Bush hog sapling size

[VroomVroom]

I say bush hog, but I really mean any rotary mower. I'd like to clear alder along side the dirt roadside as they are growing in quite fast. The alder grow small here, but some may be nearing 2 inches in diameter, where most would be an inch. Can a rotary mower handle this or is it mostly for longer grass and such. I asked a dealer about a rotary mower for the mahindra 2816 hst I have and he said a 5 foot would require 30 pto hp minimum and that it wouldn't handle any saplings and wouldn't be covered under warranty. I thought thats what the bush hogs and similar mowers were for, was for small bushels and tiny saplings that would be painstaking to remove with the chainsaw. Can anyone clear me up on this?

 

[k0ua]

Bush Hog brand HD rotary cutter rates theirs at 3 1/2 inch's.. some don't rate them. But I dont think you have even half enough power to cut 3 1/2 inch saplings. But you said yours might go 2 inches. That is still more than I like to cut with my King Kutter Light duty cutter. But my advise would be to get the most heavy duty one you can afford, and think about going down to a 4 foot. Lets see what some others have to say, that have more experience cutting saplings. By the way it makes a heck of a racket! But in general terms, yep they will cut brush!. A a properly adjust slip clutch on the cutter would probably be a good idea. I believe the more HD ones will come with this.

James K0UA

 

[Creamer]

My Ford 1710 is about the same size as your Mahindra. I pull a 5' Bush Hog Squealer and cut a lot of saplings. I have gone as big as 2.5" and not had any problems but I do take it slow. I think the tractor has plenty of power for the mower but I wish it had live PTO. The Bush Hod is also a load for the 3 pt - it handles it but you can certainly tell that it is back there.

I wouldn't hesitate a bit on a 5' but I would have a good slip clutch or at least a shear pin to protect your tractor.

PS - For saplings one inch and under I use my sickle bar mower. Basically I use my sickle bar wherever I can and my Bush Hog for the ugly stuff.

 

[2458n]

I had alot of experience mowing CRP ground last season. 115 acres with a small sampling of different trees that had sown themselves. Oak , Ash ,and Cedar were all present. Get on them now before they get any bigger. The bush hogs all have different size gear boxes and of course you would like a heavy one. My limiting factor was the PTO shafts. Big stuff tears them up. Twists the tubes right up. Went to a larger horse power tractor and ruined euipment faster. There is a time and place for a chainsaw. A clutch on the bush hog would have quickly paid for itself. Backing into the brush is sometimes wise. All tractors used had a front loader and an idiot running them. [me].

 

[TomSeller]

How thick are these saplings? It makes a difference if the blades can stay extended and up to speed.

 

[VroomVroom]

I'm normally exceptionally easy on equipment, with the HST i'd back into the brush alarmingly slow, theres no time limit. I just wanted to know if it would handle the smaller brush. I have to do about 10000 feet, one pass. Most would be 3/4 inche, Most of the bigger stuff of 2 inches would have been cut already with the chainsaw, though there might be the occasional one that size. The old stumps of that stuff though may be there up to 6 inches in height. The dealer recommended 4 foot width.

 

[VroomVroom]

the impression I got from the dealer was that it wouldn't cut any saplings.

 

[LD1]

Is this the tractor dealer?? Or implement dealer??

Either way, they are an idiot. Unless of course they/you are talking about a finish mower.

And a 5' cutter certainly doesnt need a "minimum" of 30HP. My kub is 29 @ the PTO and I run a 6' no problems.

Those two things there tell me to look for another dealer ASAP.

As to the sapplings, I wouldnt want to try the 2" stuff very often with a light duty cutter. For what you describe, it sounds like you need a medium duty cutter. On the plus side, Alder is softer wood and cuts easy with a cutter.

Personally, I'd be checking craigslist for a $150-$200 old cutter that still works. Get this job done, and then get a nice shiny new one for the upkeep if you so choose

Edit: I forgot to ask, What brands of cutters does this dealer sell??

 

[jeff9366]

I cut saplings up to 1-1/4" with 48" King Kutter Standard Duty Rotary Cutter behind my 25-hp/PTO tractor regularly, but I have to go slow where they are thick, so RC will not bog down.

Your Mahindra, when new, had 21-hp/PTO. You should be fine with small saplings, if you go slow.

If you run PTO powered implements too heavy for your tractor it strains the tractor leading to increased repair. The tractor has to provide power to move itself, move the implement, and spin the blade; TRIPLE LOAD.

I think your dealer advised correctly that a 48" RC is more appropriate for 18-21-hp/PTO horsepower of your tractor today then 60" RC.

From your opening post, it seems a Rotary Cutter is what you need, as saplings are your main concern. However, you might research Flail Mowers too.

You will get replies better tailored to your tractor if you enter tractor/HP/weight in your heading.

