Why Can't Someone Make a Good 12' Batwing Cutter?

[rockinbbar]

I was super close to buying a used CX-20 at a local dealer back in February. Most of us that do custom mowing run 15’s, but I have some big enough fields that a 20’ is starting to look profitable. That one sold before I could get out of my chair.
Love the CX series, so I am going to keep looking.

I envision myself retiring into just field mowing and brush clearing someday, when I can no longer keep up the rigors of hay at this scale.

With plenty of field mowing contracts, the future looks great.

That's kinda what I do.

But in the past couple of years, I've leased some good hay fields. I have them for my own use with cattle, and to sell what hay is left over.

I do all the work on them myself, except the cutting and baling. I have a great guy that comes and bales when I have a field ready. It's not really worth my time or money to buy a cutter and baler, as that conflicts with my ranch shredding season, time wise. Unless I'm willing to hire people, and buy more equipment... which is a no-no for me. I like being the only one who operates and maintains my equipment.

For the off season, I offer pasture leveling and hog/gopher damage control, as well as brush clearing. (Down here, the brush is insane... and will take over in short order if not cleared regularly.

This is my retirement job. I do it because I love doing it, even though it can get real busy at times. I tend to have repeat clients.

 

[EddieWalker]

I think there is a strong demand for 70 hp tractors. My dealer said it's the most popular HP they sell because it doesn't require DEF. 70 hp tractors and a 12 foot batwing is an ideal match. Enough HP to cut the thickest pastures, and big enough to get a lot of land cut quickly. In my opinion, the 12 foot batwing will become more and more popular, and that will lead to more of them being built stronger to deal with commercial needs.

 

[rockinbbar]

I think there is a strong demand for 70 hp tractors. My dealer said it's the most popular HP they sell because it doesn't require DEF. 70 hp tractors and a 12 foot batwing is an ideal match. Enough HP to cut the thickest pastures, and big enough to get a lot of land cut quickly. In my opinion, the 12 foot batwing will become more and more popular, and that will lead to more of them being built stronger to deal with commercial needs.

Good post, Eddie!

I agree!

Right now the 10-12 foot cutters are more designed for lower horsepower tractors in the 45-50hp range. They are easier to get spinning from a start-up, and not HD at all.

I have my 12' Viper on the back of my 75hp tractor, and will cheer the day they make a HD cutter to go with it!

And you are right about that HP range w/ 12' cutter being the ideal combo. Lots of positives there!

 

[Hay Dude]

That's kinda what I do.

But in the past couple of years, I've leased some good hay fields. I have them for my own use with cattle, and to sell what hay is left over.

I do all the work on them myself, except the cutting and baling. I have a great guy that comes and bales when I have a field ready. It's not really worth my time or money to buy a cutter and baler, as that conflicts with my ranch shredding season, time wise. Unless I'm willing to hire people, and buy more equipment... which is a no-no for me. I like being the only one who operates and maintains my equipment.

For the off season, I offer pasture leveling and hog/gopher damage control, as well as brush clearing. (Down here, the brush is insane... and will take over in short order if not cleared regularly.

This is my retirement job. I do it because I love doing it, even though it can get real busy at times. I tend to have repeat clients.

I’m neck-deep in hay, employees, field mowing, land clearing and large area mowing.

Got all a man can handle, and I intend to keep it that way as long as the Lord will let me give HIM the glory to keep doing so.

 

[Hay Dude]

There's a huge difference in my 15 and 12 for what I use them for.

The 15, I use on very large ranches that have quite a bit of open areas, and not many tight spots between trees I have to shred around.

The 12' cuts in tighter spots much easier, and I can cut a lot more, and leave a lot less uncut. It turns sharper by nature, and I can get closer to structures, fence corners, etc.

Cutting very large ranches with my 15' is enough, width wise. If you run a 20' cutter, you'd better have lots of land, and it better be very smooth, as those 20's get lots of weight out on those wings, and flopping around doesn't do the cutter much good on rough pastures. You also get LOTS of ground strikes with a 20'. The only 20's I see down here are large farms that shred the stalks after harvesting corn or milo, on level farm land.

By the same token, I can use my 12' on very rough, uneven projects, and very rarely get a ground strike, as it rolls with the terrain much better, both in towing pivoting on uneven ground, and ground strikes on the wing blades, because the shorter wings follow uneven terrain much better than the 15'.

As an example, I can drive over the terraces on ranches that have them for runoff control, and cut the pasture any way I want to. The 12' follows the tractor over ups and downs much better because it's shorter, lengthwise. With the 15', a sharp up/down crossing a terrace causes it to high center on the terrace, and the blades to strike the top of the terrace... so I have to drive up onto the terrace and cut the top of it, following the contour.

For my purposes, you couldn't give me a 20'. Well, you could, but I'd sell it soon after.

I have to go fast. Weather is terrible here (rains 2-3 days per week for much of the year) and time is money. Even an hour wasted is a big problem. We have 26 field mowing contracts each with multiple cuts per year.

A 15’ is getting too small for me. Just the same as a guy with a 60” mower would like a 72” mower.

I’m not replacing my 15 with a 20, I want to keep my 15 and add a 20. It’ll save me hours and pay for itself very quickly.

I’ve yet to see a 12’ up here. Prolly cause there’s very few hobby/small farms in my area as land is $150,000/acre. So if it’s a small farm, it gets gobbled up into homes.
If you see a BH up here, it’s a 6-10’ fixed for a couple acres, or a 15/20’ like mine.

I am also looking at used Schulte mowers. I’d put them on par with Deere’s CX or R series.

 

[hayden]

As for ratings, I have never paid much attention to the branch thickness specs. They are just too vague and subjective. Instead I have been looking at the HP ratings for the gear boxes, and the category ratings for the drive shafts. That makes more sense to me.

 

[Hay Dude]

As for ratings, I have never paid much attention to the branch thickness specs. They are just too vague and subjective. Instead I have been looking at the HP ratings for the gear boxes, and the category ratings for the drive shafts. That makes more sense to me.

Right. I mean 4” of what? Hickory? Pine? Big difference.

I actually look at a blend of what people use in my area, dealer, warranty, features and price.
Unlike some people, I don’t have money from marriage or growing off trees in the back forty, so the bottom line is important, too.

Good thing about rotary mowers used to make money is they pay for themselves very fast given a significant client list.