Excuse my ignorance- bush hogging question

[JoeinTX]

Yeah, here cutting the pasture is an unpredictable thing.


Last year we had an exceptionally wet year and weed/plant growth was out of control by May..........lots of cutting going on just to control pastures. It lasted the rest of the summer. It just hit us like a hurricane.......mowing the yards twice a week to keep it under control and watching Johnson Grass that was normally 4' high reach 8' high. Last year was a one in a twenty year for moisture for us. One could have cut all residual material in March only to have then cut all spring growth in May......followed by another in July....that finally ended in another September cut.

Today, we still have '07 growth that hasn't been dealt with yet that is just now getting whacked. Big job to shred through overwhelming growth from last year on top of an '08 average year of growth.


I still have vines, not seen the likes of, clinging to our powerlines right now that have been trimmed/shredded to best of our ability yet to give up. Mesquite and Cacti, moisture misers they are, that are still going strong from last year. Bermuda grass that is now taking hold and growing strong that last year I couldn't see....


So, in a vacuum, yeah I could probably cut twice a year. In any fluid situation.......no way to know.

 

[Runner]

Flathead,

A couple of thoughts from an fledgling tractor owner/brush hogger:

First, what you're saying about doing your initial clearing in the winter makes sense to me. Aside from the bee/hornet/ivy issue, it would probably be easier to work through stuff that's fairly dry and light than through the thick, wet growth of summer, especially if it's really overgrown.

However, for me, and my pasture was already cleared, I want to be able to walk back there all summer, so I like to keep it down to 8 inches or so high. Where I live, this means mowing once a month or so, although I've let it go a little more this year due to time constraints.

One good thing about mowing when the stuff is actually green and growing, it is more moist and there probably won't be as much "chaff" floating around in the air, getting all over you and the tractor.

As for bees, I got stung by a bumble bee while mowing last weekend, but that's the first time in three years of mowing this 6 acres, so I don't consider it too big a hazard. Might feel differently about that if I was super-allergic to the stings.

Best of luck with your mowing.

 

[EddieWalker]

Yeah, I should have been clearer....

So, other than keeping something looking nice (after you've cleared) there's really nothing stopping you from clearing ground (like in the pics) during times when the foliage is dead.....and the bees are dormant.....or ivy isn't abundant.......

That's what I was wondering........plus I guess people would rather be hot than cold.....

The longer you let a field go, the worse it will be cutting it. Waiting until everything goes dormant in the winter will help with bugs, but poison ivy is still going to be a problem. Maybe worse.

For bees and bugs in general, I spray myself down with deet or a bug spray with a high concentration of deet in it. I also carry a can of wasp spray in my cup holder for those close calls. So far, I've hit several hives and haven't been stung yet. When it happens, they come out and hover around the hive. It's pretty easy to see them as there will be hundreds of them. Just go mow someplace else and let them calm down. Then go back when it's cool out in the evening and soak the hive with some diesel fuel. No more hive. In five years of aggressive cutting here in East Texas, where we have ALLOT of bugs, I've only hit a few hives. Three if I remember them all.

Poison Ivy has only been an issue when I've let an area get really overgrown. Like several feet tall. Two things create a problem with mowing poison ivy. The mower blows small pieces of it all over the place. It's a giant fan cutting and blowing at the same time. With everything that is getting cut, it's just a matter of odds that some will get on you. The second thing is what you are wearing. I tend to wear shorts and a T-shirt when I'm cutting. The simple solution would be to wear long sleeves and jeans. It's only happened on that one field that I let go for too long. If I keep a field mowed, the poison ivy dies off. It cannot stand direct sun or being out in the open. Mow it once or twice and it goes away real easy.

Poison ivy causes skin iritation by the oils in it when they make contact with your skin. While the plan may look dormant, it's just as potent in the winter as it is in summer. Cutting it up with your mower blade and getting the oils on your skin will have the same result no matter when you mow. Having a jacket on in the fall will help protect you, but if it gets on any exposed areas and you are the type who has a reaction to it, then it will still be an issue. For those who do not react to poison ivy, it can happen at any age. Just because it doesn't affect you today does not mean it won't happen tomorrow. I was imune until I got it the first time when I was 17. Before then, I played in it, picked it and scared others with it, and thought I was imune forever. It doesn't work that way, and I found out the hard way.

