How high to set rotary mower?

[oneillmj]

I live in western Virginia, have a new Rhino 160 rotary mower (bush hog) to be used with my Kioti CK35 to clear five acres of pasture that hasn't been mowed for at least ten years. There are lots of small cedars and wild blackberry brambles. How high should I be mowing, would you estimate, for my first pass over this mess? I'll avoid mowing anything much over an inch thick. Once it gets looking like pasture again what height would you recommend it be mowed and maintained at if I keep it mowed?

Mike

 

[bajabum]

I'd go as high as you can for the first pass, there will be rocks and such you can't see yet.

 

[vtsnowedin]

three inches in the front and four and a half in the back so you don't double cut stuff. Stay off the rocks if youv'e got um.

 

[LD1]

For the first cutting I'd go for 6-8". Following cuts, if terrain allow, 4-5".

3" is what finish mowers cut at. And that's too low IMO. Especially for first cutting.

 

[vtsnowedin]

Certainly a matter of personnel preference . I like the brush stumps as short as practical to reduce the amount of new shoots that try to sprout out of them. A late July or August cut works well as it is usually too dry for re sprouting.

 

[oneillmj]

Thanks for the replies and advice. Seems like a beautiful sunny day today and the ground has firmed up enough to give it a go.

 

[vtsnowedin]

Lucky you. I have two inches of fresh snow this morning and 25 degrees F.

 

[EddieWalker]

For the first cutting I'd go for 6-8". Following cuts, if terrain allow, 4-5".

3" is what finish mowers cut at. And that's too low IMO. Especially for first cutting.

I agree with this. Have it set for at least six inches for your first time out. There are things out there that you will never see until you hit them, and at 6 inches you will either go right over them, or hit them at a safe angle that you work with. Branches, stumps, rocks and garbage are always out there somewhere. This will also let you go faster and put less stress on everything. The deeper you cut, the more material you are dealing with, and the more HP and time it will take.

Then after you are done, give it a month to go and clean up everything by hand that you want to pick up, or mark it where it is and leave it. I personally like my mower set fairly low so I can see the snakes when I'm out for a walk and cut it at 3 inches.

Eddie

 

[flusher]

Walk your property and locate the large stuff. The weeds on my property when I first bought it were 3-4 ft tall. I found at least a dozen steel T-posts, several tires/rims, lengths of barbed wire, and a large steel bathtub in the weeds. Getting barbed wire wound around your brush hog is not a pleasant thing to get untangled. Once I got the large stuff removed, I mowed with the brush hog set at 4-5 inches.

Good luck.

 

[nybirdman]

First mow;run with the bucket low for unseen rocks ,stumps,car parts what-ever.First cut I would leave it a little high maybe 8-10inchs.

 

[prs]

High and often at first. Once you have it tamed, it depends upon your use of the land and the grass variety you wish to encourage. Western Virginia covers a lot of different soil types from lime rich soils on the eastern border with WV to acid clays in areas adjacent to southern WV and eastern KY. In the former areas Marion Blue does well and tolerates fairly close clip although it thrives if kept close to 3" where it can choke some of the competition. Tall fescue or timothy does well in the areas I mentioned later and should be kept fairly high at 3+ to resist drought an to choke out other stuff. For most grasses, high and often is most healthy especially if cutting with a hog.

prs

 

[oneillmj]

Thanks again for all your advice. Prs I'm located a little north of Roanoke, about a half hour from WV in Botetourt County. I am hoping I won't have to re-seed as the field used to be grass. Once I've mowed it a few times I'll have a better idea. Hopefully there won't be too much in the way of debris or rocks as I kept it mowed until 2005. It's amazing how quickly and how tall some trees and brambles can grow in that time, and rocks do seem to appear like magic every spring, so I'll keep the blade high and FEL low as many of you wisely suggest.

 

[vtsnowedin]

Yes that first mowing it can be hard to see what your doing.

One other point. A inch and a half sugar maple sapling bent over and wacked off about eight inches high makes a pretty good pungi stick when it springs back up. Be careful of your tire side walls on second cut and mow in the same direction you did the first mowing.

 

[LD1]

Don't use sharp blades. They are supposed to be blunt to splinter saplings instead of making spears.

 

[Gary Fowler]

A inch and a half sugar maple sapling bent over and wacked off about eight inches high makes a pretty good pungi stick when it springs back up. Be careful of your tire side walls on second cut and mow in the same direction you did the first mowing.

This is the reason I prefer to cut as low as I can to avoid leaving all those punji sticks that later try to hole your tires. I would lower the FEL to about 6-8" off the ground to find those missed items from your walk thru and then go slow enough to thoroughly cut everything at 3" which is about as low as most bush hogs will cut. I mow it with the skids just off the ground.

Cut it all in one pass and then keep it about that height. There is really no reason to cut it at 10" and go back over it later and cut it again as long as you have the HP to turn the mower. I would rather go a bit slower if necessary but cut it low in the first pass.
Edit: just keep the rear raised at least 4-6" higher than the front so all that debris can clear out from under the shredder.

 

[vtsnowedin]

Believe me with the ground I have they weren't sharp very long.

 

[oneillmj]

Thanks again for the advice and pictures. Sorry to hear about you still getting snowed on in Vermont vtsnowedin. It is a balmy 66 degrees in our neck of Virginia right now. I'll do the second pass in the same direction as you suggest. I was going to do just the opposite.

 

[vtsnowedin]

Go ahead rub it in why don't you!! Actually it was pretty nice today. sap not running but full sunshine so bare handed work on pipeline repairs was comfortable. I'm down to the small set of snow shoes. The snowpack will now hold up a dog but not my considerable mass without some assistance.