Mowing I need some advice on mowing

[Brokken]

Hello all, I am running a Kubota 4740(30 hp pto), and have a 5 foot brush hog. I am responsible for cutting hay/grass over 170 acres of fairly rough terrain in northern Ontario. Last season I cut for over 400 hours, and only completed about 115 acres.
I need some advice. Is there an attachment that would be better suited?
I would appreciate any of your thoughts.
- thank you

 

[DieselMonk]

Sounds like you need a bigger tractor and a big flail mower.

 

[Brokken]

Yeah, a new tractor is not really an option for me.
I was wondering if a small flail would allow me to cut significantly faster?
Or what about a sickle, or a haybine(new holland 488)?
I have no experience at all with anything besides the hog.
-cheers.

 

[ustobefarmer]

I'm confused. Did it take you 400 hours to mow 115 acres? That is 3.5 hours per acre! You can travel faster with a bush hog or diskbine that you can with a sickle. Are you trying to cut it for baling are just weed control. I think a bigger tractor and larger bush hog is needed.

 

[Brokken]

Hi, I'm cutting for control. The fields I am cutting are interspersed by forest. So 400 hours was a generalization, which included drive time to different areas, maintenance, and odd jobs. Also the area has a few creeks that are hard to traverse, so it can take some time to get around.
It's good to know that the sickle is much slower.
-thanks

 

[Brokken]

But would a 9 foot sickle be slower than a 5 foot brush hog?

 

[flyingcow]

The nice thing about a bush hog is they're generally bullet proof. If you maintain them. Grease level in gear box, etc. Does this unit have a shear pin or slip clutch on the PTO shaft? If it's a slip clutch of some kind make sure it's working properly. If it isn't it will result in gear box damage, which is pricey. this I know.

i don't think you're going to be able to cover ground any faster with anything else for mowers.

 

[1GB]

But would a 9 foot sickle be slower than a 5 foot brush hog?

He mentioned rough terrain. A sickle wouldn't be advisable for that IMO.

I think the best solution is a bigger brush hog.

 

[RPW]

With a 30pto tractor he could move up to a 6ft mower. If the grass/hay isn't to high probably pick up the speed a bit.

 

[BillG_in_TX]

The L4740 is rated at 40-41.5 PTO HP. The OP can run a much bigger cutter.

 

[DieselMonk]

bush hog gear boxes break too and the blades snap in half. Been there done that.

 

[Brokken]

Bill, I feel like a fool. 4740=hp/pto-hp. I misread the specs in the owners manual. How could I not have caught that for so long...
This will open a lot more options for me.
Thank you.
-Toban.

 

[BillG_in_TX]

Toban,

I think the "40" in 4740 is indicative of the current lineup of Grand L models. They range from the L3240 to the L5740. The first two numbers are close to the gross HP of each model, but the "40" just coincidentally matches your PTO HP.

Have fun shopping!

 

[bilrus61]

Look at getting a twin spindle mower such as the Land Pride rcr 25 series in 8 foot. Due to leverage ???? the twin spindle will cut wider for the same horsepower over a single spindle mower. The Land Pride RCR 25 8 foot (really its 7' 10") is rated down to just 30 hp, I think your tractor would run it fine. Only 1 inch capacity however. Because of overlapping your really just getting about 4' 6" out of that 5 footer at best. You could cut about a 7' 2" with the Land Pride mower. A bigger tractor is the best option but since you say thats out of the question and you have so much to mow I would look at getting a light duty twin spindle 8 footer.

Some other thoughts, if your trying to just keep it pasture by cutting saplings mow when its winter. You can fly on that tractor if you mow in winter/early spring before the grass gets up and thick. Much faster than mowing say in June yet you'll still get the saplings down. If your mowing grass you can set your mower higher and that "gives" you more horsepower. Mowing say 2 inches high takes lots more power than 5 or 6 inches. Should give you more speed. But basically your limited to how fast you can mow with your horsepower. Bigger mower might let you mow faster but really nothing beats more horsepower for getting the job done quickly.

 

[foreman Etexas]

Spray it first,then come back later a mow once you killed the weeds. I hope you gotta cab

 

[trook]

You should be able to use a pull behind 8ft cutter all day. In fact, as long as the brush is not too tall/thick, you could probably use a 10ft pull behind. That would drastically reduce your time. :thumbsup:

 

[flusher]

Yeah, a new tractor is not really an option for me.
I was wondering if a small flail would allow me to cut significantly faster?
Or what about a sickle, or a haybine(new holland 488)?
I have no experience at all with anything besides the hog.
-cheers.

My experience with my Mahindra 5525 (54 hp engine, 45 hp pto), a 6-ft Hawkline brush hog, and a 5.5 ft Value Leader flail mower is that I can cut better and faster with the brush hog.

Sicklebar mowers and haybines cut the weeds once and lay them down nicely for raking and baling. Is this what you want, or do you want the cuttings chopped up like you get with a hog or flail?

 

[Mark Page]

I helped a neighbor out a few years back when her tractor was down. I used her 12 ft. batwing to mow 40 acres of pasture she was trying to reclaim. The various weeds and grasses were about 16" high. My 45 horse Massey went through it in my regular turf mowing speed without even breathing hard. Surprised me. She uses the bat wing with her 50 horse JD.

 

[DJ54]

If it were normal hay ground, and trying to cover all of that with that size of a tractor, a disc, or drum mower would really increase efficiency. Matched with the proper HP, you can mow, about as fast as you can hang on, but not recommended...

But rocks and saplings are not their friends... And cost, is another story...

 

[Brokken]

Thanks for all the advice.
Bilrus61- I agree with your assessment. I have a land pride rep close by, I'm going to get some quotes,

Flusher- I will be chopping up, not raking, so basically I was looking into how different types of cutters would stack up as far as speed, and efficiency.

Foreman-spraying is not an option, but I was thinking i could probably build a flamethrower for a fairly reasonable price!..

-thanks again