Mowing What's a field supposed to look like after mowing

swashbu · Jun 5, 2002

What\'s a field supposed to look like after mowing

Hi, we have been mowing 8 acres of mixed grasses and weeds with our 6' Bush Hog for about a year (total of 3 times). Unless we go real slow and overlap a lot the field looks like we attacked it with hatchets. My "farmer" friends tell me that is what a bush hog is supposed to do and that our expectations are too high - that it is not supposed to look like a lawn when we are done. We know the mower is sharp and in very good working condition. It sure would save a lot of time if we didn't have to overlap and could go a bit faster.

Any comments would be appreciated.

Steve

Ozarker · Jun 5, 2002

Re: What\'s a field supposed to look like after mowing

You're neighbor is correct. A brush hog is a "rough cut" machine. Use a finishing mower for lawns.

Soundguy · Jun 5, 2002

Re: What\'s a field supposed to look like after mowing

Think about the name 'brush hog' Doesn't sound elegant does it? Neither is the cut. The picture in your mind, is probably something that you need a finish mower for. A BH is just a monster that tries to hack or break everything off at "about" a certain level.

They are great for field maintenance.. not golf courses.

Soundguy

Knight9 · Jun 5, 2002

Re: What\'s a field supposed to look like after mowing

Here's a picture Bird posted a long time ago showing the cut he was getting in his pasture with his Howse rough cut mower.

<A target="_blank" HREF=http://www.tractorbynet.com/forumfiles/35-70122-P1010001.JPG>Bird's pasture</A>

Kevin

Golfgar4 · Jun 5, 2002

Re: What\'s a field supposed to look like after mowing

You may have been thinking that because your "field" is not technically a "lawn", you should be using a bush hog.

For years, we've been mowing a Boy Scout camp with a 3 pt finish mower. Sure, we're mowing fields, trails, camp sites, with it, but there really is not anything heavy duty that would require a bush hog. We do have a bush hog we use when we want to slash our way through an area of heavy vegetation to cut a new trail or open up a new camp site.

Come to think of it, I think they call bush hogs slashers in Australia, don't they Neal? Maybe that's a way to figure out when to use one. If you'd have to slash your way through undergrowth, use a bush hog. Otherwise, use a finish mower.

RobS · Jun 5, 2002

Re: What\'s a field supposed to look like after mowing

Steve, the others have pretty well indicated that the brush hog will not cut a lawn-like finish but...

You can improve the cut by adjusting the angle of your hog. If it tilts lower in front it will cut faster but leave a rougher appearance. By levelling it, or even running it with the back a bit lower than the front, you will get a better cut. Nowhere near what a finish mower will produce, but better anyway. You already said your blades are sharp so I won't suggest that.

Experiment a bit and let us know if it improves any /w3tcompact/icons/smile.gif

PitbullMidwest · Jun 5, 2002

Re: What\'s a field supposed to look like after mowing

When we bought our property it was overgrown pasture land. My father in law allowed me to mow it with his 8n and a Woods "Dixie" cutter (rough cut mower). I mowed it twice a month and with each cutting the quality got better. After the first season the grass took over from the weeds and I started using a rider. If you only mowed it 3 times last year you just don't have the brush and weeds chocked out of it yet.

The picture of Bird's pasture is a good example, I'll bet he mowed it frequently to get it to look like that. If you're in a hurry, spend the money on a finish mower otherwise just mow it more often

njrqs · Jun 5, 2002

Re: What\'s a field supposed to look like after mowing

they call bush hogs slashers in Australia

Yeah it took me a while to work out what the hell a brush hog was when I got on this site.

I think slasher and mower (2 different things) adequately describe their uses.

Mower and Brush hog - Now they don't quite go together the same do they??????

I have a slasher for the areas of my yard that are rougher and rockier than the rest. The previous owner used to do it with a rideon mower, but I didn't want to be a slave to the yard. With the slasher I can wait until the grass is really long before I need to do it. Also "slashes" the small woddy weeds that come up.

Cheers

chrisjbell · Jun 5, 2002

Re: What\'s a field supposed to look like after mowing

used to do it with a rideon mower

Is that like a riding mower /w3tcompact/icons/grin.gif?

njrqs · Jun 5, 2002

Re: What\'s a field supposed to look like after mowing

Chris

Yep we call them "ride-ons"

That refers to any mower you ride on while mowing.

Funny how different parts of the world get different terms for things.

Cheers

frank_f15 · Jun 5, 2002

Re: What\'s a field supposed to look like after mowing

steve: i cut a fied with a rear finish mower, by no stretch ot the imagination can it be considered a lawn, but it is all grass as i don't give it a chance to be anything else. looks great from the road. think u may want to switch to a finish mower.

brewerbob · Jun 5, 2002

Re: What\'s a field supposed to look like after mowing

Hey PitBull:
That's kind of my theory. We have what they call noxious weeds here (meaning weeds that are not native plants), and they have a program to release non native insects which eat these weeds. Hmmmmmmm I think I'll stick to using my John Deere 513. I use it about three or four times a summer, and so far, the grass seems to be coming back. I'm keeping my fingers crossed.
Bob

Alan L. · Jun 5, 2002

Re: What\'s a field supposed to look like after mowing

Not as pretty as a finish mower, but I'm please with the results I get from my cutter. Given taller or thicker grass, the cutter does a better job than a finish mower, leaving fewer "survivors" behind. If the grass is not allowed to get very tall, then the finish mower cuts prettier.

I'm not ready to start mowing my acreage often enough for the finish mower to do a better job, therefore I'll stick with the brush hog for now. If you squint, and look at it from the road you can't tell the difference.

Bird · Jun 6, 2002

Re: What\'s a field supposed to look like after mowing

I got a smoother cut on my pasture than most folks do simply because I had the brush hog set just as close to the ground as possible and only had weeds and grass to cut.

Egon · Jun 6, 2002

Re: What\'s a field supposed to look like after mowing

And here I thought a " brush hog " was a feral/wild pig and a slasher was the name given to an undesirable type of movie character!

Egon

Golfgar4 · Jun 6, 2002

Re: What\'s a field supposed to look like after mowing

"If you squint, and look at it from the road you can't tell the difference."

Do you have a sign on the roadway that says..."Please squint as you go by."?/w3tcompact/icons/laugh.gif

pennwalk · Jun 6, 2002

Re: What\'s a field supposed to look like after mowing

Normal rotary cutter blades are pretty dull so that when they hit rocks, stumps and fenceposts the blades don't get all chewed up. If you knew you had all the rocks and stuff out of the fields you could sharpen the blades and probably get a much nicer cut.

Chris

Alan L. · Jun 6, 2002

Re: What\'s a field supposed to look like after mowing

Do you have a sign on the roadway that says..."Please squint as you go by."?

No, but thats a good idea......

Or, I could have a sign that says "Don't look at this property". Then I wouldn't have to mow at all.

cisco · Jun 6, 2002

Re: What\'s a field supposed to look like after mowing

Yeah, I think the posts just about nail it - sharpen the blades (that's key), and lower the deck, with it flat (that's what I do) or tilted a bit rear down. I get a reasonable looking cut doing such, not as good as my Snapper riding mower on my lawn at home, but decent and a heck of a lot faster for large areas. A finishing mower is great, but you need to have a relatively smooth surface, and no major rocks, stumps, etc. - I still have too many "untamed" areas, and would ruin a finishing mower.

Gatorboy · Jun 6, 2002

Re: What\'s a field supposed to look like after mowing

Well, my 15' Rhino Batwing cuts my property as so:

| <A target="_blank" HREF=http://www.pbase.com/image/336853>Pic #2 | | <A target="_blank" HREF=http://www.pbase.com/image/421072>Pic #4

<A target="_blank" HREF=http://pbase.com/image/252407>Me and my Mower</A>

I think it does a pretty fair job. I cut it about every 3 weeks. I am also doing alot of clearing of the woods with the mower, so the blade edges are like thumbs, and it still cuts pretty darn good.