Mowing Buying a brush hog for a 22HP Massey

[psdaigle]

Hi Everyone,

I know that this one has been beat up but I still need to ask...

I am buying a brush hog for my Massey Ferguson 210 it has a front end loader and is 25 hp with 22 hp at the PTO. I am inbetween buying a 4' or a 5' rotary cutter. I will be cutting mainly grass/weeds with a few small aspen (under 3/4") on flat ground. The field is roughly 7 acres and has some additional trails through the woods.. My intention is to buy a medium duty cutter something in the $1000 -$1250 dollar range. I have not picked the brand, but any suggestions would be appreciated. Currently I am looking at the Kodiak, Woods, Bush Hog, Nortrax, and King Kuttter.

 

[murphy1244]

:welcome:

 

[murphy1244]

5 PTO HP per foot of blade so that puts you at 48 in. Woods is a good brand so is Landpride, go with chain guards if your cutting near buildings or people.

 

[the6shooter]

I would go with a 5' with an overlap you will be good. with cutters sometimes small its too small. with the 5' you can take smaller bites if needed.

 

[psdaigle]

I would go with a 5' with an overlap you will be good. with cutters sometimes small its too small. with the 5' you can take smaller bites if needed.

Any suggestions on a brand?

 

[whistlepig]

I have owned a few brush hogs. I presently have a Land Pride RCR1860. Not saying that it is the best made but it's the best I have ever owned.

 

[plowindeeper]

My dad has a MF 210 W/ a 4 Foot Rhino bushog. Got both new in 1976.

 

[Jerry/MT]

Hi Everyone,

I know that this one has been beat up but I still need to ask...

I am buying a brush hog for my Massey Ferguson 210 it has a front end loader and is 25 hp with 22 hp at the PTO. I am inbetween buying a 4' or a 5' rotary cutter. I will be cutting mainly grass/weeds with a few small aspen (under 3/4") on flat ground. The field is roughly 7 acres and has some additional trails through the woods.. My intention is to buy a medium duty cutter something in the $1000 -$1250 dollar range. I have not picked the brand, but any suggestions would be appreciated. Currently I am looking at the Kodiak, Woods, Bush Hog, Nortrax, and King Kuttter.

try to get one that is as wide as the outside of your rear wheels. That's probably 5 foot.You can always take a smaller bite after you open up a field. If you doing mainly grass < 3 ft tall then you could almost go to to a 6 footer but with small trees, I wouldn't.

I bought a 6 ft 5 Points by KingKutter with 60hp gearbox, slip clutch and front and rear chain guards about 5 years ago. (5pts is a nicer version of the standard Yellow KK's. That's all the place I bought mine from would carryy from KK because they were a higher grade version of their farm store line.) It was half the price of a comparable Woods with a plastic guard on the front only. I honestly could not find a good reason to buy a more expensive mower. Mine weighs in at ~750's and it's all my 27 pto HP TO-30 can handle from a weight standpoint. No problem on the Ford 4610 . Make sure what ever you buy that it's not too heavy for your machine. You have a FEL so that should adequately couterbalance a heavier cutter.
There are certainly more expensive cutters out there and I think Landpride is a solid brand as are others. However these are simple machines with easily replaceable parts and are as tough as an oak outhouse so I don't think you can go wrong with any one of them that weigh in at ~700 lbs. With chain guards, I paid about $1.60/ pound and I think that number is closer to about $1.90/ pound in today's dollars.

Good luck in whatever you decide to buy.

 

[psdaigle]

Anybody ever try the Nortrax?

 

[Gregster613]

Hi psdaigle, I run a 5ft Woods on my 21 pto powered TYM273 and have no problems what-so-ever with power. I'm mostly just cutting grass and weeds but have no doubts about saplings. In fact, I'm sure I could power a 6ft if I had one. I collect branches and such from yard trimmings and I line up piles in a row to chop up rather than bother with a chipper. Have had zero problems. I'm sure you'll have enough power to run at least a 5ft. Good luck with your choice. Greg

 

[psdaigle]

Thanks for all the input!!!!

I did alot of research over the weekend, because I am cutting mainly weeds/grass and I have some ballast weight with the FEL and the liquid filled tires, I am leaning heavily towards going with a light or medium duty 5 footer. With Northern Minnesota math, that should be 4.4HP per foot of cutter. Still looking at the brand however and everbody seems to have there favorite.

