Tractor Sizing 6' brush hog on a 30Hp tractor

[ning]

This extremely recent thread comes from a slightly different direction but will likely be reproduced in this thread: Are there any 2515 or 3515 Branson owners with 6ft rotary cutter

 

[IndyIan]

What kind of cutting do you do? I just do my trails, the pasture, and some actual brush clearing, all of which are done in low range to get a good cut quality. I have a 5' and would love a 6.5' or 7' and just go slower, or take a 3/4 cut if I ever cut a big area of tall grass. I think an HST makes it so easy to slow and accelerate based on the cut density I would always go bigger and have to slow down the odd time.
I can see if are mowing acres, with a gear machine, you want to have lots of power in reserve so you don't have to change speeds as often.

 

[Chewwy]

My L3240HST (25 hp to PTO) handles my 6 ft Woods Brush Bull just fine. It does bog down a little when the grass is somewhat overgrown, but it just means going slower.

My FEL is always on with either the bucket or the grapple. The Brush Bull weighs 702 lbs.(The L3240’s 3 pt hitch can handle 3750 lbs at the lift points.)

 

[Fields_mj]

I have an old Ford 1710 and bought a heavily used 5-1/2' bush hog to go behind it because that's what was available locally and within my budget ($300 IIRC). I don't mow a lot with it any more, but when I first bought the bush hog (2019) I needed to clear 5 acres of CRP that hadn't been mowed for about 6 years. It had 15' sycamores growing in parts of it. The bigger saplings were certainly hard on the machine, but it got the job done. Mowing the weeds/grass/briars was no problem though. The 1710 has 4 ranges with the 4th range being road gear. So long as there wasn't anything significantly taller than the hood I ran in in range 2, 2nd gear which was a pretty good pace. The biggest issue was keeping the screen on the radiator cleaned out.

 

[mjonesnh]

Using a 5 foot Bushhog Squealer with a 35hp New Holland HST, 29 at PTO. In thick 4' fescue and johnson grass about all tractor wants. Dont believe tractor would handle a 6 footer. Cutter has slip clutch and have smelled the disc slipping and getting hot before, smoky smell for around 30 seconds.

 

[kenhar]

Depending on what you plan to cut, you will most likely have a 30hp loaded to the hilt. Better go smaller and a couple more trips around the field.

 

[MidwestMike]

I have a 6' mower on my B2650 with 19.5 HP on the PTO.
I knew about the HP to size ratio but salesman said go 6',
and there have not been any issues.

 

[ssuser]

I currently have a very old 5' brush hog that I use with my 30 Hp Kubota L3130. I recently broke the shaft on the brush hog. The repair is likely more than the value of the mower. I'm looking at replacing it with a 6' brush hog. The question is: can the L3130 handle the larger size? I'm of the theory that if I can drive over it, I can cut it down.

I have a Kubota B3000 for mowing (23 hp at PTO minus running air conditioner). I pull a FDR 1672 Land Pride #619 6’ finish mower and it handles it just fine. No way I would get a smaller one. Sometimes I use it like a shredder in tall Johnson grass. I have to slow down so it will handle the rear discharge, but power, lifting, or light front are never an issue. Mostly flat, except around pond. I’ve been using tractors of all sizes up to 300 hp my entire life.

 

[howardjohn]

I have a Kubota l2800 which is 29 hp and I run a 5 foot brush hog on it. I also run a 6 foot finish mower on it. It handles the 5 foot brush hog much easier than the 6 foot finish mower and the grass I cut with the finish mower is not that tall.

 

[L3130_TractorMan]

My L3130HST works just fine with my County Line 6’ brush hog. I’m on flat ground and take it slow, but it goes through sparsely grown 1” saplings and briars without any trouble.

Thick, tall (3+ ft) grass does bog it down if you aren’t crawling though, so I wouldn’t recommend if that is primarily what you’re cutting.

I even added a hydraulic top link so I can mow the ditch banks. Just lift and tilt up, back up till the rear tires are at the edge, slowly let the 3-pt down, then the top link. I have the heavy duty rounded FEL bucket w/bolt-on cutting edge, but no other ballast. I drive it on my 20-ft dovetail with the mower tilted up in the air so it won’t drag. The tractor has never felt light in the front.

Best of luck.

 

[bgr]

I have run an L35 Kubota with with a 5 food Woods heavy duty rotary mower and 29 pto HP for a lot of heavy mowing of brush and tall grass.
The mower definitely needs all 29 HP in tall grass and most brush mowing. The heavy duty 5 foot mower is about all the weight I would want on the tractor which is 4200 pounds with front loader which I keep installed.
I think you might find a 6 foot mower would be a bit too heavy and need too much power for your machine I would check the mower weight against the maximum 3 point lift capacity two feet behind lift points. The mowers are long, and have a fair amount of weight towards the back. They can exert a lot more force than other, shorter attachments like a tiller.

 

[ridgerambler]

NO 25 hp tractor will run either of my 6' rotary cutters in anything but light cutting, and even then, on a hot day you will be going like a turtle.

It will be hard on the tractor either way...

SR

I have a bush hog model 306 pull type cutter that I pull with an International model 140 tractor with the offset PTO and it works fine for my 10 A pasture. It is flat and I mow 2x per year so grass is generally waist high each cutting and the little 140 (21 PTO HP according to IHC) putts right along in 2nd gear. The tractor does not have 3 ph and would not lift the mower if it did. I also have a JD 5205 which I also sometimes use and still cut generally in 2nd gear because any higher speed and I don't get as clean a cut. I have been using this tractor for the past 10 years or so for mowing as well as planting/cultivating/fertilization work. So yes, a 25HP (depending on tractor) may pull a 6' mower but as one poster said it all depends on terrain and your tractor. The 140 has a gear drive transmission/PTO and newer compact tractors with hydrostatic transmissions may have problems. Both my tractor/mower are old school toys and probably nobody but me would try what I just described! Good luck with your selection.

 

[ericb2400]

L3130 owner here. I do it every week. With a 6 ft cutter. On a hill. Up hill slow, down hill faster. Will pull my hill in m. Will it cut 3 ft hay. Probably. But would be slow. No problem with the weight of the cutter.

 

[scott_vt]

Good Evening b3bt459,
I have an old Massey Ferguson MF1040, 32hp and 28 at the pto. Its also a pretty heavy tractor, about 3700lbs without the front loader, although I usually always have it on. I use a 5 ft Bush Hog Squealer and I need all my hp on my hills going through some thicker grasses. I would think you might be a little low on hp and also tractor weight. JMO !

Good luck with what ever you decide !

 

[Sawyer Rob]

I have a bush hog model 306 pull type cutter that I pull with an International model 140 tractor with the offset PTO and it works fine for my 10 A pasture. It is flat and I mow 2x per year so grass is generally waist high each cutting and the little 140 (21 PTO HP according to IHC) putts right along in 2nd gear. The tractor does not have 3 ph and would not lift the mower if it did. I also have a JD 5205 which I also sometimes use and still cut generally in 2nd gear because any higher speed and I don't get as clean a cut. I have been using this tractor for the past 10 years or so for mowing as well as planting/cultivating/fertilization work. So yes, a 25HP (depending on tractor) may pull a 6' mower but as one poster said it all depends on terrain and your tractor. The 140 has a gear drive transmission/PTO and newer compact tractors with hydrostatic transmissions may have problems. Both my tractor/mower are old school toys and probably nobody but me would try what I just described! Good luck with your selection.

I also have a 140, there's no way it would run my 6' hog in the conditions I'm in.

SR