Mowing 32 acres with a 4' mower

[LoneCowboy]

Went out to bid this job, 32 acres, old dairy farm being renovated. crap everywhere and 3 to 5' weeds/grass. Some of it had been mowed (3 acres or so?) but the guy apparantly got frustrated hitting all the rocks and stuff and quit.
That's the business. I did bid it high (because there was going to be a lot of junk) but we got the job.
Cranked it out, (2 crews) in a day. Didn't hit an excessive amount of stuff (we've done much worse) and realized on mowing it, that the previous guy had a 4' mower (you could see the tracks.). It took me about an hour to do what had taken this guy all day.

Turns out the people had rented a little tractor (200+ dollars) and paid one of their employees to do it all day.
Man, that would have taken all week. Would have been more than I bid it at and we got the job done.
Gotta have the right equipment.
Just thought it was funny, some guy on a 4' mower out there in 95+ degrees for a week.

 

[john_bud]

Talk about job security!

 

[IslandTractor]

32 acres at about 1 acre per hour if the going was rough. Throw in stoppage time and to be humane a few breaks each day and I'd say that was more than a weeks painful seat time. Consider the fact that you got the contract not only lucrative but also humane.

I mow about 3 acres with a 4ft mower and on a hot day I'm ready for at least a few beers before considering anything else.

 

[Farmwithjunk]

I bid one tonight where a guy had started mowing 155 acres with a 5' mower behind a tired 9N ford. He thought it would take him about 10 hours. 8 hours into the job he had enough. (Probably mowed less than 5 acres) Weeds over my head, flat as a pool table. it was a soybean field 2 years ago. Gonna be an exersize in batwinging come monday morning.

 

[JoeinTX]

"Just thought it was funny, some guy on a 4' mower out there in 95+ degrees for a week.."

and...

" bid one tonight where a guy had started mowing 155 acres with a 5' mower behind a tired 9N ford. He thought it would take him about 10 hours...."


Those are amazing, uh, "miscalculations", made. So the ol' boy with the 9n thought he was going to tear through that patch at 15 acres per hour? Jeez.


Once, as a teenager, I took on the job of plowing a 25 acre field with an NAA and a 5' disc. I've always enjoyed seat time and thought no big deal, the more the better and I'd be doing this each day after I got done with school for a few hours. By day three I was cussing myself, the tractor, the narrow-*** plow and all else for getting involved in that mess. It was slow, hard going and still pretty warm in Texas in September. When I finally got done on Saturday (having begun on Monday) I didn't want anything to do with for a while.


Too much of anything at one time is a bad thing.

 

[Richard]

You'd love it here then... I'm in the middle of a family farm, 250 acres about 50/50 fields/woods. Non working farm and we cut the fields.

Uncle in law has International 444 with a 5' light/medium duty cutter behind it and cut the farm for years (as in decades).

They're getting older and I've finally given up trying to cut with that combo, it's freaking brutal.

Finally, just this past spring, Father in law bought a Rhino 10' cutter at auction, International 886 and an International 986 w/cab/ac

Had several flats with both tractors (place only been cut once in past 3 1/2 years & lots of growth...some of it 10' tall

Father in law says "we might have bought too big of a tractor"

I have no idea what that really means.

yesterday both tractors disappeared as my brother in law came out to pick them up.

I'm not sure if they're going to simly get rid of them or more likely, sell them both at an upcoming auction and perhaps get yet a different one (he left the Rhino where it was)

Last time I cut the farm with the 444 and the 5' cutter it literally took me ALL summer as I had to cut the place in low range, first gear.

I still don't understand how these guys kept up with this stupidity for the last 40 years.

 

[LoneCowboy]

They are saving monday by doing it themselves.

You ask I'll bet money that's what they say.
Some things are worth being hired out, you just have ot learn which.

155 acres with a 5' mower, snort, now that's funny.

 

[john_bud]

Richard, Some people are more stubborn than anything else. And the cost of time means little to them.