I like to mow once a month on my "nice" areas and 4 times a year on my rougher areas. I've upgraded to a finish mower for my nice areas, and it's the best money I've spent on an impliment. Faster, easier and better results. For my rough areas, like pasture and the edges of my trails, I use my rotary cutter. If I waited until the fall to do this, it would mean having to live with overgrown brush for most of the year. I would rather cut it down and enjoy my land. I mow in the evening for a few hours when it's cool. That might help with the bugs too, but it's fun and relaxing when you only spend a few hours on the tractor. Spending all day or a weekend at it would be torture.

Letting everything grow all year will also create allot of work for you when you actually mow it. While keeping it cut on a regular basis is simple task of easy mowing, you will have a serious project that can easily damage your tractor or mower. Some plants and saplings can grow to a fair size in just one season and if hit just right, can puncture or tear off parts of your equipment. I've lost fuel lines this way, as well as have stick catch just right under my front tire and puncture my hydraulic tank. I've lost headlights and damaged my mower blades on tangles of brush. I've broken u joints and twisted my driveshaft to my mower on hidden stumps that I found the hard way. Dirt piles from animals will also cause some damage when you find them with your mower blades.

On these warm summer days, I've been known to stay out well after dark mowing. It's just so nice out once the sun has set and everything has cooled off. I think 11pm is the latest I've been out mowing, but an hour after dark is pretty normal for me.

Good luck,
Eddie

 

[Soundguy]

Many people cut to control weeds... or to prevent weeds going to seed.. etc. Also.. P-ivy can be just as bad when cut during a non growth season.

soundguy

After reading all the horror stories of being attacked by bees (breathing ivy) while bush hogging. Unless you want to keep everything down every few months, wouldn't it be better to bush hog at the end of winter or VERY early spring and then again during the cool fall? I guess there's a difference between clearing land (like I'm getting ready to do) and maintaining it (several times a sumer).

For example, couldn't I wait until the ground is frozen and bush hog this in the winter? It wouldn't even have to be winter.....just wait until everything turns brown and it gets cool......mid November or so......

and now, it's grown up a LOT more than the pics because we've had a great deal of sun and rain......

set me straight here, fellas

 

[Flatheadyoungin]

This is what I'm thinking. Originally, it looked like we might close on the land before June. Now, it looks like we won't close till mid August. From watching everyone else and what "common" sense tells me is to work in the spring/summer/fall. I know there is something about early spring that motivates people to get out and work on clearing ground, cutting fields. I just wasn't sure if there is a reason I couldn't work this late fall, and if I can take the cold, up in to the winter. I thought maybe the tires shred the ground, etc.........just curious. I guess you can work any time, depending on wet ground, temp., etc.......

Thanks for all the input, folks! I'm probably just chomping at the bit!!!!

Flathead,

First, what you're saying about doing your initial clearing in the winter makes sense to me. Aside from the bee/hornet/ivy issue, it would probably be easier to work through stuff that's fairly dry and light than through the thick, wet growth of summer, especially if it's really overgrown.

 

[LBrown59]

the most unnerving thing that has ever happened to me is a snake falling out of a tree and landing on the hood of the tractor.

What if it had landed in your lap, on your head or draped over your shoulder???

What kind of snake was it?

 

[Rara Avis]

Many people cut to control weeds... or to prevent weeds going to seed.. etc. Also.. P-ivy can be just as bad when cut during a non growth season.

soundguy

Poison Ivy is the one thing that supports the need for a CAB...

 

[eanjay]

I cut now, both for weeds and for a 'fire-break' between me and the guy next door. A couple of years ago, he started a little fire that 'ran away' when he went inside to answer the phone. Burned all through the long dead stuff in the pasture land, and ran up the hill to the wood-lot. Big panic there of course...not to mention the ring of fire round the house.

In the end, the fire was stopped by my 'woods road' and the the 'fire-crew'. I lost two old out-buildings, came close to losing the wood-pile and the house. I now have a nice new workshop paid by his insurance and I keep the old pasture cut short - putting up with a few insects seems like a small price to pay for peace of mind. Oh, and it looks better anyway.

EanJay

 

[sandman2234]

There is about a thousand acres east of me that has become a major riding area for 4wheelers. They have been known to build camp fires and such, so I am always leary of the woods catching fire. In defense, I cut a semi-circle around my neighbors house in the woods, and keep it bush hogged so an off-road firetruck can get back there and also to slow down the fire agression should it ever happen. It won't keep me out of danger but sure gives me a little more piece of mind.
David from jax

 

[Solo]

That's what I was wondering........plus I guess people would rather be hot than cold.....

I mow once in spring and once in the fall. I can't take the heat so I like it when it's about 40 deg. T-shirt weather.

Solo