Rotary Cutter 10 ft rotary cutter and 40hp tractor

[trook]

I own a JD 4320 4wd that has 40hp at the pto (48 at the engine). It is a good match with my mx6 even in very tall and thick grass. However, I may be cutting a 20 acre track on a monthly basis very soon and would much rather use a 10 ft. cutter. I realize that this is less than the recommended 5hp per foot standard, but the property is flat and the pasture will have fairly thin grass about 2 ft tall. What do you think about the 10 ft cutter and 40hp at the pto in these very light conditions? If feasible, this will nearly cut my cutting time in half.

 

[Soundguy]

i'd say that's WAY too much mower for that tractor.

for one thing.. a 10' ower will be cat 2.. you are most assuredly setup for cat 1 on that tractor.

would the 40 pto hp spin up the mower? sure.. and abuse the heck out of the clutch doing so.. even so.. that mower may weigh a considerable % of the tractor and will be a wag the dog setup when taking corners.. she would have to be a pull type as you won't lift her.

i run a 10' mower on a ford 5000 with 70 pto hp and it does what I want.

an 8' light duty mower MIGHT be ok.. but even then.. i think you have a lack of tractor issue.. just my opinion.

i'm sure there will be others.. including those that say it's fine and to go ahead and run it.. that they mow with a 35hp unit and 12' mower all the time.

 

[trook]

I need to clarify one thing. I would NEVER consider a 3pt 10ft mower on this tractor. I am strictly looking at a pull type cutter. Most of them specify a minimum of 40 pto hp. Also, the property is smooth and as flat as it gets.

In a perfect world, I would be using this behind a 70hp tractor. However, that just isn't in the budget right now.

 

[Piston]

Sorry I can't help with the 10' cutter, but I run a heavy duty 6' mower on my 39pto hp and I wouldn't want anymore than that.

Sounds like you are in the perfect situation to justify buying a bigger tractor

 

[brin]

Hey I mow with a 35hp unit and 12' mower all the time. :cool2::dance1: LOL Chris LOL

 

[CliffordK]

If you have a specific mower in mind, can you get the manufacturers recomendations for that mower?
I'm sure it would also depend on the height of the grass, and the type of mowing.

I certainly think one should consider haying any plot greater than 10 acres, unless there is a very convincing reason not to hay the property such as ballfields.

 

[Soundguy]

hay mowers, bailers and gear are spendy.. Or i'd be haying mine.

 

[mikehaugen]

I would tend to take others' advice as they have more experience than I, but a 10' is going to have 2 spindles, which seems like it would be easier to spin with the smaller diameter. My tractor has 39hp (35pto) and I use a 6' mower, the only time I ever feel it bog down is in 5'-6' tall thick grass, so with a lighter load, maybe it would work. The other thing to consider though, is what you will make up for with width, you will lose in ground speed so you may not gain that much... especially considering the price of a 2 spindle cutter. Maybe you can find one to rent or borrow first?

 

[Lineman North Florida]

Go with a smaller mower or get a bigger tractor, in my opinion a 10' mower would be rough on your tractor, or should I say rougher than I would want on mine. Good luck. Charlie.

 

[idaho2]

Keep in mind that it takes less pto hp to run a pull type mower than a 3pt. A Kodiak 10' pull type needs a minimum of 42hp @ the pto where a 3pt 10' needs 52hp @ the pto. {specs are from the Kodiak web site}

idaho2