Bush Hog Technique

[JoeinTX]

I shred exactly like I plow-clockwise fashion, cutting the corners, and then mowing out the corners when I am done. It still seems the quickest and best use of time for me. This is unless your cutting a circular patch.


As to the hawks, yes, it's nice to watch nature at work. Many wild animals don't associate farm equipment with danger, i.e. humans, and are pretty docile around them to the point of using them for their own ends. Several years ago I was shredding an old grass field late in the spring not terribly long after the quail had hatched and begun to move around. I remember having several hawks linger above me and the tractor, sometimes no farther than I could throw my hat, waiting as I flushed out the odd quail or field rodent.


While we often can't drive the pickup into the field without scaring-up the odd coyote or two, I have passed within less than 20' of a bedded down coyote on the tractor who pays little more than nominal attention to me. Since we, and very few around, have ever fired upon them from a tractor and since it doesn't move or sound like a vehicle, they don't seem to mind it much.

 

[Gatorboy]

I mow my field in straight lines.

This is hard to explain in words (for me anyways) but here goes (NOTE: I have a 15' flexwing mower):

- I start out making two rounds on the outside boundary

- I then make a parallel line cut about 75 feet from one end, proceeded by another one 75' further down.

- I now have 3 sections -- 2 small sections and the remaining field.

- I can then make parallel cuts, progressively taking care of the smaller sections (75') with nice wide turns, and minimize my running over the same cut sections. I try to alternate my lines so I get that nice looking pattern (like a baseball field)

- When those sections are complete I pretty much continue the same process for the remaining portion.


I hope that makes sense

 

[Bird]

I shred exactly like I plow-clockwise fashion, cutting the corners, and then mowing out the corners when I am done

One of my farmer friends in the hay business did something similar when cutting and baling hay; i.e., go back and get those corners when he finished the rest of the field. The guy I worked with cutting and baling hay, and I, did the opposite. We got those corners the first time we came to them, so we didn't have to go back. I have no idea whether one way actually has any advantage over the other, but I liked the idea of being through when we got to the middle of the field; whether working hay or the brush hog.

 

[Farmwithjunk]

I mow my field in straight lines.

This is hard to explain in words (for me anyways) but here goes (NOTE: I have a 15' flexwing mower):

- I start out making two rounds on the outside boundary

- I then make a parallel line cut about 75 feet from one end, proceeded by another one 75' further down.

- I now have 3 sections -- 2 small sections and the remaining field.

- I can then make parallel cuts, progressively taking care of the smaller sections (75') with nice wide turns, and minimize my running over the same cut sections. I try to alternate my lines so I get that nice looking pattern (like a baseball field)

- When those sections are complete I pretty much continue the same process for the remaining portion.


I hope that makes sense

Hard to put into words, but essentially the same way I tried to describe regarding how I cut with the batwing or the mounted smaller mowers. With the smaller mowers, I have to cut at least 5 laps around the perimeter to give ample room to turn. The 15' batwing cuts a wider swath in 2 laps. I try to get that baseball field look too. I know it's just mowing a field, but why not make it look good while we're at it.

 

[dknarnd]

I have no idea whether one way actually has any advantage over the other, but I liked the idea of being through when we got to the middle of the field; whether working hay or the brush hog.

Boy do I agree here; when your cutting 5 acre fields with a 5' brush hog all you want to do when you get to the middle is turn for home! This year should be better, I'm picking up my 7' offset Bush Hog this weekend and that will be for the NH and the 5' will stay on the JD which will be used for the first couple passes around the edges where all the stones and logs are.

 

[Glowplug]

I try to get that baseball field look too. I know it's just mowing a field, but why not make it look good while we're at it.

Ditto.

Of course, my "baseball field" of dreams is actually a field of weeds.

 

[scott_vt]

Hard to put into words, but essentially the same way I tried to describe regarding how I cut with the batwing or the mounted smaller mowers. With the smaller mowers, I have to cut at least 5 laps around the perimeter to give ample room to turn. The 15' batwing cuts a wider swath in 2 laps. I try to get that baseball field look too. I know it's just mowing a field, but why not make it look good while we're at it.

Mornin Bill,
Kind of late to jump on this bandwagon now but I kind of use the same method myself ! I started using this method because the lower part of my property is fairly steep and I only feel comfortable turning at the bottom and rather than making long passes at the bottom of the field while cutting air is easier and more efficient to divide the fields up into strips to maximize cutting time ! Of course Im only using a 5ft hog

 

[Farmwithjunk]

Mornin Bill,
Kind of late to jump on this bandwagon now but I kind of use the same method myself ! I started using this method because the lower part of my property is fairly steep and I only feel comfortable turning at the bottom and rather than making long passes at the bottom of the field while cutting air is easier and more efficient to divide the fields up into strips to maximize cutting time ! Of course Im only using a 5ft hog

Uh....Scotty....? Whatta you doin' in my pasture buddy?

Picture #2 looks enough like the pasture next to the house that I had to look 3 times to convince myself it wasn't.


And talk about mowing lots of ground with a small mower? I'm leaving in a couple hours to start on a mowing job we just took. 71 acres divided into small pastures, the BIGGEST being 4 acres. It a horse bording stables. (Arabians) The gates are all 8' and under. Gotta mow with the Massey and Ford, 6' cutters. We'll be there a while.

 

[Glowplug]

And talk about mowing lots of ground with a small mower? I'm leaving in a couple hours to start on a mowing job we just took. 71 acres divided into small pastures, the BIGGEST being 4 acres. It a horse bording stables. (Arabians) The gates are all 8' and under. Gotta mow with the Massey and Ford, 6' cutters. We'll be there a while.

Sounds sort of like my place, only bigger. My land was originally for horses. 10 stall barn with indoor riding arena and 16 acres divided up into many small paddock fields. (Note: horse barn makes great tractor storage). Most of my "fields" are about 1.5acres. Biggest is probably 2.5acres. There are 8' wide "runs" between each paddock that have basically turned into long strips of jungle. I have been talking about taking out all that intervening fencing for years and opening it up into one big pasture. Sure would make mowing easier. . .and more enjoyable. And, in my opinion, would look better. Then I could get a 15' flex-wing mower. Sure, may be overkill, but what the hay. (No pun intended). My ideal mowing set-up would be a 15' Rhino flex-wing and a 7' Bush hog 297. I guess I can keep dreaming huh.

 

[Bird]

when your cutting 5 acre fields with a 5' brush hog all you want to do when you get to the middle is turn for home!

My own little pasture was only about 7 acres, but at least 3 times, I mowed a 30 acre pasture with two ponds some fences, trees, etc. for a neighbor with my 5' brush hog and a B2710. That was a 20+ hour job in 2 days each time.