Homeade Brush Cutter.....for skid steer...

[Complete]

What you are talking about is industrial duty... more than most farm units do. If you are going to get an application that seems to be as financially rewarding as cutting 4" brush would be for yourself or commercially, and you have saved on the subunit as you have, why not just go to the dealer of the above, or another that you like and have them part out the whole unit from motor to blade. Nickel and diming on something as heavy duty as this makes little sense. When you want to work, you need to have a suitable tool... unlike some of us that try to beat the system be cause it is fun or necessary.

Well its fun to build and put together. I don't have the $5K to buy the commercial unit. and For what use mine will see it will be above the call and last for years at a fraction of the cost

 

[Brad_Blazer]

Since a new gearbox is only about $100, if it was me I would get the gearbox, stump jumper, and blades from agri-supply and mate the hydraulic motor to the gearbox. That way you don't have to worry about mating the stump jumper or whether the motor bearings can handle the abuse.
40HP GEARBOX SMOOTH INPUT SHAFT W/SHEAR - Agri Supply

 

[Complete]

Since a new gearbox is only about $100, if it was me I would get the gearbox, stump jumper, and blades from agri-supply and mate the hydraulic motor to the gearbox. That way you don't have to worry about mating the stump jumper or whether the motor bearings can handle the abuse.
40HP GEARBOX SMOOTH INPUT SHAFT W/SHEAR - Agri Supply

Would that handle cutting 4-6" brush?

 

[Scotty370]

That's the same 'box' that I'm using on my stump grinder build! Please buy it and let me know if it will take the abuse of mowing 4" trees! That would certainly quell my 'bearing abuse' fears!! ~Scotty

 

[jenkinsph]

Would that handle cutting 4-6" brush?

Think along the lines of a 90 to 150 hp gear box.


Steve

 

[Brad_Blazer]

Now that I can see the picture of your machine a 40hp gear box does seem light. You probably saw the 75hp boxes at the Agri Supply link I posted.

My only experience is a few acres of pine trees to 4" I cut with an old light duty 5' rough cut mower I picked up for $250. It had been repainted but the construction was similar to a King Kutter. It did the job and gave me no problems. I'm sure it was only rated to cut 1" brush.

 

[J_J]

BRUSH CUTTER A 4 in tree is not brush

I think you guys are dreaming about the ability of the bush hog to cut and shred 3 and 4 in trees. Yes I know you can push the tree over and run over it and sit there and finally grind it up. maybe, but the bush hog was never designed for something like that. It is hard to believe that the one guy cut an acre of 4 in pine. I don't think the bush hog will stand up to that kind of abuse. Even with a relief valve on the hydraulic motor, I still think you will damage the motor and bush hog frame real quick. JMHO

This is a tree cutter.

 

[MarkV]

I would think that 4" hardwoods could be tough on any but the most heavy duty mower decks. If the donor mower is a lighter duty model you may want to beef up deck to keep it together.

MarkV

 

[jenkinsph]

Think along the lines of a 90 to 150 hp gear box.


Steve

I agree with JJ,

If you are talking trees with 4 to 6" trunks that is firewood and should be cut up as so. If you want to chip this size stuff I would use a chipper.

Where I live there is some brush that has a large stump that branches out at the ground into many much smaller growth (1 to 2"). Anything larger than this and you will soon tear equipment up.

 

[TracksNIowa]

JJ,
You bring up a good point about us being realistic with what we can do and not do with these tools. I would be willing to look at the chipper type tool like you posted in your pic. The problem is the flail or hammer type ones i have seen on the net are only for much larger skids and it seems that most require high flow. I would run a 42 to 48 inch one like that if I could with my 1840 if it would be able to handle larger brush and if i could move faster in stuff like multi flora rose? Does anyone make a mower like that that would fit my unit, or has anyone fabricated one?
Thanks to all for helping me be realistic about what i can expect from these tools.
Beau

 

[medicshawn]

