Minimum HP question

[3_lb_trigger]

2.5 is light, but 3 - 3.5 is perfect! .......... in my opinion. /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif

 

[RoyJackson]

</font><font color="blue" class="small">( 2.5 is light, but 3 - 3.5 is perfect! .......... in my opinion. /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif )</font>


I've a Glock 17L with a 3.5 lb trigger...it's cool, but if I shoot any other gun first (especially my carry gun, a Glock 19), I tend to let the 17L's round go before I'm ready

 

[oldgoat2]

A rule of thumb for mowing time is the mowers width, in inches, times the speed of the tractor, in MPH, divided by 100. This gives you a rough acres per hour rate. A 6ft (72") mower at 4MPH will cover about 2.9 acres per hour. This easy estimate allows a little time to allow for fuel fills, short breaks and overlap. With this mower and speed configuration, it will take about 35 hours of seat time to mow your 100 acres. A 15ft batwing @ 5.5 MPH will cover 9.9 acres per hour and take a little over 10 hours to cover 100 acres. I think these rates are very realistic as the bigger the tractor, the faster you can drive comfortably. You may want to figure the time you want to spend mowing and work backwards to the size of tractor and mower needed to accomplish the task in your time frame. /forums/images/graemlins/smile.gif

 

[3_lb_trigger]

Thanks old goat 2! That's a really cool formula! It also confirms that I did in fact underestimate the task at hand.......severely! I figured that I would just mow a couple hours a day after work until I covered it all, but at 35 hours, that puts me 2 hours a day for over 2 weeks straight! No Thanks! Now I know why my neighbor has two tractors. The big one for brush hoggin' his own 120 acres along w/ my 210, and a smaller one for everything else. It looks like money wise, and time wise, my new property may wind up being my only hobby! Roy Jackson, I have the same problem in reverse. I get so used to such a light pull, that when I go to shoot some of my other guns, I think the safety must be on. But then I remember I have to actually pull the trigger rather than just lean on it.

 

[Bird]

That's an interesting formula, and may be a good one, but using that formula would indicate mowing jobs should take a lot less time than the best I ever did. In other words, that formula would indicate 2.4 acres per hour with a 60" mower at 4 mph. I frequently ran 5 mph and about 1.5 acres per hour was the best I ever did. I did overlap my passes a bit to avoid any missed strips, but I really have some doubts about that formula working unless you're mowing extremely smooth, wide open areas with few turns.

 

[Farmwithjunk]

</font><font color="blue" class="small">( A rule of thumb for mowing time is the mowers width, in inches, times the speed of the tractor, in MPH, divided by 100. This gives you a rough acres per hour rate. A 6ft (72") mower at 4MPH will cover about 2.9 acres per hour. This easy estimate allows a little time to allow for fuel fills, short breaks and overlap. With this mower and speed configuration, it will take about 35 hours of seat time to mow your 100 acres. A 15ft batwing @ 5.5 MPH will cover 9.9 acres per hour and take a little over 10 hours to cover 100 acres. I think these rates are very realistic as the bigger the tractor, the faster you can drive comfortably. You may want to figure the time you want to spend mowing and work backwards to the size of tractor and mower needed to accomplish the task in your time frame. /forums/images/graemlins/smile.gif
)</font>

I read a simular "formula" on a Purdue University website several years back. The only difference was they had an "efficiency factor" included. That was/is an arbitrary number that was used to multiply your final number to get a true indication of acres per hour.

It included time spent turning, over-lap, fueling time, breaks, and any other loss of productivity.

I've found over the years that it usually equates to as much as 20% INefficiency (Inches width X MPH divide by 100 X .80)

I usually mow with a 7' cutter at 5 MPH. That would equate to 4.2 acres "in a perfect world". I've found "in reality", I can depend on mowing something like 3 to 3-1/4 acres per hour.

 

[Soundguy]

Good advice so far.

Yep.. 30ish hp on a 6' cutter is about 'average' More for heavier stuff.. slightly less for lighter stuff.

Now.. when i hit the last line of your message.. 100ac.. wow.. I sure wouldn't be cutting that with a 6' mower!!! 10ac used to take me about 5hrs on a 5' cutter... with a 6' cutter.. that still sounds like a 4 hour job, easy... now multiply that by 10!!!

That's a standard work week 's worth of '9-5' cutting.. or 3 'long' days worth.. using headlamps.. etc.

If it were me.. I'd at least get a 10' mower.. but a 12/15' would not be out of the question either. If I was absolutely strapped.. I'd look at a 7' or 8' mower... Otherwise.. mowing that 100ac will be a job..

Soundguy

 

[have_blue]

</font><font color="blue" class="small">( The vision of brush hogging 100 acres sends chills down my spine. If I were stuck with doing 100 acres I would look for a 185 HP tractor with the largest cutter that I could find. I do not envy you. Farwell )</font>

Well said. Even mowing it 3-4 times a year would be very costly in time, fuel, and maintenance. That kind of hours will wear down men and equipment really fast.

If it were me, I would be looking for a way to trick someone else into doing it.

Maybe build a dam and make a nice 80 acre lake out of it. The remaining 20 acres wouldn't be too bad with a great big tractor and cutter.

 

[3_lb_trigger]

Thanks for all your input guys! I decided to let my neighbor keep his cows on my property so that I can leave the mowing to him. /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif I made a deal on a MF231 today for all my other chores.

 

[Varmintmist]

Normally the deal includes the cow owner to maintain all the fence and pay you some. Around here it normaly is the price of the taxes for the land used not including the house and such.

You might want to work something out like 1/2 a beef or so.


Btw, if you consider 3lbs heavy, you dont want to borrow my 06 with dual set triggers. he first one is almost 4lb, the set, well, dont breath real hard /forums/images/graemlins/shocked.gif