TODAYS SEAT TIME

[countrybumpkin]

Growing like crazy here too, just rains every other day and hard to get time to cut it.

 

[daugen]

Spent several hours using my Long tree spade to cut some water drainage ditches, trying to get the lakes off my front lawn. After I paved the previous gravel driveway, the water on one side of the lane could no longer travel over the road, so in a way I created this problem. These new ditches lead out to the main ditch going to the public road. We had a pile of roots three feet high when we were done, this would have been backbreaking to do by hand.

For two years I mowed 18 acres of field grass with a LP 7 foot mower, swing away blades/rough cut/bush hog, whatever terms I think we all use for swinging blades vs fixed blades. And those carefully sharpened blades did a great job on the grass, but left more clumps than a finishing mower. Not good to use on wet grass but on dry grass, it did remarkably well.
On my place now, I'm going to sell that almost new utility mower as I've bought a replacement LP finish mower that mows almost as well as my garden tractor. It's grass dispersal is excellent vs the rough cut mower, which frankly was never intended to cut grass. And most importantly, shouldn't use sharp blades on mowing small trees and brush, or the sharp edges left will be little pungi stakes. I blew a front tire sidewall on my Gravely on one, taught me a lesson. You really want fairly dull blades on a utility mower so that it shatters the tops of the wood and doesn't leave a sharp point to step on, drive on. So the point is, if you sharpen your blades on your rough cut mower, it might work pretty well, but be careful what else you use it on while the blades are sharp.

 

[Eric C]

Thanks, I completely understand,that's why I was asking what you used , I'm trying to decide what to do with some of mine. I have about 12 acres I may cut for hay in the next few years but until then was planning on keeping it mowed down. I thought about a large finish mower but really don't want to have to keep it mowed every week , so I'm looking at running my rotary cutter across it maybe once a month just to keep it under a foot tall.

If you mow with the finish mower you have to get it about each week to 10 days (depending on weather) or it will get too big to cut with it. If it rains for a few days when you want to cut or you can't get away from work...it will get to big for the finish mower fast. After you mow it a few times you can tell when it is getting to maximum height. Someone suggested raising the deck. My experience was the height of the deck on finish mower don't really matter because their is only so much growth of the grass the finish mower can cut if that makes sense. Whatever height you set the mower....it needs mowed in 7-10 days. If it gets past finish mower cutting height, then you have to bush hog to get down to mow again with finish mower. A lot of time. As you suggested, you can mow with your rotary cutter once a month and keep it looking nice. If the pasture is all you cut with your rotary cutter it will do a good job. I have a 15' batwing bushhog too. All it get used on is grass. Nothing else ever. I can sharpen the blades once a year on it and it does fine for me. If you mow around the edges with your finish mower a round or two...it will give the rest an appearance of a closer cut from a distance. That is what I'm doing now. If you have the time, mowing it all with your finish mower will make you happy. Sure looked nice right after it was cut. Not sure what you have at the moment, with 12 acres I would try to find a 7-8 foot finish mower. You could cover it pretty quick with one of those. The land will need to be level as the wider the finish mower the easier it will scalp if the ground is uneven. The price on finish mowers jumps a fair amount after you get above a 6'ft. You might luck up and find a good used one in that side range. Hope that helps some in your decision.

 

[hunt4570]

Hey countrybumpkin, have you ever thought about a flail mower? I just picked up a Caroni flail this year and I'm liking it a lot. will cut brush and still give a nice finished look to things.

 

[countrybumpkin]

Eric, thanks for the great info. That's exactly the information I was hope to get from someone that had experience with both a rotary cutter and finish mower. That answers all the questions I had about switching to a finish mower. I think I'll just use my bush hog this year and see what happens, the time factor with the finish mower is my biggest concern right now, I mow about 2 a as yard and it's a chore to keep up with it to keep it as clean cut as I like.

I've looked at flail mowers on line, but around here you don't find many used ones and if you do they are junk or new price for a used one. I hate to spend good money on one and then in a year or so start cutting hay and not need the flair or finish mower.

 

[hunt4570]

I got that 75" Caroni delivered to my door for right at $2100...

 

[terryknight]

i will give my experiences with cutting pastures with a finish mower. we (my father and i) have a woods RM90 (90" cut) and several rotary cutters 5 and 6 ft. we have about 20 acres of pastures to cut, these areas are fairly wide open fairly flat, no brush, no rocks, the occasional fox den, the edges have 1 pass made by a lawnmower/zero turn. we cut them 4 ish times a year. we have gone from using the rotary cutters to using the finish mower. it's just much faster. and it leaves a better cut. we sharpen the blades at the beginning of the season set the mower 6" high and go to town, also saves us swapping from finish mower to rotary cutter. we use the rotary cutter when we need it, but it's not needed for these pastures

some of what we cut





how it looks



woods RM90

 

[Eric C]

Terry your pasture looks great. Very nice barn. I guess it depends on where you live and how fast/thick your grass grows. I would damage something on my finish mower trying to cut only 4 times a summer. I just let my outer edges go 2 weeks and some spots were already to thick for it. I cut more than 4 times a year when I use my rotary cutter. Even more info for you to consider CountryB.

 

[vtsnowedin]

I put the old two bottom plows on this afternoon and managed to plow both of the small gardens while I was fiddling with the adjustments. I think I have it all set now and can start on a one acre food plot tomorrow.

 

[Eric C]

Went to check a house I'm remodeling first thing this morning. Took the 3 hydraulic cylinders off my finish mower to have rebuilt. Took a leaking line off my batwing bushhog to have another one made. Changed the oil in my 3320. Pulled up some stumps in my mom's yard while the ground is wet. Worked on a fence for a bit. Pushed over a tree that had died at my moms. Cleaned out my truck. Wanted to mow around the pond but it was too wet. Only got a pic of two things.