Acres cut per hour

[jenkinsph]

Builder,
with the right equipment you could cut it easily in three to four hours with one wide area mower, something like the 1600 series Deere. This includes mowing around obstacles and trees. Someone trimming up while you mow the open areas. That would leave two of you weed eating the rest of the day. In my area that would be worth about $850 to $1000.

 

[Farmwithjunk]

No, I'M paying for the mower. They pay for the mowing.
I agree with your view on it, but I'm walking in with 1/2 the mowing season over. Also, grass tends to slow down and turn brown in July/Aug so cuts may get much less frequent.

Just curious: What can you guys command in price for say 20 acres of nicely clipped pasture, 5,000 feet of split rail fence and maybe 100 assorted trees, stone barn ruins, etc.? My bid's already in, but just curious. I charge ~$60/acre to bush hog. What do you pay a weedeater operator?

Based on rates that are competitive in my area, 20 acres of well kept pasture would equate to something like $500....$575, weedeating extra. (Mowing cost MIGHT go higher if there's a significant distance to travel) I figure estimates on weed eating at $45hr. Leaving it up to you to do the math based on hours you estimate to do the trimming.

Keep in mind, this is a relatively cheap area of the country to live/operate in. It's not UNcommon to find "legal" small scale mowing "contractors" here that will run a 40hp tractor/6' mower for $40hr.

Some of the "beer money" guys will do the same for as low as $25 an hour. No point in even trying to compete against those sort of prices....

 

[jenkinsph]

Farmwithjunk,
I see our estimates are very close, New Mexico is a poor state with low per capita income. The key here I would think is the time spent on edging and cleanup with trimmers.

 

[Builder]

Builder,
with the right equipment you could cut it easily in three to four hours with one wide area mower, something like the 1600 series Deere. This includes mowing around obstacles and trees. Someone trimming up while you mow the open areas. That would leave two of you weed eating the rest of the day. In my area that would be worth about $850 to $1000.

I actually looked at a Jacobsen with hydraulic finish wing mowers, but I cant afford to buy any "one dimensional" pieces of equipment at this point. Many of these type of mowers are for sale in the 7-10K range. Everything must be able to serve multiple uses, so the mower will probably have to be something I can pull behind my M7040.
Your price estimate range was exactly what I had thought. I went on the high end side of your guess.
My only remaining concern is R-1's leaving damage to the pasture turf. Nothing I can do except be very careful and avoid sharp turns.

 

[jenkinsph]

Builder,
Did you look at the Swisher 60" finish mowers that could be pulled with the small Kubota? This would keep the weight down low and two of them added on would approach a 14 to 15 ft cutting width. I don't know that I have ever seen these Swishers' up close just a thought.

 

[Builder]

That would be a great "economy" solution. Can't help think there'd be a compromise there somewhere....
I can get a 15' batwing finish for a VERY reasonable cost, but the R-1's issue doesn't go away.

 

[Builder]

Update: I just took my MX-8 over to a Customers and cut about an acre of 15" tall pasture with it. Even with dull blades traveling at 4MPH, it did a good job.
I think I will sharpen blades even more than normal and go forward with the MX-8 cutting the pasture. They will need to be made aware that the clippings will lay, but will be better with the 2nd cut.

 

[Farmwithjunk]

but the R-1's issue doesn't go away.

Every tractor I own has R1's. I mow lawn, pastures, and hay fields with a combination of tractors, but as I said, all R1's.

I'm particular about the lawn, but the HAY FIELDS make me money, so I'm even more particular with them. I avoid tire tracks/tire marks as much as is humanly possible. Best to avoid cutting in wet conditions. No sudden sharp turns. Make wide sweeping turns where possible. There is still the occasional tire mark, but not nearly so bad as you might think.

We're negotiating a mowing contract now with a thoroughbred horse operation based not far from here. They want pastures, lanes, waterways, and lawn areas to look like they've been hand manicured with fingernail clippers.....That particular. If that works out, we'll be mowing there NEXT summer. If so, I'll be putting a set of turf tires on one of the tractors. It will be a dedicated mowing rig for that one job. If we get it, I'll be buying a Sitrex SM3600 finish mower.

