Rotary Cutter Rotary cutter: pull type vs hitch

caddison · Aug 7, 2005

One thing to consider is the weight factor. Do you have a loader on your tractor? With the pull type the weight factor is a moot point where the mounted unit will come into play in regards to weight and the terrain. We just had this very discussion on our fair board....pull type vs. mounted. We went mounted but on a two point basis as the old tractor we use is an old 656. Works fine and if we need to lift the unit off the ground we have the three point adapter. I have used both and get along fine either way and can back a pull type into pretty much any spot I can the mounted one given a few exceptions. Go with what works best for you! /forums/images/graemlins/smirk.gif

EastTexFrank · Aug 7, 2005

Am I missing something here???? Using hydraulics adjustment on a drag mower will raise the back end of the deck, so in effect you are tilting the mower because the front end is still attached to the fixed drawbar unless it's a semi-mount. Wouldn't that raise the blade tip at the back end of the mower and lower it at the front? So, how is hydraulic adjustment going to help a drag mower on uneven terrain unless you are continually making adjustments?? I can see where that would get to be a real pain in a hurry if you have more than a few acres to mow. I guess my question is not on whether 3-pt or drag mowers are better but more on the usefulness of hydraulic adjustment. It seems that once you have your drag mower set up properly, there would be little advantage to moving it up and down all the time.

Someone help me see the error of my ways.

Keith_B · Aug 7, 2005

( That said.. the issue about the hitch being a weak link?..um.. I'd venture to say that for pulling.. the 3pt hitch is probably more structurally sound than a swinging drawbar.

For instance.. on my NH 7610s My 3pt hitch lift capacity is greater than the touge weight capacity ont he swinging drawbar. there is a warning that if you exceed recomended tounge weight you can damage the diffy casting..e tc.. no such warning on the 3pt lift.. etc.. So i disagree with the 3pt hitch being weak.)

Soundguy, I would venture a guess that the 7610, like any other tractor, will pull significantly more weight than the 3PH could ever hope to lift. Tongue weight is the down pressure exerted on the tongue of the tractor, not the amount of weight pulled by the tongue.

N80 · Aug 7, 2005

Yes, raising the drag mower changes the angle of the blades, but not the same way raising a 3pt does. You can't really adjust your mowing height by raising and lowering a 3pt. But you can (and do) with the drag mower.

Just considering the road (if you can call it that) down to my pond, there are several places where it crests a very small rise, more like a hump. My brother-in-law just raises the rear wheels of the tag along mower and this is enough to clear the hump, yet continue mowing. There is another place that is just the opposite, a steep dip. As the tractor comes up the other side, he raises the mower slightly to keep the blades from digging in. Again, fairly difficult for a 3pt mower.

MMM · Aug 7, 2005

( You can't really adjust your mowing height by raising and lowering a 3pt. But you can (and do) with the drag mower. )

You mus be using a tractor without 3ph postion control. Can't you put the lift arms where ever you need them?
Drawbar pull cutters aren't immune from terrain changes. I've got 2 of them and they will scalp my terraces if not traversed just right.. I have crank handle adjust on both and tires are centered instead of at rear, so can't comment on trajectory when raising. They both raise straight up.

N80 · Aug 7, 2005

( ( You can't really adjust your mowing height by raising and lowering a 3pt. But you can (and do) with the drag mower. )

You mus be using a tractor without 3ph postion control. Can't you put the lift arms where ever you need them?)

I assumed you adjusted the cut height of the 3pt hitch by adjusting the rear wheel height, not the hitch. That's what the manuals say anyway....but I have no experience with a 3pt mower. And my only experience with the tag along is watching my bother-in-law run his, and yes, on certain terrain he'll occasionaly scob the ground, but not often.

MMM · Aug 8, 2005

If obstacles are encountered, a 3ph cutter can be lifted neccesary amount to clear it and returned to preset height. I've read where some of these Asian built tractors have no position control and thought that might be the case.
A semi-mount with lift cylinder would surely avoid any leveling problem when lifting. Might take an extra arm to synchro the front/rear lift without letting go of the wheel though.

gabby · Aug 8, 2005

I've run both and I prefer the pull type but it must have a cylinder for height control. You can run at faster ground speed with pull types and you get better cut quality. It's no more of a problem to go over old terraces with pull types than 3ph, because with either type you have to compensate when going over them.
gabby

BB_TX · Aug 8, 2005

I have never used a pull type. Most, it seems, have rear wheels. But I have seen some with the wheels on each side, centered on the deck, and therefore centered on the blade spindle. It would seem that type would almost be scalp-proof unless you straddled a bump. Only problem is that the outside wheels make it much wider.

EastTexFrank · Aug 8, 2005

I run both 3-pt and drag mowers although the drag doesn't have hydraulic adjustment. The only real difference that I've seen is that when running over a ridge, they tend to "scalp" different sides of it. Because of the different attachment geometry, the 3-pt tends to lift off the ground as the tractor crests the rise and scalps the exit side when the tractor comes down the backide on to flat ground and the drag tends to scalp the entrance side of the ridge as the tractor goes over the top and descends the backside, dropping the front of the mower into the ridge.

Anyway, the short answer is use what you are comforable with. You can use a wider drag mower for any given horsepower tractor but as you get bigger and heavier, you will need weights or FEL on the front. Running a heavy drag mower over rough ground without them will make the front end of the tractor bounce around like a bucking bronco.

My own preference is for 3-pt mowers up to 6' or 7', perhaps 10' if your ground is relatively flat, but anything bigger than that has to be a drag mower. Now I know lots of people run 10', 3-pt mowers over hill and dale, some on this board do, but that is what I am most comfortable with. Again, you pays your money and you takes your choice. In the end, there is probably no right or wrong answer, just personal preference.