conflicting advice on using bucket with rotary cutter

[seville009]

For a field that I've mowed many times (so I know where any obstacles are), I take the loader off. It rides much smoother without the bucket/loader frame bouncing around.

 

[ROUSTABOUT]

I cut grass with the bucket on.
for me it doesnt make sense to remove it. and it really makes no sense on removing the loader to cut grass.

I will remove the bucket if needed to cut in tight areas.
The loader and bucket are used for pretty much everything I do. It stays on for things I dont even know i need it for until its time.

Well, you don't have any bad places.

 

[4570Man]

I cut grass with the bucket on.
for me it doesnt make sense to remove it. and it really makes no sense on removing the loader to cut grass.

I will remove the bucket if needed to cut in tight areas.
The loader and bucket are used for pretty much everything I do. It stays on for things I dont even know i need it for until its time.

I can remove the whole loader off my Kubota in not much more time than just the bucket. It’s an easy job.

 

[ROUSTABOUT]

This one has me curious. First of all why mow when it's muddy; but mainly, how do you pull yourself out if you get stuck?

With something else. Tractor don't go down as much with 2000 lbs taken off. We have a place about 8 acres behind a pond dam that has a creek running through it. We dammed a creek and made a 5 acre pond. I can keep the diff locked, keep Bush Hog on the ground, and back to edge of creek. Then ease out and back in again. I cut it once a year in the driest part of summer when it's over 100° outside. I have a 75' piece of 3/4" galvanized cable with hook on one end and loop on the other so I can be pulled if I stop moving. I don't make a mess and bury the tractor. I get pulled soon as a tire slips. In one day I killed 7 water moccasins, 3 copperheads, 1 rattle snake. The cows don't even go in there. Those snakes are ones I got off and killed with a shovel. No telling how many I cut or ran over. I have never used a loader to pull me out on a tractor. The skid steer, yes. If I have a way to go backwards. I'd rather not tear the ground up though.

 

[ROUSTABOUT]

I cut grass with the bucket on.
for me it doesnt make sense to remove it. and it really makes no sense on removing the loader to cut grass.

I will remove the bucket if needed to cut in tight areas.
The loader and bucket are used for pretty much everything I do. It stays on for things I dont even know i need it for until its time.
[/QUOTE

If you are cutting 500 miles of pipeline you won't want that loader on. Sure you leave yours on. But in bad ground conditions I wager that it comes off or either you put off cutting the vegetation.

 

[4570Man]

This one has me curious. First of all why mow when it's muddy; but mainly, how do you pull yourself out if you get stuck?

I don’t recall ever getting stuck with the loader off. It doesn’t get stuck as bad that way. But if it did happen I’d just have to go get my mini x and pull it out.

 

[Smokeydog]

Soft ride FEL option sure makes mowing with loader on smoother.
Finish mower with bucket off. Bush hog with grapple on, generally. Don’t have large clear areas without trees.

 

[Sawyer Rob]

Yup. Removing the whole loader assembly off my Kubota is a matter of pulling two pins and disconnecting 4 hoses. But for many years when all I had was my old John Deere removing the loader was an involved process - 8 bolts if I remember correctly that had to be unbolted in addition to the hoses disconnected. Unlike the Kubota loader that stands on its own legs, the John Deere loader needs to be lifted off the tractor and for that I built a tall frame and hung a chainfall on it that lifts and holds the loader.

The loader on my "loader" tractor comes off in a couple minutes, but that's not the tractor that was in my post. Also, what I call my loader tractor, gets used all the time with the loader so it stays on.

I used to rotary cut all the time with a tractor without a loader, but then I bought a new rotary cutter and I'm more comfortable having more power with the new cutter than "that" tractor has, so I started looking for a tractor with a bit more hp.

Then I had a chance to buy this one for a GREAT price, with only 1600 hrs on it, so I bought it.

It's been pretty handy to have around.

SR

 

[DieselBound]

I don’t recall ever getting stuck with the loader off. It doesn’t get stuck as bad that way. But if it did happen I’d just have to go get my mini x and pull it out.

There's "taking off" and then there's "putting on."

I don't have much in the way of flat surfaces.

 

[DieselBound]

Mostly I try to run with my grapple on for the first mowing as I've got all sorts of tree debris down: as I'm always out with my dog on my property I am mostly pretty aware of where all the debris is; I also have scouted for firewood (and have sorted stuff best I can beforehand). Grapple is handy for helping snag blackberries. I'll usually have various things in mind for clearing/altering and that requires some attachment on the loader. I multi-task, mow and do bits of clearing and such, or fetch a crate of wood that I've filled and is out in the field.

Here's some multitasking activities with the B7800. Bush hog on back in order to mow a bit around where I'll be processing wood. Bucket with toothbar was just able to bust out the rounds I'd cut from that downed cottonwood (really wanted to be able to get through there!): ground too soft to be running the Kioti. I've NEVER removed the loader from the B7800 (nor have I from the Kioti).

When the ground is drier I'll run with this setup for first mowing (I managed to get this setup out and clear away several brush piles and some large debris- one of the huge rounds, but left the others for when I rent an excavator):

And, yes, I DO have to be careful navigating around all the trees, but I'd still have to be careful even without the loader attached. I'm very familiar with my property. Someone else's would be an entirely different story...