Mowing a slope and around creek

LSmith · Jun 13, 2004

Hi All,

Just got back from a weekend of mowing and weedeating on my land. After taking all day to trim along the creek with a string trimmer and cutting grass along a slope beside our road I am looking for a better solution. I was looking at either a sickle bar mower or one of Swisher's Postmaster pull behind trimmers. I need something offset from the tractor so I can keep the wheels away from the drop off. Last thing I want to do is drop a wheel and roll the tractor. What are my options? I have an 18hp Kubota so I don't know if I can run a sicklebar. Suggestions? Opinions?

Thanks,

Lane Smith

OkieG · Jun 13, 2004

LSmith,
Some of my mowing is along a swampy creek and also along a road with pretty deep drainage ditches and no shoulder. I use the brush hog for both jobs, because I don't have anything better.

For the creek, I just back up perpendicular to the edge. Works well enough, but takes forever. Same technique would work OK along the road, but too much fast traffic. So, I drive along the edge of the road with one side of the tractor on the asphalt and the other in the weeds. The cutter takes out a little bit right along the road. I'm not real happy with the way I tackle either of these chores. So, I too, am looking for a better solution. I look forward to responses to your question.

OkieG

Bob_Skurka · Jun 13, 2004

Lane, sorry I don't have an answer, but I do have a question. Do you think the Swisher Postmaster, being a slightly offset mower, could pull your tractor off the edge and into the ditch? I presume the idea you have is to have the Swisher unit on the slope while the tractor is on the top of the ridge?

Taylortractornut · Jun 13, 2004

Lane Your 18 horsepower tractor should pull a sickle bar mower just fine. If you would like to try one out I have one Ill lone you I just bought it the otherday and it wont work on the 4000 Ford at work because of the hitch arms on the 4000 are too big.. This one came off an 8N so the lower hp shouldnt be a concern. I bought it to mow some slopes by a ditch at work but have now started building a side mounted rotary mower to do this. I need to do one little fix to a pick up finger that was bent and loosen part of the break away. All you have to do is just come by and pick it up. Take care Taylor Lambert

cperky · Jun 13, 2004

I don't really have a good suggestion. I just wanted to say hi and welcome to Tennessee!! I live in Lincoln county near the Lincoln/Giles Border so welcome to the neighborhood!! My mower is about a foot wider than my rear wheelbase (two ft total, 1ft each side)which helps me with getting close to things I am mowing around , would this give you enough offset?

SPIKER · Jun 14, 2004

Not sure what the ground looks like along the creek & road but usually the syslebars work well for that type of thing as long as you have some remotes to raise/lower the bar. unless you can find an older mechanical one which has a different type of raise/lower mech.

also have you tried one of the 2 wheeled weed eaters>? we have 2 of them at work and they work pretty well cut swath with NEW string is 22" and can go just about anywhere cutting just about anything non-woody under an 1" just a thought they can be had for a few hundred or less NEW with warrentys ect.

anyhow just my 2 cents worth.

Mark M /forums/images/graemlins/wink.gif

LSmith · Jun 14, 2004

Taylor,

Thanks for the offer, I might take you up on it in a few weeks when I get back up there to the land.
I have never used a sicklebar mower. How do they handle things like small rocks and hitting stumps? I try to be careful when mowing but sometimes I find an occasional obstacle. /forums/images/graemlins/tongue.gif

A boom mower would be great but my little Kubota would have to eat a lot of veggies before it could handle one of those.

Lane Smith

RonR · Jun 14, 2004

The old sickle bar mower I used (in the 60s) had a breakaway feature. If you hooked something immovable, the bar broke loose, swung around behind the mower, and the drive belts, becoming loose, stopped moving the sickle.

On mine (a JD), moving the bar back into normal position allowed it to snap back into a ball detent type thing IIRC.

To fix it, you had to raise the mower up, back up, possibly remove the grass/hay from the bar, swing the bar back into position, and you were ready to go again. It worked slick on the mower I had.

ron

Taylortractornut · Jun 14, 2004

Lane Ive never really used one much just on an old Farmall. I bought this one for work but it didnt work with our catII hitch. We may have to fixe a mount for the break away that goes to the stabilizer on your tractor just a peoce of angle iron and 2 holes. I think mine is a 7 foot bar. I do know this its a bit clumsy to put on and it flat on the ground YOull need a stump or a block to set it on but your more than welcomed to use it.

theboman · Jun 15, 2004

Can you use a rotary cutter and back the cutter over the edge? Now if it's slick you'll need a 4 wd tractor or risk going over.
I back my rotary cutter over ditches, ledges etc when I'm worried about tilt, etc.