Low HP flail mower

[GolfAddict]

SI2305,

I know what you mean about getting a larger tractor, but keeping the SCUT. I have different types of areas that I have need for a tractor, sometimes a SCUT sized and sometimes a full sized.

I cut my lawn and also the "fairways" of my golf holes with my SCUT. (I reclaimed some of my pasture land to use for a rather primitive few golf holes.) I currently cut the rough of my golf holes with the SCUT mower set higher, which I think a flail mower would be ideal for. Then there are meadow areas on the land that I only rough cut every couple years with a heavy duty rotary mower, as well as put in some food plots - best done with a larger tractor.

When I stopped farming I kept one tractor, along with some implements. So I'm just a bit ahead of you with already having a larger tractor - but as you say, I could never be without a SCUT sized tractor.

 

[SI2305]

Leonz,

You are absolutely right about the poison ivy as it not an invasive plant but a native! I do everything I can to knock it back, and in my experience, nothing--NOTHING--beats Roundup. I am not trying to be an advertiser, but this is the best for killing weeds. Mowing makes little poison ivy but does not kill it. And yes, I am HIGHLY allergic to it

When I first got married my wife and I moved into a spec home just completed. The "yard" had been rough graded but neither finish graded nor seeded. After moving in I found some poison Ivy plants. I hit them with roundup, only to have another pop up right next to the dead one. I continued this until frustration set in at which point I got a fork, spade and rake in order to start pulling up roots. The root ended up being 70 feet long, with branches heading off for at least 10 feet before it finally broke! 70 feet of roots! I did not know what to do with it. I certainly did not want to bury it, it would love that. I did not want to burn it for fear of inhalation. I eventually chucked it over into an adjacent empty lot in a place with tons of shade. Ever since, I feel like I am at war with the dreaded plant and eradicate it whenever possible.

I hope your technique works, but the proper herbicide can really deliver a knockout punch but might need repeated applications. there is a newer version of Roundup that is intended for Poison Ivy, its roots, and its evil brethren. It might just be a stronger concentration, or it might have something in addition to glyphosphate. Whatever the case is, best of luck to you.

SI2305

JD 2305
200CX, LX4, 60" Grader blade, 60" LandPride finish mower that replaced our old lawn mower, middlebuster, home made grass rake for long field grass collection, and now a specialized trailer to move heavy logs

 

[leonz]

Leonz,

You are absolutely right about the poison ivy as it not an invasive plant but a native! I do everything I can to knock it back, and in my experience, nothing--NOTHING--beats Roundup. I am not trying to be an advertiser, but this is the best for killing weeds. Mowing makes little poison ivy but does not kill it. And yes, I am HIGHLY allergic to it

When I first got married my wife and I moved into a spec home just completed. The "yard" had been rough graded but neither finish graded nor seeded. After moving in I found some Poison Ivy plants. I hit them with roundup, only to have another pop up right next to the dead one. I continued this until frustration set in at which point I got a fork, spade and rake in order to start pulling up roots. The root ended up being 70 feet long, with branches heading off for at least 10 feet before it finally broke! 70 feet of roots! I did not know what to do with it. I certainly did not want to bury it, it would love that. I did not want to burn it for fear of inhalation. I eventually chucked it over into an adjacent empty lot in a place with tons of shade. Ever since, I feel like I am at war with the dreaded plant and eradicate it whenever possible.

I hope your technique works, but the proper herbicide can really deliver a knockout punch but might need repeated applications. there is a newer version of Roundup that is intended for Poison Ivy, its roots, and its evil brethren. It might just be a stronger concentration, or it might have something in addition to glyphosphate. Whatever the case is, best of luck to you.

SI2305

JD 2305
200CX, LX4, 60" Grader blade, 60" LandPride finish mower that replaced our old lawn mower, middlebuster, home made grass rake for long field grass collection, and now a specialized trailer to move heavy logs

I must apologise, I ment in My statement the fact that Poison Ivy crawls everywhere it has the opportunity to do so

 

[IslandTractor]

SI2305,

I know what you mean about getting a larger tractor, but keeping the SCUT. I have different types of areas that I have need for a tractor, sometimes a SCUT sized and sometimes a full sized. .

I have a full size CUT and I'd love a BX24/25 for projects where the DK is just too big to work effectively.

 

[SI2305]

Island Tractor,

I am pretty sure I stated before that I own about 3 acres of woods that took a beating from a storm 3 years ago. I spent all of today (Saturday) out in the woods clearing up dense undergrowth that shot up sense and in the process, creating some usable, clear passages. Nice part about the 2305 is that it can turn on a dime--provided my loader and LX4 don't hit a tree. Today we cut some of the numerous, big fallen logs that stop my progress. I still have a lot more to go, but having the small tractor in the tight space can certainly bring in big results

SI2305

JD 2305
200CX, LX4, 60" Grader blade, 60" LandPride finish mower that replaced our old lawn mower, middlebuster, home made grass rake for long field grass collection, and now a specialized trailer to move heavy logs

 

[IslandTractor]

Honestly SI2305 I wouldn't use a SCUT in the woods to clear debris. That is a job best done with a powerful loader, grapple and ground clearance IMO. What I'd like a SCUT for is closer to home.

