Sickle Bar Brush Hog or Sickle Bar

[Piperflyer]

I will be cutting 3 acres of field this summer with a Kubota 3030. I would like some input on whether to use a sickle bar or brush hog. Which would do a better job, pros & cons? What size cutter would you recommend for the HP. of the 3030? Thanks

 

[Neil L]

Last year I was faced with the same ? . I watched threads on TBN and decided to get a balanced head sickle mower. I can't get over how effective it is. There is a poster "Farmswithjunk" who can give you more insite than I as he has more experience. Good luck and happy mowing. Best, Neil

 

[mjarrels]

Five foot brush hog and seven foot sickle bar... If your pocket book is big enough, get one of each. Each has it's own benefits.

mark

 

[OrangeGuy]

I have both. I purchased a new 6' brushhog with my Kubota L3430 three years ago. I used it once. It now sits in the shed gathering dust. On the other hand, my NH 451 sickle mower gets lots of use. Mowing my meadows, pasture and road ditches works much better with the sickle mower. The sickle mower is a bit more maintenance, but it works better for my mowing needs.

OrangeGuy

 

[JoeinTX]

I assume that this is just pasture and you're cutting for maintenance sake and not for baling, etc....?

If so, the shredder (brush hog) is the way to go. More versatile and resilient. The sickle mower is really more a cropping tool simply cutting and letting lie the material whereas the shredder will cut/pulverize/spread the material cut. I have both and the sickle always is at risk of clogging and often times will simply ride-over smaller stem grass/weeds. The shredder, by design, does not clog and rarely rides above anything. You'll get just as much done with a 5'-6' shredder as you will a 7' sickle in a given amount of time because you can move faster.

Also, try pulverizing the odd small stump or fallen limbs hiding in the weeds with a sickle mower........:{

 

[mjarrels]

My want to also consider a flail if looking for a nicer cut... but more $$$.

mark

 

[kyspartan]

joeintx said everything that i wanted to say. but i wanted to add that sickle bars can be annoying take your eye off of it for second and it will clog and can get a little expensive with upkeep and repairs and if it is a nice field have you considered a finish mower

 

[Piperflyer]

I appreciate all the input. The field is a flat hay field that I want to keep mowed for now (no rocks, stumps). I thought about a finish mower, but would have to mow it all the time. Does anyone make a mid mount flail mower for thr 3030.

 

[Farmwithjunk]

I will be cutting 3 acres of field this summer with a Kubota 3030. I would like some input on whether to use a sickle bar or brush hog. Which would do a better job, pros & cons? What size cutter would you recommend for the HP. of the 3030? Thanks

Sickle bar mowers are more "maint. intensive". No denying that. They do a fine job of cutting weeds/grass if kept in good condition though. If the sections are sharp, and everything is in good condition, they'll cut as good as the best finish mowers. You need to realize there's a BUNCH of moving parts. (read; a LOT of parts to wear out) The advantages are , you can reach UNDER tree limbs, fences, over ditch banks and pond banks. DISadvantages..... besides the maint...... If you cut tall weeds, you have a lot of "residue" left behind that would be shredded with a bush hog type cutter. That can jump up and bite you on the NEXT cutting. That will tend to "lodge" or plug up the cutter bar at times.

As far as power, iof a tractor has enough "gonads" to pick up the sickle bar cutter, it will cut with it. VERY LITTLE power demand to run one.

My "favorite" sickle bars are 1. New Holland 451. 2. John Deere 350. 3. Massey Ferguson #41 DynaBalance. Unless you're really in to working on equipment, stay away from "pitman arm" style mowers in favor of balanced head types.

 

[jinman]

I appreciate all the input. The field is a flat hay field that I want to keep mowed for now (no rocks, stumps). I thought about a finish mower, but would have to mow it all the time. Does anyone make a mid mount flail mower for thr 3030.

If I had a neighbor with a clean 3-acre field, I would sure be glad to loan him my rotary cutter to see what he thought about it before he bought a new one. Do you have a neighbor with a rotary cutter who might loan it to you or give you a demo?

If not, I'd have to suggest a rotary cutter such as a King Kutter from Tractor Supply or a Howse from Northern Tool. Either of these will be about $700 or less. I'd expect a sickle bar to be almost twice that much or more.

For side dressing along a fence row or around a pond, the sickle bar is great. I'd love to have one for around my ponds, but my primary cutter is a rotary cutter and it can take much more abuse with nothing but a slightly dulled blade. If you keep the blades on a rotary cutter sharp (probably sharper than when it is new) then you can achieve a very nice cut on smooth ground with consistent grass. It won't be like a finish mower, but it will be pretty nice.

See if you can find a neighbor or someone to help. Heck, if you are a flyer, what do they use to mow the airport you normally use? I bet the maintenance crew could give you some good tips.

 

[Z-Michigan]

Does anyone make a mid mount flail mower for thr 3030.

I've never seen a mid-mount flail mower for anything. The design of the flail mower has little knives being swung by a shaft that rotates perpendicular to the direction of travel but parallel to the ground - basically a sideways shaft. (Look on the implements section of the New Holland website for photos.) The flail mower housing is typically a nearly square box (rounded top edges) that's more than a foot high and wide. I guess it might be possible from an engineering perspective to make one fit under a typical tractor's 15" of ground clearance, but it would be really tight. They are a specialty item.

