Pull, semi, or 3pt 10ft rotary?

Slippy · Feb 16, 2003

I have a tractor with 55hp pto, very heavey, wheel weights. I have 250 acres, open pasture fields. Some of it I mow, other I have hay made. The land is fairly hilly. I have a 6ft cutter to take care of close areas and aroung my ponds. I am looking to buy a 10ft cutter. Advice on what type of unit to buy, name brand, semi mount, pull, or 3pt? I have looked at bush hog and Kodiac. The pull type jumps up in price about 2k, but I have been told it take alot less hp. Name brand? Price? Type? Thank you.

rbargeron · Feb 16, 2003

It seems like cutting 10 feet of grass is going to take about 50hp either way, assuming normal shaft-drive rotary cutters. How they are hooked to the tractor shouldn't make much difference. (maybe I'm not understanding your question?)

Ten feet is a pretty wide cut - if your land is smooth and scalping isn't a big problem, then something like the Rhino 10' fixed platform with 2 rotary cutters under it would be a possibility.

The bat-wing units can follow the contour of the ground a little better. The narrower ones (11 ft) can be pretty fancy ($$). Try a search at AgDealer under batwing mower - to get an idea of what's out there.

If I remember correctly Dave (gatorboy) Hoffman uses a 15' Rhino batwing behind a Kubota M8950 - maybe he could comment on how much power it soaks up.

Take care, Dick B

JohnMiller3 · Feb 16, 2003

I think you’d be hard pressed to transport a 3-pt hitched 10’ rotary cutter that will weigh ~~ about 1600-1800 lbs. dangling off the back… of your 5000 lb tractor… It’s certainly easier and more manageable to tow a 10’ rotary cutter for your size tractor on a flat & level field… not for inclines or lots of ground contours… your aim is to cut grassy/woody products… not dirt mounds… blades dull rather quickly with dirt cutting /forums/images/graemlins/blush.gif

Your Mahindra 50 PTO hp won’t really know the difference between the two cutters… but your tractor mass will…

This may be déjà vu… but I’d stick with a 7’ 3-pt cutter for the majority of the big stuff and hills… and I’d get a “used” 9/10’ pull/tow unit from an auction and take care of the flat area’s/ fields… /forums/images/graemlins/smile.gif

Robert_in_NY · Feb 16, 2003

I second John, you will be hard pressed to keep the nose of the tractor down with a 3pt chopper that size. Get the tow behind as it is better then a 3pt anyway.

Anonymous Poster · Feb 16, 2003

Is this something a flail cutter could do as well or better? Around here they are used for chopping corn stalks.

--->Paul

Robert_in_NY · Feb 16, 2003

Your thinking of a couple different items. One is that the Flail mower is for cutting grasses. What you see in the corn fields is a stalk chopper, while it looks similar it is different. It is built a lot heavier to be able to pulverize the corn stalks left in the field. A flail mower would not hold up in corn.

A Flail mower could cut the fields he is talking if he mowed on a regular basis. However, most people don't mow fields every week or two so the best tool for this job is a rotary cutter.

Slippy · Feb 16, 2003

Thanks for the comments. Some more facts...my tractor weighs about 6500lbs and I have added 230lbs of wheel weights each side. Also, my land is rather hilly. 90% of the part I will mow is hills, but most of that can be mowed on the side and not so steep that I would have to go up & down. Also, the 7ft 3pt only gives me 1 foot more than the 6ft 3pt I have now. I do have front weights I could put back on, but I took them off when the FEL was put on. Does the 3pt type cutter take more hp if you are not using the 3pt to raise and lower? Is one type safer on hills than another? /forums/images/graemlins/confused.gif

HayDR · Feb 16, 2003

A 7' cutter pulls harder than a 8' cutter and most 10' cutters. Two big long blades take too much HP in heavy grass. IMO a 8' or 10' cutter would better match your tractor, not a 7' cutter. This is a 10' Kodiac pull type rotary cutter.

Slippy · Feb 16, 2003

What you say makes sense. Does this unit come with chain guards?

