7 Foot Bush Hog

[Dallas_Lilly]

Good Morning Ladies and Gentlemen Who out there is running a 7 footer, which brand and how do you like them?
I recently went from a 30hp tractor to a 43hp tractor and it is begging to have a new mower this summer!
I am not seeing much on the web for options so I turn to you fine peope

 

[ovrszd]

They are rare and hard to find if looking for a used one. Depending on the materials you plan to cut, you might be able to do an 8ft. 7ft cutters are generally single spindle with long blades. 8ft cutters are generally dual spindle with short blades. They don't pull much harder.

Good luck in your search.

 

[CobyRupert]

I run a 7' "rotary cutter" , but not a Bush Hog brand. It's a Frontier RC2084 sold by John Deere.

I run it on a ~65Hp (PTO) tractor. Tractor only feels it there if mowing tall grass, or when raised on 3pth.
About a 1000lbs. It feels heavy on the back, you want some front ballast or a FEL on, but it's still built too light....or maybe its me.
About 1/3 of the time I use it I'm bending the sidewalls into the blades. Makes a h*ll of a noise. Then I have to get chains and a come-along and 2 good anchor points to try and bend them back away.
Sometime it's my fault when I back into the "unknown" and run into a stump, rock, fence post etc... I wish there was a more heavy duty, squared off bumper. I've gotten better at not doing that.
Now they get bent in from turning on uneven ground without lifting it enough. It's easy to find "uneven ground" when it's 7' wide.
Bumping into a couple 6" tall pine stumps has ripped off both the front and back chain guard bars.
After 7 years I have a front bearing seal starting to leak. Probably the vent/fill plug failed. I haven't replaced the seal yet, just topped the oil off, but will replace it this spring.

If I had to do it over, I would of got a 6' as I tend to mostly mow around odd spots instead of fields and pastures. 7' foot can cover some ground, but not as maneuverable.
Don't worry about having width that matches tractor width unless you're trying to get next to fences and buildings.

 

[wvgca]

I don't know if a seven will work .. I run a five foot [Woods BB600X] single spindle over some scrub and small tress, and it takes all of seventy horse to turn it ... same as an actual Bush Hog ...
If you meant a finish mower [three blade] then yes, that's enough .. I have a three point Beuhler on a tractor with forty horse ..

 

[Peter 315]

Hi, I have a woods BB60X seems like a well built mower , I had a old woods Dixie cutter that took a real beating from my brother...

 

[Gary Fowler]

I found a guy in Houston Texas area that redecks rotary cutters. I had him build me a 7 foot mower from bush hog components. He used 1/4" floor plate (floorplate is a bit thicker and heavier than smooth plate) for the deck and put a dual tail wheel on it. The sides are 6" channel iron. It weighs about 1500 pounds and wont bend when backed into a tree. In heavy grass it pulls really heavy on my 70 HP tractor but on normal mowing, I can barely tell it is back there. It is a little hard to start up due to the amount of weight that it has to start turning. Luckily I can feather it in using the clutch on my tractor, if I just pop the PTO electronic clutch, it really bangs away.
The 7 foot is just barely as wide as my tractor so no issues with clearance, if the tractor can go between something then so can the mower.

I think that if I were to do it over, I would have gone with an 8 foot twin spindle mower since everyone claims they pull a bit easier and not as much weight in the drivetrain to start up and it would completely cover my wheel tracks.

 

[1010]

I have an older 3pt JD 709 that's probably 20-30 years old, I can't say enough how tuff this cutter is. If I was looking for a new 7 foot I would get a Bushhog brand, then landpride, toss up between woods or JD. In that order.
They just aren't made like they use to be.

That said, in the future I plan on a 12 foot batwing, probably a bushhog brand that's made in AL. I love the pull type cutters.

 

[ovrszd]

I think that if I were to do it over, I would have gone with an 8 foot twin spindle mower since everyone claims they pull a bit easier and not as much weight in the drivetrain to start up and it would completely cover my wheel tracks.

Yep. And they don't stick out so far to the rear if 3pt models.

 

[sweettractors]

If you go with a 7 ft, a pull type would be preferred because the extra weight and length of the 7 ft 3 point models. A 6 ft 3 point would be enough on that 43 hp tractor. Ken Sweet

 

[Rmart30]

Ive ran 2 , 7 footers. One was a woods. it was fairly light weight. Second was a Landpride. It was HD and heavy. Sold it and bought a dual spindle 8 ft Landpride. Cant tell the 8 pulls any harder than the 7 did. its just not as long.

I agree with Ken. Id wouldn't go bigger than a 6 on that HP machines.