How to Cut a Field
- Thread starter Clemson
- Start date
- Views: 3091
Alan L.
Elite Member
I just go around and around, turning 90 degrees on square corners. My brush hog seems to discharge more to the left, so I make sure it discharges to the side thats already cut, so I go clockwise.
When it starts to get small enough that its hard to turn sharp enough, I split the remaining rectangle in half and go down the edge, turn and take a swath out of the middle, then down the edge, etc. This way, you don't end up with a little skinney section that you have to back up to turn each time.
I have some oddball shapes in my place, plus a lot of trees I have to go around, but this the way I do it on rectangles.
When it starts to get small enough that its hard to turn sharp enough, I split the remaining rectangle in half and go down the edge, turn and take a swath out of the middle, then down the edge, etc. This way, you don't end up with a little skinney section that you have to back up to turn each time.
I have some oddball shapes in my place, plus a lot of trees I have to go around, but this the way I do it on rectangles.
bubenberg
Platinum Member
- Joined
- Mar 21, 2002
- Messages
- 942
- Location
- Bucks County, PA
- Tractor
- PT425, Kubota L2050, 3 hydrostatic Exmark mowers. Z21D Kubota ZTR, 2 Kunz acrease wing mowers, 1 rough cut kunz mower, one vintage grasshopper ztr, one vintage gravely ztr, various large garden tracto
clemson, to reduce compactation of the soil you should vary the direction in which you are mowing as often as possible. we in the lawncare business are going against our better judgment /knowhow. in order to keep and find new customers we are now obliged to make patterns on these lawns (called stripping, checkerboard etc).
that practice involves for weeks to travel in the same grooves/tracks to optimize the stripping effect. my turf profs would kill me if they would know what we are doing to these lawns for beauty's sake.
that practice involves for weeks to travel in the same grooves/tracks to optimize the stripping effect. my turf profs would kill me if they would know what we are doing to these lawns for beauty's sake.
DaveHerndon
New member
Just go with what feels right..........become one with the field.
<grin> Going in circles all the way around means no turns...but can get you dizzy on small fields or when you get close to the center <smile>. After a while, turn around and go the other way......to unwind a bit.
BTW, go Tigers!!!!! (89 graduate, living up I85 from you in Grover, NC).
Dave.
<grin> Going in circles all the way around means no turns...but can get you dizzy on small fields or when you get close to the center <smile>. After a while, turn around and go the other way......to unwind a bit.
BTW, go Tigers!!!!! (89 graduate, living up I85 from you in Grover, NC).
Dave.
gotrocks
Platinum Member
Your dad's name caught my attention. /w3tcompact/icons/smile.gif/w3tcompact/icons/grin.gif Welcome to this knowlegable and personable group of individuals.
While I'm here hello to Dave H. also. I think what he is describing is from a comment from an old NASCAR driver..." all you do is keep turning left"
or something like that.
Ind.Ed (54) "Hold that Tiger!"
While I'm here hello to Dave H. also. I think what he is describing is from a comment from an old NASCAR driver..." all you do is keep turning left"
or something like that.
Ind.Ed (54) "Hold that Tiger!"
Golfgar4
Elite Member
- Joined
- Feb 21, 2002
- Messages
- 4,342
- Location
- Janesville, Wisconsin
- Tractor
- None -yet. Until then FunBuggy (EZ-Go) will have to do!
Here's a thread <A target="_blank" HREF=http://www.tractorbynet.com/cgi-bin/compact/showflat.pl?Cat=&Board=owning&Number=135384&page=&view=&sb=&o=&vc=1>Mowing Patterns/Discharge Help</A> that dealt with this very topic. There were a number of different ideas and some diagrams.
mrcaptainbob
Platinum Member
I have nothing to compare with your machine or with the area that you need mowed. However, I have found that varying the pattern is best. I came to this conclusion the hard way when I noticed the outline during a snowfall. Then I noticed the actual depressions when I started crossing them. For many years I had cut three paths on the perimeter to blow the grass 'inboard'. Then I reversed direction and finished the ever decreasing spiral. Now I do a 'z' pattern. I start the path by going 45 degrees to north/south. Then at the property line I make a 90 dgree turn and go 'till I meet the next property line and continue that way 'till I get to the north end. I then turn back and parallel those 'z' cuts on the south side when I cut back towards the south end. Then parallel them on the north side 'till I reach the north end. This results in a double cut. And by making sure to vary the start angle each cutting, results in avoiding compacted wheel tell tales. The down side: this doubles the cutting time. (But increases seat time!)
MrP
Gold Member
Yes, that is what I ment by an overlaping "U".
My technique depends on the shape of the field. For a long narrow field mow the perimeter and then go back and forth turning 180° at each end. For a [more] square field I cut 90° corners as long as I can and then swing around in a 270° turn. I prefer swinging around to changing directions; a carry over from my days with a clash box tranny.
As the remaining patch gets smaller I start working on two opposite sides only to cut down on turn time. Any time your cutter is not cutting you are burning time (not that there is necessarily a need to hurry).
On odd shaped fields I try to round off the corners as much as possible to cut down on turn time.
JT
As the remaining patch gets smaller I start working on two opposite sides only to cut down on turn time. Any time your cutter is not cutting you are burning time (not that there is necessarily a need to hurry).
On odd shaped fields I try to round off the corners as much as possible to cut down on turn time.
JT
ColorMeGreen
Member
When we would harvest wheat fields we'd do one of 2 things. First option was to cut 2 swaths of diagonals then just go around the field in smaller rectangles. Second method was to go around the field and at the end (or the center) go out to the corners and get what you couldn't get when the turns got too tight.
Have fun,
Jeanne
Have fun,
Jeanne
