Rotary Cutter Help sizing rotary cutter for my tractor and terrain

[DWKY]

Hello, brand new member here seeking advice. I am in the market for a rotary cutter and want to make sure I get the right size that my tractor can handle safely on my terrain. Currently have a tenant mowing but contract expires this year and will have to mow myself. I have a NH T4030(4wd) that is 65hp(pto). My footprint is 7 ft wide. I have around 25 acres to mow, most of which is fescue with a few spots with heavier cover. I'd like to be able to mow as wide as possible and I believe my tractor could handle a an 8 or 10 ft pull type okay as far as handling the material. However, most of the ground I am covering is pretty steep(30-50% grade). I'd like to mow as wide as I can without the Mower pushing me off the side of the hill. So my question is how big can I go without overextending myself for safety. Also I am considering a pull type because I believe it would be more stable on the hills than a lift. Please confirm or correct this if you will. I do plan to graze all this at some point to reduce mowing but presently have no fence to hold em. Any advice would be much appreciated.

 

[whis]

I would like to see a picture of your tractor on a 50% grade

 

[MF283]

What has the tenant been using to mow it with? I've watched "right of way" crews on the interstate mowing real steep areas that i wouldn't do for the love of money.
Typically, they're pulling 15' pull behinds & you can see the tractor sliding on the embankment's even with 4WD.
I don't see alot of them around, i had a 10' Fred Cain pull behind when i had my bigger tractor, it was a great unit. They are made in Danville KY, would be worth checking out.

Ronnie

 

[MMagis]

25 acres of fescue? In KY? Why not lease it out for hay?

 

[DWKY]

25 acres of fescue? In KY? Why not lease it out for hay?

It has been cut for hay before but it looks to me like every third bale they dropped ended up rolling down the hill into a gulley or the woods. I have asked around but found little interest in cutting it for hay. It would be make good hay. Good clover and orchard grass mixed in but I think I would rather graze than cut regularly.

MF 283 -- Tenant mows with 15' batwing with much large tractor. Can't remember the model but looks to be 120HP or so. He seems to get along pretty well although I have never been around to watch him. Takes him around 10 hours to get it done usually.

Thanks for the replies.

 

[MMagis]

Another option would be leasing it out for pasture. If there are no fences, that would of course reduce the lease value because they would have to deal with that, but it would still make you some money while saving a lot of work for you.

Sorry, I know I’m straying from your original question. It’s always nice to see good grass being put to use whenever possible.

 

[flusher]

It has been cut for hay before but it looks to me like every third bale they dropped ended up rolling down the hill into a gulley or the woods. I have asked around but found little interest in cutting it for hay. It would be make good hay. Good clover and orchard grass mixed in but I think I would rather graze than cut regularly.

MF 283 -- Tenant mows with 15' batwing with much large tractor. Can't remember the model but looks to be 120HP or so. He seems to get along pretty well although I have never been around to watch him. Takes him around 10 hours to get it done usually.

Thanks for the replies.

Switch to large square bales.

 

[LD1]

10 hours to mow 25 acres with a 15' batwing

If he is going that slow, sounds like there could be some pucker moments.
I cannot help on the pull vs lift type, I only have a lift type 6' cutter. I have mowed 25 degree slopes sideways, but the grass has to be dry and its still a bit iffy. Thats about 46% grade.

20 degrees is no pucker factor at all for me, but I have a small, low tractor and added 2" spacers to each side. Are your wheels as wide as you can get them?

Any possibility of mowing up and down on the bad areas instead of sideways?

 

[MMagis]

Switch to large square bales.

That’s a mighty expensive switch.
Though being near horse country, you’d think someone around there would be set up for large squares. But as mentioned, it could be too hilly to interest many people, especially since there hasn’t been a shortage of hay last few years.

 

[TripleR]

I would think an eight foot pull type would work fine, can't comment on the suitability of that particular tractor, but we mow really steep stuff with our M8540 and ten foot pull type. We own both a pull type and three point and the three point is much less stable, so it's sat in the shed for several years now.

 

[smstonypoint]

10 hours to mow 25 acres with a 15' batwing

If he is going that slow, sounds like there could be some pucker moments.

I was thinking the same thing. That works out to an average ground speed of 1.67 mph assuming 82.5% field efficiency.

Steve

 

[4570Man]

I think you have over estimated your slope angle. I haven't seen any tractor even the highway crews that can mow a 50 degree slope.

 

[LD1]

I think you have over estimated your slope angle. I haven't seen any tractor even the highway crews that can mow a 50 degree slope.

50%

There is a difference between percent grade and degrees.

Percent grade is the ratio of rise to run. So a 50% slope assumes 1' of rise for every 2' run. angle would be 26.5 degrees. 45 degrees would be 100% slope.