 

[Ken45101]

The heavier duty cutters will handle up to 3.5" (Bush Hog brand specs). But there will be a lot of stress put on your tractor. Remember, the weakest link will fail. Up the cutter specs and your tractor driveline and engine becomes the weakest link. YMMV but I'd rather have the cutter fail!

 

[LD1]

YMMV but I'd rather have the cutter fail!

Or the shear pin/slip clutch:thumbsup:

 

[art]

I've cut up to four inch plus with a machine that was only rated at 2"! Common sense plays a big part as the machine was a seven foot and I only was using a 35pto or probably 45 engine horsepower tractor. The bulk of what I was cutting was in the 1-2" and was probably one per square foot consisting of maple, ash and poplar. I was in low gear and I did back off a couple to save for the chain saw. This was a slip clutch machine and it did get some use!

 

[Ken45101]

Or the shear pin/slip clutch:thumbsup:

But as you go up to a heavy duty cutter, the shear pin/slip clutch will be rated to take more than a light tractor drive train can take. If you put a 150 hp rated cutter on a 30 hp tractor, the weak link will not be the shear pin.

 

[VroomVroom]

Yeah, I've cut them before, some last year or two years ago. I'v figuring inching in with the cutter backwards it would slice and dice nicely providing im going slow. I'm not in a rush...some of them are too small to where you have to be bent over all day and they bounce off a chainsaw because they are too small for the cutters to hook into. I was looking at walco... that was the implement dealers thoughts.

 

[VroomVroom]

I do understand that they don't want a person to beat the implement up and then come back to them saying it was faulty. It would take me a couple days to do a decent job, but I'm figuring going slow I could do it in a day on the tractor, and a cleaner job. Once cut that low I may grub the stumps off with the backhoe

 

[Bird]

I used a little 4' Bush Hog Squealer when I had a B7100 Kubota, then changed to a 5' Howse 500 when I had a B2710 Kubota, and I'd say with your tractor and rotary cutter to just go at it; slowly of course, but I wouldn't hesitate at all. Incidentally, I never had a slip clutch and never even sheared a shear bolt.

 

[SPYDERLK]

I've cut up to four inch plus with a machine that was only rated at 2"! Common sense plays a big part as the machine was a seven foot and I only was using a 35pto or probably 45 engine horsepower tractor. The bulk of what I was cutting was in the 1-2" and was probably one per square foot consisting of maple, ash and poplar. I was in low gear and I did back off a couple to save for the chain saw. This was a slip clutch machine and it did get some use!

Yes. 2" is trivial - almost like grass for a rotary cutter. Gotta keep blade speed up. Lo HP go slow. The only problem for light duty is bending the tree. There are some pretty weak RC frames out there.
larry

 

[Creamer]

I do understand that they don't want a person to beat the implement up and then come back to them saying it was faulty. It would take me a couple days to do a decent job, but I'm figuring going slow I could do it in a day on the tractor, and a cleaner job. Once cut that low I may grub the stumps off with the backhoe

10,000' single pass is two miles. You should be able to cut this moving at 1.5-2.0 mph so you are looking at one hour. I would keep it up a little since you said some of the stumps are about 6" high I would stay above them and just do it. this should not be an issue. Then in six weeks or so go back over it again but his time you can go faster - you just want to keep the regrowth down.

One of the nice parts of a rotary cutter is that it is not nice - it really splinters the cut which has a lot more killing effect than a clean cut.

I am not sure I would go to the work of the backhoe and playing with the stumps. I much prefer a stump eater and in a year you can mow the grass and you have not roughed anything up.

 

[yellowdogsvc]

A lot depends on the gearbox ratings. Heavier gearboxes can handle more stress. Cutting saplings poses a couple of problems. Balance and stress on the mower frame/housing. Heavier is better....
If you have a big enough tractor, you could look at something like a brown tree cutter... that will chop down bigger brush. Sure, a bushhog will cut saplings but it won't cut them very low and you run the risk of blowing tractor tires.. consider solid fill or forestry rated tires if you plan on doing a lot of cutting.

Keep in mind that heavier gearbox/frame setups will get heavy and you will need a bigger tractor or weight on the front if you don't want to bounce too much.

 

[yellowdogsvc]

A lot depends on the gearbox ratings. Heavier gearboxes can handle more stress. Cutting saplings poses a couple of problems. Balance and stress on the mower frame/housing. Heavier is better....
If you have a big enough tractor, you could look at something like a brown tree cutter... that will chop down bigger brush. Sure, a bushhog will cut saplings but it won't cut them very low and you run the risk of blowing tractor tires.. consider solid fill or forestry rated tires if you plan on doing a lot of cutting.

Keep in mind that heavier gearbox/frame setups will get heavy and you will need a bigger tractor or weight on the front if you don't want to bounce too much.