Hooking up my rotary cutter ? suggestions?

RoyJackson · Sep 22, 2005

"So, when the blades finally get over the aforementioned weeds, they don't seem to cut them properly, and leave a stumpy chopped looking cut."

A rotary cutter is not going to give you a "lawn" type cut. Those big thick blades are made to pulverize as well as cut.

You're probably doing fine...just expecting a result you won't see with a rotary cutter.

midlf · Sep 22, 2005

I have a new BEFCO 48" rotary cutter and it cuts the same way. As RoyJackson stated, it is not a finish mower. After the field grows back some the second cut will look better.

flakrat · Sep 23, 2005

..."the rubber edge at the front of the deck is barely skimming the ground"

shouldn't this be up off the ground by a 1 or 1.5 inches?

Wow, PBMAX, you are on the orange board

Nik · Sep 23, 2005

I have a BX23 with WOODS 42" rotary cutter. Often clumps of weeds and brush are smashed down by the tractor and emerge from the cutter without being cut. I try to mow slowly and this still can happen. I usually make a second pass perpedicular to the first cut to trim it right. The blades on my cutter are farily new.
I did not have this problem with my B2410 and 4' rotary cutter. As you observed I think it is because of the lower clearance of the BX causing the weeds to stay flattened down as the mower passes. I guess the smaller blades on my present cutter may have less lift effect.

B2400 · Sep 24, 2005

I suspect that the 4ft mowers don't cut quite as well as the larger units due to blade tip speed. If all the gear boxes use the same reduction, the the larger cutters have a higher blade tip speed due to the longer distance they must travel at same speed.
I've noticed when the farmer comes in with his 7ft cutter it does a real nice job on the heavy stuff almost leaving it looking like a finish cut whereas when I use my 4ftKK it often leaves "stubble".

RobJ · Sep 26, 2005

( I suspect that the 4ft mowers don't cut quite as well as the larger units due to blade tip speed. If all the gear boxes use the same reduction, the the larger cutters have a higher blade tip speed due to the longer distance they must travel at same speed.
)

I've noticed this to. I'll use my finish mower if I know there isn't any crap or junk in the cut. Just raise it up a bit, I also get another foot of cut.

TheWeis · Sep 27, 2005

( ..."the rubber edge at the front of the deck is barely skimming the ground"

shouldn't this be up off the ground by a 1 or 1.5 inches?

)

I guess I don't know how high it should be, it was delivered, I hooked it up, and started driving /forums/images/graemlins/smile.gif Over the course of a few passes I tried experimenting with the height because I kept looking back and seeing fairly large clumps of uncut grass/weeds popping back up directly behind me. I thought that if I tipped the forward edge of the blades into the weeds more, they might cut better when the weeds were were laying down, ie more of a vertical component to the cut.

Trouble with this is, I believe this is perhaps too close to risky damage, like from rocks, wood etc. I am pretty disappointed that I will have to make more than 1 and in some cases more than 2 passes to get this stuff cut... Kinda changes the time/money equation I used to buy this piece in the first place. Trouble is the BX23 apparently can't handle anything larger than a 48", especially as I have some hilly terrain.

I guess more practice might help as well as getting to know the land better, it's a new property for me. We shall see!
Paul