7 foot Mowers, anyone?

[choreboy]

My basic question is addressed to operators out there who may using 7 ft mowers with tractors in the 30 hp range. Do you have any words of wisdom or warning I should consider?


As I've been investigating my mowing needs I have come to realize the used Woods rotary mower I got _may_ be a bit opversized for my tractor.

( 7' mower connected to 35pto HP tractor)

According to those who have more experience than I in this area, I may be burdening the tractor in thick grass or heavy brush.

I am planning to give it a try this weekend and see how it behaves. Another thing I've learned is that I need about 20% of the total tractor/mower weight at the front wheels for proper/safe operation. I do have a fel mounted so I think I'll be OK there, and my pasture is flat.

Thanks for your input..!

 

[Gatorboy]

What is the minimum PTO HP for that mower? It's always nice to have more PTO HP than the minimum required by the attachment.

 

[choreboy]

Gatorboy,

Good question....

I may have confused the issue.Tractor's a TC 40D, the PTO rating for the tractor is 35HP...The mower's pretty old, and I've been told it operates on a minimum of 30 PTO hp

I think I see you over there in Fallston... /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif

 

[Gatorboy]

If the mower only needs 30 and you have 35, you should be fine. If you run into real thick stuff, you may have to slow down the tractor to keep up the RPM's.

 

[EastTexFrank]

You're probably right at the upper limit for the tractor mower combination but it'll depend on how heavy the mower is and whether it is a 3-pt or drag mower. In my experience, drag mowers can get by with slightly lower hp requirements. Don't know why, haven't thought about it, but it must have something to do with not having a requirement for any hydraulics. Some of our more knowledgeable members can probably explain it.
I run a heavy, heavy duty 7' drag mower behind a 2-WD MF 275 that weighs close to 7,000# and it can still get interesting on rough ground from a stability standpoint. The same mower behind a 38 hp JD 820 is almost useless in thick grass or weeds. It'll drag those engine revs down and that JD may be old but it is a lugging, pulling son-of-a-gun. You may not be able to use the whole 7' cutting width. It'll help that your pasture is level and flat but you'll just have to try and see what happens. You'll probably need that FEL and maybe some ballast in the bucket ... please be careful.
As Gatorboy suggested, the manufacturer will specify a PTO hp requirement for the mower.

 

[chucko]

"They" say (but I have not tried a rear mower yet) my little 18 hp tractor can pull about a 4' rear mower (I know it will a 5' mmm) so to "me" I would see no reasion yours would not pull a 7' mower

 

[BB_TX]

Can't speak for the 7', but I run a 6' light duty behind 27 PTO hp. That is right at the limit for my tractor. It cuts fine about as fast as I want to go as long as I keep the grass cut regularly. But if I let it get too tall, I have to slow down a lot.

 

[choreboy]

After safety, I think the bottom line regarding efficiency here is take it easy, see what it does and try not to let the pasture get away from me.. I hate to use just 4 feet of a 7 ft mower, but if I gotta, I gotta.....

I hope to follow on this post after the weekend. At this point the grass is just under a foot and pretty thick since it's pretty rich bottom land. I think it's dried out enough in the past week or so. I drove through it last weekend to test the traction. I'll be back to with a report after my test mow....

 

[frank_f15]

i think u will be fine, i run a 5 ft behind my b2400, and no problems . if the field gets away from me due to weather i just take it very slow( hydro) and if parts of it get really bad i just go back over it the next day or so, after all it is a field and not lawn.

 

[DocHeb]

I run a 84" Landpride Grooming (Finish) mower behind my TC40D. I purchased a finish mower (rather than a rotary mower) since there were no saplings/trees to cut down on my property. I've had to raise the mower for the first cut, but nothing has stopped me since (except for that T-post hidden in the grass /forums/images/graemlins/blush.gif).

Although the TC40 is rated for a 6 foot, I think the 7 foot won't cause any problems. If you seem to bog down, you'll just have to go a bit slower.

 

[paccorti]

I use a 7' First Choice finish mower behind my TC35D. I think there are a lot of variables that affect the horsepower requirements of a finish mower vs. a rotary cutter.

For example, I have a 6' woods rotary cutter that seems to require more horsepower than my 7' mower... why? Well the design of the rotary cutter has a metal skirt in the back. With the rotary cutter set to cut the grass low it just can't get out past the skirt. Obviously it takes a lot of power to churn the rotary cutter blades through all the grass stuck under the deck. My First Choice finish mower is rear discharge so it never clogs up. I think you just have to be reasonable about the grass height. 12" might be kinda high. I just mowed my yard yesterday with the finish mower. My TC didn't even feel the mower with 5" to 6" grass and it does a great job. Rear discharge works real well for me. Lastly, I find that I don't need any front weights on my tractor, I even took the loader off, and it mows and steers just fine. Of course my land is pretty level.

Peter

 

[choreboy]

Thanks for the input, Peter. I've always figured one mower would do the job for me but I realize I may be looking at the possibility of a finish mower in the future.

I was hoping to get out this past weekend and other work got in the way....Also, as I was checking fluids and replacing a blade, I discovered I had about 4' of wire and a plastic feed bag wrapped all around the spindle on the mower. /forums/images/graemlins/mad.gif

No fun at all. I lifted the mower with the fel, propped it up with a couple jackstands and spent about an hour slowly hacking away the bag and cutting at the wire. I know it would never be on the cover of Safety magazine, but sometimes you gotta do what you gotta do.....

 

[Gatorboy]

</font><font color="blue" class="small">( I was hoping to get out this past weekend and other work got in the way )</font>

Same here. I greased up the tractor and mower -- checked the oil levels in the gear boxes and fired up the tractor. I cut about 1500 feet when I needed to raise my right wing and I heard a hissing sound. Yep, my hydraulic hose feeding the right wing had a cut in it and was spraying hydraulic fluid.

I took all my hoses off -- they were pretty worn looking -- and will be picking up my new replacement ones this afternoon.

 

[sweettractors]

<font color="blue">Another thing I've learned is that I need about 20% of the total tractor/mower weight at the front wheels for proper/safe operation. I do have a fel mounted so I think I'll be OK there, and my pasture is flat. </font>

Just be careful--Using the FEL for added weight is not always a good thing to do--May cause premature wear on tractor steering and also lots of excessive wear on FEL pivot points--Ken Sweet

Sweet Farm Equipment LLC *New First Choice Grooming Mowers and Roto Tillers in Stock*

 

[choreboy]

Thanks to all who have responded.

I literally just got to the mowing last night! I had wanted to install two new blades, which was quite a task, finally requiring concentrated heat to remove the large pin that is part of the blade retainer assembly. In addition to numerous hammer blows and a lotta sweat. After a blade change I realized the outer flange on my mower deck was a little bent, causing the blades to hit on each rotation. /forums/images/graemlins/frown.gif....Following that I changed my gear oil and got to it! This of course occurred over two weeks as I tended to the other matters of life.....

Bottom line, the mower seems to handle the thick grass very well. The gras is about 18+ incheas high and very thick in some places. I'm not making any great speed, but I'm taking it cautious as I learn the layout. It is 99% grass and field growth. The field has several areas with small ditches and depressions that could cause problems, and I'm feeling my way through them.

All in all it's great to finally put the tractor under load and work it. I've probably put about 25 hours on the tractor so far, but it's all been light duty fel work, hauling and such. This really is the first time I've worked it at 2,600 rpm for any length of time, and all seems well.

You need to understand as a new owner, this is work I had previously contracted, and it feels real good to have the ability to just get it done!!

 

[EastTexFrank]

Glad it all worked out and you had FUN !!!!!