I am still looking for anybody that has some info on the Nortrac rotary cutter. If you read up on them it appears that they have a 57" cutting width and a 5 gauge deck, but I have a hard time believing that for the price. The other thing that nobody can answer is what size gearbox they have. I called Northern Tool and was basically told 20-50HP. Which to me says "we have no clue".

Otherwise the Woods, KK, Bush hog, Landpride, Rhino, and Kodaik all have good units and it will come down to the $ verses how much I plan to use it and how often I want to replace it... Although, when you ask my wife, it may come down to how much she will give me!

 

[BobG_in_VA]

Thanks for all the input!!!!

I am still looking for anybody that has some info on the Nortrac rotary cutter. If you read up on them it appears that they have a 57" cutting width and a 5 gauge deck, but I have a hard time believing that for the price. The other thing that nobody can answer is what size gearbox they have. I called Northern Tool and was basically told 20-50HP. Which to me says "we have no clue".

I wasn't going to chime in here, but I'll just say, You get what you pay for...if its cheap up front, face it...its cheap...especially if the sales folks don't know anything about it... buy something that's heavy enough to withstand the worst you can imagine on your place....also 57" is a strange width...normally will be 60"..what are you going to do about new blades if/when you need them...BobG in VA

 

[psdaigle]

I wasn't going to chime in here, but I'll just say, You get what you pay for...if its cheap up front, face it...its cheap...especially if the sales folks don't know anything about it... buy something that's heavy enough to withstand the worst you can imagine on your place....also 57" is a strange width...normally will be 60"..what are you going to do about new blades if/when you need them...BobG in VA

Hi Bob,

I 100% agree and is probably why I am going to shy away from it. My only thought was a few less inches will help in the mower HP to PTO HP ratio. And then, if it has a 5 gauge deck as advertised, it would really be something for the price. They sell the blades. Here is a link http://www.northerntool.com/shop/tools/product_200356903_200356903"]http://www.northerntool.com/shop/tools/product_200356903_200356903

 

[MF RED in MT]

Welcome to TBN psdaigle, I have a Woods HC54 brush hog and the spec sheet says the cutting width is 54", overall width is 58", approx. weight is 474 pounds, and recommended tractor HP is 15-40. I have had zero problems using it behind my :tractor:. Hope you find a brush hog that works for you, :2cents:. KC , , B.T.W. I paid about $1100 in 2009 for it, :drink:.

 

[jetwoz]

I have a 2310 and have no problem running an old 5 foot bush hog through small pines, aspen and wooded brush. Many times I'll back my way through the bush just to protect the fan and oil filter even with the bush guard installed. No sense testing the bush guard design. Normal pasture cutting is a breeze.

 

[DaleH]

I have a 48 inch Bush Hog Squealer and it has worked flawlessly, cutting everything I've asked it to. I've occasionally done some light to medium brushing for our ski trails and it did fine.

 

[dambuster]

I have a 4' brush cutter on my 2310...which cuts well, going slow but my tractor seems to overheat cutting almost anything after 20-30 minutes...cutting only 1" alders and willows....and yes, the blades are sharper than "new"...

Any thoughts?

 

[irvingj]

I suppose you've thoroughly cleaned out the debris screen and all the nooks & crannies around the radiator area? There are a lot of places in there for things to collect and reduce the flow of cooling air.

 

[dambuster]

I suppose you've thoroughly cleaned out the debris screen and all the nooks & crannies around the radiator area? There are a lot of places in there for things to collect and reduce the flow of cooling air.

Yes, bought it second hand from dealer...everything is thoroughly cleaned...tractor only has 550 hours on it...

I will be looking for antifreeze leak...even though I only need to add about 6-8 ounces after tractor cools before I use it again...doesn't do it except when using PTO for brush or finish mowing. I can use bucket all day...no problems. I attached Backhoe and use it with no problems...

Dealer does not know what to make of it...I took it in for service and asked them to give it a complete check-up. I just thought it was working too hard but from what I see on this forum, many people with 2310 use even larger mowers....

 

[DMW]

I will be looking for antifreeze leak...even though I only need to add about 6-8 ounces after tractor cools before I use it again...

Take a good look at the radiator hoses for wear. Especially around the throttle linkage. The wire end can pierce the hose, as well as the linkage itself wearing a groove in the hose depending on the hose's position. Vibration can affect both upper and lower rad hoses.