Brushhog / Mower What size can i use

[vrman]

I have a BX23, which is smaller than yours, and I use a 48" Howse for brush cutting. Works great!

 

[KU Gator]

If I was buying again, I would probably go with the 54" like Will C has. The 60" Bush Hog I have is fine as a mower, but it is a lot of weight and it is way back, so I would be willing to give up that much cutting width. Going to a 48" is exactly the wheel width and I would not opt for that unless I was mostly cutting trails or cutting really heavy stuff. You will find much less choice though with the 54" as most are in full foot increments. The only choice I know of is Woods, which is a good one, but may be more expensive than you want to pay.

In case you are not aware, using a rotary cutter with the 1/4" valve on the B model requires that you keep an eye on the front of the cutter and bump it back up every 10 minutes or so. The rotary cutters only have one wheel in the back, so the front of mower is held up with the 3 pt hitch. The 3 pt hitch with the 1/4" valve will not maintain a constant height over a prolonged period, so if you don't bump it back up, you will look back and see you are dragging the front of the mower in the dirt. I have chains rigged to help hold mine up and when they get tight, I still bump it up to keep all the weight off of them.

As mentioned by Tripple R, usually someone weighs in on the advatages of flail mowers. I know nothing about them, but they do ride on the ground on skids on the side and a roller in the back, so that should eliminate the issue with the 1/4" valve. Again, I know nothing about them, but if you are mostly mowing grass in fields, they may be worth a strong consideration. If you are also wanting to go through heavier brush, the rotary mower may be the better tool.

 

[TheGreyRider]

My neighbor has a large flail mower on a large Deere, and he usually comes over once or twice a year and cuts my fields for me.

We are getting a few horses and i will only use this mower for cutting down pastures so i would say i would use it a few times and year and only be cutting 2 or 3 acres.

I have been pricing brush hogs new online and to me it looks like the used Howse i see may be an OK deal, i will try and talk the guy down a little and see what happens.

 

[Dr. Bob]

Some experience with horses here.
In the spring the horses cannot eat the grass fast enough and you need to mow frequently. Why? Because once they start to eat down a spot, they continue to eat the low stuff and avoid the high stuff (they don't like tall grass; go figure!).
I used a Woods brush hog for 6 years, keeping the blades very sharp, but it would leave "windrows" of clippings and that would smother the grass. It would be so bad sometimes that I would have to rake it and pick it up - now that's a lot of work.
This year, after a particularly fast growing season and having to rake and pick up a huge amount of cuttings, I decided to buy a finish mower. WHAT A DIFFERENCE: no windrows, no significant clumps of clippings, pastures look like a golf course.
Here's some advice on a finish mower for horse pastures. Get one that can mow very high. Most will do a maximum of 4-5". I bought a Brush Hog RDTH, 72", because it will mow higher than anything else I could find: 6 1/2inches. Also very important: get rear discharge so you can get close the the fence line and it it more maneuverable.
I now enjoy mowing the pastures because after I do the work I am very pleased with the result.
Sometimes you just need to buy the right tool. Believe me, I try to avoid spending money.
If you have never had horses on your property, take the time to speak with neighbors that have them and ask their advice about pasture maintainance. It's more work than you think.

 

[k0ua]

+1 on the finish mower for maint of a pasture to make it look like a lawn. I had a BEFCO 5 ft finish mower and mowed about 7 acres, and it looked like a park after a while. But caution, it only takes 1 good rock to wad up a blade in a heartbeat. You have to make sure there are no fence posts, short block chevy's, ammo cans or quartz outcroppings on your field. I dont have a field any more, and now mow rocks, saplings and the occasional rebar stub. so I have a King Kuter Rotary Cutter. It is not the strongest rotary cutter ever made, but I only mow occasionally, and it works for me. I put guage wheels on it when I had B7500 as it did not have position control, and got tired of bumping it up every few minutes. Now I dont really need them as my L3400HST has position control. but they do not hurt when you go over very rough ground, they help keep it from digging in, as the wheels will hit the high spots first.

James K0UA

 

[Tom_H]

Beppington and TrippleR both gave some top quality advice.

I have a BX2200 and use a 40" heavy duty Gearmore rough cutter on dense brush and clusters of 2" or more diameter saplings.

 

[ChuckinNH]

I use a 48" Bush Hog rotary cutter on my B2620. Actually, I wanted a 42" since most of what I do with mine is around the edges of fields, etc. and I am backing under things almost as much as actually mowing. I wouldn't want more than my 4' mower on any of the small B size tractors, or anything smaller, but that is just me. Now a neighbor has a BX23, and he uses a 4' mower, and likes it. He also mows for money, and a lot more than I do. There is a sliding stop under the fender of the small B's with the 1/4 inching that limits the down travel, and I usually only use that for my rotary cutter, but to be honest, with the kind of mowing I do, I can't really tell you how well it maintains that position. There have been times when I wish that I had bought a finish mower instead, but I do hit "stuff" backing into some places so I guess I'm just as well off with what I have. You do have to cut higher than I would like sometimes on rough ground just to keep the front from digging in on corners, and mowing around "stuff" in places where the contour changes often.

 

[hatchetman]

I have a BX2360 and use a hawkline 42" brush cutter. It seems heavy duty and costs me $795 new. I used it on my property that hadn't been cut in over a year. The weeds/grass/whatever was over 3' high and it never missed a beat. I did cut with the FEL about a foot high of the ground and drove slowly so that I could see rocks and other objects that shouldn't be cut. I'm very pleased with how it performed.

 

[jimmachinist]

I bought a woods brush bull 60" for my L3710 and a 60" king cutter finish mower. I can cut anything with the brush bull and it was like brand new on Craig's list twenty miles down the road for $700 best money ever spent. It's truly amazing the crap it will cut thru and still keep spinning. Then and only then do I decide if I want to chance running the finish thru. Usually don't have to, it looks good after the first cut.

 

[Stubee]

Here is what my new B2320 did today with a 4' Landpride hog, think model 1248?