General bush hog questions

[CMV]

I am a shameless noob...no point trying to disguise that Have some real basic bush hog questions though. I have the 5' TSC one. Came with my tractor. Cleared out some real nasty stuff in just one pass and did a whole better than what I was expecting - although having never used one, didn't know what quite to expect. Up until now, we have been just using riding lawn mowers on our property and letting the nasty areas just stay nasty. Was really nice to reclaim a lot of that area with the tractor - makes it feel like my property doubled in size now that we can use so much more if it if we want Anyway, a lot of the area we got to the point we could mow with the larger Husq riding mower from Lowe's (aka uneven terrain garden tractor). Prior to that were just tearing up smaller 42" ones. Some places just fine, but ruts, rocks (no matter how many I picked up, seems new ones being born every week), uneven ground, etc just tore them up quickly. But even at <100 hrs, I've made much use of the Lowe's extended warranty on the Husq mower and a real - albeit smallish - tractor has been needed.

#1 On the nicer areas, the riding mowers kept the grass looking like a lawn. Mix of grasses and weeds, but cut short looks like an average lawn. Can I mow with the bush hog and get that same appearance - or fairly close to that? Or is a finish mower necessary? Since all I've cut so far was nasty overgrown stuff, I have no idea how it would leave just grass looking.

#2 The blades pivot and swing back I guess if they hit something substantial. I have a lot of baseball-softball sized rocks lying about. I would assume a steady diet of those isn't a great idea for the bush hog, but how concerned do I need to be about the occasional one? Say a couple per week. And even if there is not much harm to the bush hog from it, how violently would it expel such a rock? A vehicle or person should be no closer than X yds away from it running?

#3 The shaft cover has flexible stepped funnel ends covering the linkage. It is a struggle for me to connect the shaft to PTO spline since my PTO metal guard is fixed and doesn't flip up out of the way and it is generally cramped back there on my small machine. Would there be any harm in cutting that off so I can attach/detach from the PTO spline without that stepped-funnel-shaped boot in the way of my hands and blocking what i can see? Seems like the whole area would still be under the metal PTO guard on the tractor so I don't know what purpose that second plastic cover serves. Would removing that be ok or a big safety issue?

#4 I've already took down some small saplings by just running them over. Makes a heck of a racket, but seems to chop them up just fine. Nothing larger than maybe 2" dia at the base. Manual says 1". Does that mean 1" thick at cut height or 1" measured further up the trunk? I thought you typically measured a tree diameter around chest level, not at the ground, but could be wrong. If you told me you cut down a 12" tree, I would assume a few feet up the trunk was 12" diameter and at the ground would be larger. So really how fat of a sapling should I run over with it? If the tractor easily pushes it over that good enough? If not and I do try to cut something too big am I just going to break a shear bolt - or am I going to break something expensive?

#5 My PTO engages electronically by turning a knob. Gearbox is rated 45hp and my tractor is only 25 hp. Should I be at engine RPM to give me 540 speed and then engage? Or should I be at idle, engage, then bring engine RPM up? Is it like revving car engine then dropping it in gear (bad) or doesn't matter at all what engine RPM I'm at when I engage PTO?

That's all I can think of for now about it. Pretty basic stuff probably, but of you don't know, you don't know

 

[teg]

a finish mower is super nice, get a large one. You can get a good cut from a brush hog but you have to keep the blades very sharp (and they don't stay that way if you use it as a bush hog!).

Yes, they can fling rocks far and fast... I bought a used cutter to find the rocks and yes new ones always appear. Not too worried about the cutter, they can take it.

I don't have shields and I just know that the PTO can and WILL kill you. Do you have kids? Do you want to live long? I would keep the shields on if you can...

1" is at ground level - yes they can take down larger but sooner or later it might bite you in the rear end...

I don't know anything about your PTO - my guy feeling is to slow it down, engage, then power on up.

Just want to add that I first cut with the rough cutter and wait a couple days for what was cut to dry out. Then I mow again with the finish mower and it makes the area really nice and clean cut.

 

[oosik]

Your PTO should be engaged at idle. Once its spinning, then you can increase rpm.

