Brush Cutter Size

[logan97]

looking into purchasing a Bush Hog for a Kubota B7800 30 HP, need to cut over grown briar's and saplings up to 1" to 2" in size, and grass. Will 5' be to large ?
P.S. would a tooth bar help with removing the briar's

 

[leonz]

Your topic has been covered extensively on
the "Attachments Section" over several hundred pages.


What you have understand/must understand completely
is the mechanics of any, I repeat any rotary cutter;


Only half of the cutting surface length is being used at any time
when you are trying to knock down brush or grass the other thirty
inches is unused at any time where witha 5 foot flail mower
the entire 5 foot width is being used to slice the brush in front
of it.


As you have a varied brush load I would strongly suggest
you chat with Ken Sweet who is a sponsor of the forum in
good standing first as he is a sponsor of Tractorbynet.com.
regarding a 48 inch flailmower with hardened knives for your
use.


You also have to under stand the rotary cutter will leave
massive amounts of debris that will remain and not degrade
or mulch quickly.


If you do a search on flail mowers here in the forum you will
find a lot of happy owners of flailmowers also, but please give
Ken Sweet a call first about a 48 inch flailmower for your needs as
a 5 foot rotary cutter is really too large for your use even with
mixed use mowing.



About the briars a small box blade with the teeth set deep will
be better after the briars have been knocked down.



leonz

 

[LD1]

Flail mowers are more $$$. Used bushhogs are a dime a dozen. No doubt a flail mower is the way to go if money were no object. But since you asked about rotart cutters, I'll give you my opinion on them.

I think you would be better suited with a heavier duty 4' cutter. You have the HP to run a 5'er effectively, but the size and weight become an issue vs your smaller framed tractor.

I have a tractor that is ~800lbs heavier than a B7800, and I definatally can tell there is a 5' cutter back their. With a smaller tractor, it is like the tail wagging the dog. That much weight that far back puts a lot more stress on things. And side loads when turning. Not to mention going up even a small hill. I perfer to "hog" without the FEL for added manuveribility, but if I were any lighter, hills would be a challange.

So, IMO, you would have a better time with a 4' cutter.

 

[gerard]

You're rated for up to a 6 footer. My L2500 is a little smaller, I use a 5 footer and COULD use a 6. You at least want to cover your tire width so I would NOT go with a 4 footer. You can always adjust to conditions by going slower and/or raising the cutting height but if you have light cutting, you'll never cut more than 4 feet in a pass with a 4 foot mower! If yuou have an hst it's even less of an issue since you can just go at the max speed that allows the rpms to stay up there.

 

[Will_C]

5 foot would be a fine match for a B7800. I would watch the weight, some of the extremely heavy duty models might be more weight than your tractor can handle without the "tail wagging the dog" so to speak.

Will

 

[leonz]

I was not going to bring price into this posting
as I was determined to explain only the differences
between the two types of mowers:

As you are this close to an Agrisupply show room
you can pick up a new 4 foot Caroni flail for a few
dollars under $1,500.00 U.S.D., plus tax at the
showroom in Petersburg Va.

 

[Marveltone]

Another option people seem to forget about is the Woods 54" RC. It's offered as an alternative for people with smaller tractors. I use it with my Ford 1510 and love it. Your tractor makes more power than mine, but it's also much lighter, and as others have pointed out (tail wagging the dog), that can be some cause for concern.

A common problem nowadays, IMHO, is the tendency for manufacturers to put more power in smaller packages, which can make for a compact powerhouse, but makes actually using and handling implements near the outer limits of the machine's capability an increasingly dangerous practice. For instance, your Kubota makes 30hp (22PTO)and can power and lift more at the 3-pt hitch (1655 lbs vs. 1432 lbs) than my Ford @22hp (19.2PTO), but can it handle it? (Tractor weight= 1740 lbs vs. 3200lbs) Rotary cutters leave a lot of mass hanging several feet out the back of your rig. Tractor weight is your friend.

Sorry if I muddied the waters. :ashamed:

Joe

 

[logan97]

Will the FEL Bucket or Forks to put counter weight , help the wag ?

 

[LD1]

It wont really help the "wag" but it will help offset the weight when going uphill.

But as mentioned, I personally dont like the FEL on. The tractor visibility and manuverability are much better without it.

 

[belah]

I don't know what type rotary cutter you are considering but I just purchased a Wood's BB 720 6ft cutter. I have a larger tractor so the 1100# weight is not a problem. Wood's makes a BB72 which weighs only 800# for the 6ft model and even less for the 5ft model- 600#. It is rated to cut 2 in saplings. I love the Wood's cutter because it is the only cutter on the market that allows you to change blades from the TOP(no more crawling under the cutter) and it also has the longest gearbox warranty of 6 yrs. You can go to their website Wood's Equipment and compare the wood's to about 5 other brands of cutters side by side.:thumbsup: