Brush hog advice

[stevewatr]

Darn! the 6' Woods Brush bull is no longer for sale! Guy #3 says he wants to keep it.....It was like new, so I can't blame him. Best deal local on a new BB72 was one on the lot, dealer told me $2300 if I assemble it myself!

The dealer that is supposed to be my nearest Kodiak seller, has no Kodiaks, and the sales guy I got said he does not remeber seeing any come through there. They have King Kutter, and a few Woods models left in stock.

As for the JD609, they sold it for $2000, the sales guy claimed it is $6000 new! I was told by the sales manager it was on consignment, and the owner wanted $1500, and he told me he would not pay that for it, implying that it should sell for less. i did not make an offer because another guy in the office said it weighs 1200 pounds and was too much hog for my tractor, and scared me off. Somthing about that whole deal stinks! Maybe the saleman had a guy on the line for more money, and wanted me to go away. Well, it sno longer an option.

 

[Soundguy]

yer 1920 sould lift about 1800# at the 3pt balls.. and with a mower wheel on the ground.. you ain't lifting 1200# of a 1200# mower.

soundguy

 

[greg_g]

You're really makin' this hard on yourself, if all you want to do is control sumac. Cuz to me it seems like you're lookin' for too much machine. Or would you have other requirements?
FWIW - until you start shopping for finish mowers - don't worry about the fact that you've got an 80" track. Buy a RC based upon a balance between the PTO hp of your tractor AND the materials you wish to shred.
FWIW #2 -I personally consider the 29hp Ford PTO rating to be less reality than it is marketing
FWIW #3 - even though I respect SoundGuys Ford experience, most folks do not transport their TPH rotary cutters with the (laminated) tail wheel(s) on the ground. So I maintain that a 1200# implement on the back of your non-loader equipped tractor is excessive - from the standpoint of (s) transporting, and (b) cresting slopes while mowing.

//greg//

 

[Hollow]

I could make up some sorta dolly for when I am transporting it, and not mowing.

If you get something to heavy to hold up and transport at high speeds , pull the pin on the top link and let it ride on the tail wheel. Just slow down when going over bumps or potholes. I had a Ford 5000 years ago and used a Woods 72" 3pt side mower to mow pond levees, on three different properties. I transported it up and down the highway all the time on the tail wheel because it was so heavy.

It was so heavy my brother came over to borrow it one day to use behind his 1066 IH, he was gone for about a half hour before he came back and said he didn't want to have anything to do with it, he was tired of driving around on two wheels.

 

[stevewatr]

yer 1920 sould lift about 1800# at the 3pt balls.. and with a mower wheel on the ground.. you ain't lifting 1200# of a 1200# mower.

soundguy

Tratordata site says rear lift capacity is 2185, I assume you reduced that number to compensate for the length of the impliment increasing the force?

Weird thing is, My operators manual says nothing about weight limitation on the three point. Does not even give a number in the specs section.

So we are back to an argument against the 6 footers?

Or would a lighter 6 footer be okay? But than that means thinner steel, so not as tough.

I have 5 acres of overgrown hayfield. Not been hayed for 30+ years. Some of it is covered with trees I'll have to cut down, but I want the hog to chop up anything I can drive over, wild blackberry, bushes, saplings, sumac, you name it, its growing here....well, maybe thats a stretch

 

[greg_g]

maybe thats a stretch

Hmmm, that's info we didn't have up front. So yeah, with a 32 hp tractor - in my opinion - that's a stretch

//greg//

 

[stevewatr]

Found a used Landpride RCR1560, 60" lighter machine, 12 gauge steel, so it looks to be on par with the Tractor supply Countyline models.

A new Countyline 5 footer is $850. It weighs Can't find weight specs on either one, but with the lighter gauge steel, and 5', I'd guess around 800 pounds.

Bad news is cutting capacity is 1"

 

[Farmwithjunk]

I make a living via a bunch of different mowers, cutting a wide variety of property. Highway right-of ways, large tracts of land bought for eventual retail developement (and all that entails) farm land, some essentially abandon, industrial zone buffer areas, waterways and filter strips on my farm, clipping pastures, even my lawn is MOSTLY cut with a bush hog.

With that said, there is no set method of operation that fits 100% of the time, no "constant" as far as what a person is cutting, or the potential "challenges" of each.

So "it all depends".

Heavy, lush grass requires more hp than mowing dry stemmy brush, ect... The obsticals you have to negotiate dictate things like ground speed and possible mowing patterns. Also, they effect how much of the time you HAVE to have the entire weight of the mower hanging on the hitch, maybe even with the tractor awkward position at the same time. In anything short of "ideal conditions", you generally don't want to operate a tractor to 100% of it's capacities for the majority of its use. That can be a less than pleasurable experience at times. It also puts you right on the fine edge of saftey at times.

Get a mower that's SAFELY below the absolute limits and you'll have a more practical, safer, and probably more efficient rig. Your tractor will thank you later. Not saying you need to undersize implements, just don't push the limits to the hilt.

One of my mowing rigs is 70 hp (pto) and it is always hooked to a 6' mower. I've got a 39hp (pto) with an 8' mower on it usually (pull type) . One cuts around culverts, abuttments, and gaurd rails on R-O-W mowing. The other mows the lawn, usually every 4 or 5 days during the summer. Point being, mower size can (and should) go either way, big or small, all to do with what you're mowing, and how often you cut it. A well manicured lawn is a LOT easier on equipment than a rocky hillside that "gets cut once a year need it or not"

For what I'd describe as "average mowing" around a farm, I'd stick w/5'. Not saying you CAN'T use a 6' mower, I'd just feel a lot more confident in the tough spots with a 5'er. YMMV, JMHO

 

[Hollow]

I have 5 acres of overgrown hayfield. Not been hayed for 30+ years. Some of it is covered with trees I'll have to cut down, but I want the hog to chop up anything I can drive over, wild blackberry, bushes, saplings, sumac, you name it, its growing here....well, maybe thats a stretch

If I were you I wouldn't buy anything that doesn't have sides at least 3/16 thick if your planing on running over saplings. I currently have a Bushhog 286 with 1/4" sides and I'm not afraid of anything bending or denting them with it behind my little NH TT45A (only slightly bigger than your tractor). But I would NOT want to use it with a tractor any smaller. On steep slopes its a constant fight over who has more authority over where to go between the tractor and the mower, but I mow some pretty steep slopes. I don't want to sound like a broken record but the Kodiak M-Heavy Duty Roundback would probably be the best compromise, 3/16 channel sides, has the flywheel blade holder, and the 6' model only weighs in at 800lbs. Just make sure you get one with a slip clutch. Just my 2ct's worth yet again...

 

[stevewatr]

I don't want to sound like a broken record but the Kodiak M-Heavy Duty Roundback would probably be the best compromise,

Too bad they are not sold in my area. Called the factory, they gave me the distributor, who gave me the nearest dealer, and they said they do not stock any, and wanted to sell me a king kutter, or woods.

 

[greg_g]

Too bad they are not sold in my area. Called the factory, they gave me the distributor, who gave me the nearest dealer, and they said they do not stock any, and wanted to sell me a king kutter, or woods.

You're not going to do a lot of MA bush-hogging this time of year anyway. So order one, and pick it up in the spring. I drove 150 miles to get my Kodiak, didn't give the distance a 2nd thought.

//greg//

 

[idaho2]

Stevewatr,

Kodiak builds the Mahindras, same mower with both names on it! I have a 10' pull type and use it with my 5530 4 wd Mahindra. No dealer in your area check them out in the Mahindra section.

Idaho2

 

[LD1]

I also 2nd the comment about you making this too hard on yourself.

It doesnt sound like you will be bushhogging day-in and day-out.

And since spring is still quite a few months away, you have pleanty of time to shop c-list for good used deals.

And if you really want to spend 2k+ and get a new top-of-the-line unit, more power to you. But IMO, I think it is foolish. Good medium to light duty cutters are a dime a dozen on c-list. And even if it only lasts a couple of years, you got your moneys worth out of it.

Personally, if I were you, I'd budget about $200 and pick one up on c-list and go from there. Because who knows, you might only be using it for the first year of two and decide to keep it all finished mowed. And then you'll think about that $2k you spent on a cutter that dont get used anymore.

