Bush Hog cutters.... Which one?

Plantation Paul · Jul 7, 2017

Tractor is a JD5075E, so I think it has enough HP for what I want.

I am torn between the ease of use of a three point hitch mower and a pull type. I have run both and they both have their advantages.

The 2010 looks awesome for a three point hitch mower.

2

Series Rotary Cutters

Now the 1812 is sure alluring. 12' wide and a flex wing pull type...

1812 Flex-Wing Rotary Cutter

It is heavy though! But the 3 point isn't exactly light either. :confused3:

Turbys_1700 · Jul 7, 2017

If you go with the 2010 you will need front weights for ballast unless you have a FEL mounted. Both cutters are rated the same for cutting capacity. If it was my choice I would get the batwing if my areas were more open and I had the room to manuver the cutter. If most of my areas had obstacles that required more turns then I would choose the 3 point cutter. Keep us posted on your choice.

bdog · Jul 8, 2017

I have a 2010. I like it. Batwings have their place but seem a lot more complex and have more things to go wrong. They cost considerably more also. Do you plan on hauling it anywhere? The 2010 is over legal width.

How much are you mowing? I mow around 20 acres with mine but not regularly. Mainly cutting crop stubble and a little grass.

Plantation Paul · Jul 10, 2017

Turn rows, ditches and 10 acres of orchards. Probably 50 acres all together. Yea, I know it is over width. No problem with that, but it is a bit heavy. I have a FEL and the 3 point has enough umph according the the manual.

Maybe the 2008 would be better. 8'3" so I would be loosing a 1'6", but it is also over 600# lighter. Same blade speed.

I did get a pretty good price from my dealer though. Maybe I should check on the 1812.

bdog, so I assume your using your 4440 to pull your clipper. That is a lot more tractor than I have. I just don't want to over do it weight wise.

bdog · Jul 10, 2017

Yes I am pulling the cutter with the 4440. I don't know the specs on your tractor but it isn't overly heavy. I don't even notice it back there and I often move it around by hooking it on the tips of my forks with the skid steer.

I hate shredding. It is boring to me. I want to get it done as quickly as possible which means the bigger the shredder the better.

If you are blazing new trails and mowing down heavy brush or mowing infrequently you need to be mindful of the width and HP but if you are like me and mow your stuff regularly you can be on the light side of the HP requirements. All I mow is grass/weeds and they never get much over knee high before I cut them.

LD1 · Jul 11, 2017

I think the decision should be based on the lay of the land. If you have alot of smaller areas, things to mow around, alot of backing; I don't really think you will see much time savings going bigger if bigger means a tow model.

If you are wide open, room to get around, and anticipate minimal backing, then I think you would be served well with the bigger flex wing

RedNeckRacin · Jul 11, 2017

I have a 5083E and an mx10 10' cutter. I sure wouldn't want any more brushhog behind me than that. I mow everything from pasture grass on the flat to a very steep hillside that only gets mowed once a year when the vegetation is over the tire height. I recently acquired 4 more suitcase weights (8 total) and the tractor feels stable finally without the loader on and the brushhog hooked up. I don't know how big your ditches are, but my mower sticks out about 18" wider than my tires. Also, i don't like roading the mower in the air since it makes the tractor bounce a good bit.

CobyRupert · Jul 11, 2017

I have a 7', 1100lb cutter on the back of my 5075E. Sometime I think it's even that is too much weight, and too big and clumsy around obstacles.

I made the mistake of running it once with the loader off, sure could of used some front end suitcase weights, as you could pull a wheelie if you wanted to pop the clutch. And that's at 1100 lbs, not a 1900 lbs Bushhog. Remember , those extra pound are hanging (leveraging) far off the back.

Even though I have the wheels set as wide as possible and it's very stable, if the front end is light, it "feels" unstable when you go across a slope or climb a hill.

I definitely leave the loader on now for ballast, and to knock down and saplings.

You're probably a bit flatter there and none of this matters, but I imagine ditches can still get you in trouble if you have too much weight.

LD1 · Jul 11, 2017

I'll go the other way with this....

I have a 1620# 8' twin on the back of a 50hp 3800# tractor.

The 5075e is 1300# heavier. The 10' is 300# heavier. And two feet wider makes it 25% wider with 50% more power.

I run mine just fine. Cutter is too heavy to load forward on the trailer, as the front wheels won't stay down if the loader is off. But no issues mowing even pretty steem slopes, cause remember, half the weight goes on the tail wheels when the cutter is down doing its thing.

rustyshakelford · Jul 11, 2017

I vote the 12' batwing. Will pull better off the draw bar and much of the weight will be carried by the wheels on the batwing so that helps a ton. Also, I have slightly more money than time so the faster I can get my mowing and chores knocked out the quicker I can swim with my boy or spend time with the family.

Brett