Mowing decision

[nkr]

While this is my first post, I have been hanging around awhile, getting lots of good advice from all of you, both on deciding what tractor and implements to buy and techniques for tractor use. Thanks to all of you for this!

Now I need to purchase a mower to hang off the back of my JD990. I will have to rough cut about 15 acres, which used to be a corn/soybeans field, so no real issues with rocks, stumps, etc.

It is now a newly rototilled, newly planted rye/clover field with an oats nurse crop. I will need to clip the oats tall, but once it is established, I want to maintain it as a nice looking area, but not "front-lawn" quality. Eventually much of this will be growing plots for a small perennial plant nursery, separated by 20 foot wide paths of the grass.

I have another 10 acres I will plant hardwood seedlings into, and will need to mow until the trees are established.

I am considering 3 options:

1. rotary cutter (keep the blades sharp, PTO speed up and tractor speed down to get a good cut)

2. finish mower (same as above, plus lift as high as possible to get through tall, thick stuff when needed)

I suppose buying both 1 & 2 is the ideal, but cost, maintenance, storage space, etc. are a consideration. So I am also considering #3, but don't know much about that option:

3. flail mower

Any suggestions or opinions?

 

[Gatorboy]

Welcome to the TBN world of posting!

I think if I were making the decision, I would go with the rotary cutter. I think you will be surprised at how well it cuts. If you cut regularly with a rotary cutter, it won't look "front-lawn" quality, but it will look very nice.

Maybe a few years down the road, you may want to get that lawn look, and I would then consider getting a finish mower.

 

[zuiko]

I have a MX6 rotary cutter that I use with my 990 and I'm pretty pleased with it. Sometimes I even do the lawn with it. The cut is perfectly adequate for my needs.

The only potential issue is it leaves pretty good tracks from the tail wheel. There is a lot of weight on it and it's not that big of a wheel so the pressure is fairly high. No big deal though, stay off when it is wet and they will go away fast enough.

Having both would be ideal of course, and if I saw a cheap used 84" or 96" 3pt finish mower I would probably get it. If I was in your situation I would just get a rotary cutter for now. The flail might be a viable option too but I've never used one of those so I can't say.

 

[Glenn9643]

I'm not sure of the prices, but I believe a flail mower is more expensive than a rotary cutter (bush-hog).
We have about 15 acres that are planted in various trees on 50' centers. Shurmardi Oak, pines, cedar, cypress, mulberry, sawtooth oak, etc. and use a 6' bush-hog to keep it cut. With decent blades it produces a suprisingly good appearance and after keeping it cut a few years the grass is gradually taking over the taller weeds. The advantage for me with the bush-hog is being able to use it for rough cutting occasionally. Disadvantage is swinging it around the small trees when cutting. I've cut several trying to get too close... The flail mower might be easier to maneuver there since it's not hanging so far off the back. We have a JD 455 mower with a 60" deck that is used in the more civilized areas. The pasture is pretty rough for a finish mower.

 

[jrdellaratta]

I'd vote for the MX6 with slip-clutch.

 

[BB_TX]

I would go with the rotary cutter. I use a Howse 6' light duty to mow my pasture and ditches. But I sometimes also use it to do brush clearing as I reclaim my overgrown creek areas. The pasture cut looks pretty good as you can see from the picture. I did let it go a little long and got some "windrowing" on this mow.

 

[Gary_in_Indiana]

I think Dave hit the nail squarely. I had a similar situation and went with a King Kutter 60" rotary cutter and it's been good for what I paid for it. If I were doing it again, I'd probably go with a Midwest (they weren't in production when I bought). The price is roughly the same and their fit, finish, assembly and weld quality is superior.

Good luck with whatever you decide. I hope this helps. /forums/images/graemlins/smile.gif

 

[tough451]

Go with rotart cutter it will be more versetile. /forums/images/graemlins/ooo.gif

 

[nkr]

Thank you all for your suggestions. The deciding factor was the photo BB_TX attached. The quality of cut from a rotary cutter seems good enough for what I have in mind right now. My wife agreed that a finish mower may still be in our future, once our nursery business gets going.

Yesterday I picked up a 6' KingKutter at TSC. They have back-ordered the front and rear chain guards, which should arrive later this week. I hauled it home, but ran out of daylight to assemble it and hook it up.

It looks solid enough, and is certainly heavy (780 pounds). As others have mentioned, the paint job on KK products is a bit sloppy (both on this and the tiller I bought several months earlier), but that should not be a problem. The instruction manual comes in a ziploc bag taped above the stump-jumper. Somebody forgot to zip it shut, so the manual was soaked, but KK posts manuals on their website, so I downloaded a new copy.

I will post pictures once I set it up and try mowing my oat/rye field.

 

[KubotaBling]

a flail mower does run about same as a medium to heavy duty bush hog when i priced one and right in there with the finishing mowers. ~1500 for 60" i think

If u aren't concerned with a golf course like cut i'd go with a flail or a md/hd rotary cutter my vote. less to worry bout if u hit a rock root who knows what..