Rotary Cutter nicest finish from a non-grooming rotary cutter?

[Buxus]

What gets your vote for nicest cut on a non-finish rotary mower in the 12 foot range? I usually keep my grass at 4 inches, but occasionally miss a week or two. Looking for something in the sweet spot that gives an almost finish cut, but also allows me to cut grass (no saplings) up to 12 inches tall. Is there a brand, or a specific mower, or a certain feature I should look for?

I would like to avoid buying a rotary cutter and a finish rotary cutter.

 

[Poopdeck Pappy]

I don't have any specific brand recommendations, but I would recommend two things. First, look for the highest blade tip speed. That usually gives a better cut. Secondly, keep the blades sharpened. Not a knife edge, but not a rounded off edge that's just beating the grass into submission instead of cutting it.

 

[leonz]

What gets your vote for nicest cut on a non-finish rotary mower in the 12 foot range? I usually keep my grass at 4 inches, but occasionally miss a week or two. Looking for something in the sweet spot that gives an almost finish cut, but also allows me to cut grass (no saplings) up to 12 inches tall. Is there a brand, or a specific mower, or a certain feature I should look for?

I would like to avoid buying a rotary cutter and a finish rotary cutter.

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I would rather you invested in a new or used 12 foot flail crop shredder
as you can bring it down to 2 inches in the first pass if you have that
much power in your mule.

 

[jd870]

I dont know about a 12ft.cutter,but my landpride 1860 5ft.rotary cutter does a very good cut on large areas.

 

[jeff9366]

The key, as you already realize, is to use your rotary cutter ONLY for turf and to keep the blades sharp.

(You do not keep blades sharp when cutting wood, you just make them less blunt from time to time. Splayed/flayed brush dies consistently, neatly sheared brush/saplings usually grow back.)

There really is not much difference between brands. You only need a Light to Standard Duty rotary cutter if you can discipline yourself not to cut saplings.

Do you have enough tractor PTO horsepower to spin a two-shaft rotary cutter which will cut a 12' swath?

 

[Buxus]

Thanks for the responses.

It makes sense to me that keeping the blades sharp and cutting only grass will be helpful. This seems doable. I was thinking higher blade speed would be helpful also.

In looking at light vs medium vs heavy duty cutters, I wonder if, all other things being equal, there is any difference in ability to cut grass well.

I am looking at getting a tractor with about 60PTO (probably a Kubota M7060), so I think I should be ok with a 12 foot cutter (based on comments from this board, sales people, and friends). Does this sound accurate?

I definitely would consider the flail idea, but wonder how well a flail would cut in the 12 foot model. I wonder if the quality of the cut would suffer with a single cutter of this size on uneven ground. I liked the idea of an orchard flail and have priced them. The short tail also seems like a plus.

I have only used up to an 8 foot rotary, never a batwing. Do the three decks of a clevis attached batwing independently float over the ground, or is it the same concept as a flail in that there is fixed level of cut across the whole batwing/3 decks?

 

[LD1]

I will also add that in addition to high blade speed and keeping them sharp.......high lift blades.

 

[DT86]

Woods, Rhino and Landpride are the only brands I know of that make a 12' rotary mower, aka bush hog. You could easily get by with a 15' with 60 pto hp as you are just clipping grass frequently and not mowing thick overgrown grass, weeds, and brush.

 

[jeff9366]

In looking at light vs medium vs heavy duty cutters, I wonder if, all other things being equal, there is any difference in ability to cut grass well.

Very little difference with grass. Big difference with woods, especially when backing into woods, leading with the rotary cutter.

 

[ovrszd]

I have a grassy area that I keep cut with a JD 10ft 3pt mounted HD cutter. I don't sharpen the blades. I just go slower if I want a better cut. It won't cut as closely as a Flail. But it does a decent job. Then I can still beat it into the brush with no worries. I think it depends on how much area you are cutting and how much patience you have.

As for blade sharpening. A fine, sharp edge will improve your cut. But it will require maintenance to stay that way. And as others mentioned, avoid brush, rocks, gouging into the ground etc. That's why very few operators bother to sharpen a Brush Cutter blade. It's designed to "club" growth, not "clip" it.