Rotary Cutter What size/Brand to get

[runharley52]

I just purchased a Ford 4610 (52 hp at the PTO) and I have a 40 acre farm I'm working on cleaning up. about 25 acres is old timber that has been somewhat overtaken by honeysuckle and multiflora rose. The remainder is pasture that is starting to succumb to the multiflora rose and honey locusts. I'm hoping to get a good bush hog type mower in combination with a piranha bar for my FEL. The honeysuckle and locusts grow up to about 3-4 inches in diameter.

Any recommendations on size and brand given those specifics? The tractor is roughly 6 feet wide, so I wouldn't want to go any smaller. 7 footer make the most sense? Any thoughts on what to look for (brand/design/etc.) to handle the thick brush?

Thanks!!

 

[Sysop]

You will not want a standard duty cutter of any brand for stuff that thick. You will want a heavy duty cutter and that may limit you to 6' as the largest you'll run without bogging the machine, they are quite heavy and when taking down trees up to 4" can require a lot of power. A lot is going to come down to availability. Many of the heavy duty cutters are built nearly the same. There are a few that are made a little better or have some additional features others may lack, but overall I think the main concern is what is available to you now. The longer you wait to get started the larger those trees will get...

If your terrain is very uneven you will also want a unit that has some form of flex link at the top to allow the unit to pivot up and down as you crest hills or start inclines. I looked at hundred of used rotary cutters over the years prior to buying my own and that would be the biggest piece I think to look for. Out of all the old used rotary cutters on craigslist and the likes, 99% of them have a solid connection from the center of the deck to the top link and it is always bent. Get one that has a joint in it...

 

[runharley52]

Thanks for the tip on the flex link! My land is relatively even, but enough slope and bumps along the way that will come in handy. How will I know if it is standard vs. heavy duty? Is my best bet to talk to a local dealer to find my options? I would rather have a slightly smaller cutter that is tough enough to take out the brush than one that is too big but won't handle the rough stuff. That being said, optimizing for the greatest size my tractor will handle is my preference.

 

[jeff9366]

RUNHARLEY52: Add your location and tractor info to your TBN profile.

For removing Multiflora Rose corms and small saplings a $400 bolt-on Bucket Spade for your FEL is an effective attachment. I have dug TONS. (Some of the corms I have dug are 70 pounds; 20-30 pound corms, daisy-chained together or in clumps, common.) With a strong backed helper and a disposal trailer you can remove a lot of corms in one day.

A Tooth Bar will be slow for this type removal because it will dig corms in pieces and you will spend too much time sorting through a large volume of dirt trying to find the pieces. With practice a Bucket Spade removes corms entire.

LINK: http://www.tractorbynet.com/forums/attachments/328798-bucket-spade-today-fel-bucket.html

See Post #11 in LINK for corm removal; also review blue SIMILAR THREADS BOX at foot of page.

 

[jeff9366]

I just purchased a Ford 4610 (52 hp at the PTO) and I have a 40 acre farm I'm working on cleaning up. About 25 acres is old timber that has been somewhat overtaken by honeysuckle. The honeysuckle and locusts grow up to about 3-4 inches in diameter.

Any recommendations on size and brand given those specifics?

Brown Tree Cutters are designed to cut 3-4" trees. Is $10,000 within the budget?

LINK: Tree Cutters | Brown Manufacturing | 800-633-8909

I suggest hiring a bulldozer/operator to push over and pile those unwanted 3"+ Locusts and Honeysuckle. Then buy a medium duty Rotary Cutter, perhaps with twin spindles to reduce length. A rotary cutter that can cut 3-4" trees will not be that good for brush.

 

[jeff9366]

How will I know if it is standard vs. heavy duty?

Weight per unit of width.

 

[MinnesotaEric]

I just purchased a Ford 4610 (52 hp at the PTO) and I have a 40 acre farm I'm working on cleaning up. about 25 acres is old timber that has been somewhat overtaken by honeysuckle and multiflora rose. The remainder is pasture that is starting to succumb to the multiflora rose and honey locusts. I'm hoping to get a good bush hog type mower in combination with a piranha bar for my FEL. The honeysuckle and locusts grow up to about 3-4 inches in diameter.

Any recommendations on size and brand given those specifics? The tractor is roughly 6 feet wide, so I wouldn't want to go any smaller. 7 footer make the most sense? Any thoughts on what to look for (brand/design/etc.) to handle the thick brush?

Thanks!!

A Woods BB720X would knock that stuff down to size. The cutting disk and blades and rotating mass is the same as the heavier, and more costly BB7200X. I've found my BB720X can cut through just shy of 5" green material and you have three or four more PTO hp than I do.

Toward the end of this video I get into thicker material.

