Mowing Which rotary cutter

[Freddieboy]

Hi all,
Love this site and now time to ask for advice. I have a 2920 and I am in the market for a rotary cutter. Depending on which dealer I speak with I get conflicting info concerning whether the 2920 can handle a 5' cutter. Seems most 5 footers are only 50 -60 lbs over a 4' and should be OK, but I'm a newbie and need a little hand holding on this one from the experienced.

Thx in advance.

 

[TripleR]

You will have to take into consideration whether it is a light, medium or heavy duty cutter. I use a RCR1548 on my BX2660 and can't imagine you having trouble with a five foot unit on a B2920.

There is a significant weight increase however going from the RCR15 to the RCR18, so that would be a consideration.

I am sure someone who actually owns a B can give you more specifics as there are several on here.

Good luck.

 

[KU Gator]

I have had a B2920 for about 3 years. When I was in the market for a rotary mower, my dealer suggested a 5' one. I trailered the tractor to the dealer and hooked up a 5' Bush Hog Squeeler and tried it and it seemed ok. They had a lighter duty Razorback, but I felt like I wanted the heavier gear box and the heavier over all build, so went with the Squeeler.

I keep the FEL on when mowing with it to counter balance the weight, especially when I have it off the ground transporting it. Other than when we mowed some of the property that had not been mowed in a long time and last year when I got behind in the mowing and got an infestation of Lespedeza weed, I have no problem with it going through the grass. I haven't really used it to cut much true brush.

My dealer caries primarily Bush Hog so that is what I went with and I really did not want to go down to a 48". Had I have went with Land Pride, I think they make a 54" that I would have probably considered.

When I engage the PTO, I have the RPM's low and let the clutch out. There is initially a lot of vibration as the blades spin out and once that settle down, I bring up the RPM and it is pretty smooth.

 

[WV Tractorman]

I run a BushHog 5 ' Squealer behind my L2800 with no problem. I don't have a Endloader yet, just front weights and have no problems on the hills here in West Virginia. I'm glad I took my dealers advise and went with the Squealer over the lighter model.

 

[RoyJackson]

My cutter, a 10 year old Land Pride 5' unit, was purchased for a small Deere (17 PTO HP). I thought it would be too big. The dealer (who was also a Kubota dealer) said they sold a fair number of the same cutter for the B7500 Kubotas which was less the 2000 lbs and about the same PTO HP. The dealer was right...that cutter worked fine.
If all your mowing is heavy brush, you might want the 4' cutter. But if it's a mix of thick stuff and lighter stuff, like mine was at the time, go with the 5' cutter and make partial width passes.

 

[Marveltone]

At 1554 lbs, the 2920 is a pretty light tractor. A heavy RC can swing the tractor around if you get too rambunctious. Woods makes a 54" RC with your choice of shear bolt or slip clutch. I'm loving mine! For a small fee, they'll even color match your 'Bota. :thumbsup:

Joe

 

[RoyJackson]

At 1554 lbs, the 2920 is a pretty light tractor. A heavy RC can swing the tractor around if you get too rambunctious. Woods makes a 54" RC with your choice of shear bolt or slip clutch. I'm loving mine! For a small fee, they'll even color match your 'Bota. :thumbsup:

Joe

The B7500 was about 150 lbs (plus or minus) less weight. If they can handle a 5', 600 lb cutter, so can the heavier B2920. I think you'll find the weights quoted for the Kubotas do not include the loader (and if it's the shipping weight, the wheels/tires aren't include either.
My old Deere 670 went just under 2000 lbs (sans loader) and did fine, even when transporting the cutter.
However, Joe, you do make a good point about not swinging that cutter around. I never raise the cutter to full height of the 3PH and just towed it (unhooking the top link and using the tail wheel). Even then, it was slow and careful transporting.

 

[leonz]

Hi all,
Love this site and now time to ask for advice. I have a 2920 and I am in the market for a rotary cutter. Depending on which dealer I speak with I get conflicting info concerning whether the 2920 can handle a 5' cutter. Seems most 5 footers are only 50 -60 lbs over a 4' and should be OK, but I'm a newbie and need a little hand holding on this one from the experienced.

Thx in advance.

With regard to your brush mowing: have you examined a flail mower for the work? A four foot flail mower will not tax your prime mover and will not create a case of the "tail wagging the dog" scenario as the flailmower is much shorter in length than any rotary cutter.

The other thing to keep in mind is only half of the cutting width is used at any time versus the full width of the flail mower cutting at all times.

 

[Marveltone]

With regard to your brush mowing: have you examined a flail mower for the work? A four foot flail mower will not tax your prime mover and will not create a case of the "tail wagging the dog" scenario as the flailmower is much shrter in length than any rotary cutter.

The other thing to keep in mind is only half of the cutting width is used at any time versus the full width of the flail mower cutting at all times.

Wouldn't it be more accurate to say only half the cutting potential is being used at any time? Width is left to right, and all the width is being used on a rotary cutter, but only half the length, as the front cuts and the rear floats and chops up some of the vegetation.

Of course, I can use the same argument for flails... Only the blades on the bottom of the drum are cutting. That leaves only 1/4 of the drum doing any actual work. The rest of the knives are making their way around the top and are wasted motion!

Joe

 

[KU Gator]

Beyond reading Leonz's contributions on flail mowers, I can say I know nothing about them. But as he says, even given the same weight, it would not be carried nearly as far back with a flail compared to a rotary. This would also help if you trailer the tractor and mower. On a 16' trailer, the rear wheel of my mower is sticking off the trailer.

But the next issue would require some input from Leonz. If the flail mower glides on the ground on skids when mowing and does not require the 3 pt hitch to hold it up, this would be an advantage with the B2920. Because the B2920 has the 1/4" valve which will not hold an implement at a specific height for a long time. Therefore while you mow with a rotary mower, you have to remember to bump the hitch back up every 10 minutes or so or you will have the front of the mower dragging on the ground. So please provide input on this Leonz.