Mowing Mahindra 4110 - 5' or 6' Rotary Cutter?

[4570Man]

I have done a lot of bush hogging with 25 PTO hp and a 5" cutter. I never found anything I couldn't cut in 1st gear. 99.9 percent of my work I could run as fast as the ground smoothness allowed. I usually drop the bucket if I'm mowing with a SSQA equipped tractor. There's no need in carrying it around on a tamed field. Increased visibility, decreased turning radius, and decreased front axel wear.

 

[Dougster]

They probably only have 5 footers in stock and don't want you to go elsewhere to get a 6.

Actually, just the opposite at Mahindra dealer #1. He thought a 6-footer made the most sense despite not having one in stock. He only had 5-footers in stock.

The other two Mahindra dealers had both. At the Kubota dealership, we never actually got around to talking about what was in-stock but with three locations, I'm pretty sure they had at least one of each in stock somewhere or could put their hands on one fast.

 

[Turbys_1700]

Get the 6' cutter. You will be OK. I have a Brown 472 that I use with a Workmaster 50 and Ford 4610 SU. It is heavy at 1100#. No trouble at all running it. Your 4110 is lighter and smaller but your cutter is probably gonna be in the 600# range. If you run it with a FEL you should have enough weight on the front end. I would not recommend a heavy 6' cutter.

 

[Dougster]

I have done a lot of bush hogging with 25 PTO hp and a 5" cutter. I never found anything I couldn't cut in 1st gear. 99.9 percent of my work I could run as fast as the ground smoothness allowed. I usually drop the bucket if I'm mowing with a SSQA equipped tractor. There's no need in carrying it around on a tamed field. Increased visibility, decreased turning radius, and decreased front axle wear.

Get the 6' cutter. You will be OK. I have a Brown 472 that I use with a Workmaster 50 and Ford 4610 SU. It is heavy at 1100#. No trouble at all running it. Your 4110 is lighter and smaller but your cutter is probably gonna be in the 600# range. If you run it with a FEL you should have enough weight on the front end. I would not recommend a heavy 6' cutter.

Thanks very much guys. Information and advice like that is going to help me make a more informed, intelligent decision. As soon as I can find the time, I'm going to head back to my local Kubota dealership to talk about this question a little more armed with these sorts of testimonies. I want to hear more from the folks who feel that the 5-footer would be better (or the only one my machine could handle) and why they feel that way given the videos and testimony that says a light or standard duty 6-footer should work fine.

Another interesting option to consider: Buy a 5-foot "cheapie" right now and beat the heck out of it on that initial clearing of the land (after years of neglect)... then buy a decent quality 6-footer sometime next year that I would hope will last and serve me well for the long term. At a minimum, that would also solve some of the logistical and other (non-technical) issues I'm facing.

 

[darmstrong2319]

Or buy a good medium duty cutter and forget about it. I use a 6 ft med duty on a 4035 and have no problems at all with 33 pto hp.

 

[Dougster]

Or buy a good medium duty cutter and forget about it. I use a 6 ft med duty on a 4035 and have no problems at all with 33 pto hp.

Nice machine! If the data are right, your machine is about 10% heavier than mine and has a bit more rear lift capacity... but the published PTO HP ratings are essentially the same.

I've mentioned it before but my old mentor has questioned the veracity of some of the published numbers on the 4110 (he owned one), in part because there were some unfortunate published data mix-ups early on. I'm at a loss to say anything one way or the other on that subject as my 4110 has done everything I've ever asked of it to date.

That said, a true medium duty 6-footer is probably out of the question for now anyway unless/until we do something with that cab tractor I mentioned earlier. Being realistic, I think my choices are a light or "standard" duty 5-footer or 6-footer... or possibly a "medium" duty 5-footer. I know these terms mean different things for different brands and carry different minimum HP recommendations that sometimes conflict with one brand vs. another. As an example, Woods says that my 33.6 PTO HP could easily handle one of their medium duty 6-footers while Mahindra says that I must have at least 35 PTO HP to run a medium duty 5-footer and DON'T EVEN THINK about running a Mahindra medium-duty 6-footer. So I guess I shouldn't be too surprised at some of the conflicting dealer opinions I'm getting.

