brush hog for L3010

   / brush hog for L3010 #1  

Moon

Platinum Member
Joined
Feb 4, 2002
Messages
908
Location
SE Ohio, Meigs County
Tractor
Kubota L3010HST R4's, Scag Wildcat ZTR, 61
I've just got a new L3010 with a 6' RFM and FEL and 6' box blade. I'm wondering what size brush hog would best suite a 3010. My 6' finish mower does fine, but i'm thinking a brush hog of the same size would be heavier and might be too much for the 3010 to handle. Any 3010 owners out there that could shed some light on this for me?

Thanks,

moon
 
   / brush hog for L3010 #2  
I have a 5' for my L3010. I used it with my old B2150 and B2910. My dealer said that I could go to 6' if I wanted to but since I already had the 5 and it seems to be ok I will stay with it awhile. My dealer said he has a commercial lawn care company as a client and they run 2 L3010s with 6 foot brush hogs for those jobs and have had no problems.

If I were to buy a new one I would go with a 6 foot. I use King Kutter 'cause I have had great luck and service from there stuff and the light duty version isn't too bad on weight. I don't know how a real heavy duty version of any of the brands would work but I would think someone here will know.
 
   / brush hog for L3010
  • Thread Starter
#3  
I had what i thought was a 4' brush hog, but when i put it behind the 3010 it looked real small. Its really a 40 or 42" brush hog. Way to small for the 3010. After mowing for the 2nd time last night, with a bigger brush hog in mind, the way the 3010 handled the RD72 finish mower I'm guessing a 6' brush hog wouldn't be a problem.

It sure is easy to get used to that 72" swipe when all i had before was a 48" mower deck. It also surprised me how well the Rear Finish mower handles. An i don't have to step up over a big ole 72" MMM getting on and off the tractor.

Thanks for the reply!

Moon
 
   / brush hog for L3010 #4  
You are right, I did sell my 5 foot finish and got a 6 foot and really like the coverage. If I had more bush hogging to do I would probably trade up to a 6 foot there too.
 
   / brush hog for L3010 #5  
I have a woods BB60 5' brush bull for my L3010HST. It is in the their standard duty line. According to the brochure, the L3010 can handle the 6' standard duty Woods Brush Bull, but it's minimum hp requirement is exactly that of the L3010. I figured I woule rather make an occasional extra pass and not max out the PTO power on the tractor. Woods also carries a medium and heavy duty line, but you need more ponies for those. I am very happy with the one I got.
 
   / brush hog for L3010
  • Thread Starter
#6  
Thanks Frank,
The more 3010 owners i hear from gives me a better point of reference on this.
I'm rather new to brush hoging - i had done light stuff close to the house, but now that i have a 4wd I can tackle areas i hadn't even tried before. I'm curious about the difference in the light vs heavy duty hogs. Would a light duty one cut through the same size sapplings but just not hold up as long? I have multiflora galore on my place that i want to tear into. If i got the light duty one I'm guessing it wouldn't last as many years as the heavy duty one, but both would perform the tasks about the same. What is your guys experience with da hogs?
Thanks,
Moon
 
   / brush hog for L3010 #7  
<font color=blue>...I'm curious about the difference in the light vs heavy duty hogs. Would a light duty one cut through the same size sapplings but just not hold up as long?... If i got the light duty one I'm guessing it wouldn't last as many years as the heavy duty one, but both would perform the tasks about the same. ...</font color=blue>

Grey...

Depending on the manufacturer... many factors distinguish differences between a "regular duty", "medium duty", and “heavy duty" rotary cutters...

Also some manufacturers "regular duty" are others "heavy duty" and vice versa... some "heavy duty" is more "cosmetic" changes and marketing than being truly "heavy duty"...

As confusing as all this sounds and is at times... here's some basics to look for in going up "levels":

1. Thickness and width of blades normally get "bigger" (3/8”-5/8” thick & 3-7” wide)
2. Gearbox input and output shafts get larger (including internal gearing)
3. PTO drive shafts and u-joints get heftier
4. Deck steel gets thicker and design changes make it sturdier
5. Go from shear bolt to 2-plate to 4-plate slip clutch
6. Stump jumpers (blade holders) get more mass (30 lbs-625 lbs.)( 3/16” - 1 ½ " thickness of steel)

Example:...So if you try to cut a 4" sapling with your "regular duty" cutter, depending on brand... you may do a few and then the gearbox output shaft usually bends or breaks, the gearbox tends to also break away from its deck mounting (deck is too thin/mounting poor), blades start spinning in an out of balance condition (hitting and cutting the deck ), bending or breaking your 3/8” X 3" blades (dangerous), rips the thin steel skirt out in a short period of time (adds stability to deck) now causing a random disbursement of debris, bending and breaking off the A-frame connecting the rotary cutter to the tractor, and numerous weld joints crack/break with all the "thin" based steel, now the entire unit starts violently shaking/vibrating becoming a ticking time bomb ready to self destruct and become pieces of hurling dangerous shrapnel... etc.

In many cases for a few hundred dollars difference you can go from a “regular” to a “medium” duty rotary cutter and have more of your “bases covered” for the average compact tractor owner… (whatever average is…?) /w3tcompact/icons/smile.gif
 
   / brush hog for L3010
  • Thread Starter
#8  
Thanks JMIII!!!!
Very well said. Now I have to save a few pennies and do my homework on what all is available around here as far as brush hogs are concerned. As usual, it sounds like spending a little extra now will help to be sure it last longer and saves you in the long run.
Moon
 
   / brush hog for L3010 #9  
Depends on what you need to cut - habitually. If you just need to make 1 pass to cut a bunch of heavy stuff (2-4" saplings, thick brush, etc.) and from then on plan to reasonably frequently re-cut the area (i.e., before things grow up too much), you might be best served with renting, or hiring someone with, a heavy duty cutter and large tractor. Once the heavy stuff is cut, you can thereafter get by with a wider, but lighter duty, brush cutter.
So, if you're going to be in the thick stuff habitually - a medium or heavy duty cutter seems prudent, and for a 3010, esp. if HST, you're somewhere in the 4-5 foot range, depending on manufacturer. I've a 5' Woods BB600 "medium duty" behind a 3410 GST, and at 1039 pounds I barely have enough tractor to handle the real thick stuff (brush cutter is just fine, it's a pto issue - sometimes need to make 1/2 swaths, i.e., straddle the cutter between a cleared area and the uncut stuff). I also have to use front weights or keep my FEL on in order to balance the tractor and have enough weight on the front wheels to make FWD useful. That said, Woods stuff tends to be heavier built than most.
If you're mainly going to be cutting long weeds, modest brush and similar stuff most of the time, get a "light duty" brush cutter - they're much much lighter (Woods BB60 - the light duty equivalent of my BB600 - weighs less than 600 pounds), cut grass better (at least it looks better), and 3pt strain and pto power are less of an issue for your 3010. In addition, that extra foot of cutting width (the 72" Woods light duty unit weighs many hundreds of pounds less than the 60" medium duty unit) sure makes the job go faster.
 

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