KK brush hog

[foggy1111]

I have been opening up some brush areas on my land with my lite duty 5' KK rotary cutter. The cutter has done a great job on small and large brush (up to about 3"). I know some of the brush I am cutting is abusive to this lite duty cutter....but it seems to tackle it quite nicely.

MY QUEStiON: My ground is also quite rough.....and I am always digging the leading edge of the cutter in the ground....which then levers the back end up before it breaks free and the back end again falls to the ground. This seems hard on stuff...but I also want to clip the brush low to the ground. It seems the lead edges of the cutter dig into the ground too easliy thus creating the problems. Any operating suggestions???....or is this just part of the game on new rough ground?

I bought this cutter new for a good deal ($550.00) and so far have beat the tar out of it. It has not even sheared a pin...yet. But I need to wire all the pins on my three point in place (or replace with bolts) as I keep losing them in the thick brush. Sometimes it feels like the rotary cutter is also part tiller....as I sure have scalped allot of sod and tilled allot of ground with it.

 

[ScottOkla]

I don't really have an answer to your question, but I have also overworked my 5'KK in thick brush and it hasn't had a single problem to date either.

 

[Ford850]

How far off the ground is the rear of the cutter when you are skidding the leading edges? If the angle is too severe I can see how it would bite into the ground and raise the back end easier. Your tail wheel might have the rear end raised too high for the low cutting you at doing.

 

[pitt_md]

I never run with the leading edge of my cutter on the ground. I'm not saying it's wrong to do that but I don't have the problem of the cutter digging in. Might try to keep it an inch or so off the ground.

 

[greenmule]

You need to raise the front up,enough,to where it don't.
I got mine set about 4-5 inches high all around,if that wouldn't be high enough to keep front edge from ramming into ground,would raise it up futher,I also use a chain instead of top link,positives and negatives to that,but it makes a more even cut on rough ground,aloows rear to go down,and front to come up,BUT,if you run a chain,you DON'T want front end hitting at all,or back will come up,quick,and high.

 

[foggy1111]

Thanks for the tips.....but......I TRY to keep the leading edge of the cutter a bit off the ground....but the land has too many dips and swales and changes to avoid....and I want to cut the brush short. I have the rear of the cutter about two inches higher than the front and the tail wheel does a good job.

Maybe some wider skids at the front would provide some float for the lead edge.....but this isnt exactly normal duty for a cutter.

 

[Ford850]

Thanks for the tips.....but......I TRY to keep the leading edge of the cutter a bit off the ground....but the land has too many dips and swales and changes to avoid....and I want to cut the brush short. I have the rear of the cutter about two inches higher than the front and the tail wheel does a good job.

Maybe some wider skids at the front would provide some float for the lead edge.....but this isnt exactly normal duty for a cutter.

That's similar to how I use mine as far as height goes. Mines a heavier model though and maybe the weight helps keep it grounded when the front skids try to dive. I know what you mean about dips and swales. My ground is fairly firm too. If yours is soft and loamy, it could really dive into the loose ground I'd bet. Wider skids would be worth a try. Just tack them on to test.

 

[greenmule]

Well,theres your problem my good friend,make mower level,set it about 4-5 high[from bottom edge,all around,]and try that,other wise you can want all you want,but it ain't going to work right for you.

By the way,these ain't tips,its how you use a brush hog.

 

[DK35vince]

My King Kutter brush mower would not mow low at all. (If I tryed to cut lower the front skids would dig ruts and pull rocks out of the ground).
I cut the leading edge of my cutter up 2" and tapered it back about a foot. Then welded on new skids.
It works so much better now. I can cut/mow much lower and the leading egde no longer digs into the ground

 

[foggy1111]

DK35Vince and ford850 has pretty much summed up my situation too.....thanks!! I think I will try to modify the lead edge to get a little more "floatation" as you describe. Getting some slope on the lead edge and making wider shoes should solve the issue here....too bad they aint that way to start. My ground is pretty rough (deer food plots).....but the land is sandy loam.....so the cutter really can dig in as it stands now.

THe knee-action top link that KK provides does a pretty good job (sorta like a chain) of allowing the cutter to float up.....but when the lead edge pushes throught the dirt and lets the cutter down it can have a pretty big load to chew up and that makes me a cringe a little.


All in all...it's working pretty good....but I feel as though I am abusing stuff.

 

[kebo]

Or you could try putting some training wheels (guide or anti-scalp wheels) on the very front!

Just kidding there. When I had my JD 750 with a 4ft Landpride RM, I could make sharp turns and the inside edge of the mower would dig in, the opposite side would raise up by the same amount. Since I usually made left hand turns, the left side skid was worn down pretty good when I sold it with the 750. The only way to stop it was to raise the front edge of the mower up another couple inches or so. At times I was guilty of cutting too low with it though. Like the time one of the blades dug up a piece of an old farm plow and it rattled around inside the deck making a nice little hole in one side of it before it finally exited out from underneath it.

 

[Cocre]

If you take the "knee-action top link" thing off and hard connect the top link to the cutter, the back end cannot lift independent of the front. I have used mine both ways. Actually I assembled the mower incorrectly when I bought it and had the top bracket double bolted where it could not swivel. After several weeks of use I was perusing the own's manual trying to figure out how to get my stank quick hitch to work with it when I realized I had put it together wrong.