Land Pride has so many different series and jumps around so much that I don't know what to say about them... but that's what the local Kubota dealership sells and they were the ones who first told me that a 6-footer was out of the question for my machine. Mahindra discrimination? Possibly! :laughing:

 

[darmstrong2319]

One thing for sure you can always take a smaller cut but you can't take a bigger cut. My cutter has a 90 hp gear box and chains front and back but the metal is thin, my next one will be a lot heavier. Good luck with your decision and maybe you will here from more owners of a 4110.

 

[Dougster]

One thing for sure you can always take a smaller cut but you can't take a bigger cut. My cutter has a 90 hp gear box and chains front and back but the metal is thin, my next one will be a lot heavier. Good luck with your decision and maybe you will hear from more owners of a 4110.

I think the evidence is getting pretty convincing that a light or standard-duty 6-footer of at least some brands (if not all) can be made to work. I'm less sure about the medium-duty cutters (some with min PTO HP requirements above my 33.6 HP) and certainly the heavy-duty cutters are ruled out just on excessive weight and high cost alone.

I want to talk with those Kubota folks again and understand better why they were so convinced that a 6-footer would be such a big mistake. Sure wish I could rent one and test it out against my previous experience with the rental 5-footer. That would give me my answer in very short order.

 

[Btown]

I think the evidence is getting pretty convincing that a light or standard-duty 6-footer of at least some brands (if not all) can be made to work. I'm less sure about the medium-duty cutters (some with min PTO HP requirements above my 33.6 HP) and certainly the heavy-duty cutters are ruled out just on excessive weight and high cost alone. I want to talk with those Kubota folks again and understand better why they were so convinced that a 6-footer would be such a big mistake. Sure wish I could rent one and test it out against my previous experience with the rental 5-footer. That would give me my answer in very short order.

I run a 5 footer with no problems with my 32 hp Ford 1920. I also used it on my 25 hp Ford 1700. Never had a problem. I also never even had to mow with the 1700 at full PTO speed. I am sure my 1920 could handle a 6 foot with no problem. If the machine has any problems all you have to do is either slow down or lift the cutter up a little. I have mowed some fields that were 4 feet tall. When I mow down a group of saplings is the only time it will big down a little. I only have a light duty one from tractor supply. Bought it 10 years ago, broken my first sheer pin this year. I would go 6 feet. Good luck

 

[Dougster]

I run a 5 footer with no problems with my 32 hp Ford 1920. I also used it on my 25 hp Ford 1700. Never had a problem. I also never even had to mow with the 1700 at full PTO speed. I am sure my 1920 could handle a 6 foot with no problem. If the machine has any problems all you have to do is either slow down or lift the cutter up a little. I have mowed some fields that were 4 feet tall. When I mow down a group of saplings is the only time it will big down a little. I only have a light duty one from tractor supply. Bought it 10 years ago, broken my first sheer pin this year. I would go 6 feet. Good luck

Thank you for the report. This week is decision week. Much to do tomorrow (it's going to be a very long day). The good wife is still encouraging me to find a pro to do the first cut and wait until spring to buy my own rotary cutter. There are a whole lot of reasons, logistical and otherwise, why that makes good sense but I can't find anyone to do the work. :confused3:

I am tempted to "punt" and just buy one from Tractor Supply, my sole inexpensive option here in Massachusetts, fully recognizing the risk that I might want (or need) to upgrade sooner rather than later. There are some difficult transport, unloading and property entrance issues I'm facing that would be helped if not solved with a lighter weight cutter. And, let me be honest here: There are legal/liability and security concerns as well. A brand new woods cutter would make a pretty fine theft target... a TSC cutter not so much.

It will be a whole new ballgame once we have established ourselves on the property, including cutting a proper, legal entrance into the property and being able to secure my equipment from theft. However, this first cut is critical to our schedule. It would be great if I could delay it a month or two, but we don't have that luxury.