Brush hogging

[davel745]

My property has grown up with small trees and brush mostly around 2 inches or smaller.

My question is how can I brush hog it off without screwing up my tractor?

 

[kebo]

Not sure what your concern is, unless your bushhog isn't rated for 2" stuff?? If your bush hog is rated for 2" material, just hook it up and go at it slow and easy! Just make sure it has the correct shearbolt in the PTO shaft, or if it has a slipclutch make sure it's adjusted correctly and you should be ok. Anything larger than that and I would probably cut it with the chainsaw. The only other thing to worry about is getting tires punctured, but that's going to happen occasionally so just deal with it when/if it happens.

 

[johnrex62]

I have a Mowhawk Brave rotary cutter rated for 2-3" and I have accidentally run over stuff around 4" and lived to cut some more. It makes a racket, but so far nothing has sprung, broken or punctured. I recently cut through a thicket of saplings that were mostly 2" (but that darned 4 incher was in the mix) that were as thick as bristles on a hairbrush. I don't think these saplings were more than 3 inches apart in any direction and most almost touching.

I put the front end loader low and cut as long as I did not hit anything that would not bend over for the loader. Boy was I surprised to see that 4" stump behind me.

Long story cut short, unless you have an extremely lightweight rotary cutter the 2" stuff is just noisy grass with flying splinters.

 

[Sawdust Farmer]

Be careful not to backup when you have brush/trees that have been pushed over by the tractor but not bush hogged yet. Good way to rip wires, hoses, etc. loose and can even poke a hole through the back of your radiator.

sf

 

[jdfire]

I have a Howse 500C 5' economy cutter and I'm constantly amazed at what it will handle. Pretty much, if I can drive the tractor over it, the cutter will handle it. Just need to take it slow.

 

[foggy1111]

Be careful not to backup when you have brush/trees that have been pushed over by the tractor but not bush hogged yet. Good way to rip wires, hoses, etc. loose and can even poke a hole through the back of your radiator.

sf

Yep.....and you can get slapped pretty hard in the face with some of those saplings. Don't ask me how I know. WEAR SAFETY GLASSES!

I do cut brush in the 1 to 2" class with a light-duty cutter. Use the loader as said above....and going slow and taking lite loads is key. :thumbsup:

....and if I get slapped in the face one more time.....I'm gonna start wearing some kind of helmet. :laughing:

 

[SSdoxie]

I've got an old TSC branded cutter, same here if I can push it over with the tractor FEL the cutter will cut it up. As said before - go slow, don't backup with bent trees under you, and keep front of cutter slightly lower than the back so debris kicked out front goes under the tractor not over it & around your head.

 

[dstig1]

Yep.....and you can get slapped pretty hard in the face with some of those saplings. Don't ask me how I know. WEAR SAFETY GLASSES!

I do cut brush in the 1 to 2" class with a light-duty cutter. Use the loader as said above....and going slow and taking lite loads is key. :thumbsup:

....and if I get slapped in the face one more time.....I'm gonna start wearing some kind of helmet. :laughing:

When fighting in brush like that, I flip down the face shield on my logging helmet. I pretty much always have it on when working on the tractor as it all involves logs and brush so far, and I like earmuffs to lower the noise level from the tractor. All-in-one!

 

[reelnative]

make sure you wind her up too, speed is your friend keep the rpms up, and its a good thing to do if you dont know the lay of the land to take a walk or a ride thru it first so you can see big rocks, wire, and junk like that on the ground before you put the hog to it

 

[davel745]

Thanks all you answered my questions my big concern is driving the tractor through the mess now I know what to do.

 

[TripleR]

Agree with all of the above and additionally check your screens every once in a while for clogging.

 

[davel745]

Another question please is there a company who makes skid plates for underneath a JD 4520?

 

[clemsonfor]

I cut 2"ers with my light dudy JBAR some of the bigger ones not sure if there 2 or 3 will dent the deck but cut fine. Not sure what it is rated for, but its a light duty on for sure.

 

[Bdavis]

My property has grown up with small trees and brush mostly around 2 inches or smaller.

My question is how can I brush hog it off without screwing up my tractor?

Cleared about 1 acre last fall, (did not have much time) It was cutover and I wish it was only 2 inches, but some were much larger. If there are any you can't push over make sure you cut it off flat with the ground with a chainsaw. And I echo what others have said, "don't backup." I know I am slow, but I planned every cut where I was going to start and where I was going to stop. Once I would get started I would just keep pushing. I have a standard duty bush hog and I did not dent it but I did slip the clutch more than once.
If your not on a time schedule wait until early fall when the leaves are gone makes it alot easier to see things