NOW I KNOW THE MUSIC

[Bird]

Joyce, first off "Bush Hog" is a brand name; the generic is a brush hog, rotary cutter, or shredder./w3tcompact/icons/wink.gif

And yes, I think most of them have a "stump jumper". It looks like a pan; round on my Howse, oval on the Bush Hog, and I'm not sure of the shape on the others. I don't think I'd want a brush hog without a stump jumper, but don't really know for sure whether one shape is better than the other. I have a tendency to suspect that Bush Hog's oval pan is better but couldn't prove it.

The things to look for are hp rating for the gear box, thickness or weight of the deck, size of the blades (thickness, width, etc.), and blade tip speed. Chain guards are a definite plus; front and rear. Those big blades can knock rocks, chunks of wood, and other debris out from under there with enough force to do a lot of damage to anyone or anything within 100 feet or more.

Bird

 

[kerr]

Good luck with the 2710.Read your manuals,have your dealer run through all emplement removel and installation procedures with ya and your top hand. I hope them K-boter jammies itch! JUST KIDDIN!!!!!

 

[Anonymous Poster]

Bird,

I noticed in your bio that you have a 1999 2710 with the brush hog (thanks for the correction on brush hog v. bush hog. I think this term is one of those 'local' terms...but I'm going with 'brush hog' now.)

A few days ago, I had 'decided' on the 2710, with the 60"MMM so that I could get the grass catcher without an additional motor to power it. Part of this decision was weighing how much I intend to use each implement, then planning accordingly. Focus on the most used first, then get what will work best. For me, in the summer, I will use the mmm the most.

But I still want to use a brush hog, and my husband was suggesting I look into a 6' /w3tcompact/icons/shocked.gif. I guess he thought that because our old 52 Farmall has a 5' bar on it, why not get bigger if we can. From everything that I was reading, it looked like I could easily go with the 5' rotarty cutter. I just needed to break the bad news of that one less foot to my husband.

Then...I talked to the guys at Carver Equipment (just exploring prices), and he (Al Murray) said that I would want to go no bigger than the 5'. In fact, that I should go with the 4'. HEEEELLLLLLLLLPP!!!!! /w3tcompact/icons/crazy.gif

Please tell me what size rotary cutter that you have actually been USING, brand name and such. And please add, if you think it is enough for however you use it.

Anyone else actually own a 2710 and use a brush hog out there???? Please add your thoughts....no: facts!

PS/ I have been talking to the dealer who actually has a 2710 in stock. My first hint at price negotiations was simply noticing that he was quoting list prices on the implements. Before I had a chance to go anywhere with that, he said that he did not include frieght and assembly charges. I was feeling like this was ridiculous, but let it go. It was evidently his first chance to me, to make it sound like he would not move on the quoted prices. This dealer actually has the lowest prices of the three around here (within an hour or two).

The tractor education has been fun...I HATE the prospect of price negotiation. Just not my cup of tea...

Joyce...the damsel feeling distressed again /w3tcompact/icons/crazy.gif

 

[glennmac]

Joyce, I use a 5' Woods medium duty MD160 brush hog, which is heavier and heavier duty than the 5' Woods Brushbull I recommended. My 2910 handles it just fine, even in some very difficult and thick brush. A 2710 could handle it, too, and therefore could easily handle a light duty 5' cutter. I think a 6' cutter would be too big unless all you were ever cutting was short grass. Carver is being very conservative.

 

[Bird]

Joyce, the B2710 "Operator's Manual", in its Implement Limitations section calls for a rotary cutter (the other popular name for a brush hog) of no more than 48" width and 500# in weight. So you can understand a dealer wanting to stay with the manufacturer. However, the fact is that Kubota is very conservative, and I can understand that, too, because if you start trying to mow down 2" to 3" trees or saplings with too big a mower, they have an unhappy customer. So, I'm currently using a Howse 500; it's a 60" wide, 600#, "economy" model (in other words, light duty). It's quite adequate for my use, but definitely not the quality of a Bush Hog, Landpride, Woods, etc. Personally, I would most definitely not want one that was not wider than the outside tread of my rear tires. And in fact, I had a Bush Hog SQ48 (48") before for my B7100 and traded it off for the wider mower when I got the B2710. So, in my opinion, the 5' model is the "right" size for a B2710/2910. There are times when doing light mowing (like my own pasture) that I wish I had a 6' one, but it really would be a little too big if you get into any heavy stuff.

Bird

 

[Timd]

Joyce -

I just took delivery of a 2910 with a 60" MMM. Haven't mowed yet because I wanted to do a good Carnauba wax job on the inside of the mower so the grass won't stick to it as much. The 60" mower is offset slightly to the left, so there's about a foot of mower beyond the tire track and it should be able to mow a decent radius. My first mow is this weekend. If you aren't too far up down east and ever get to seacoast NH you could try a test drive (email in my profile). I got the 60" rather than 72" because of clearances in both my shop (where I'll garage the tractor) and between trees. People sometimes overlook the fact that the width of the mower is bigger than the width of the cut. My 60" MMM is 72" wide, and the 72" is 80-something" wide. Something to think about when evaluating tree and storage clearance. I pulled the MMM this morning before work to wax it and I can tell you it's a piece of work to get off and on.