Oh well, good for guys like LC and FWJ when they finally wise up.

jb

 

[Chuck_Lind]

I bid one tonight where a guy had started mowing 155 acres with a 5' mower behind a tired 9N ford. He thought it would take him about 10 hours. 8 hours into the job he had enough. (Probably mowed less than 5 acres) Weeds over my head, flat as a pool table. it was a soybean field 2 years ago. Gonna be an exersize in batwinging come monday morning.

Takes me about 40 - 50 hours to mow 80 acres of very tall timothy in the month of June. I use a New Holland TN65 with a LandPride 6 ft. brush hog. I generally use 3rd gear, low range. Got lots of hills and WAY TOO many groundhog holes.

In the end...it really looks nice.

 

[Z-Michigan]

Takes me about 40 - 50 hours to mow 80 acres of very tall timothy in the month of June.

Not to ask a dumb question - but if you have 80 acres of tall timothy, why aren't you cutting and baling it as hay?

 

[daTeacha]

I mowed 8 acres with a 4' bush hog behind a B7100 -- once. Took more time than I care to remember since the stuff was tall and thick, the sun was hot and the ground was hilly. Most of it was 2nd or 3rd gear time. I can't imagine 155 acres with a 5' mower.

 

[Soundguy]

Takes me about 40 - 50 hours to mow 80 acres of very tall timothy in the month of June. I use a New Holland TN65 with a LandPride 6 ft. brush hog. I generally use 3rd gear, low range. Got lots of hills and WAY TOO many groundhog holes.

In the end...it really looks nice.

Wow.. to me.. that would be a 'sign' to upgrade to a larger mower!

Soundguy

 

[Glowplug]

Wow.. to me.. that would be a 'sign' to upgrade to a larger mower!

No kidding!

 

[Farmwithjunk]

Wow.. to me.. that would be a 'sign' to upgrade to a larger mower!

Soundguy

The sign I see says put up a fence and start running cattle on that place!

Or find someone to cut and bale on shares.

 

[john_bud]

The sign I see says put up a fence and start running cattle on that place!

Or find someone to cut and bale on shares.

No kidding! I bet I could go down to the local feed mill and get someone to cut and bale it up - and not even charge you!

jb

 

[Soundguy]

The sign I see says put up a fence and start running cattle on that place!

Or find someone to cut and bale on shares.

That worked for me.. I just transfered a few animals over to a pasture that I put a couple cross fences on.. cut about 1/3 of my mowing out... lowered my feed bill too... cattle were in a sand lot after 2 years of drought

Soundguy

 

[Chuck_Lind]

Not to ask a dumb question - but if you have 80 acres of tall timothy, why aren't you cutting and baling it as hay?

Not a dumb question at all; I WAS cutting/raking/baling the timothy and alfalfa, but I have nowhere to store the hay, got to be too much work for one guy and I recently started working full time; no time to make hay.

I felt it was better to keep the farm mowed rather than let the goldenrod and every weed on the planet to take over the fields.

It was nice cover for the newly-born fawns, the wild turkey and the rabbits; not to mention those lowest-of-the-low varmints...groundhogs.

 

[Chuck_Lind]

Wow.. to me.. that would be a 'sign' to upgrade to a larger mower!

Soundguy

I looked into getting a LandPride 10ft brush hog. $5800!!!! Mmmmm...think I'll keep the 6 footer.

Although the 10 footer would go fast, there's an intangible that I will share: Being out there alone, watching the hawks, the deer and being at peace with the myself. I only mow about 3 - 4 hours a day, so I'm not hurried. As long as I get it done by July 4th, I'm happy.

 

[cp1969]

I bid one tonight where a guy had started mowing 155 acres with a 5' mower behind a tired 9N ford. He thought it would take him about 10 hours.

43560*155/5/5280 = number of miles traveled = 255.75

I guess he thought the old 9N was good for mowing at 25.5 mph.

 

[daTeacha]

That's cause the blades of the mower acted like the propellor of an airplane and helped push the tractor along. Unless the field was moving in the opposite direction at the same speed, however, I don't think it would have taken off.