Brush Hog

[Soundguy]

yep. 4 gets you into using creativ ground speeds and rationing cut if material is too thick. EWarly ford N had only 23pto hp or so.. and still ran a 5' hog in 1st gear throttle.. might be running to the hilt though

on the flip side. more is always better.

I run a 10' mower on a 70pto hp unit.. and a 15' mower on a 90pto hp unit.

 

[Mattb15]

This is great feedback and alot of help....I saw where it said "PTO guard" what is that?
Also, I have a shuttle shift tractor so I should just hook the brush hog up then start in Low gear and throttle around 20 then go from there and see how it works ? Also if anyone has any brands for brush hogs that they strongely recommend please let me know. Thanks again (sorry if the questions sound dumb but this is my first tractor and I appreciate the help alot)

 

[Soundguy]

pto guard / shield referes to driveline and shields at the hookup yoke.

As to the shuttle, rpm, and range.

as I said start LOW rpm. not 20. 20 sounds like 2000 and your full blast mowing setting.

start at IDLE, engage pto. once pto spinning.. THEN throttle up. once throttled up. then start moving..

 

[jeff9366]

Also if anyone has any brands for brush hogs that they strongely recommend please let me know.

In five foot width 'Hogs every single one is going to have a China built gear box. Every single one is going to have a China or Italy built PTO shaft. So what you have left is the blades, housing and Three Point Hitch tower. (The blades are likely imported too. )

Five foot width Bush Hogs come in two weight categories. The light ones are rated for 1" brush, the heavier ones are rated for 2" brush. (It is a little more complicated than that, but not much.) The heavier 'Hogs are more robust.

I pull a Land Pride five foot width RCF2060 = $1,800 MSRP / $1,600 real world.

The design of the tower and floating link make the RCF2060 follow ground contours much better than my old 48" King Kutter Rotary Cutter, but the KK was free.

LINK:

RCF2060 & RCF2072 Series Rotary Cutters | Land Pride

 

[GreenWannabe]

I saw where it said "PTO guard" what is that?

There are generally three PTO guards involved. The main one is the plastic tube that runs outside the PTO shaft, and includes a bell housing at each end which partially guard the universal joints. The second is the metal shield above and to the sides of the PTO stub shaft on the back of the tractor. The third is a bell housing attached to the rotary cutter which guards the rear universal joint and slip clutch or shear pin at the connection to the mower. The plastic PTO shaft shield needs to be connected to the mower with a chain, and to the tractor with a chain so that the shield does not revolve with the shaft. HTH

 

[MESSMAKER]

I think a 5 foot is the right size for you. I think the choice to the cutter comes down to what is available. There are several regional brands,4 or 5 premium brands(Woods,Land Pride,Rhino,Bushog) and then all the rest. I think the squealer is a good choice but mine did not cut as well as a King Kutter. The Bushog is pretty sturdy. The Countyline should be OK but it is not as heavy duty. Most people get things cleared in a year or two and then seldom cut anything difficult after that. Most any cutter will handle that. Check Craigslist for a good used one. Good ones tend to be hard to find, but you may get lucky. If it looks pretty good and is not leaking, you are probably fine.

 

[bjr]

Yeah, I agree with Mess, the medium duty cutters will probably do just fine, Countryline/Kingkutter. Oil and grease and you'll be fine. bjr

 

[SPYDERLK]

In five foot width 'Hogs every single one is going to have a China built gear box. Every single one is going to have a China or Italy built PTO shaft. So what you have left is the blades, housing and Three Point Hitch tower. (The blades are likely imported too. )

Five foot width Bush Hogs come in two weight categories. The light ones are rated for 1" brush, the heavier ones are rated for 2" brush. (It is a little more complicated than that, but not much.) The heavier 'Hogs are more robust.

I pull a Land Pride five foot width RCF2060 = $1,800 MSRP / $1,600 real world.

The design of the tower and floating link make the RCF2060 follow ground contours much better than my old 48" King Kutter Rotary Cutter, but the KK was free.

LINK:

RCF2060 & RCF2072 Series Rotary Cutters | Land Pride

Heres an old sleeper if you can find it. A five foot 600# bushog with a 100+ HP gearbox. Run it with 50HP and it will cut 8" trees.

... try to find a 127. If the gearbox hasnt been run dry it will be good. The chassis will be worth fixing if the heart is still good. JD made it in '58 as a Bush Hog beater. Let it die after they proved they could.
larry

 

[plumbstraight]

I have been running a 6ft bush hog for over 25yrs. Yesterday was it's final run as I started on a field with "nothing in it" and went about a hundred ft before hitting a block of wood. Something snapped in the gearhead and that was that. The deck on this I put 3/16 plate where the ends of the blades go around and 3/8th plate along sides and back before I ever used it. It still looks in good shape as it isn't beat up and I have used it hard for many years, no complaints. I have had another one in reserve for a long time so I just changed out the pto shaft from one to the other and finished the job. Now I need to get busy and beef up the tin on this one before it gets whacked out of shape.

One thing that I reccomend to all that use these is to get the blades with the back side of the cutting edge tipped up a bit so it hits the deck before the leading edge. We had a brand new one out and hit some rocks and the blades opened up the front part of the deck like a can opener. This is what had me reinforce the deck and sides and use this type of blade.

 

[Soundguy]

does the input shaft feel solid and notr floppy and spin ok?

check output shaft to hub area. sometimes they shear connectiosn from output shaft to hub.

lastly.. check to make sure it does not have a flange type shear protection that may be letting the pto shaft freewheel and not spin the input shaft.