anyone run a brush hog with their B7100?

[grossgary]

Awhile ago folks recommended 4 foot brush hogs for the B7100. All the ones I see are rated 20hp+. That's more than the B7100 has. Is that just a recommendation or should I be looking for lighter 4 foot brush hogs or something?

I'm ready to buy one but have never even used one before, so I'm a bit clueless on them.

 

[MarkV]

Go ahead and get a 4' light duty mower. You are correct that the rule of thumb is 5 PTO hp per foot of mower but you can get by with less. If you are mowing too heavy of material and it is bogging down the tractor make 2 or 3 foot passes on your first cutting and mow more often. I have been using a 4' King Kutter mower with a 13 PTO hp tractor for years and it has worked fine.

MarkV

 

[BigD23]

I owned a B5100 that had 10hp at the PTO...Ran a 42" bush hog squealer with it...The combination worked very well...Good luck with your choice.

Don

 

[grossgary]

Thanks, I recall seeing other folks on here running brush hogs with smaller tractors like mine.

Not sure what "light duty" means, I haven't really seen a distinction in the ones I've looked at. Hadn't heard of any bush hogs under 48" before either, that's interesting.

 

[DavidAubke]

I've run a five foot mower off my BX2350 (19 HP @ PTO?) with out much trouble. I was concerned I was overworking the tractor or hanging too much weight off the 3 pt. hitch. Now I'm running a 4'.

I've got a Howse "Economy" grade mower. They have something like five grades of mowers. The lower-end ones are not as beefy and hence weigh less. The most obvious difference is mine lacks angle iron braces running across the width of the deck. I don't imagine the grade affects the HP rating but I could be wrong.

 

[Will_C]

The 4' cutter will be fine on a B7100. I mowed 15 abandoned acres with a 13hp PTO Massey Ferguson tractor when my brother first bought his farm-it took 2 1/2 days, but I got the job done.

What will you be using the cutter for? Field grasses, briars, how tall is the vegetation, etc? The 4' hog will be perfect if you are mowing fields 2-3 times a year.

Will

 

[MarkV]

Gary the "light duty" mowers are rated for 1-2" diameter brush. If you want to clear the woods, well you are right you lack some PTO hp to do the job. If just maintaining some field grass and keeping the fence lines cut back you will be fine. If duty rating become confusing then you can bet the least expensive ones are the light duty or economy mowers.

From what I have seen there are some 42" models on the market. In my opinion I would rather take a narrower cut to do the same thing than not have a mower that was close to the same width as my rear tires.

MarkV

 

[grossgary]

good point will. i will first mow some nasty briars and stuff so it might take awhile the first time, but will keep it mowed a few times a year, it's only 5 acres or less. about half of it is extremely steep on the side of a mountain. i mowed some trails through it with my belly mower, but had to go in reverse, low range, 4WD to make it up it was so steep. we'll see if i can even get a brush hog up there safely!

i did a small test area with my belly mower last year and it's nice and grassy now. i want to do that to the entire area....without using my belly mower!

thanks guys, and for that reference too.

i was thinking the same thing, go with the 48".

 

[Bird]

My 1995 B7100 manual recommended a 42" rotary cutter. But as I've said many times, in my opinion, Kubota is pretty conservative. I think outside to outside of the rear wheels was about 40" wide and I always want a rotary cutter (brush hog) that's wider than the tractor so I can mow fairly close to fences and other obstacles. So I had a 48" Bush Hog Squealer and think it was the ideal size for the B7100 for my use.

 

[grossgary]

i bought a Landpride 48" brush hog, thanks guys.

seems huge and weighs 475 pounds. might not be able to do the mountainside but at least will do trails and our flat field.