 

[John_Mc]

Here's a stab at some of your questions:

1) I have used a brush hog as a finish mower at times. With sharp blades that haven't been all bent and beat up, it does a decent job... but then I am definitely NOT into the manicured lawn look. I also tended to let the brush-hogged areas grow a bit longer than my regular lawn - maybe 4-6". If I want it to look more "lawn-ish", the key was to mow it fairly regularly. If I let it grow to be a foot high, and then mow to 3 or 4", it looked pretty crappy, but would start to look OK again if I let it grow to 5 or 6" then mowed to 4", keeping it around the desired length, rather than letting it go. I've actually stopped regularly mowing some of the areas I used to keep as my 4" "brush hog lawn". My interest is more in wildlife habitat than lawn, and lawn is not a great habitat for much of anything.

2) The pivoting blades are designed to take that beating and hit rocks, stumps, logs, etc. However, the more you do this, the less satisfied you are likely to be with your results on #1 above. My brushhog blades tend to get so beat up (repeatedly hitting rocks as I mow some of the trails through my very rocky woods), that they bend up on the ends. If you let them go too far, they will eventually make contact with the underside of your deck when they bounce off a rock. You really don't want to let them go that far. Typically, Brush hog blades are not sharpened to a razor edge like lawnmower blades are: you leave a little dull/flat spot on the edge so the edge is tougher and stands up to the beatings it takes better. You can make them lawnmower-sharp for better results on #1 above, but the batings wil take more of a toll on the blades that way.

I don't have anyone standing nearby when I am brush hogging. They can throw objects with a good bit of force. Most brush hogs have some sort of skirt made from metal or rubber to minimize this. I replaced the skirts on mine with an assembly sold by the manufacturer which has a bunch of +/-5" long chains that form a curtain to keep the debris from flying out. They seem to work better than the metal skirt it came with originally - I'm guessing because they can hang down lower without causing problems with scalping the ground.

3) I can't comment on the dangers of removing that part of the guard without seeing it up close and in person. Are you ever back there when it is spinning? Probably a larger possibility of getting clothing/hair caught with that removed. On my brush hog, that bell is where a light chain attaches which also attaches to the metal tractor-mounted guard. That light chain keeps the whole PTO shield from spinning. Also: I'm not sure how much of a concern this is, but on my tractor, the tractor mounted shield only protects the top and partially on the side. The plastic bell on the shaft protects all the way around, so you have some guarding on the lower sides and bottom. Is that necessary? I don't know. If you are brand new to this, my suggestion would be to wait a bit and just live with the difficult reach for a while. It may get easier after you've connected and disconnected a couple dozen times and you've learned the tricks. Wait to make any changes until you see whether it still remains a pain in the neck or not.

4) You are right about how trees are commonly measured by foresters and loggers. The term is "DBH" which stands for "Diameter at Breast Height" (which is officially defined as 4.5 feet above the ground). However, a brush hog is rated for what it is actually cutting, so if the sapling is 2" thick where the cut happens, that's what you go by. Having said that, on my brush hog is rated to cut 1.5" saplings, but I do not hesitate to cut significantly larger diameters if it's a soft wood like White Pine. I'm not going to tell you to ignore the manufacturers recommendations, but I will say that a 2" pine probably puts less stress on the mower than a 1" oak or buckthorn.

5) Your electric engagement may need a different procedure than mine. Also, I believe the TSC cutters have a shear pin to protect the PTO and the implement from shock. Both of these would tend to make me want to engage at a lower RPM. My PTO is a mechanical engagement: I need to depress the clutch, then throw a lever and let the clutch out to engage the PTO. I don't engage mine all the way down at idle, but then I can control how abruptly it engages by how I let the clutch off. Even so, I sure don't crank up the RPMs (and certainly not up to 540 RPM PTO speed). The higher you go on RPMs, the more stress you are putting on the PTO and implement drive train when you engage it. It's not like you are wasting a lot of time to slow it down prior to engaging, so why not do that. If you have a shear pin system to protect your implement and PTO, there is less chance your shear that pin if you slow down first. NOTE: there is one time when I intentionally engage at a higher RPM: I have a slip clutch on the brush hog, rather than a shear pin. At the beginning of each mowing season, I loosen the adjustment bolts on the clutch a bit so it will slip a bit more easily, put the tractor in neutral, and run it up to about 2/3 of PTO speed, engage the PTO and pop the tractor clutch so the PTO comes alive suddenly. The PTO clutch can get a bit rusty in the off season. doing the "pop the clutch" maneuver several times cleans the rust off the friction surfaces of the clutch and assures it's working normally. Then I retighten the bolts to where they were before for normal slip clutch operation. I'd check your manual (both tractor and mower) for a recommendation.

I hope some of this helps.

