Rotary Cutter / Bush Hog Considerations for Compact Tractors

   / Rotary Cutter / Bush Hog Considerations for Compact Tractors #31  
For years I used a 5 foot Howse behind a L210. Achieved results most would call me a liar with.
I bought a 6' Howse rotary cutter it had lifting blades instead of straight blades and would cut like a finishing mower, I also cut heavy thick grass with a 33 HP tractor and never had any trouble, all that bull about needing a 50 HP tractor for a 6' cutter has not been my experience at all.
 
   / Rotary Cutter / Bush Hog Considerations for Compact Tractors #32  
Is there a brush cutter that will do 3" brush with a pto power at 25hp..?
 
   / Rotary Cutter / Bush Hog Considerations for Compact Tractors #33  
Is there a brush cutter that will do 3" brush with a pto power at 25hp..?
Do it for how long and for how fast?

Trust me on this, you don't want to be actively cutting 3" dia stuff. I run up against some big stuff with my NX5510 and a BH 286 (considered "medium duty" - 90hp gear box and extra deck plate welded on it [because the previous owner used it commercially to chew rocks! it's a good 800 lbs.]) and the noise that this combination makes can be horrendous. Further, how are people figuring their sizing, is it like they've got a plantation of saplings or something? My property has tons of different stuff, I cannot gauge what exactly I'm going to hit (esp when lots of stuff is hidden). I know, however, that when the racket becomes too much for my nerves it's time to stop cutting whatever. And note that my NX is a cabbed tractor.

As others have noted, the material in question, be it grass or what have you, makes a big difference. My B7800 with an honest-to-god "light duty" 5' cutter (Rankin) spent years cutting some really tall grass, some over 10' tall (Reed Canary grass) as well as slamming into all sorts of woody debris, all in the quest to displace invasive blackberry with [non Reed Canary] grass. That 10' grass work was SLOW. BUT, 3' grass down at a neighbor's was WAY slower! Not sure what it is, but it's ugly thick stuff (fortunately I've got none of that on my property). But getting back to the '3" diameter" stuff, which grass isn't, but I figure saplings and tree limbs/debris is, well, kind of also depends on what kind of material. Hard stuff, or older decaying/punky stuff? Makes a big difference. Again, I don't think anyone would last too long chewing through 3" dia material. Folks who do roadside maintenance chew through some big stuff, but they're in BIG tractors and they generally are running flails (which are a lot safer when around the public).

I can state factually that my B7800 (PTO maybe 23hp) and the aforementioned 5' cutter cut through stuff much bigger than 3" dia. That combo has sliced through steel wheels and other car parts (favorite was a battle with an old VW transaxle- happened at dusk and it was quite the light show, sparks flying all over the place- no winner and no loser, but I called That bout early!). Now then, if I had to cut stuff like this for money, on a day-in and day-out basis, there is ZERO way I'd expect this to work out. My NX and it's RC is a far better match and I wouldn't think of trying to do that with it either.

RCs are mostly for brush, lighter stuff. They are OK for grass. They're a general purpose mower. Battles against big stuff starts to put the PTO on your tractor at risk: while shear pins and slip clutches are meant to protect your tractor's PTO it's not a guarantee). Rent something more appropriate (industrial) and spare your smaller equipment (which you would rely on to do the majority of your work, an amount that will never, given any machine you get, manage to do 100% of what you need- one can always find something that is too much for what you have!).

If you have a bunch of big stuff to cut then look to get a more suitable machine (perhaps a skid steer with an RC).
 
   / Rotary Cutter / Bush Hog Considerations for Compact Tractors #34  
Our 5' bush hog has a 45hp gear box being run by a tractor with 28hp at the PTO. Not sure what HP it delivers in real life.

We mow a 15 acre meadow. First year, it was loaded with saplings and blackberry brambles - 10ft tall - nasty nasty stuff. I have the scars to remember how nasty. We cleared the 15 acres in about 16 hours.

Ever since, we cut twice a season. Last year, with all the rain, the September cutting was tough. The grass had taken over as we wanted it to do. It was about 3-3-1/2' tall and it was so thick, the tractor was bogging down at the rate I used to run - about 3.5mph. Hilly property - can't go really fast but the thick stuff demanded slower. I dropped down a gear, running at about 3mph. On climbing the hills, had to goose the throttle to keep the blades up at speed. It took 12+hours to mow instead of the normal 10 hours.

Do we need a bigger tractor? No... 2 hours is not gonna kill us.

People talk about what do you need to do - about matching your equipment to your need. I don't think you need big power if you have the time to slow down provided you can actually cut what you need cut.

That said, on the 3" diameter bush hogging - I would never attempt it with our gear. In fact, I don't relish doing 1-1/2" stuff... that's tough going. I do it but it is something I did not trust in the early days. I have gotten more bold... still, most brush cutters on a compact tractor are not designed to handle 3" diameters. i know there are cutters for bigger tractors but not sub 60 or 70 hp.

