MMM vs Bush Hog

[Tom_H]

...Why do some folks recommend not using a 60" rear bush hog but the tractor will use a 60" MMM all day and night..?

'Cause cutting brush and sapplings takes more energy than cutting grass blades????? Maybe we should try putting a 60" wide bucket on the backhoe and see what happens.

 

[LD1]

LOL, what I'm saying is as far as the factory goes, their rating of the rear PTO hp has to have more than just grass cutting capability factored in...What I originally was talking about is a mid mount 60" compared to a 3ph 60" mower and why one is ok but the one hanging off the back (not talking about weight) is either borderline or too much.

Don

I understand what you're saying now but I was not comparing a 60"mmm to a 60" rfm. I was talking about a 60" finish mower (doesn't mater where its mounted) vs a 60" BushHog. The BH requires a bigger tractor, not always because of weight, but because of HP required to cut thick brush and saplings and keep the heavy blades spinning vs 3 small blades cutting a few inches of grass.

 

[LBrown59]

Maybe we should try putting a 60" wide bucket on the backhoe and see what happens!

This is only 40 inches but it sure comes in handy.

 

[Tom_H]

This is only 40 inches but it sure comes in handy.

Hmmm, interesting, what exactly do you use that thing for?

 

[whistlepig]

Been some good (as always) input as to which size bush hog to hang/use on the back of a BX...I have a BX23 with a 54" MMM...Tractor engines are rated at HP and rear PTO HP...Why do some folks recommend not using a 60" rear bush hog but the tractor will use a 60" MMM all day and night..? I may be opening up a can of worms here, but I gots to know...

Don

You are going to be mowing heavier stuff with a brush hog. Not necessarily trees but tall pasture grass that is rolled over, matted, and tangled up. This is more of a load on the mower and tractor. You can take the same tractor with a 72" finish mower and a 72" brush hog and mow your yard. Doubt that you be able to tell the difference in the tractor load. Take these mowers out in to 2' tall pasture and that's a big difference. I am not going to take my finish mower out and mow 2' tall pasture and burn the belts off of it. I'm going to take the brush hog. I have a 72" RFM that I would destroy mowing pasture. I have a 60" brush hog that is quite happy mowing the same pasture. Finish mowing and brush hogging are not the same animal.

 

[DavidAubke]

I've been reading some of these discussions of large bush hogs on small tractors. I just mowed a handful of acres with a 5' bush hog hanging off the back of my BX2350. The grass was relatively short (12 - 24 inches) but pretty dense and I had the deck dropped for a close shave. Horsepower was not much of an issue but it did bog down in a couple of really heavy spots.

The main concern is with the weight of the attachment. I imagine it exceeded my hitch's rated capacity. My question is, should I be worried about damaging the hitch or hydraulics or is it just an issue of popping wheelies? With the FEL attached, the front end didn't feel light at all.

 

[LD1]

I've been reading some of these discussions of large bush hogs on small tractors. I just mowed a handful of acres with a 5' bush hog hanging off the back of my BX2350. The grass was relatively short (12 - 24 inches) but pretty dense and I had the deck dropped for a close shave. Horsepower was not much of an issue but it did bog down in a couple of really heavy spots.

The main concern is with the weight of the attachment. I imagine it exceeded my hitch's rated capacity. My question is, should I be worried about damaging the hitch or hydraulics or is it just an issue of popping wheelies? With the FEL attached, the front end didn't feel light at all.

Welcome to the site.

Anytime you exceed what something is rated for, you take a chance at damaging something. Everytime you hit a little dip or bump with the bushhog raised, It puts a tremendous amount of stress on the arms, linkage, and the lift cylinder inside the rear.

The real question is how much is it exceeded. You have a 1322lb tractor that can lift 670lbs at 24"back. The bushhog is 5' so your center of weight is 30" back. If the hog only weighs about 500lbs or less i think you'll be ok.

But as with anything mechanical, the harder it works, the sooner it wears out even if the capacity isn't exceeded. What I mean by that is the 3ph will handle the bushhog, but it propabally wont last as long as if you had a 4ft hog. Or another way to phrase it, you have two identical 3/4 ton trucks. One always has a load in it to where the gvw is 8600lbs and the truck is rated at 8600. The other never has a load. Which one will wear out faster??

 

[DavidAubke]

LD1,
Thanks for the reply.

I hope to get my hands on a 4' hog at some point. Trouble is, all of my land is wooded. I'm mowing my neighbor's field using his bush hog. I use the land and enjoy mowing it but have a hard time putting up the cash for an implement I can't even use on my own land.

 

[FN in MT]

I've got a new B2620 on the way with a 5' WOODS bushhog. I'd originally ordered it with suitcase weights for frt end weight, but decided to add the FEL instead.

Did I make an error with the 5' BH? Should I have gone 4'?? My concern isn't cutting ability as I'm not cutting thick stuff, or small trees. Simply some field grass, weeds, and the occasional yucca plant. My concern is over the WEIGHT??

I could probably change my order as he didn't have a 5' mower in stock...that was COLOR MATCHED to the Kubota and had to order it.


Let the COLOR MATCHED comments fly.

FN in MT

 

[ChuckinNH]

I have the 4' cutter on mine, and think it is well matched....... except in color. I wouldn't want a 5' cutter, but that is just me perhaps. Here are a couple of photos to see the combo in action.