Another clearance issue you may not have thought about is the height of the ROPS bar. When my tractor was delivered on the ramp truck the driver pruned a half-dozen branches with my tractor's ROPS as he drove in! So I bought a power pole pruner and will have to cut every branch lower than 8' off the ground to mow what I used to just drive right under.

I am also looking at 4 and 5 foot Woods Brushbulls for a fall purchase. Union Farm Equipment has pretty good prices on these http://www.unionfarmequip.com , click Woods, then View Pricelist. Their prices on the BB48 and BB60 are a couple hundred less than my local NH dealer. If you are just doing field mowing you could forego the slip clutch and save a couple hundred there. Does ME have sales tax on agricultural implements?

Woods has a web page at http://www.woodsonline.com but for some reason they have no info about the 2001 line of Brushbull cutters.

Timd

 

[kerr]

J.D. 4300 pulls a 6 footer.

 

[glennmac]

Joyce,

How many acres are you going to finish mow? How many acres are you going to rough cut (brush hog)? Are you going to be rough cutting only grass or woody brush also?

Assembly and delivery charges are BS. Ask him how many unassembled and undelivered tractors he sells. Dont think I like him already.

If you want a no-hassle, fair-deal discounted price on a Kubota and all your implements, with no sales tax, you could buy everything you want in Connecticut, but you would then have to arrange for your own delivery.

 

[Anonymous Poster]

Tim,

I just wrote a lengthy post, and discovered that I could not send it grrr. Earlier today, I tried to register myself, and did not choose a password, thinking it was 'optional'. Now I have to wait to be sent one, and cannot use 'Joyce' as username. so....I'll give Joyce H. a try.

What I TRIED to post: congratulations on your 2910! I keep going back and forth between the 2710 and the 2910, but I am certain about a 60" mmm primarily because the grass catcher is very important to me. You can get grass catchers with the 72", but it requires a separate motor to run it. Too much for me. I also like the idea of being able to move around in slightly smaller spaces with the slightly smaller deck.

I've never heard that the mmm deck could be adjusted on the left side! /w3tcompact/icons/shocked.gif That is really /w3tcompact/icons/cool.gif. Did your dealer suggest this to you, or has your tractor 101 homework taken you further than my own? Please, please pass on some more details!!

The Union dealer is the dealer I have spent the most time with, and they have better prices than the other two dealers in the area. But I am not sold on doing business with them.

Atkinson is very close to the route I take when I visit in Mass., and would seriously consider a tractor visitation if you had the grass catcher too. I have driven the 2910, but I have never seen the grass catcher...though you have my curiosity up about the adjustment on the mmm deck!

You did not mention where you got your tractor, or for that matter, how much you paid. You realize that some of us in the 'buying market' really feel a need to know.../w3tcompact/icons/smile.gif

Joyce H.

 

[Anonymous Poster]

Glennmac,

Joyce H. is still 'Joyce'. See post to Tim, same date as this... And what is a 'cookie' anyway. I kind of like chocolate chip, but I have a feeling that that's not what it is.

I wish I could say how much I finish mow in terms of acres, but because it is 'pieces and parts' in nature, I cannot figure that. Even timing what I do is difficult, considering length of grass, and time out for spreading my mulch. However, I borrowed my mother's JD 18hp lawn tractor for the last mowing, and it has a meter on it. I used it for 1 1/2 hours, keeping in mind that I did not do my whole area, and that it has been drier than ever around here. Little to cut, and I did not do every area that I usually do when it actually rains. Does that help on the finish mow?

As for rough cut, brush hog, rotary mow....you know... this is the 20 to 25 acres that I have referred to that the farmers have been 'robbing' me with. They have done their mowing for the year, and so there is not tall grass/hay anymore. If someone else were to hay this, and I doubt I will let this man anymore unless he cuts a whole new deal..maybe even 'rent'...who knows, then I would just keep up the perimeter areas with it. This includes going along the edges of 2 1/2 swails (or is that swales...).

Knowing myself as I do, if I had the tools to cut myself, I would probably try to cut the whole thing a few times in the summer. And if I had the lovely whole tractor deal, I would likely finish mow more, just for the neat quality mulch. I do that now with my 12hp, in a bit by bit as needed fashion./w3tcompact/icons/smile.gif

As for the quality of cut. The fields are in very good condition with regard to what is growing on them. Golden rod is the toughest stem out there in the course of the summer. Along the edges in some areas, some kind of berry brush (pucker brush as it is called locally), is usually trying to grow into the area. Maybe a few small poplar sprouts, but they don't last long due to regular maintenance, and are therefore never very large.

So...who is the great dealer in Conn.? My sister lives in Douglas (southern MA, and my brother owns equipment large enough to haul his excavator and other such toys...) Maybe I should look into this. By the time I am done 'looking into' all these avenues, the 2710 and 2910 will be antique models /w3tcompact/icons/crazy.gif. How much do they typically sell off of list? You may have mentioned this in another post, but I do not remember.

Joyce H.