Rotary Cutter / Bush Hog Considerations for Compact Tractors

[workinonit]

Yea but you're talking about needing a finish mower vs a bush hog. My cousin cuts highway grass for the counties here in SC. He uses batwing bush hog style mowers. Actually Bush Hogs are what he uses. They are all gearbox and PTO shafts. Difference is I'm looking for cut quality. I just bought a 10' Maschio flail mulcher that has a great cut quality and is a beast of a mower. Just depends on needs I suppose.

 

[Hay Dude]

Yea but you're talking about needing a finish mower vs a bush hog. My cousin cuts highway grass for the counties here in SC. He uses batwing bush hog style mowers. Actually Bush Hogs are what he uses. They are all gearbox and PTO shafts. Difference is I'm looking for cut quality. I just bought a 10' Maschio flail mulcher that has a great cut quality and is a beast of a mower. Just depends on needs I suppose.

No, I just said the big multi deck finish mowers don’t hold up or hold value, unless they get minimal use, like your application, and even then the little tires rot out.

 

[cathy liebchen]

Get a Brown cutter. Best you can buy. Made in Alabama. Indestructible

 

[DieselBound]

If you buy a Rotary Cutter too light it will visit the dealer yearly for $600 repair.
NEW Rotary Cutters cut everything at first. As the light blades dull a light cutter undergoes increasing stress.

60" - 72" Rotary Cutters:​

400/500 pounds = light duty = grass only.

600/700 pounds = medium duty = grass and ocasional light brush, perhaps to 1"

1,000 pounds = heavy duty = mostly brush, even dense brush and saplings to 2".

Heavy brush inevitably dulls the heavy blades so does not cut grass as nice as a Rotary Cutter used only for grass but will continue to chop brush. Splayed brush cut by rounded blades dies more surely than evenly cut brush cut by sharp blades. Most who cut considerable brush sharpen heavy blades at two to three year intervals.



I cut 3" hardwood saplings like Hickory with a chain saw. I knock down softwood 3" saplings with a Ratchet Rake on the bucket, before mulching them on the ground with a 1,000 pound Land Pride RCR2660 Rotary Cutter.

I'm going to correct Jeff here.

Light Duty is 1" material
Medium Duty is 2" material
Heavy Duty is 3" material
Severe Duty is 4" material (perhaps even 5"): bless the operator who could withstand sustained operating with one of these things!

Factory spec on my Bush Hog BH286 (someone welded 1/4" steel plate on top of the deck, and while the original deck top was significantly hammered, I figure that its weight is now actually more than factory) has the weight at 962 lbs, which according to Jeff's posting would say that it's a Heavy Duty class. Bush Hog rated it "Medium Duty." When I was doing research on NEW RCs I found that the classifications were still using the same basic metrics.

All said, however, thinking that your RC can do LESS than its rated for is probably a wise stance as that would be a bit of a safety buffer.

 

[Like Tractors]

I kinda I like my little cutter/tractor combination. Works great!

 

[LD1]

I'm going to correct Jeff here.

Light Duty is 1" material
Medium Duty is 2" material
Heavy Duty is 3" material
Severe Duty is 4" material (perhaps even 5"): bless the operator who could withstand sustained operating with one of these things!

Factory spec on my Bush Hog BH286 (someone welded 1/4" steel plate on top of the deck, and while the original deck top was significantly hammered, I figure that its weight is now actually more than factory) has the weight at 962 lbs, which according to Jeff's posting would say that it's a Heavy Duty class. Bush Hog rated it "Medium Duty." When I was doing research on NEW RCs I found that the classifications were still using the same basic metrics.

All said, however, thinking that your RC can do LESS than its rated for is probably a wise stance as that would be a bit of a safety buffer.

Light, med, and heavy duty have alot to do with gearbox ratings also.

But I have found alot of people seem to get "offended" when their seemingly good cutter is called "light duty"

My mower that I mow 300-400 acres of grass, brush, weeds, and saplings up to 1-1.5" is technically light duty based on it's 1" capacity rating. Even though I would NOT consider it a light duty (homeowner) piece of equipment. I've hit rocks, tires, cinder blocks, grounded on dirt piles/humps, etc

Even though some would call it "light duty"....I have yet to have to visit the dealer for repairs in 4 years and over 1000 acres of commercial use. So so much for $600/year in repairs

 

[Beeenvenue]

I have a 5’, 550 lb cutter rated for 1-1/2” material. What is that - sounds “light” according to Jeff

I now my 14 acres 3-4x/year. Heavy thick grass/weeds up to 3’ within 60 days during spring and summer. I have a 35hp/29 pto and pull at medium/fastest hst speed without issues. On occasion I’ll find old branches up to 4” diameter and a couple of feet long. Makes a bunch of noise and throws out partially shredded branch. Never been to the shop. Haven’t sharpened the blades despite all the branches (and roadside debris, cans, part of a toilet, etc buried in the ROW overgrowth along the front of my property)

I’m new to tractors but if I followed Jeff’s advice I’d need a much larger mower and tractor. I’m on a budget; 35hp was all I was going to be able to afford, and my cutter brand new was only $1600. Oh and mine came with some extra thick rubber front and back. Can’t imagine chains being better, in fact I think they wouldn’t be as good.

also one more thing on mower speed vs hp vs width…. You can always take 1/2 or 3/4 of a bite and cut tall/thick/wet stuff almost regardless of hp.

I guess Jeff’s notes can be used to accommodate ALL/ANY situation but overall they seem to be far more conservative than reality requires. You also have to consider the time value of money - I can replace my entire cutter twice for the cost of one “heavy duty brand name” machines. With no issues in 3 years I made the right decision for me.

 

[bsekf]

Been clearing property lines and they are overgrown with multiflower rose and common buckthorn. I find on the big stuff, over 1.5 inch, it cuts easier if I raise the mower and back onto it and lower the mower.

 

[hornett22]

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 gave up trying to figure out where he comes up with this stuff.

It's pretty entertaining though.

 

[jeff9366]

Single Tail Wheel or Twin Tail Wheels?

Dual tail wheels follow the terrain better and reduce the frequency blades bottom ...

ARCHIVE LINK: Advantage of two tail wheel Bush Hog?