Rotary Cutter Upgrading Rotary Mower

[rossgtn]

I'm thinking about upgrading from my 6 foot 3 point mower to a 12 foot bat wing pull type. I've seen the Rhino TS12 Stealth the Titan 1912 and the Land Pride RC2512. Has anyone used one of these with a tractor less than 50 (PTO) HP? Info states that they can be used with as little as 35 (PTO) HP. None of the dealers I've talked with can put me in touch with anyone that is using less than a 60hp tractor. I'm mowing 40 acres that is petty much flat. I does get thick in places but I'm thinking it may be better to mow wide and slow than narrow even if I can go faster with the 6' mower.

 

[leonz]

About your mower needs, you will not have enough available torque to run the bat wing mower. They will take your money and smile do not forget that. I would trade it in towards a new flail mower from Iowa Farm Equipment, they deliver and ship their equipment. My father ran a Ford Jubilee and a JD25A 7 foot finish flail mower for years and used it to knock down 12-15 foot goldenrod to reclaim an old 12 acre pasture.

 

[Zebrafive]

I would see if any dealers would let you demo one.

 

[bspeedy]

That's a LOT of mower for a 35 hp tractor. I think an 8-foot pull behind would be a lot of mower for your machine. Are you running the 6-footer effortlessly?

The Rhino weighs 2750 lbs. Your tractor weighs maybe 4500 lbs with a loader and filled tires. Trying to pull that thing around on any slope at all would be quite the challenge. I think you'd really feel it.

I would not buy it without a trial run.

 

[rossgtn]

I'm also looking at a tractor upgrade and wanted to make sure I get the HP needed. I think I've settled on a Kioti NX5510 open station with HST, it's rated at 55 engine HP and 43.1 PTO HP. Just FYI, the Bobcat handles the 6' J Bar just fine as long as I have it setup right.

 

[LD1]

What tractor do you have? You question using the mower with less than 50hp but your profile states a ct235. Which is only 26.5 at the PTO.

And almost as important as power, is speed. How slow can your tractor go? If HST, you can go infinitely slow. But a gear tractor limits you.

You will need to go half the speed you go with your 6' in the worst of conditions. If you can manage that, give it a try.

IE: if your slowest speed is 2 mph....and there are times you have to slow to 3 mph with your 6'....you ain't.gonna make a 12' work at full width. But if your low gear is 1 mph, and you never go below 4 mph with the 6'....then the 12 will work if your tractor is big enough that physically pull it.

Believe me, I'm all about mowing slower and wider. And if mowing in a timely manner is what you are after, don't throw money away on a flail

 

[bilrus61]

Don't think your tractor will handle it. Time to upgrade the tractor first. Don't put the cart before the horse. I would say any 12' would need 50 PTO HP to mow Chatanooga weeds. Basically the speed you can mow a area is what your horsepower is. 6,8 or 12 foot mower will all mow it about the same cause you'll have to crawl along with the 12 footer.

 

[LD1]

6,8 or 12 foot mower will all mow it about the same cause you'll have to crawl along with the 12 footer.

I think thats is his point....

And it has always been mine as well.

Id rather mow 2mph with a 12' cutter and enjoy a nice smooth ride than mow 4 mph with a 6' cutter and be bounced out of the seat.

Buy yes, at the end of the day....the "capable" speed is the same. But if you are running a mower, and find yourself slowing down because terrain/bumps/etc....and not HP.......you are not cutting as fast as your machine is capable of and time for a bigger mower.

While I do think a 12' mower is a bit much (if the CT235 is indeed the tractor in question)....but I wouldnt be afraid of pulling an 8' twin all day long

 

[Old Red]

I went from a 6 to a 15 foot batwing. Much bigger tractor. Kubota M6800 which is 62hp at PTO I believe. Pulls my LandPride 15 footer very nicely. I am only mowing easy to mow pasture/grass. Have not mowed any CRP or anything like that. I am considering getting some cheap horsepower for the big nasty stuff. Buddy of mine has a John Deer 2wd 1980 95 horsepower tractor with less than 1,000 hours on it. Thinking about getting it. $6,000 for it. That is a lot of horsepower for 6 grand. And you could keep your little tractor for the nimble work.

 

[ShowroomShine]

I sold Woods for a while when I was in sales. The Woods BW12 was touted as using 35 PTO HP or more. We've got one on the property and run it with a 60hp tractor, cut is amazing.

That being said, on flat land in reasonable grass a 35-45hp tractor will handle that mower just fine. Hills or tall grass, get a larger tractor.

 

[sandman2234]

I have a JD 2555, which is a 70hp/65pto rating. I bought an orange tractor with a Rhino batwing (15 foot). The JD had the remotes I needed to pull the batwing, so I hooked it up.
I didn't mow much, just a few acres, but I did manage to get a little too close to the pond. That is when I figured out that the extra weight of the much larger batwing did have a little more to do with pulling it, than just being able to make it cut grass. Pulling it with a two wheel drive tractor in semi soft or slick clay soils changes things. Make sure the tractor will handle the weight as well as turn the blades.
David from jax

 

[Z-Michigan]

Believe me, I'm all about mowing slower and wider. And if mowing in a timely manner is what you are after, don't throw money away on a flail

Why? I've had a 6' RC and two different 6' flail mowers (Caroni and now Woodmaxx) and both flails work as fast, and probably faster, than the RC setup did for me (and I'm using them with slightly less PTO HP). They might consume a bit more HP but they take up less space, handle bumps better and leave a nicer cut.