 

[jeff9366]

To ease connecting PTO shaft, connect Rotary Cutter to the Three Point Hitch Lower Links and Top Link first.

Raise the Rotary Cutter so the PTO shaft is directly in line/flat with the splines on the tractor PTO output shaft.

Lightly lubricate tractor PTO splines.

PTO shaft should slide on relatively easily.

YOU DO NOT WANT ANY ANGLE IN THE PTO SHAFT.

 

[CMV]

This is what the boot area on mine is like. You can see how the boot is longer than the connection. Just makes it real difficult. Maybe not cut that boot entirely off, but several inches back so I can see and manipulate the u-joint and collar connector?



I can't have the PTO running and be out of the seat. I can't think of any good reason for me (or anyone) to ever be anywhere near the rear of the tractor with the PTO engaged. This is the only shaft-driven attachment I have though - maybe a log splitter or something else I guess there could be a reason for someone to be somewhat near that area.

I wouldn't cut right next to a person or vehicle or anything I wouldn't want shot with a rock. But if someone else is in the general area, what is a safe distance that anything flung out by the bush hog isn't a big threat? 50 yds? 100? So far it has hit some decent rocks but just made a lot of noise and hasn't sent anything flying. But am assuming it easily could launch a rock in any direction.

No kids running around my property. Mostly just me there unless my wife wants to come along and split some wood (no idea why, but she really likes splitting wood), pick grapes & berries, etc.

 

[teg]

I skipped over this... The first thing I did to my brand new tractor was to remove the metal PTO guard!!! I didn't even hook up a PTO implement before I removed it. Would I recommend this to someone else, heck NO!! You have to live your own life. None of my PTO's have shields... that's just how I roll.

Rebel without a clue...

 

[nybirdman]

My procedure for PTO hook-up;connect lower arms and top link;raise implement;SHUT TRACTOR OFF;
by raising you can rotate PTO shaft if needed;lubricate if necessary.
I would never allow anyone with-in sight when bush-hogging.
Engage at idle.A bush-hog will never be a finish mower.

 

[Tractorable]

1) The bush hog won't give you a lawn-like appearance, but it does make it look tidy and cared for. It'll leave windrows of cut grass if you let the grass grow too long. Most folks don't strive for a lawn-like appearance outside their actual lawn around the house. To get a lawn-like appearance you'll need a finish mower or riding mower with multiple blades spinning at high rpm.

2) 50 yards is probably a safe distance to stay away from a bush hog. Make sure you have chain guards or a metal band on the front and back. If it has a metal band on the back be careful not to back it into a stump and bend it in which can cause it to hit the blades. Not fun, ask me how I know.

3) you're just going to have to make a judgement call on trimming the inconvenient plastic PTO shaft cover. Tractor and implement manufacturers all need to cover their butts for liability that sometimes they make things super inconvenient for the user. Assess what works for you and be cognizant of what you're doing, balancing safety with convenience.

4) what you're cutting is measured where it's being cut.

5) bush hogs have a lot of reciprocating mass. You're going to have to experiment to find the lowest rpm at which you can engage the PTO without stalling the tractor, then raise the rpm to PTO speed.

 

[Phillip w]

Well here are my thought. While a brush hog is not a lawn mower, if you mow regularly a brush hog will do a fairly decent job. I don't like to hit rocks, stumps, metal etc. Unless it was accidental. Yeah you got a shear pin, but why chance a gear box or tractor pto. I shelled my tractor pto (5000 dollars) when shear pin didn't shear. As for engaging your pto: you want engine at 800 -1000 rpm (idle) when you engage your pto. Once you get it turning the speed your rpm up to say 2000-2500 rooms. One thing you might do when brush hogging sapplings: raise brush hog all the way up. Back into the saplings. Gently lower brush hog as it grinds up the saplings. This keeps you from damaging something under your tractor and makes things easier on brush hog. As far as your pto shaft: I would be hesitant to cut it because it might hurt the resale value of the brush hog. Running with out the guard is a safety issue. Some of you old farm machinery like new idea sickle mowers, John Deere sickle mowers, the old 14t baler pto guard was a joke, etc and you had to really watch what you were doing. I do know a guy who lost his arm on an old a.c. Roto baler. I know another guy lost his hand in a corn picker, and I know a couple guys been killed in tractor upsets. Tractors and machinery need to be respected and carelessness can get you hurt or killed. That being said if you remove the guard, I don't recommend it, but understand. You you decision just be careful. Some accidents have happened to some pretty seasoned operators and some have been a freak mishap.