T293 HST; which rotary mower?

brettski · Oct 30, 2015

Admitted tractor novice. I am looking at a used T293, about 200 hours. With 29 gross HP and 21 HP at the PTO, what is the largest brush cutter that can be attached? I have a hobby farm and will be cutting fields of foxtail, weeds, and an occasional sapling (maybe .500" dia). I called TYM in NC and they definitely waived off 72", hesitant at 60", and encouraged anything under 60". I spoke with a TYM dealer and they would only offer a 48" deck. I called Woods and spoke with tech and they were very careful and diplomatic about making "recommendations" (I respect this approach), but the vibe was very plain that 72" is out, 60" is questionable, and 48" should be ok.
I would love 72", but could be talked down to 60". Anything less than 60" is not attractive to me for productivity. Can any forum members offer experience with brush cutters on their T293's?

SARG · Oct 30, 2015

That tractor is not heavy enough to handle a 6 ft. cutter safely ....... not even mentioning the low HP.

747driver · Oct 30, 2015

I just bought a Woods BB48X, it cuts 1 1/2" saplings just fine. I wanted a 5ft cutter but found out that it put my tractor on the edge of not being strong enough in pto hp. I also called the Woods rep and he also told me the same advice...4ft would work best. Since i live in a National Forest the 4ft size works great with all the trees and trails i keep clear. Size your tractor pto hp to the size implements you want to use. I live in Downers Grove,IL...but moving to Tenn.

Btown · Oct 31, 2015

It all depends on how tall and thick the stuff is you are mowing and at what speed you want to mow. I have a 5' brush hog from Tractor Supply. I used it on my old Ford 1700, 25 hp. It is less than the 29 hp you have. I had no problem mowing fields, saplings and wild rose bushes. I did have to slow down a little when I was mowing really tall thick wet grass other than that. No problems. You will be fine with s 5'. You might have to worry about how much it weighs though if you get a real heavy, heavy duty one. Good luck.

brettski · Oct 31, 2015

Thank you for the feedback.
It would be used for field mowing; grass, weeds (ok, mostly weeds). It is not intended to be a bush hog for blazing trails through the woods. It is wide open mowing. The saplings I noted are nothing more than fast-growing trees that dropped seed and we missed last mowing. Quite frankly, the sapling issue is really a non-issue. Most areas are cut 3 times a year, so it does grow up to 24" - 30" high in some areas. This may be telling to describe: we currently cut it with a 50" Craftsman garden tractor (typical belly mower) by going pretty slow and sometimes double cutting in the opposite direction to catch the bent-over clumps. Of course, this is well beyond the Cman capability, but it works and that trusty old friend takes a beating and keeps ticking with general maint. Regarding wet grass, we do our best to cut when dry, but it might be dew-wet occasionally.
I have already conceded on a 72" deck; goodbye. My focus and desire is a 60" deck. Moving from the 50" Cman deck to a 60" brush deck is not much in width, but I gotta believe that the time economies come in both increased mowing speed and, of course, no more need to double cut. Could a 60" deck be used on a T293 without issue? I presume the basic limiting criteria is the weight of the deck and the power required. Anybody using a 60" brush cutting deck on a T293?
Or....would a flail mower be better suited to the weight and HP limitations?

smstonypoint · Oct 31, 2015

Woods has a light-duty 5' cutter (Product Details) with a recommended minimum 18 PTO HP. It weighs 494 lbs., 4 lbs. less than their heavy-duty 4' cutter (Product Details) with a recommended minimum 15 PTO HP.

I suspect that you would be able to maintain a higher average ground speed with a light-duty 4' cutter when mowing 24-30" grass, so there is going to be a trade off between mowing width and average ground speed. Assuming 82.5% field efficiency, you would be able to mow 1.6 acres/hour with a 4' cutter at an average ground speed of 4 mph, but only 1.5 acres/hour with a 5' cutter at an average ground speed of 3 mph.

Steve

HEC · Oct 31, 2015

I use a land pride rcr 1860 5 ft. med. duty on my B2650 with no problem , but only mow tall grass with it . This was what my dealer recommended for my use . I have a little less pto hp than you do . Mine would definitely not handle a 6 ft. .

Gregster613 · Oct 31, 2015

I've got a Woods 60 cutter and have no problems running it with my 273. Granted I don't have woods trails that I'm chopping open but whenever I trim my trees, I lay the limbs in a windrow and chop them up. I've been doing this for years with absolutely no trouble for power. For what you describe as your needs; I say get the 60! If it does seem to bog some. just take a narrower path or slow down. You shouldn't have any issues. Good luck in your hunt. Greg

HFEC · Nov 1, 2015

I would think a T293 could handle a 5 foot without any problem. I was looking at both the 4 and 5 foot mowers at Tractor Supply earlier this year and opted for the 4 foot only because of some tight spaces around my pasture fences. Once I got it home and actually used it, I found it I was right about the tight spaces (actually, my wife was right about the tight spaces but I don't want to admit that!) Otherwise, I would have bought the five foot.