I corrected my mistake so it now does the knee-action thing, but I am not certain that I didn't like it better the other way.

 

[greenmule]

Boy,you talk about making something simple,hard,yep ,weld pads or whatever it was on front corners,you did know about the three point lift,right? You lift the front end with it,you don't drag the front!

You make cutter about level,4-5 inches off dirt,you cut,man.!

I use a chain for top link,makes it even more better.

 

[foggy1111]

Well....they say you can lead a mule to water...but...... I'm tell'in 'ya mule.....all things just aint the same for you as they are for me. I am aware that I could lift the front of the cutter about 6" off the ground and not dig the cutter in....but I want to cut the brush off close to the ground son....therefore I need to run the cutter close to the ground. This ground is NOT level and any contact with the leading edge of the KK cutter will serve to pull the cutter into the soil.....hence the problem we are discussing here......rather than allow it to skid along the top. If I dont cut close to the ground...then I am going to have some tire pokers and more trash to deal with later. Also with those brush stubbles.....sticking up about 10 inches or so....you cannot cut them closer on the second trip through....they just bend over. I rest my case.

Corce....I sorta like the "knee-action" KK top link. Seems to do a pretty good job of allowning the cutter to kick up over an obstacle...yet prevents excessive movements. I think mine will allow the back of the cutter to raise about two feet....more than enough to clear a rock or big stump. Don't ask me how I know.

 

[greenmule]

Well you must have totally different kind of land than I got,so you must have to do something in alignement with that,so good luck to you.

 

[DK35vince]

Boy,you talk about making something simple,hard,yep ,weld pads or whatever it was on front corners,you did know about the three point lift,right? You lift the front end with it,you don't drag the front!

You make cutter about level,4-5 inches off dirt,you cut,man.!

I use a chain for top link,makes it even more better.

Like foggy1111 I did not want to have to mow leaving my field grass 6" deep or more to keep the front of my cutter from gouging into the dirt.
I wanted to cut 3" deep and not be plowing the field with the front of my cutter.
By simply tapering the front of the cutter my mower works MUCH MUCH better.

 

[Ford850]

Lowering the front by 2" is what the manufacturer recommends. They do say you can level it or even lower the rear, but that it will use much more HP and you'll have to mow at very slow speed.
Even lawn mowers are supposed to be adjusted with the leading edge of the deck slightly lower than the rear so you are not re-mowing every blade of grass as you pass over it.

 

[Lunk]

Lowering the front by 2" is what the manufacturer recommends. They do say you can level it or even lower the rear, but that it will use much more HP and you'll have to mow at very slow speed.
Even lawn mowers are supposed to be adjusted with the leading edge of the deck slightly lower than the rear so you are not re-mowing every blade of grass as you pass over it.

BINGO!

I was reading this thread, wondering if I was going to get to be the one that brought that up! Thanks for stealing my thunder!

I have a 5' KK "Standard Duty" and all I cut is 2-3' marsh grass (and some random 4-6' nettles, etc...). It works the H*** out of the unit, but it does OK, with only a couple shear pins over the past couple years (I've found that cutters make great log finders in the tall grass).

Last year I mowed with a chain for a top-link, but am going to swith back to a solid link, as a couple times I hung the front on a hummock and sent the rear of the cutter skyward. Scary!

I've also removed the tail wheel, because it just gets bound up with the "hay" I'm producing, and is a B**** to clean off. It also improved my maneuverability in tight quarters. The 3 pt is rated for 2140#, and the cutters only about 600-700#, so I don't feel I'm overtaxing it. Besides - I'm just cutting shooting lanes for deer hunting, so quality / uniformity of cut ain't all that important, as long as it don't interfere with a spitzer traveling at around 3,000 fps...

 

[greenmule]

If you do that[lower front end much lower than rear] your back to the original thing here[front running into ground],unless you are on very smooth ground.

 

[Chain Bender]

This is just my opinion and I'm sure others will vary, but.........

I don't think bush hogs are designed to be sleds (drug over the top of the ground). the 2 or 3" wide skegs or slides are there to prevent the bush hog from gounging into the ground when it runs over uneven ground. There's a wheel on the back of a bush hog for a reason. Other wise, why wouldn't the manufacturer just leave off the wheel and make the slides wider?

There are two things you can do to prevent the front of the mower from digging "quite as much" as it is now. Gradually adjust your lift and top link until the mower is almost level and about 2-3" off the ground. You might also need to or want to adjust your rear wheel up or down to help with the leveling. When you get it like you want it, make a note in your mind or on the fender with an endelible marker of your setting on your lift lever. Then when you detatch and re-attach the mower, all you have to do is reset the top link and you're back in business.

HOWEVER, if you intend to continue to run the bush hog on the ground you might want to think about welding on some wider slides/runners than what came on it. I'm betting the ones on it now are 2" wide by 1/4" thick. If I was going to run it flat on the ground I'd weld on a 4" slide. Tack it on and give it a test run accross the back yard. If it slides like you want.....weld her up and go for it.

Chain Bender