Finish vs bush mowers

[monkeybreath]

What is the difference in the end product when a finish mower is used instead of a brush mower (not certain my term is correct) - what would I notice ? Same question, and assume I have a crummy lawn (in the country - mountains - here it is difficult to keep a pristine lawn - so a combination of grass and interesting weeds). (by the way, a weed is simply a plant whose purpose has not been found yet - heard that somewhere - not original with me)

 

[Anonymous Poster]

The bush mower (rotary cutter, brush hog etc.) has heavy blades that are not typically very sharp because they are made to cut heavier material. They don't cut so much as tear and chop. They also are not designed for airflow, that is, to lift the grass, cut it and discharge and disperse it. That which is cut just lays on the ground where it was cut. It does not give a very finished look and you may not be able to cut as low or even as a finish mower.

If you are cutting grass and plant material whose purpose has not been found yet, I think you would be happier with a finishing mower. This is assuming of course that your lawn is not full of rocks as well as weeds. I have 3 acres of pasture that was pretty overgrown when we first moved here. After cutting it a few years with a rotary cutter, I now just use my MMM once a month. I know there are no more rocks or brush and the MMM does a better job.

Jeff

 

[Anonymous Poster]

A finish mower is just as it's name indicates. It gives a finish mowed look just as if you mowed it with a push or riding lawn mower. Bush mowers are usually used to cut rough brush and weeds they can produce a fairly decent cut but must be kept rather sharp. The biggest difference you will probably notice is that the cut from the bush mower will look like it tears off the grass/weeds instead of clipping it.

 

[Anonymous Poster]

I went with he bush hog rather than finish mower because I also have that......er how'd ya say it "country lawn" /forums/images/graemlins/blush.gif

The BHs don't cut bad and as long as I see a couple of acres of green that is about 4" 'high I'm happy. Many of my neighbors do the same.

I realize I'll never have that estate like lawn but then again the finish mower isn't going to clear the jungle I have out back /forums/images/graemlins/shocked.gif

 

[chim]

The above posters have given you an ample description of the two mowers, but reading the thread reminded me of my first experience with a bush hog. Before being blessed with my own tractor, I borrowed a Massey Ferguson 265 with a 6' brush hog to clear the "weeds" - actually anything from grasses to 1-1/2" woody stemmed plants - from our home site. I was absolutely amazed at how the thing managed to grind up anything in its path. I had been accustomed to using a store brand 5HP rider. The MF/'hog combo was downright awesome. Like the others said, it wasn't up to producing a nice finished look..........chim

 

[Anonymous Poster]

Our brush hog has been doing just as good a job on my son-in-law's grass as his Craftsman 50" cut garden tractor with a so-called finish mower. It's "country" grass, mostly bahia, 2-1/2 acres of it. He now prefers to use my tractor and the brush hog because there isn't much difference in the cut, and it's a lot faster.

Couple of key things - yes, the brush hog leaves windrows of cut grass rather than dispersing it, as mentioned above. And, since it's fairly new and hasn't been used to mow rocks (there aren't any rocks in our part of Florida), it's still pretty sharp. If he as really concerned about the windrows of grass, he could use the landscape rake on the back of the tractor to clean it up, but they disappear after a day or so through wind and sometimes rain. The brush hog is a 4' Rhino SE4 (light duty), and I've been reading some good things about the Rhino in the last couple of weeks. We have it adjusted pretty close to the ground; probably 2-3", and cut every week.

Not only does it do a fairly decent job, but the end result looks better and better when factored against the brush hog costing less than 25% of what a finish mower would cost...

Attached is a shot of his "lawn" near the back fence. It's never going to be on the cover of the Scott's catalog, but it doesn't look any worse than the neighbor's grass on the other side of the fence, which is primarily maintained by goats... /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif

 

[Gatorboy]

The difference in the cut is mainly because of blade speed -- you will find that finish mowers have a much greater speed than that of a brush mower.

If you cut with a brush mower on a regular basis, you can get a pretty good finished product.

Here are some pictures of my property which is mowed with a Rhino 15' Flex-wing (Heavy Duty Brush-type) mower.

Pic #1 | Pic #2 | Pic #3 | Pic #4 | Pic #5


I think it does a pretty fair job. I cut it about every 3 weeks (excluding this year -- too wet).

 

[Boondox]

The absence of rocks is definitely something to consider if using a finish mower. My FM does a fine job on my country grass, but the rocks bite back. See my thread "Finish Mower vs Rocks." Pete

 

[pennwalk]

<font color="blue"> heavy blades that are not typically very sharp </font>
Although some guys here who are cutting only grass and don't have to worry about rocks have sharpened their bush hog blades. I imagine they get a nicer cut.

Chris

 

[icat]

Dave,
That pano view is quite impressive. Thanks for sharing!