You should look at the vide of this product. They show it cutting 4 inch trees like butter. Brown Manufacturing tree cutter.
http://www.brownmfgcorp.com/indexold.html

 

[J_J]

Yes, with a tractor with at least 145 HP. 3/16 to 1/4 in steel deck with heavy duty every thing. A 5 in tree cutter is only $7000. They also make one to cut up to 8 in trees

 

[J_J]

Land Clearing- Forestry Mulcher, Tree Shredder, Brush Cutting

 

[MarkV]

Well JJ posted about the same time I was expressing concerns about a donor deck having the ability to handle 4" trees. I have been around the Brown tree cutters and they are great, it was also on the back of a 100 hp tractor. It still made the tractor work.

MarkV

 

[TracksNIowa]

Thanks MarkV MedicShawn and JJ,
Those cutters would be ideal for heavy chipping and mulching, but the flow rate required is way over my machines capacaty. I think my best bet will be to build a five foot or less blade cutter and build it fairly beefy, and just dont use it beyond its means. If I tear it up I will probably be having fun anyways!
Thanks for all the input fellas.
Beau

 

[Taylortractornut]

I have 2 1840's right now that I use in my business and at my day job. Im gathering the stuff to build a mower for it to. I think someone here already made one for a friend out of an old hog. I had a saw I made for mine but I didnt have the hydraulic motor vale that lets fluid flow it kept straininging my hydraulic relif valve when I let off. On my cutter I want to put an overrunning clutch on it the motor to the pto shaft to let it coast. Also on the brown cutters what makes them so much better is they have 4 somtime six blades. Thes like putting a fine tooth blade in a saw to to take the shock on the gearbox.
In Votech we made a special stump jumper for an old man that was cleaning up an old feild. We took a 1 1/4 plate and made a flat stump jumper and then bored the cener out and pressed in a splined drive hub and welded it in. We then set up in the mill and rotary table and drilled 4 holes around the edge and put in bush hog bolts. He had the back of the hog cut out to back into pine trees slowly and then it would hack into the base and when they fell over he would mow the limbs and left them laying on the ground flat. He also had us make an adjustable pusher bar to kinda tilt tehm over to make them hack at the bend in the base. Later on when the old Hurricane or hot saw heads on feller bunchers were getting replaced by the newer saw heads every loggger had one in the scrap pile. This same old man had us put a large gea box off a big bush ho and we built a deck for it. and the hitch an left about 1/4 of it open. Then he brought us another splined hub and one of these 3/4 inch saws with a bag of carbide teeth that went with it. we hae t o make a bigger adapter hub but we welded it in place and then bolted it to the mower box. Later we went too see it work man it coull te some trees out backing up. He later put it on a 240 IH that he put a wide front end in. It was the same 240 that hade the reversible box so it could be used backwards as a cotton picker. He efectivly made a super cutter tractor. The man inherited a place in TN and I lost track of him. Hes was sure a go getter and cleaned up alot of land with these 2 machines we made.

 

[Complete]

BRUSH CUTTER A 4 in tree is not brush

Haha you havent been in East Texas. If you add a little extra metal to the deck and open the front you should be able to cut 4 and 5" brush pretty easy.

Long as you aren't tryin to cut hardwood everyday.

If you can spend $1500 on your own it beats the **** outta $5K plus for a manufactured one

 

[Complete]

If I had the $$$ here is what I would buy...

Tushogg Means Tough - Tushogg 6000 HS - - Land clearing, right of way clearing, forestry applications and fire prevention

They are made 45min from here

 

[Complete]

Is your GPM output variable with in the two ranges. You could vary the engine rpm to set a pump output to match up the motor you want to use, but , then you have to consider your ground speed.

The two switchs in the top right corner one is low flow the other is high flow. 20gpm when one is clicked 38gpm when the other is clicked

 

[J_J]

Do you have two pumps for the aux circuit, or do they use a flow divider to get the 20 and the 38 GPM's, or maybe a two speed pump.