By the way, the stuff for a compact tractor are also not designed to handle Telco boxes standing in 8' tall stuff (and you have not walked the section to know that the telco box is there!). Hehe... And why would you need a Telco box adjacent to two fields??

That was quite the moment. Telco appreciated the call identifying exactly where the "beat to death" box lie! Mower won that battle! hehe

 
   / Rotary Cutter / Bush Hog Considerations for Compact Tractors #35  
People talk about what do you need to do - about matching your equipment to your need. I don't think you need big power if you have the time to slow down provided you can actually cut what you need cut.

That said, on the 3" diameter bush hogging - I would never attempt it with our gear. In fact, I don't relish doing 1-1/2" stuff... that's tough going. I do it but it is something I did not trust in the early days. I have gotten more bold... still, most brush cutters on a compact tractor are not designed to handle 3" diameters. i know there are cutters for bigger tractors but not sub 60 or 70 hp.
I agree, go with what's needed - though knowing where to start to figure out what's needed can be a challenge given all the variations of terrain and vegetation type, density and growth rates.. along with desired mowing speed (or time available to mow) -- all of which can vary widely by personal situation and local climate.

Personally I would have had a very hard time believing grass could grow as fast and densely as it does here before actually seeing it for myself. So for my own area that general rule of thumb (5hp/ft) can actually be a bit under-powered for keeping a 4-5 mph mowing speed. Even 3mph could be a bit too fast under certain conditions on tall, thick fescue since once it hits a certain point it will pretty much be perpetually moist/wet at the base -- at least in this area.

Now it may just be me, but if things are routinely getting to 3" then it might be time to consider more frequent mowing so as not to let it get to that diameter in the first place. Personally I'd think 2.5 to 3 inch trees/saplings (not sure I know of anything other than trees and old/large grape vines that get that large) might be better removed by forestry mulchers, PTO-driven tree saws, or other machinery designed for tree removal rather than mowing. I'm sure it could be handled with some mowers, but to me that starts to cross more into small "tree removal" (or "land clearing") rather than "mowing" ...though that's just my personal definitions as I'm not aware of there being any standardized differences between those terms.
 
   / Rotary Cutter / Bush Hog Considerations for Compact Tractors #36  
Last two posts pretty much paint reality.

I'd add that if going with used you don't feel quite so attached to a piece of equipment such that you're unwilling to turn around and sell it if it's not really doing what you want it to do, if you find that your needs aren't majorly met by that equipment. I've never had any issues selling any tractor equipment, quickly.

80/20 rule: Buy for 80% of your needs and rent the other 20%. (figure 80% as your operational activities; 20% is special projects- not saying that existing equipment can't engage in that 20%, just that it might not make sense to force things [if in a hurry then rent, if no rush then perhaps just chip away])
 
   / Rotary Cutter / Bush Hog Considerations for Compact Tractors #37  
I've had mine 4 years so far. It's never been back to dealer for anything. It's never broken anything either. I sure as h*ll haven't "spent $600 the first year" on it. It definitely looks well used now, but the gear box, spindle, stump jumper, blades and tail wheel are all fine.

I really wonder how you come up with this stuff.
I'd have to agree. Bought a 5ft Woods BBX in 2006, never changed the oil, 3 sets of blades, 1 new yoke and tail wheel assy and have I run or backed over 2in plus gums/other stuff since then and never had a single issue other than maybe a dozen driveline shear bolts. Its pretty dented but still giving great service. All behind a Kubota L3800.
 
   / Rotary Cutter / Bush Hog Considerations for Compact Tractors
  • Thread Starter
#38  
FARMWITHJUNK is no longer posting here due to ill health. Big loss.

FARMWITHJUNK operated a commercial mowing business. Here is FARMWITHJUNK's take on Flail Mowers

A flail mower is what you use to make your mowing job take longer, use more fuel to get less done, and keep the parts man and mechanics busy, all the while emptying your wallet at an incredible pace.


There are three kinds of men:
1.) The ones that learn by reading
2.) The few who learn by observation
3.) The rest of them have to pee on the electric fence for themselves.

FARMWITHJUNK had OPINIONS!
 
   / Rotary Cutter / Bush Hog Considerations for Compact Tractors #39  
Apparently this picture never happened nor was that overgrown 'lawn' actually mowed... (not a bush hog, but still)

YqB2vdc.jpg
 
   / Rotary Cutter / Bush Hog Considerations for Compact Tractors #40  
FARMWITHJUNK is no longer posting here due to ill health. Big loss.

FARMWITHJUNK operated a commercial mowing business. Here is FARMWITHJUNK's take on Flail Mowers

Jeff, I miss FARMWITHJUNK's opinions/thoughts on all he close to talk about and hope he is doing well enough to still be with us; but... the OP asked about rotary cutters - not Flail Mowers - and nowhere in this thread did I see mention of a flail mower until you mentioned it. Why are you dragging FARMWITHJUNK into this discussion? You lost me there.
 
 
 
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