Opinions Wanted - Brush Cutting

[Dillier23]

Hello all,
I've been trying to buy a few acres for a home site and pasture or hunting ground recently. I currently have a Kubota B2620
(20hp PTO) and am wondering how much of a chore it's going to be to get this area cleared using this small compact tractor. The picture below is a good indication of what the ground looks like, some areas are fairly clean while others are worse than the picture depicts. I would ideally like to take my time and work with what I have, which would be the tractor above and a 4ft rotary mower. This will be in the neighborhood of 17-20 acres to knock down. After the initial clean up it shouldn't be tough to keep things under control.

I know I can rent a skid steer with a front mounted mower if I need to for the first knockdown.

Let me know your thoughts.

 

[dieseleric]

I have a b2920. I would think you could do it. Do you have a front end loader? If so it would help to keep that low and lay the grass over some before mowing it. You will have to keep a very close eye on the temp gauge as the radiator screen plugs up fast on them. Other than that have some fun. I would opt for the skid steer with front mounted bush hog first if it was me. Time is money and that would be way faster.

 

[DarkBlack]

To me 17-20 acres is not " a few acres" as you opened with. Assuming you will be leaving the trees standing, I think you first need to see how many large rocks and stumps are hidden from view in the tall grass and brush. That could make a huge difference in what it will take.

 

[Gale Hawkins]

Around here that are services using skid steers with a heavy duty bushhog on front that will mow ground that grew trees while in the CRP set aside land. I guess they work by the hour. You might consider that option for the first time. It would be important they cut at the ground level so as not to leave stuff that would puncture your tractor tire.

 

[LostInTheWoods]

Dillier23,

17-20 acres is a lot of ground to cover with a 4ft rotary cutter. Every acre is 43,000+ square feet. Assuming an average speed of 4MPH, you're looking at about 10 or 11 hours of mowing every time, assuming you don't have obstacles to negotiate that would slow you down. And 4MPH might be overestimating average mowing speed. It would jump to about 14 hours at 3MPH.

 

[Dillier23]

I will agree that 17-20 acres is a little more than a few. I'm strongly considering a 50hp compact and a 6' mower, this would drastically cut down my time and give me an excuse to buy a larger tractor with a much stronger loader. The B is a good little tractor, but I'd say 5-10 acres would be it's limit depending on it's usage.

I'll check on the skid steer rentals also, this may change my perspective based on cost to rent vs owning a tractor.

 

[Ed of all trades]

I would consider bush hogging the important areas and the clean areas and saving the rest for winter when you can see better. No matter what size tractor or skid steer you use a broken or bent part = $$$:2cents:

 

[jimpen]

You can probably rent a bush hog for the first pass. That would probably be a 3 day weekend to knock it down.

 

[YardBikeBob]

My thoughts are why do you feel the need to knock it all down?

Sure, if you have a dwelling, run circles around it so its clean 30 or 40 feet out to discourage critters. Use the cutter to make some trails through your property to keep an eye on it. Then just expand peace meal when a project arrives.

After you 'clear' the whole thing, you can revel in your accomplishment only once. After that, the maintenance 3 to 4 times a month in growing season gets pretty old.

Oh, and rotary cutters on a slope are not much fun. I drag a swisher mower behind my ATV to keep my trails open. Slopes no problem. I rotary cut about 6 acres of flat (bumpy) pasture (with a 6' and it takes 3 hours) and let nature squat on the rest of it.

Or do you really already have something that needs a pasture?

Bob

 

[mikim]

You could fence it all then rent it to a goat herder.

 

[TripleR]

Yes you "can" do it, but I sure wouldn't want to. I would rent or pay someone for the initial clearing.

Along the lines of YardBikeBob, decide in advance your plans, you mentioned hunting, so cutting everything down sure isn't going to leave anything for wildlife. We created wildlife friendly property with combination of trees, brush, warm season grasses etc. We now have paths through it and do rotating controlled burns and clearing as needed.

 

[Sodo]

I would ideally like to take my time and work with what I have, which would be the tractor above and a 4ft rotary mower?.Let me know your thoughts.

What's the point of owning a tractor & mower, then rent other eqpt to do its job? All the transport and fees and the time to call around to organize that transaction, then the money too? While your own eqpt is already there, not earning its keep. I like to do a couple acres in the spring and a couple in the fall. I enjoy watching it grow back, and try to do repeat work only on the trouble spots. The more you mow the more you have to mow again. But I only mow for the look, have no good excuse otherwise, you may have other goals.