SITREX SPA - AGRICULTURAL MACHINERY - ITALY

 

[JWR]

Update: I just took my MX-8 over to a Customers and cut about an acre of 15" tall pasture with it. Even with dull blades traveling at 4MPH, it did a good job.
I think I will sharpen blades even more than normal and go forward with the MX-8 cutting the pasture. They will need to be made aware that the clippings will lay, but will be better with the 2nd cut.

Sharpening blades: I assume you know this already BUT I found out the hard way last year. On an MX6 (presumably on the MX8 ?) the bolt torque for getting the stump jumper on/off is 450 ft -lbs. That means a big socket set and a cheater pipe about 5 feet long if you are strong as ****. You need help. Worse yet, the torque specs on the flails are either 600 or 650 ft-lbs. If the stump jumper is not torqued to spec you will eventually find it sailing out through the field as it did on me. The manual says tighten it near spec values, then belt it with a sledge hammer and do it all over again, twice -- I'm serious.

As a practical matter, you really need a big torque multiplier wrench and stuff most people do not have lying around to get those blades on and off. It's almost better for us po-folk to jack the thing up on something safe and sharpen the blades on it (using a carbide disk on a drill) without removing them.

 

[dodge man]

Someone else mentioned it, but I've seen a comercial mower use one, but I've always called them offset mowers. You could hook one of these up behind your BX and get a cut of at least 9'. I'm not sure how fast you could mow with one, but I'd think 3 miles an hour would be pretty easy. The one I've seen used in this area is electric start, and they tow it behind a regular riding mower, and it seems to give a pretty good cut. Its another gas engine to maintain, but they appear to be a pretty simple setup. Here is a picture of what I'm talking about.

 

[Farmwithjunk]

Sharpening blades: I assume you know this already BUT I found out the hard way last year. On an MX6 (presumably on the MX8 ?) the bolt torque for getting the stump jumper on/off is 450 ft -lbs. That means a big socket set and a cheater pipe about 5 feet long if you are strong as ****. You need help. Worse yet, the torque specs on the flails are either 600 or 650 ft-lbs. If the stump jumper is not torqued to spec you will eventually find it sailing out through the field as it did on me. The manual says tighten it near spec values, then belt it with a sledge hammer and do it all over again, twice -- I'm serious.

As a practical matter, you really need a big torque multiplier wrench and stuff most people do not have lying around to get those blades on and off. It's almost better for us po-folk to jack the thing up on something safe and sharpen the blades on it (using a carbide disk on a drill) without removing them.

No need to remove the stump jumper....or the blades either for that matter. A waste of time if you ask me.... It's FAR easier, faster, and with that, better to simply grind them in place without removing anything. Use a 4" angle grinder.

When we do need to remove/re-install blades, I use a 1" air impact wrench.

 

[LD1]

No need to remove the stump jumper....or the blades either for that matter. A waste of time if you ask me.... It's FAR easier, faster, and with that, better to simply grind them in place without removing anything. Use a 4" angle grinder.

When we do need to remove/re-install blades, I use a 1" air impact wrench.

Personally, I like removing the blades anytime I sharpen them. I have two bushhogs, a 105 and a 306. Theres a little access door in the deck. So far, my IR 2135Ti 1/2" impact is all that has ever been needed to remove and replace them.

But the reason I loke taking them appart is because when the time comes that I NEED to take them off, they wont be siezed on causing me to fight with it for hours.:thumbsup:

 

[JWR]

No need to remove the stump jumper....or the blades either for that matter. A waste of time if you ask me.... It's FAR easier, faster, and with that, better to simply grind them in place without removing anything. Use a 4" angle grinder.

When we do need to remove/re-install blades, I use a 1" air impact wrench.

I sure do agree if you have that big an air wrench. Getting the right torque on one may be hard to do (somewhere between not enough and twisting the thing off.) Maybe there are torque gauges for impact wrenches ??