One item to note - rotary cutters can throw rocks and debris a long distance at high speed, although they usually have guards to prevent this. One reason people choose flail mowers is that they are much less likely to throw objects, but shred material at least as well if not better than a rotary. The sickle bar shouldn't throw objects at all, but as noted it's really more of a specialty mower for hay or straw than for routine maintenance.

 

[Farmwithjunk]

Either of these will be about $700 or less. I'd expect a sickle bar to be almost twice that much or more.

The New Holland 451 I have now, I bought at auction 2 years ago. I paid $315. I spent less than $100 to get it into like new condition. You won't ALWAYS find 'em that cheap, but they're around.

Since they demand less power, mowing with a sickle bar will use significantly less fuel for clipping pastures.

It all depends on what I'm cutting. I still use my bush hogs a lot more than the sickle bar, but both have their advantages.

 

[Farmwithjunk]

I've never seen a mid-mount flail mower for anything. The design of the flail mower has little knives being swung by a shaft that rotates perpendicular to the direction of travel but parallel to the ground - basically a sideways shaft. (Look on the implements section of the New Holland website for photos.) The flail mower housing is typically a nearly square box (rounded top edges) that's more than a foot high and wide. I guess it might be possible from an engineering perspective to make one fit under a typical tractor's 15" of ground clearance, but it would be really tight. They are a specialty item.

One item to note - rotary cutters can throw rocks and debris a long distance at high speed, although they usually have guards to prevent this. One reason people choose flail mowers is that they are much less likely to throw objects, but shred material at least as well if not better than a rotary. The sickle bar shouldn't throw objects at all, but as noted it's really more of a specialty mower for hay or straw than for routine maintenance.

There are several brands of "mid-mount" flail mowers that hang to the SIDE of the tractor. They almost require a dedicated "single purpose" tractor though.

I tried a Mott flail mower a few years back. In tall, stemmy grass, it tended to wrap around the cutter as opposed to cutting cleanly.

In the end, it's like so many other things. Nothing is a "do all" tool. They all have their distinct advantages and DISadvantages. But for the typical end user, a bush hog is probably the most versitile.

 

[jinman]

The New Holland 451 I have now, I bought at auction 2 years ago. I paid $315. I spent less than $100 to get it into like new condition. You won't ALWAYS find 'em that cheap, but they're around.

Well, of course I was speaking of a new price, and with a little searching I found I was way low in my estimating. CCM has a 7' for around $2300 and Northern Tool has one for around $3300. I can buy a lot of new rotary cutters for that price. I could probably buy a KK rotary cutter and a KK RFM for the price of a new sicklebar.

But as you say, there are always bargains to be had if you look long enough and are willing to invest a little sweat-equity. I think I'd have a smile on my face everytime I looked at my sicklebar cutter if I had found the bargain you have.

 

[Farmwithjunk]

Well, of course I was speaking of a new price, and with a little searching I found I was way low in my estimating. CCM has a 7' for around $2300 and Northern Tool has one for around $3300. I can buy a lot of new rotary cutters for that price. I could probably buy a KK rotary cutter and a KK RFM for the price of a new sicklebar.

But as you say, there are always bargains to be had if you look long enough and are willing to invest a little sweat-equity. I think I'd have a smile on my face everytime I looked at my sicklebar cutter if I had found the bargain you have.

Keep in mind, with me, you're talking about the guy my son described as "so cheap, he wouldn't give a nickel to see a mosquito eat a bale of hay".

 

[Fredex]

As most have mentioned, both rotary & sickle have their uses. Wish I had both.
One thing not mentioned about sickle bar mowers: keep your dogs & cats penned up or in the house - the neighbor's too. Those things will cut off a leg far faster than you can get stopped.
Fred

 

[mjarrels]

Never knew a sickle bar owner who had 10 fingers if he used it for many years. Once had a cat named "lucky" who walked on three legs... Sickle bar mower are dangerious.

mark

 

[Farmwithjunk]

Never knew a sickle bar owner who had 10 fingers if he used it for many years. Once had a cat named "lucky" who walked on three legs... Sickle bar mower are dangerious.

mark

Let me introduce myself.........


I've OWNED sickle bar mowers of one brand or another for almost 40 years. I grew up using them. My first experience with cutting hay using a sickle bar goes back almost 50 years. In those years, I've cut literally THOUSANDS of acres without the first accident. I can still count to 10 without taking off my shoes. I don't know of one single incident of a sickle bar attacking an unsuspecting bystander. If someone cut off a finger, that's because the USER wasn't careful.

 

[53gravely]

saplings will break a sickle bar.....brushhogs break the #$%%^ out of saplings!

 

[Tom_H]

I agree completely with Farmwithjunk re. sicklebar's complexity, cost, and maintanence. If you want to harvest hay, it would be better than rotary. Also may cut under a fence better.

Rotary is cheaper, simpler, and shreds stuff up, but would not leave bailable hay of any quality.

The Woods RM990 is a hybrid between a brush hog and an RFM, but a B3030 may not power it as well as you'd like:

http://www.woodsequipment.com/turf_grounds/commercial/rearmounts/RM990_P990.asp