 

[SI2305]

Island Tractor,

I share your concerns about the ground clearance--single most vulnerable aspect of a SCUT. However, as I was using my LX4 slowly backing into the woods about 4-5 feet and a time (at most), my rotary cutter finds the dangerous stuff first and destroys it. I will show a pict soon showing all that I cleared, but it does take some patience, time and skill to slowly maneuver the whole setup so that I can level small vegetation, be wary of heavy vegetation, and stop for logs or other obstructions and then compensate for those.

I understand your concerns, but no larger piece of equipment would work for me. I would, however, be interested in any sort of armor package I could install underneath.

SI 2305

JD 2305
200CX, LX4, 60" Grader blade, 60" LandPride finish mower that replaced our old lawn mower, middlebuster, home made grass rake for long field grass collection, and now a specialized trailer to move heavy logs

 

[leonz]

Please check with the Brotek folks to see if they
make a belly pan for your JD2305 quickly.


Not wanting to be fly in the ointment here-
I would also be concerned with the aluminum axle
that you have on your 2305 as well as they have
snapped on other owner users in the past


It may be well worth it for you to check with
someone who owns a very small dozer like a
JD350 or 450 to see what their rates are or
possibly renting one for a day or two.

A dozer with and experienced operator and
grouser tracks will do a lot of work in a very
short time for you.


As I said I only want you to suceed and not fail.



www.brotek.com


The Brotek folks do not make a guard for your tractor
but it would be worth your while to check with them to
see if they would be interested in making one for you as
brush is an opportunist as any user of a BX that has had
to replace a cooling fan because they did not have a guard
underneath the tractor to protect the underside of the
transmission and cooling fan.



_________________________________________________________________
Once you go flail you never go back:thumbsup::licking::drool:
Pronovost or not at all!!!:thumbsup::licking::drool:

 

[SI2305]

I wanted to add a couple of picts that show how terribly dense the woods is but also show the progress. Island Tractor, Leonz, I post these, partially with your concerns in mind. This certainly is not area to go without caution. Overall, this represents a few days progress with one other person around to help with the chainsaw cuts. This also gives me a great supply of logs for my raised bed gardens.

Thunder Cut seemed appropriate for these sets of images as it was a terrible thunder when the trees fell and quite a bit of thunder from my 2305 as it made its way through the woods. I estimate I have cleared 1/4 acre, though this is only a guess.

TC 2 is at the top of the ridge, just inside of the woods, looking down on several vanes that I have cut into.

TC 12 is an upper view looking down into the central cut which has become the main area, from which we can add new cuts

TC 19 is at the bottom of the central cut looking across the lower valley. I chose this pict as it shows the density of the vegetation. Essentially, the entire woods is as densely vegetated as the vegetation in this pict. It also shows two real concerns--those two hanging trees. I don't know exactly how I am going to get those down as they are VERY long trunks that are hung up in other trees. I know the dangers of trying to cut one of these down. Might call a pro on these two.

TC 38 is taken about 1/2 way up the central cut back up towards the top. I chose it to give perspective and to show how much we have managed to clear

I appreciate your concerns, but I can assure you this was no trivial effort on my part. I took each section slowly, basically backing in with the LX4, lowering the mower and then driving forward and then again repeating the process. I moved VERY slowly and took care to be sensitive to the alterations in terrain and slowed or stopped whenever I felt the ground was just no good to travel. I rarely moved forward into new vegetation, doing so only to move logs. Much of this progress was restricted by logs too large to get over and only passible with the help of a chainsaw.

However, time and effort and patience and a lot of tools made this part possible. From here I want to try to connect some of the areas, cut up and move obstructive logs and try to get the woods back into a condition where they are still a woods, but leave room for human usage.

SI2305

JD 2305
200CX, LX4, 60" Grader blade, 60" LandPride finish mower that replaced our old lawn mower, middlebuster, home made grass rake for long field grass collection, and now a specialized trailer to move heavy logs

 

[SI2305]

Leonz,

Could you tell me what grouser tracks are? I have never heard of them. I a curious, what exactly would you imagine a dozer doing in my woods? I don't really use the blade so much as I want to shred the dense vegetation and leave the few remaining trees. If you look at the pictures I sent, that is basically what I want to do.

Also, could you explain to me how I am potentially at risk when I am clearing brush the way I am. I thought I was going pretty safe with the LX4 leading the way and only taking 2-3 foot "bites" at a time. even those bite were slow as I either lowered the LX4 onto brush and then moved forward through cleared ground, or I slowly backed in with the LX4, sort of "probing" in and careful to move slow enough that I would not strike a log hard. basically if I felt the nudge I stopped, moved forward, checked for obstructions, then moved back again. Overall, it was a very slow process, but faster than doing it by hand. In an afternoon I had cleared some nice patches and exposed logs preventing further movement. Thats where the chainsaw would come in and I would cut only those logs that I could tell were safe--not spring poles or the like.

I am wary of the underside, but that is why I was going backwards--to clear before material could even come into contact with the machine and especially its underside. Trust me when I say that I did not mow/clear unless I could see what I was clearing.

I thought I was being safe, but maybe you have better alternatives.

Thank you very much for you knowledge and insights

SI2305