Rethinking rotary cutter sizing

[bdog]

Dang

I bought both used. I am not too far from you and if you have been looking around the dealer lots are bare. The 12’ landoride I lucked onto locally but the HX15 is coming from Kansas and is getting a free ride on a truck headed down here to pick something up. We are just now heading into mowing season. I am pretty sure I can sell whichever one I don’t want for the same or more than I paid for it.

I had a 10’ 3PT bush hog that I have had for years and when I bought my Kioti it came with a 8’ 3PT landpride. I sold the bush hog yesterday and likely may sell the 8’ land pride too.

 

[Hay Dude]

You can cut a light paddock grass with a 50hp tractor and a 15’ bush hog. You could also stall a 80hp tractor and a 15’ bush hog in heavy grass.
It will all depend on crop thickness, density and speed you are satisfied to travel while cutting.

 

[LD1]

Bigger and slower is better than smaller and faster. The HP per foot rule was more of a thing back in the day when Tractors didnt have as many gears to choose from....especially at the slower speeds. There was a limit to just how slow you could go....so it was easier to get something too big and not have enough power to keep it running even in its slowest gear.

Things have changed. Power isnt as much of a limiting factor anymore. It always boggles my mind when I hear people say an implement is too big or they dont have enough power when in reality they are just trying to go too fast and are in like 3rd or 4th gear.

Often the answer is .....2nd gear is just too slow or something to that effect. A 12' cutter at 3mph will cut the same acres/hr as a 6' cutter at 6 MPH. But a 6' cutter at 6mph may be bouncing you off the seat and not leave as clean of a cut.

IF you have gearing to find optimum efficiency......and most modern tractors do.....a bigger cutter will never be slower overall.....but has the potential to be faster if field conditions permit.

 

[bdog]

I mowed some today with the 12’ cutter. The 15’ won’t be here until next week. The 12’ is no sweat. I ran it in the 540E with the lower RPM and it handled everything fine. The only time it slowed at all was when I ran over some uneven areas and was mowing dirt. I think I will be able to handle the 15’ no problem.

 

[bdog]

I finally picked up the Deere HX15 and tried it out today. I mowed about twenty acres with it. Part of my property is on the edge of a lake bottom and grows thick and there I had to slow down some but I never stalled the tractor. On the higher ground it handled it fine as fast as I wanted to go. I really like it and it sure gets the job done faster. I made a call and have a buyer for my 12’ landpride at the same price I paid for it.

 

[K5lwq]

Thanks for following up with us. I am glad it is working out for you.

 

[Richard]

Nice ending to your story!

Years ago, I used to cut this land with a 5' mower. Tractor/mower belonged to my father in law and his brother in law. (why they used a 5' is WAY beyond me.... on over 100 acres of fields....but hey, they were retired and had a lot of time I suppose)

They're gone now and I refuse to cut the place with that so I bought a bigger tractor and a 15' mower.

Now, if I bust my hiney, I can cut the entire place in a single day (long day) verses literally taking all summer cutting on the weekends.

What I always got a kick from is, with the old tractor and 5' mower, I'd have to cut in low range, 1st gear and still in some areas, the tractor would bog down.

Now, with a 15' cutter and bigger tractor, I can cut in low range 4th gear even while going UP the hills (we have the highest hill in the county here)

It's simply nice being able to cut things at a good, normal speed rather than the old equipment where you could literally walk faster than you could cut.