 

[RedNeckRacin]

I prefer the full 3 point mount for steep terrain over a pusher type. If I begin to lose traction I can bump up the 3pt and sink the rear tires in more. With a trail behind it will be trying to push the tractor around. Also, if you get in trouble and slide you could pretty easily jack knife. I have never measured the slopes that I have mowed but I would eat windshield if I wasn't wearing my seatbelt on places that I mow once a year. I am running an Mx10 (10') full mount mower with 69 pto hp and I would like more hp to keep a decent pace up. That's only when mowing vegetation that's taller than. The front tires. (About 34"+)

 

[leonz]

Hello, brand new member here seeking advice. I am in the market for a rotary cutter and want to make sure I get the right size that my tractor can handle safely on my terrain. Currently have a tenant mowing but contract expires this year and will have to mow myself. I have a NH T4030(4wd) that is 65hp(pto). My footprint is 7 ft wide. I have around 25 acres to mow, most of which is fescue with a few spots with heavier cover. I'd like to be able to mow as wide as possible and I believe my tractor could handle a an 8 or 10 ft pull type okay as far as handling the material. However, most of the ground I am covering is pretty steep(30-50% grade). I'd like to mow as wide as I can without the Mower pushing me off the side of the hill. So my question is how big can I go without overextending myself for safety. Also I am considering a pull type because I believe it would be more stable on the hills than a lift. Please confirm or correct this if you will. I do plan to graze all this at some point to reduce mowing but presently have no fence to hold em. Any advice would be much appreciated.

=================================================================================

You cannot safely do this with thirty to fifty percent grades unless you have a dozer with swamp tracks pulling a mower.



1. Gravity and traction are not your friends in side hill farming/mowing situations unless you have a tractor ment for
sidehill farming.


2. Tractor manufacturers do not recommend that anything more 15 degree slopes be mowed in side hill
mowing conditions.

a. the center of gravity of your tractor is too high-thats why the other tractor is sliding on the side hill.

3 You should be mowing up hill in the lowest reverse gear and driving forward down in in the lowest forward speed

a. this keeps the center of gravity where it belongs and the traction going uphill WITH THE MOWER in front of you as you
advance uphill. It also keeps the tractor running in astraight line when climbing and reduces the work needed to move over one mower width without endangering the operator or the machines.



4. read 1, 2, and 3 again

5. read number 4 again

6. read number 5 again.

7. read number 6 again.

YOU NEED TRACTION and that is only gained by ADHESION!!!

Adhesion is only gained by adding liquid ballast and wheel weights.

If you intend on keeping the land hiring out to have it terraced and reseeded
is more effective way to manage this and also increase its value to raise crops.

If you have it terraced high power machinery will not be needed to farm it and also
increase your rental income in the process.


Look at it this way-

And provided you have the rear tires ballasted and have R1 tires (I hope).

You can back up the hill and mow on the way down then back up the hill and repeat the mowing downhill.

Mowing when you have wet sod or grass is never a good idea even on 15 degree slopes.

This will be safest method for you using a rotary cutter. The other thing is the size of the mower and the type of mower.

 

[TripleR]

Interesting, on our CX80 and M8540, our 3PH Woods tended to pull the back of the tractor down hill. The mower tires rotate 360 so there is no resistance to the mower going down hill. Our Woods DS1260 is much more stable, rear wheels don't rotate so tend to resist gravity a bit better and with less weight on the tractor and that being on the low mount fixed draw bar as opposed to flexible, higher mount 3PH ours works better than the 3PH version. We've had to get ours pulled out of the pond or woods using the 3PH, but so far not the pull type. I wasn't driving, so who knows.

I guess it's one of those YMMV kind of things.

 

[MMagis]

=================================================================================

You cannot safely do this with thirty to fifty percent grades unless you have a dozer with swamp tracks pulling a mower.

.

Simply not true at all. The gas line right-of-way guys prove that incorrect every single day. People would be shocked at what they mow around here, and would assume they're using some sort of tracked machine. But all they have are 4wd tractors with roll cages. Granted, they have bigger stones than me. But it's possible.
Besides, 50% slope isn't all that bad. If I couldn't bushhog a slope like that, most of the farm would be overgrown.

 

[Birdhunter1]

I would opt against a 7' bushhog on this field as they are single spindle and the weight balance is far behind the tractor, a pull type won't help you with traction and could jackknife if you slide. An 8' dual spindle 3pt mount will be heavier than a 7' single spindle but it will keep the weight closer to the tractor and be more stable, if you run into a loss of rear traction you can lift up slightly and add weight to the rear.

It will also help to fill your rear tires and have weights on the front end.

 

[Foodplot]

Welcome, from 20 miles north of you. I'll echo MMagis--get someone to hay it, even if once per year. Folks around here will usually do a small property on a 1:2 swap (you keep one bale). If you just want it mowed, and don't need hay, let them have it for future considerations. That's what we do on several properties I help manage. Cuts down on fuel and tractor maintenance expenses and payroll. We do drag a 10' rotary cutter (and smaller ones for mowing between trees), which is ok for the tractor size and weight, with front weight added. I do some of that on up to 30% (ca. 16 degree) grade, which the tractor handles fine. It's a bit bigger than yours, but 2WD.

 

[DWKY]

50%

There is a difference between percent grade and degrees.

Percent grade is the ratio of rise to run. So a 50% slope assumes 1' of rise for every 2' run. angle would be 26.5 degrees. 45 degrees would be 100% slope.

Yes I calculated the grade and could be overestimating a bit but the angle falls somewhere between 20 and 30*. How about this: it's sure enough pucker yo butt steep at least going across the hillsides.

I would mow up and down for the most part as he has but worry a 10 ft could be too heavy and push me down the hill. Not a lot of experience so not sure how heavy my tractor can handle down a 20 to 30* slope and manufacturers don't give a lot of guidance(to prevent liability I presume).