Robert_in_NY · Feb 17, 2003

It is going to be up to you on what you buy but safety and ease on the tractor both lean to the pull type. Even if you mow sideways and for some reason need to raise the mower you just raised your center of gravity a lot with a 3pt mower on a side of a hill. Unless there is some reason you do not like the tow behind model I would not hesitate to get it instead of the 3pt. Personally, I would like all my equipment to be towbehind that is possible. Tow behind equipment works better in most cases then 3pt equipment and hooks lower to the tractor allowing more of the tractors weight to get to the ground if you are using FWA. Hope some of this made sense. Take care.

Slippy · Feb 17, 2003

Robert, I think what you said makes alot of sense. The Kodiac cutter show above seems like it would do the job and hold up well. Thanks for your reply.

Anonymous Poster · Feb 17, 2003

For reference--This picture is showing a picture of a HD "Agri 120" 10 ft pull type with chains--Ken Sweet
Sweet Farm Equipment Co.

em14 · Feb 17, 2003

I have a JD 5220 2 whl dr with liquid filled tires and FEL which I use to cut pastures (I have never had a reason to take it off) etc. The land is fairly flat but does have some small hills. I use a 3ph 10' rotary mower which works just fine. I was concerned about being able to back into some areas with a towed mower. I also was concerned about the weight (light) of my tractor but not it's power. So far, I have not regretted my decision and have been very pleased with the results. I have cut grass and weeds (Some Dog Fennel included) that there so high I could not see well in large sections of the fields with not much problem (just slowed down by dropping a gear or so) . I keep my PTO speed at the rated speed which I consider important with any PTO driven implement. The ground speed for most of the fields when I have missed cutting for a while (most grass about waist high and heavy) was about 4 – 8 Miles per hour. (except where wild hogs have screwed up the area, then you must slowly work your way around … these places can be a great surprise). Because this worked for me does not mean that it will work for you … I think the dealers’ recommendation is, for the most part, based on many factors that may be in your favor rather than his. I have dealt with some good dealers and I may be just lucky in that respect. Any way for what it may be worth ….
Leo

Anonymous Poster · Feb 17, 2003

Guess where I live, a corn stalk chopper can knock down all kinds of pasture brush & grass. They are built very heavy, & 12' (4 row wide) models are out of style, so used go for $400-600, and as heavy as they are built, would last a lifetime. I can pull my 12' with a 40 hp tractor in stalks, altho that is a workout, I should think his tractor would pull it in grass; and should he need any brush trimmed down, no problem. However, if not in an agricultural location, then you wouldn't be able to find such a thing. /forums/images/graemlins/smile.gif

--->Paul

Robert_in_NY · Feb 17, 2003

I guess I don't know. I have never seen one used in anything but cornstalks. I don't think it would work in place of a flail mower since that gives a finished cut job. Might work in weeds but in brush I would wonder. I will talk with my neighbor and see if they ever use thiers in anything other then cornstalks. Have fun.

Anonymous Poster · Feb 18, 2003

Hi Paul--Most of these that I have seen in Ky are belt drive units--are there used gearbox models out there in the price range you mention?--Ken Sweet
Sweet Farm Equipment Co.

dourobob · Feb 18, 2003

I am also interested in knowing if a used corn stalk chopper would do a decent job of pasture trimming - not looking for a finish cut but would like something more than 5' feet wide that could be run from MF 35 tractor - 38 HP.

Bob

Slippy · Feb 18, 2003

Mr. Sweet, could you tell me how your unit is different from the Kodiac, specs, and what is the price.

HayDR · Feb 18, 2003

Kodiak 10' Cutter
-Lamanated tale wheels with bearings not bushings
-3 Gearboxes- 90 HP
-HD CV PTO and clutch
-7 ga. Deck thickness with reinforcements
-8" HD Channell Sidewalls
-5/8" thick stump jumper
-HD skid shoes
-self-leveling deck
-2-12" cutting height
-1850 LBS

Anonymous Poster · Feb 19, 2003

Hi--Hope you got my private email in regard to pricing, features and shipping--Looks like ours has more features and specs out better than the Kodiac--Ken Sweet
Sweet Farm Equipment Co.