Thread veer, OP didn't ask about any flail, but you tossed that in there and I don't see its relevance.

 

[Turbys_1700]

I sold Woods for a while when I was in sales. The Woods BW12 was touted as using 35 PTO HP or more. We've got one on the property and run it with a 60hp tractor, cut is amazing.

That being said, on flat land in reasonable grass a 35-45hp tractor will handle that mower just fine. Hills or tall grass, get a larger tractor.

Agreed...

 

[LD1]

Why? I've had a 6' RC and two different 6' flail mowers (Caroni and now Woodmaxx) and both flails work as fast, and probably faster, than the RC setup did for me (and I'm using them with slightly less PTO HP). They might consume a bit more HP but they take up less space, handle bumps better and leave a nicer cut.

Thread veer, OP didn't ask about any flail, but you tossed that in there and I don't see its relevance.

They take more HP, so that ultimately means slower mowing and/or smaller mower.

While some strange conditions may exist that might sometimes allow a flail to cut faster....it's not the norm.

Flails are more expensive to own and maintain, and won't take the abuse a bushhog will if you hit unforseen stuff.

 

[CincyFlyer]

About your mower needs, you will not have enough available torque to run the bat wing mower. They will take your money and smile do not forget that. I would trade it in towards a new flail mower from Iowa Farm Equipment, they deliver and ship their equipment. My father ran a Ford Jubilee and a JD25A 7 foot finish flail mower for years and used it to knock down 12-15 foot goldenrod to reclaim an old 12 acre pasture.

It's power, not torque, that spins that mower at a decent clip when you are going through thick grass. A 1/10 hp motor can have all the torque you need to move a 20-ton vehicle, geared properly. But you need torque at speed, which is power.

 

[leonz]

It's power, not torque, that spins that mower at a decent clip when you are going through thick grass. A 1/10 hp motor can have all the torque you need to move a 20-ton vehicle, geared properly. But you need torque at speed, which is power.

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My father used a ford Jubilee with a JD25A to reclaim pasture with 12-15 foot goldenrod and weed trees and he also a used a 3 foot wide motorized towed lawn genie with an 8 horsepower briggs & Stratton to open up a jogging path for my mother that followed the perimeter of the 12 acre pasture many years before he purchased the Jubilee and the 25A.

I have also used my 48 inch lawn genie with 16 horse Briggs+Stratton Industrial/Commercial Engine to knock down heavy brush with no issues other than taking more time to do the job as finish cut blades are used.

Both of these units use a Hillliard centrifugal clutch to mow with so flail mowers ar very well suited for all mowing jobs and the flail crop shredders have always worked very well in many uses.

I am still using the same sharp side slicer knives that I installed in 1992.

 

[bspeedy]

I'm also looking at a tractor upgrade and wanted to make sure I get the HP needed. I think I've settled on a Kioti NX5510 open station with HST, it's rated at 55 engine HP and 43.1 PTO HP. Just FYI, the Bobcat handles the 6' J Bar just fine as long as I have it setup right.

Totally different situation with that tractor. Your results will still be dependent upon your terrain and grass height and type.

 

[LD1]

I'm also looking at a tractor upgrade and wanted to make sure I get the HP needed. I think I've settled on a Kioti NX5510 open station with HST, it's rated at 55 engine HP and 43.1 PTO HP. Just FYI, the Bobcat handles the 6' J Bar just fine as long as I have it setup right.

Don't know how I overlooked this post the first few times.

Going to that tractor.....I'd say go for it. It's a bit bigger and heavier than my MX, but similar PTO power and HST.

I wouldn't think twice about hooking to a 12' mower.

I don't because I run a business and have to travel with my equipment, which is why I stopped upsizing at a 8' mounted cutter.

Just be realistic. You are not gonna blaze along at 4-5 mph through crp ground that hasn't been touched in 4-5 years.

But maintenance mows of pastures, sodways, stuff that gets done once or twice a year...yea you will handle it fine.

And you can always take smaller bits with a bigger cutter. But you can NEVER take a bigger bite with a smaller cutter

 

[rossgtn]

Well, I'm placing the order for the Kioti NX5510 HST tomorrow. The dealer has suggested I buy a 10', 3 pt mower, he's offering a Titan 1800 series for $3,850.00. I know 10' is a lot of ground to cover in a solid span. With the batwing there could be some flex over uneven terrain that the 10' wouldn't have. I guess I'm wondering what other NX5510 owners are using and how it's working for them. Also others that have a 10' mower with other tractors, and plus and minus of 3 point vs pull type. My concerns about the 3 point mower is the stress it will place on the tractor, even though the 3 point is rated for over 3,000 lbs. and the Titan mower (which I would call a medium duty mower) weighs in around 1,250 lbs. I'm even looking at the option of going with a pull type version. At this point I don't think I want to drop down to a 8' mower. Any and All input or advice is welcomed. Looks Like I have to the end of next week to decide on the mower as that's when the dealer thinks the tractor will be ready for delivery.

 

[rustyshakelford]

Batwings follow the ground much better. Don't scalp nearly as bad but have 4 gear boxes and 3 cylinders. Pin weight is heavy and they are heavy. I pulled a 15' with my old 5055 that weighted over 10k lbs per the scale and it was not a fun experience. I felt the tractor being tossed around. Have a 100hp and it's perfect. Times I wish I had more hp but the 24/12 trans helps a lot

Brett