Mowing Bush Hog vs Finish Mower

[Anonymous Poster]

I have 8 acres of pasture that I have been maintaining for the last four years with a 20hp Murrey Garden Tractor w/ a 46 inch cutting deck, UGH! The pastures have pensacola bahia growing in them, and I like to keep them cut alittle bit higher than lawn height, not much. I dont have any brush or thick junk I need to go thru, what would best fit my needs?

 

[Whiskey]

Grndhog:

Heres my take on it.....if it's pasture land and your not looking for yard quailty cut then bush hog is the way to go

If your looking for a little higher cut but it need to look good like a yard...then finish mower is the way to go.

I have the same grass as you but it's only pasture to me and I don't care about looks so I bush hog it (keeping your bush hog blades sharp will make for a better cut!!). The yard I mow with a rider.

Whiskey

 

[normde2001]

You are a definite candidate for a compact tractor with a rotary cutter, "bush hog". You can cut less often without worrying about overtaxing the equipment and get almost as good a cut. I'm surprised your mower has lasted 4 years with that much cutting. This is a 20 PTO horsepower Yanmar YM2000B with a 4' rotary cutter that I use for about the same thing that you need, About a $3,500 rig, perfect for the job.

 

[Anonymous Poster]

Norm:
Thats exactly the setup I had in mind. Where did you purchase it?

 

[Anonymous Poster]

Whiskey

Thank You for your input, your advice and opinion is well respected.

 

[Tractors4u]

A couple more things to think about: You can usually move along a little faster with a bush hog than a finish mower. Another is durability. Say you miss a week or two cutting that 8 acres. For the bush hog it would not be a problem but if you tried it with the finish mower it would take even longer and be harder on the belts. Another option is what some call an estate mower. It is a bush hog/ finish mower hybrid. The are typically square like a hog, a castor wheel on each corner like an FM. Instead of a single blade on one drive shaft it has an X type blade on the shaft

 

[quailman115]

I agree with the other posts. Finish mowers do very good work, but just don't let the grass get too tall or you will really have to slow your ground speed. I mow about 5 acres of pensacola bahia grass with my finish mower - needs to be done at least every 10 days to reduce the wear and tear on the belts. Also, make certain the keep sharp blades on the mower.

William

 

[normde2001]

I bought from C&C Equipment in Trenton, Ga., however he isn't selling grey market tractors anymore. I hear of a few dealers in Fl., but not sure exactly where. If you buy a grey market tractor, make sure you get one that is as similar as possible to an American model, for best parts availability. Some of these dealers can help with that info if you go that route. I was lucky in that the YM2000 is almost identical to the
YM240, an American model, although I haven't need any parts yet.

 

[mah]

I agree with the above posts. However, if you like a lawn finish and don't mind cutting a little more often, get a finish mower.
As a rule of thumb, you should have about 5 PTO HP per foot for bush hogs. That means a 20 PTO HP tractor will run a 4 foot bush hog, but a 20 PTO HP tractor will run a 6 or 7 foot finish mower. Finish mowers are also easier to manuver.

Mike

 

[Soundguy]

You will probably find that if you mow it often enough with the rotary cutter.. and the blades are kept sharp.. it will look almost as good as a lawn ( almost as good ).

Soundguy