps renting a good brush hog to do the initial clearing. Purchase the finish mower for the grass cutting and perhaps have an extra set of blades for the finish mower that you put on only for "rough cutting". I've used the 48" deck with the original blades and have hit some stone and plenty of other things over the last 2 years and even though I've sharpened them I'm considering making them the "pasture" blades and buy a new set of blades for the lawn only. It only takes a few minutes to change the blades and I only expect to do it every 4 or 5 weeks.

 

[MossRoad]

I have some areas of our lawn that border rough areas. What I do is walk the brushy area and remove any large sticks, rocks, etc... from the first foot of the rough adjacent to the lawn. Each time I mow, I do this and move into the rough another foot or so with the finish mower. Over the years, I've gained quite a bit of new lawn and the brush is retreating. /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif

However, for really brushy areas, the 48" brush hog is positively unbeatable.
You can't do THIS with the finish mower!

Or this! /forums/images/graemlins/tongue.gif

But you won't get a lawn cut that looks like this with the brush hog. /forums/images/graemlins/wink.gif For that, you need a finish mower. /forums/images/graemlins/crazy.gif

 

[toolz_not_toyz]

I learned from the old place that even if you're going to brush hog you need to either be super careful or walk the place first. At the old place, on day 1 of clearing a section of overgrown field (really should have had a brush hog) I managed to put a steel T-bar through the front grill of my new lawn tractor. Where a "T-bar" is one of those steel post like things that used to be used to install temporary snow fencing where I grew up. The one I hit was bent over just the right way to go straight through the grill and you couldn't see it because of all the brush.

Let me tell ya, a JDL130 lawn tractor is pretty heavy when its pointed downhill and rammed into a steel post and all ya got is you to pull it out! /forums/images/graemlins/mad.gif

So from there on in I started to use my line trimmer with a gator flail head attachment that I got from Northern Tool. That way I could see the huge ruts, old logs, large rocks, and other stuff that you wouldn't normally see. The whole experience led me to believe that those bush hogs sure must be durable as heck in order to make it through that kind of stuff on a regular basis.

MR: I've been studying your videos quite a bit again recently. I actually did download them all and create an archive with those and the two that show the 4n1 in action. I agree that the brush cutter is quite impressive but I don't have quite that level of overgrowth. That stuff looks like thistle or something else that is very stalky. I had that at the old place. Here I just have weeds, ferns, grass. Maybe 2 or 3ft tall at the most.

Are there aftermarket blades that will fit the PT mower decks? I used to change them on the lawn tractor very quickly using my impact wrench. I agree that the plan of keeping a good set and a crummy set is a good idea. But maybe there are also better blades that could be had. Like a set of gator blades.

 

[MossRoad]

The blades on the finish mower are pretty tough. I just don't think the finish mower will handle 3ft high grass very well. You would have to go very slowly. However, once you get it down to a manageable height, the finish mower will do quite nicely.

I have two sets of blades from Power Trac. The first set lasted 3 years without sharpening. I put the second set on this year, sharpened the originals, oiled them and put them in plastic for 2008. /forums/images/graemlins/tongue.gif

 

[stray]

Guys. With out a lot of expense or trouble one could take and old lawn mower deck and make his finish mower. You would need to use about a .35 to .45cc hyd. motor. Depending on your blade lengths.