Rotary Cutter / Bush Hog Considerations for Compact Tractors

[jyoutz]

Is there a brush cutter that will do 3" brush with a pto power at 25hp..?

Heavy duty 48”

 

[ROUSTABOUT]

Main thing with a Bush Hog. Turn the input shaft one time. If the blades turn two times, I'm in. Cheap ones will turn 1.5 times and won't cut good. 2:1 will cut grass good as well. I have done rough cutting clearing land, pipe lines, power lines, and right of ways. Tractors with belly pans. If the front would ride it down, the back would chew it up. Now we use skid steers, but skid steers turn fast with high flow. I still prefer a Bush Hog over a mulcher.

 

[LD1]

Main thing with a Bush Hog. Turn the input shaft one time. If the blades turn two times, I'm in. Cheap ones will turn 1.5 times and won't cut good. 2:1 will cut grass good as well. I have done rough cutting clearing land, pipe lines, power lines, and right of ways. Tractors with belly pans. If the front would ride it down, the back would chew it up. Now we use skid steers, but skid steers turn fast with high flow. I still prefer a Bush Hog over a mulcher.

Depends on the width of the cutter.

If you are looking for a 6' cutter....you will be sadly disappointed if all you are after is a 2:1 box.

 

[RancherGuy]

Is there a brush cutter that will do 3" brush with a pto power at 25hp..?

To be honest, I'd be willing to bet that all can - if you use the right technique. I have done it with a 23hp (engine) tractor and 5 foot shredder. I wouldn't make a practice of it unless you are willing to shorten the life of parts like the blades due to fatigue breakage.

For excessive size like you ask, the following points are necessary. First, the sharper the blade, especially the tip, the less power required. So if you have an old rounded-tip blade, it may be time to replace the blades. The blade tip is going to be what you use to cut the tree like a circular saw would. Second, you need an opening in the side skirt - at the rear gauge wheel. Third, you will likely need 4wd to push backwards as you bend the tree. Fourth, you will VERY slowly back the tractor into the tree so the blade tip starts nicking the edge of the trunk, while the mower deck itself is causing the tree to bend/stress. To make contact with the blade it may be necessary to lift the mower a little - but only what is necessary. Once you hear it cutting, you do not change the deck height. Once the cut is complete, you may have a stump that sticks up. What I do is keep the tractor stationary and position the blade's full cutting edge over the stump then VERY slowly drop the deck so the blade has a chance to shred like a chipper.

 

[ROUSTABOUT]

I did have a Brown tree cutter. Tail wheel hinged up and pinned. Back of Bush Hog was spring loaded so you could back into a good sized tree. Had a push bar to help tree fall away from you.

 

[Smokeydog]

I did have a Brown tree cutter. Tail wheel hinged up and pinned. Back of Bush Hog was spring loaded so you could back into a good sized tree. Had a push bar to help tree fall away from you.

Even brown rotary cutters have good capacity. Been trying to find a good used one. Might have to buy new.

 

[leonz]

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



FARMWITHJUNK had OPINIONS!

He was also misled by the alamo salesman that sold him the flail mower he operated,
He was sold the wrong type of flail mower for the work he was doing.

 

[88bradb]

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.

Where's that leave us ones with a 800-900 pound cutter? My 5 footer is 830 pound. This weight was left out of your chart?

 

[Smokeydog]

Wanting to buy a brown rotary cutter. Read their owners manual online. They use ultra-kor blades on their heavy duty cutters. Can’t be ground to sharpen. Have to rebevel with torch and clean dross with grinder. Not that’s tuff stuff!

 

[LD1]

Wanting to buy a brown rotary cutter. Read their owners manual online. They use ultra-kor blades on their heavy duty cutters. Can’t be ground to sharpen. Have to rebevel with torch and clean dross with grinder. Not that’s tuff stuff!

I call BS.

Their reason is to avoid super-heating the blade.

I found a brown 672 manual that says TO use a grinder just dont let it turn blue

BROWN 672HD Owner's/Operator's Manual (Page 25 of 40) | ManualsLib

www.manualslib.com

I would think that a torch would destroy the temper. But even so....it says to use a torch to restore bevel then finish with a grinder. (in another manual I found)

Owner / Operator Manual S-9604 Model Brush Shredder | Manualzz

manualzz.com