 

[Ted Summey]

I concur with either renting or purchasing larger equipment such as a skid steer or tractor with a brush cutter of sufficient size to get the job done yourself OR hiring the job done. Think about the wear and tear on the smaller machine. It is probably strong enough to do the work but at what long term wear? Especially, considering the hours the smaller machine will be worked to accomplish the same work a larger machine can do in a fraction of the time.

Maintenance after the initial clean up, the smaller machine can be used. In our neck of the woods, it is better to do that kind of cleanup after frost and before new growth in the spring. The green stuff will be dried out and will pulverize better. Plus the likelihood of stirring up yellow jackets or ground wasps is much smaller. You haven't known pain until you get a yellow jacket or five under your hat and you get stung several times about the head and neck......don't ask how I know! LOL

 

[Gary Fowler]

Our(combined property of brother in law and myself) 42 acres was overgrown worse than that when we bought it. He started out hiring a guy to cut about 20 acres of it as we had no tractor or equipment at the time. He ended up buying the mowing guy's 750 JD with 4 foot bush hog. It was slow going with the 750 but it got the job done. Several days of cutting but it was mostly in 1st gear due to the thick foliage and large saplings. The JD had turf tires so none of the low spots got mowed. I later bought a Vietnam rebuild Yanmar 4220 with 6 foot BH and that cut the mowing time down considerably and with the R1 tires and 4 WD I was able to mow all the swamps also. After we got all the trash weeds and swamp grass down, we got cows on it and they keep most of it grazed down. We mow about once a year now to control weeds that cows don't eat.
You should have no problem mowing that down with the Kubota. Just take your time and if there is a possibility of rocks or stumps, lower the FEL to about 4-6" above grade, go slow if you cant see the ground and get it done.

Don't worry about trying to get it all in one day or one weekend. Take several weekends if needed. I sure wouldn't rent any equipment when you have a perfectly capable machine setting there.

 

[Gale Hawkins]

Another trick that has saved me a lot of 'hard' walking is 'to' cut roads or mow in a large grid pattern in the light easy going areas before starting the inch by inch approach. That way if I got stuck, hung on a blind stump, etc it was easier to walk out and get back with another tractor or truck.

Some seem to forget some of us cleaned up farms like this before the bush hog was even invented. There was the single bit ax or double bit ax.

We had a 21" push mower purchased new in 1955 and dad was always volunteering me to 'help' out the old folks in the community. I told him I could never keep that much grass mowed with that small of a push mower. He said NEVER is a mighty long time and that a small mower would mow it like a wide mower if I went around enough times.

 

[jeff9366]

Why do you feel the need to knock it all down?

Consider bush hogging the clean areas, leaving the rest until winter when you can see better.

A Ratchet Rake attached to your bucket is useful in tearing out brush and vines by the roots but not very fast. I frequently have Rotary Cutter on the Three Point Hitch, Ratchet Rake on the bucket.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A2kNTv2JD5s

 

[TripleR]

Some seem to forget some of us cleaned up farms like this before the bush hog was even invented. There was the single bit ax or double bit ax.

Not me, I grew up using an ax, cross cut saw, Kaiser Blade and briar scythe.

 

[whistlepig]

If you have ever used a scythe you will always appreciate what a wonder a weed eater is.

 

[Soundguy]

brush cutters eat stemmy and irregular weeds pretty easilly.. way easier than lush tall grass.

get a mower suited to your hp.. or buy an old ford 801 series and hope for power stering and then get a 6' cutter and leave it to take care of the property.

 

[nc redneck]

About 10 years ago I bought a 23 acre farm than had been in foreclosure for many 3 or more years. It looked a lot like what you have probably worse, most of the growth was taller than me ( 6 foot ). I did the first year of mowing with my BX 2200 and a 60 inch belly mower. Not the best choice but that is what I had at the time. I now own Kioti 45 that I mow with, not because of capability mainly time and other uses.
I would not think twice about mowing your property with your tractor. Kubotas are tough. Stay aweigh from big stuff 3/4 inch and larger. A 4 foot bush hog would be ideal.
Be careful mowing a new unknow property. You may find large holes, rock, old equipment, fences or anything else. Also watch out for sheared off stumps of smaller trees 1/2 to 3/4 you can punch a hole in your tire.
I am sure many here will disagree but I did this several years and 500 hours ago on BX. It still runs and mows like new with no parts replaced. I do maintain my stuff very well.
Hope this helps
Scott