 

[runharley52]

RUNHARLEY52: Add your location and tractor info to your TBN profile. For removing Multiflora Rose corms and small saplings a $400 bolt-on Bucket Spade for your FEL is an effective attachment. I have dug TONS. (Some of the corms I have dug are 70 pounds; 20-30 pound corms, daisy-chained together or in clumps, common.) With a strong backed helper and a disposal trailer you can remove a lot of corms in one day. A Tooth Bar will be slow for this type removal because it will dig corms in pieces and you will spend too much time sorting through a large volume of dirt trying to find the pieces. With practice a Bucket Spade removes corms entire. LINK: http://www.tractorbynet.com/forums/attachments/328798-bucket-spade-today-fel-bucket.html See Post #11 in LINK for corm removal; also review blue SIMILAR THREADS BOX at foot of page.

I've checked out your previous threads and really like the look of that spade. Would make pretty quick work of planting a bunch of trees in our orchard. I think I could also use it to get rid of the bigger trees the pirahna bar and mower couldn't handle.

 

[runharley52]

Brown Tree Cutters are designed to cut 3-4" trees. Is $10,000 within the budget? LINK: Tree Cutters | Brown Manufacturing | 800-633-8909 I suggest hiring a bulldozer/operator to push over and pile those unwanted 3"+ Locusts and Honeysuckle. Then buy a medium duty Rotary Cutter, perhaps with twin spindles to reduce length. A rotary cutter that can cut 3-4" trees will not be that good for brush.

10k is a little steep... Was looking more in the 2-3 range. I've thought about hiring an operator and I'm not opposed. We've been using goats to clear the first 4-5 acres so I can be patient and I was hoping with the right tools we could get away with saving the money

 

[runharley52]

A Woods BB720X would knock that stuff down to size. The cutting disk and blades and rotating mass is the same as the heavier, and more costly BB7200X. I've found my BB720X can cut through just shy of 5" green material and you have three or four more PTO hp than I do. Toward the end of this video I get into thicker material. YouTube Link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2oWje81MCQI

I like the video

 

[Gary Fowler]

If you are going to be backing into trees like in the video, look for a very thick deck in the 1/4" or very near that range. Backing into brush is what bends up most light weight decks as they are not designed for that. If you fold the deck in, look out because the blades will tear it up badly before you can stop them.
Most any bush hog will cut a 3-4" sapling when it is bent over. Just like cutting a limb with your pocket knife, bend it and it cuts easily. The gear boxes on the ones I checked were the same HP rating on the light duty as the heavy duty. The cost difference is in the steel for the deck. I cut a lot of sweetgum trees with my light duty Howse by riding them over with the FEL/tractor and letting the bushhog shear them off and cut off the limbs. Mostly the main trunk, at least the largest part would just lie on the ground.

Shredding up 4" trees is not easy on the tractor though (or the hog) but it can be done by just easing into the tree after riding it over and shredding it off, then raise up the BH to work on shredding it by lowering it slowly back down on the tree body. I never sheared a pin, but did stall the engine a few times doing the larger stuff.

You might be money ahead just hiring a dozer to clear off the scrub and save the wear and tear on your tractor. I would still look at purchasing at least a medium duty bush hog for maintenance just because the deck wont rust out as fast as the 12 gauge light duty ones will.

 

[smstonypoint]

The OP said that he has honey locusts, but no one has mentioned the real possibility of tire punctures from the locust thorns if he is using a rotary cutter.

Steve

 

[runharley52]

The OP said that he has honey locusts, but no one has mentioned the real possibility of tire punctures from the locust thorns if he is using a rotary cutter. Steve

I like the idea of the bucket spade because of this. There's few enough that I could go around and dig them out. The honeysuckle and rose is too abundant and it would be nice to use the FEL and mower to tackle those. Or just hire it all out and be done with it!

 

[runharley52]

Found a bush hog 287 in my home town. Will my ford handle it fine with FEL on the front to knock down brush? Asking price seems steep at 2500 as well...

 

[2458n]

The thorns on the locust will get you as well as some of the cut off little sapling stubs. Figure in the costs of the tire, and a little dozer and a bunch of burn piles makes sense. Friend used two goats to clean up his back creek and brush line. Then comes along and uses them for a October cook out.

 

[jeff9366]

He ATE his FRIENDS?

 

[runharley52]

We had two goats last year and still working through them in the freezer. We like them but we need to improve fencing first to expand the operation

I'm listening to the advice here on the locusts and will hire that out. The bush hog would be for the timber which is pretty thick with honeysuckle. And then for the pastures when i get the locusts removed.

 

[runharley52]

I also called up Brown manufacturing today to see if there was a local dealer. No luck but he gave me a number for a distributor that travels through here. Really like the sound of their products based on feedback here.

 

[Sawyer Rob]

I would buy a 6' med duty Woods Brush Bull... It's built heavy duty enough to take out anything you "should" be cutting with your size tractor and is in your price range.

It WILL be my next rotary cutter!

SR

 

[runharley52]

Bought it (bushhog 287). Little dusty in the picture from trying it out but put it to the test tonight with honeysuckle and it ate it right up. It's heavy and I feel it back there but my tractor seems like it handles it just fine. Probably helps to keep the FEL on.

Using the FEL to "feel" my way through through the brush and weeds works amazingly well. Now if I just had a grapple to lift up the brush and logs when I run into them... I smell another big purchase coming