Tractor Sizing bush hogging acreage

[MtnViewRanch]

One thing that hasn't been mentioned is terrain. .

I think that it was mentioned in the first post.

flat terrain- on coast waterfront- no trees or bushes- can develop tall grass/weeds
quote]

 

[montelatici]

Yes, I agree with everyone else. 10-12 foot rotary cutter minimum, and one heck of a big Kubota! Suggest you get a popular brand cutter, stay away from a flail, you don't want to be changing knives periodically. Good rotary cutters last forever. Had a Pittsburgh for over 20 years, never needed sharpening and never failed with my never changing oil or greasing the thing. Now I have a Woods, that seems just as solid.

 

[leonz]

There is absolutely nothing wrong with the use of
a flail mower or flail chopper for this instance.

A used municipal mower with three flail mowers
would also be a very economical option to handle
this work and offer him up to 24 FEET of cutting width
as a possible and very relevent option if he is willing to
spend time looking at municipal auctions where they
are often found in good condition with low hours due to
seasonal use by the municipality.

The mower parts are readily available and economical
in cost to purchase for repair and replacement of these
municipal mower tractors and are typically Alamos less
than 15 years old and are easily repaired and maintained
by someone who may have little experience with machinery.

The tractors also have easliy obtainable parts and authorised
brand dealers and this is important as well; The used
municipal tractor has been well maintained and may have a
lot of hours at first glance BUT it will have a long service life
for 10000 hours or more if maintained.


The 12-20 foot or wider flail choppers are every well
built machines that have square tube frames the entire
width of the machine to maintain full width strength for
the rotor, bearings, and tires.


The flail chopper is a mainstay for many row crops
especially corn, cotton, tomato's and peanuts.
they are also uysed to cut hay ground back to the
ground before winter to reduce hay sod damage by
many farmers.

The flail chopper is easy to transport with wheels sets
that are lowered and allow it to be towed from the end of
the flail chopper making for a very narrow implement
of less than 6 feet in towing width.


The flail chopper makes quick work of shredding crops
with little work using very high rotor speeds to cut
quickly and cleanly.


The flail choppers knives are also very low in replacement
cost versus a single rotary cutter blade per foot of cut or
slice in a flail shredders case


My desire in discussing the flailmower option simply
comes from my 35 years of using them, maintaining them,
and how well they can keep down and kill invasives rather
than other methods using herbicides as they have a greater
in total length cutting edge surface length versus the typical
rotary cutter or bat wing mower with the flail shredder having
the greatest cuting edge length of all of them.


The absolute fastest way to destroy brush and invasives is with
the weed dragon propane burner which can kill and knock down
and kill tall weeds with no issues for the user and it will directly
kill and knock down most standing invasives as they are the ones
which are growing faster and rise above the grasses in most areas
that someone wishes to keep under some form of grassland
management or weed control.

A used wide cut windrower would also work as the brush is simply dumped
and which could be used as a compost crop if desired.

GEE WHIZZ,

I could have said his life would be even simpler if he
spent the same money on a good 8 foot sickle bar
from Ken Sweet one of our fine supporting sponsors in good
standing or simply purchased reusable weed barrier fabric from

www.Farmtec.com

for the entire acreage moving it from plot to plot, kill it entirely,
avoid mowing the year round, and have good crop land in few years.




BUT I DID NOT!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

 

[TripleR]

I think that it was mentioned in the first post.

flat terrain- on coast waterfront- no trees or bushes- can develop tall grass/weeds
quote]

Oops, right you are.:ashamed:

 

[rookiejack]

Ok - so a little more thought from the idea to go with a larger rotary cutter. How about instead of a 7ft bushhog mower go to a Rhino stealth TS12 mower and move up to a 5650 kubota, or stay with the 5100 kubota?. Move to 4 cuts per year (instead of the usual 3)and manage waste high grass instead of shoulder high grass in August after the rains. The dealer comment is I may end up spending more money and slowing down in any case if grass is heavy with the larger TS12. I will have the convenience to use the mower right on the property at will (on fridays off, weekends or vacation of course)THe only thing I see is much more money - adding about $6500-$8500 to the final price for the TS12. I looked at a flail mower 5 ft and it appears special and expensive.

More comments?

 

[MtnViewRanch]

If you want to go any faster than slow,(2-3mph) you will need a bigger tractor.

 

[rookiejack]

OK -

New 7 ft with 50 hp pto 0% interest

Or used 12 foot mower, 7040 kubota (more money) with issues for storage and protection.

Thanks

 

[MarkV]

Jack most of us can only share on our experience from our region of the world. It would help to know where you are, in a general way, so we can relate to the vegetation you are dealing with.

I mow roughly 50 acres of family land once a year. That is enough to keep saplings and new pine from taking over. Unless I skip a year there is nothing shoulder height. If you are cutting shoulder high grass in August after two previous cuttings, you are dealing with a different animal than I. In general, if your grass is that thick, the more HP the better.

Is this property you have just acquired? How and what was used to cut it before now?

MarkV

 

[leonz]

Ok - so a little more thought from the idea to go with a larger rotary cutter. How about instead of a 7ft bushhog mower go to a Rhino stealth TS12 mower and move up to a 5650 kubota, or stay with the 5100 kubota?. Move to 4 cuts per year (instead of the usual 3)and manage waste high grass instead of shoulder high grass in August after the rains. The dealer comment is I may end up spending more money and slowing down in any case if grass is heavy with the larger TS12. I will have the convenience to use the mower right on the property at will (on fridays off, weekends or vacation of course)THe only thing I see is much more money - adding about $6500-$8500 to the final price for the TS12. I looked at a flail mower 5 ft and it appears special and expensive.

More comments?

Who's flail mower? and they are not "special!!

Using one the brands of flail mowers that Ken Sweet carries or a five foot Caroni with the B Rotor you could mow two acres or more per day easily with a smaller Grand L; your dealers not helping you with your wallet in my opinion.

Once the flail mower is up to the maximum rotor speed at 540 RPM rated engine speed AND KEPT THERE its shredding and slicing grass and brush at over one hundred miles and hour and leaves little to see.

A used flail shredder will serve you better for your intended purpose, not a new rotary cutter of any type
as you can shred huge acreages per day due to the width of the flail shredder and keeep it down.

 

[leonz]

OK -

New 7 ft with 50 hp pto 0% interest

Or used 12 foot mower, 7040 kubota (more money) with issues for storage and protection.

Thanks

You can always rent power at less cost and purchase a wide flail shredder new with fewer consequences.