Rotary cutting

[deere5105]

Thank you. What about being 3" short on each side of width of tires? Is that an issue, I have never used one.

I have run a 5' behind a JD 5205 without noticeable issues.

 

[Oldstuff]

Buzzard- I am in the exact situation as you. I have a Ford 2000 and while it will handle a 6 footer that would put the cutter 3 inches outside of the wheels, I went with the 5 footer that puts the cutter 3 inches inside the wheels and am very happy with it since trimming up close in not needed for me. I have had this setup since 2010 and do not regret it.

Oldstuff

 

[the6shooter]

If your tractor has the 2 pcs. wheels you can ajust the wheels in to make a narrow tire track pattern then go with the 5' cutter. if you don't have ajustable 2 pcs wheels then you can still go with the 5' cutter.
It doesn't matter, you still have to run the cutter and over lap, on every pass. it doesn't matter you still have to make the over lap no matter if it's 5' or 6' and 10' makes no differance.
david

 

[LD1]

Thank you. What about being 3" short on each side of width of tires? Is that an issue, I have never used one.

No, it wont be an issue. As you said, the only problem is mowing close to something, you will loose 6". But being narrower entirely why. Cause you cant "scrub" your tractor tires tight up against things anyway. And you can offset as you mention. The 5' will also be more manuaverable, shorter (which will make it easier to trailer if applicable), and may be light enough with the weight in close enough to not require the FEL to stay on like a 6 footer "may", this would make it even more manuaverable, and being narrower, you dont have to worry about catching the corner of the bushhog on a tree or something.

And a 5' cutter wont necessarialy be slower mowing either. Speed is a function of how much power you have. a 6' cutter is 20% bigger, but that would also mean going 20% slower for an equal cut without bogging down. So by going to a 5' cutter, you may be able to mow a gear higher to make up the difference.

 

[soulasphil]

Some cutters can be easily offset to cover one side of the tracks completely. Such is the case with mine which can be hitched either in a centered position or offset to the right (very convenient along walls or hedges).

 

[newbury]

Only to slightly hijack -
Any links or pointers to how best to set up a rotary cutter on the three point? My cousin just loaned me his 30hp Satoh again, this time with a JD cutter attached. He was running it with the cutter at an angle (left side lower than right) and at full lift it only clears the pavement by a few inches. I'm wondering if I should adjust the top and side links.

 

[Jerry/MT]

Tractordata .com lists the '86 Ford 1710 at a shade under 24 pto HP @540 rpm. (Tractordata.com has been known to be wrong.) You quoted 32.5 pto horsepower. You'll need to make sure that you really have 32.5 pto hp @ 540 ptto rpm before you get a 6 footer.

Initially you said you were going to mow 3-5 acres. If you're going to do mowing for hire, I'd lean to the medium weight units (700-750 lbs) because you inevitably are going to get into "dirty fields" with things in them you can't see from the seat and will hit with the cutter. Heavier would be better in this circumtance.

If you really have 32.5 pto HP at 540 pto rpm the stick with a 6 footer medium weight unit. If you only have 24 pto hp @540 pto rpm, in my opinion, go with a medium duty unit at 5 ft width.

 

[LD1]

Only to slightly hijack -
Any links or pointers to how best to set up a rotary cutter on the three point? My cousin just loaned me his 30hp Satoh again, this time with a JD cutter attached. He was running it with the cutter at an angle (left side lower than right) and at full lift it only clears the pavement by a few inches. I'm wondering if I should adjust the top and side links.

Depends on the cutter. But all of them should be level left to right. and when mowing, the tail should be an inch or two higher than the front.

When you say fully raised it is only clearing by a few inches.....is it a ridgid mount cutter, or does it have a swinging shackle for the TL, or does it use chains like soulasphil's pictures??? And is it the front or rear that is barly clearing?? If it is the rear that barley clears, and it uses chains or the swinging TL, then the TL needs shortened. Because you are using up most of your raise travel just taking the slack out of them.

 

[joshuabardwell]

And a 5' cutter wont necessarialy be slower mowing either. Speed is a function of how much power you have. a 6' cutter is 20% bigger, but that would also mean going 20% slower for an equal cut without bogging down. So by going to a 5' cutter, you may be able to mow a gear higher to make up the difference.

I've heard this said, and my (limited--admittedly) experience leads me to question it. On the fields I have bush-hogged, the limitation on speed has been either the thickness of the brush or the bumpiness of the ground. And when I say, "thickness of the brush," I don't mean how fast I can go without bogging down, but I mean how well I can see what I'm getting into so I know if I'm about to drive into a ditch or mow over an object. In these circumstances, I found myself wishing for a bigger cutter, since my PTO hp was not the limiting factor in my speed. I could have driven at the same speed, but covered more ground.

I have run into some cases where the brush is thick enough to bog down my engine, in which case I agree that it doesn't matter what size you're using. But when the brush is not thick enough to bog down the engine, other factors may limit speed in a way that mean you could use a larger cutter without tradeoff. I don't know how typical my results are, and like I said, my experience is limited.

My preliminary conclusion was that a larger cutter was better because, in the thick stuff, you could always slow down, but in the thinner stuff, you could go as fast as the terrain would allow and cover more ground than if you were using a smaller cutter and going the same speed.

 

[LD1]

If power is not your limiting factor, they you are right, size would matter.

But when doing something regularly, where you know whats out there and dont let it get overgrown (just pasture grass), the grass gets really thick. And even though it is under 2' tall, the grass will bog a cutter down in a hurry. These are the times that size dont mater much.