 

[Soundguy]

FWIW #2 -I personally consider the 29hp Ford PTO rating to be less reality than it is marketing
FWIW #3 - even though I respect SoundGuys Ford experience, most folks do not transport their TPH rotary cutters with the (laminated) tail wheel(s) on the ground. So I maintain that a 1200# implement on the back of your non-loader equipped tractor is excessive - from the standpoint of (s) transporting, and (b) cresting slopes while mowing.

//greg//

have you actually operated a 1920? they fit some good size ponies in that 4 cyl.. IMHO.. it's underrated if anything..

and no.. I don't normally 'transport' a mower lifted, except to clear an obstacle. toting something like that lifted is IMHO.. a good way to shock load and test safety and relief valves, checks, and piston orings and gaskets.. etc. wheels are for running on the ground.. and that's what I use em for any time I can

a flex link will help when cresting a hill. of course there will always be extenuating circumstance that break the rules. etc. i'm bless to live in MOSTLY flat areas..

soundguy

 

[RickB]

FWIW #2 -I personally consider the 29hp Ford PTO rating to be less reality than it is marketing
//greg//

Any actual facts to back that up? Or perhaps even seat time on a 1920? 1920's routinely dyno test in the low 30"s.

You would think that if the 1920 was overrated in the HP department, somebody in the last 25 years would have made some noise about it.
FWIW, the 1920 is one of the most highly regarded CUT's ever built by anyone, and seldom complained about as underpowered.

 

[Hollow]

Stevewatr,

Kodiak builds the Mahindras, same mower with both names on it!
Idaho2

I forgot about Mahindra using Kodiak. :thumbsup:

And since spring is still quite a few months away, you have pleanty of time to shop c-list for good used deals.

Now is the time to clear over grown fields, no insects, all the herbaceous vegetation is dead and easier to cut, no leaves so its easier to see obstructions....

Too bad they are not sold in my area. Called the factory, they gave me the distributor, who gave me the nearest dealer, and they said they do not stock any, and wanted to sell me a king kutter, or woods.

If a dealer isn't interested in ordering you exactly what you want I wouldn't use that dealer. I have an Uncle who deals in Ag equipment, half the stuff he sells he never see's. He orders it and has it shipped straight to the customer.

 

[Soundguy]

You're not going to do a lot of MA bush-hogging this time of year anyway. So order one, and pick it up in the spring. I drove 150 miles to get my Kodiak, didn't give the distance a 2nd thought.

//greg//

when i bought my howse HD, I drove nearly 100m to look at a kodiak, and ended up having to get my HD howse from a non local dealer as well.. as most don't sell the HD line.

driving 2 hours saved me about 1400$..

soundguy

 

[Soundguy]

Personally, if I were you, I'd budget about $200 and pick one up on c-list and go from there. Because who knows, you might only be using it for the first year of two and decide to keep it all finished mowed. And then you'll think about that $2k you spent on a cutter that dont get used anymore.

or less. last 200$ clist mower I bought.. I paid 100$ for.. was a howse.. had a bent tailwheel support.. and one split weld on the side of the deck.. 1-2 loose bolts in the support a frame.

I torched the spindle odd the fork, and torched and welded up a new one.. looks as good as an original and was ez.. mower mows great for 100$.. and I don't mind using it for junk cutting since I got no money in it.

got a hd servis mower that was near clapped out ( 70's era ).. got it for free. a lil welding and grease later and it's a DARN good mower

soundguy

 

[Soundguy]

You would think that if the 1920 was overrated in the HP department, somebody in the last 25 years would have made some noise about it.
FWIW, the 1920 is one of the most highly regarded CUT's ever built by anyone, and seldom complained about as underpowered.

i still regret trading mine to this day.. if I hadn't have gotten 95% of what I paid for it in trade after a few years of use.. i wouldn't have...

soundguy

 

[wcampbell47]

Get a mower that's SAFELY below the absolute limits and you'll have a more practical, safer, and probably more efficient rig. Your tractor will thank you later. Not saying you need to undersize implements, just don't push the limits to the hilt.

I definitely get what Farmwithjunk is saying here. My 48" LP will sometimes choke down my 21 hp tractor - but when using it behind the 32 hp tractor we just hum along at a fast clip. That 11 hp makes a nice difference.