 

[TripleR]

I sure do agree if you have that big an air wrench. Getting the right torque on one may be hard to do (somewhere between not enough and twisting the thing off.) Maybe there are torque gauges for impact wrenches ??

They make torque sticks, but I don't know much about them.

 

[Farmwithjunk]

Personally, I like removing the blades anytime I sharpen them. I have two bushhogs, a 105 and a 306.

5 bat wings, 4 single spindle 3-point decks, all needing a touch up every 10 work days...(plus another 6'er @ home) The time involved, remove v in place, doing them in place wins by default. We expect to put on around 750hrs per mower this summer.

Blades come off once during the season, about 2/3rds the way through, and again during winter maintenance, for a closer inspection. (That caught a cracked blade before it broke last summer!)

 

[Farmwithjunk]

I sure do agree if you have that big an air wrench. Getting the right torque on one may be hard to do (somewhere between not enough and twisting the thing off.) Maybe there are torque gauges for impact wrenches ??

In a quick search, I couldn't find the specs on my 1" impact, nor the 3/4", but we just bought one of these... Ingersoll rand impact wrench:Ingersoll-Rand 2130 1/2-Inch Heavy-Duty Air Impact Wrench | Ingersoll Rand Impact Wrench
With 1/2" near the capacity to handle what we're looking at with a bush hog blade bolt (try saying that 3 times real fast...) the 3/4" will handle the job, and the 1" will break loose anything I've ever asked of it. I guess not everyone has a full shop, a service truck, and 2 service techs working for them though......

All these guns have the ability to be dialed back to avoid over torquing. Not accurate enough to be torquing head bolts, but plenty close enough for a bush hog blade.

 

[LD1]

Yea, with that much maintenance I probabally wouldnt remove them either. But I dont do much bushhogging. I only sharpen maybe 3 times per year.

This IR2135QTI 1/2" Air Impact Wrench is the impact I use. For the money, it cant be beat IMO. It has NEVER let me down. And it is as light as my little 3/8" impact too:thumbsup:

 

[Builder]

Sharpening blades: I assume you know this already BUT I found out the hard way last year. On an MX6 (presumably on the MX8 ?) the bolt torque for getting the stump jumper on/off is 450 ft -lbs. That means a big socket set and a cheater pipe about 5 feet long if you are strong as ****. You need help. Worse yet, the torque specs on the flails are either 600 or 650 ft-lbs. If the stump jumper is not torqued to spec you will eventually find it sailing out through the field as it did on me. The manual says tighten it near spec values, then belt it with a sledge hammer and do it all over again, twice -- I'm serious.

As a practical matter, you really need a big torque multiplier wrench and stuff most people do not have lying around to get those blades on and off. It's almost better for us po-folk to jack the thing up on something safe and sharpen the blades on it (using a carbide disk on a drill) without removing them.

That's all I've ever done. I like the result better on a bench grinder, but I use my 4" dewalt angle grinder, lift the mower up about 16" and have at it. Seems to work OK. Would love to be able to R&R blades easily and bench grind them.

 

[JWR]

That's all I've ever done. I like the result better on a bench grinder, but I use my 4" dewalt angle grinder, lift the mower up about 16" and have at it. Seems to work OK. Would love to be able to R&R blades easily and bench grind them.

Yep. Agree. One guy mentioned using a large air wrench when the blades really do have to come off. That's surely the best route, especially if you don't have help. But I don't know how one sets torque values using an air wrench. Is there a gadget for doing that ?

 

[LD1]

Yep. Agree. One guy mentioned using a large air wrench when the blades really do have to come off. That's surely the best route, especially if you don't have help. But I don't know how one sets torque values using an air wrench. Is there a gadget for doing that ?

Yes they make gadgets, but they arent as good as an actual torque wrench.

Bt I use neither. About the only thing I break a torque wrench out on anymore is head bolts, rod and main cap bolts, and some automatic transmission stuff.

I just hammer on them with the impact til it quits. Then get the 3/4" drive socket and breaker bar with ~3' cheater pipe and see if I can tighten it anymore. Usually not and I call it good:thumbsup: