Mowing Do you have enough tractor?

[Piston]

I'm currently running a 472 Brown 6' cutter behind a 52 HP Ford 4610SU. For the area that I cut twice a year it is adequate but not overkill. I can get a little smoke out of the old girl at times but in those open areas I am in 5th gear running around 4.5 MPH. I am looking at going to an 8' cutter to cover a little more ground. I may go with a 10' cutter but understand that I may need to get a bigger tractor if I want to cover the same area at the same speed. Good excuse for getting another tractor.

I have this same mower, and my 39hp is adequate but I have to slow down a lot. I was thinking 50hp would be about perfect for it.

I bog my tractor down very easily using the stumpgrinder though. But that could use 100hp so it's not surprising.

My PTO isn't my limiting factor on my L4610, even though I'd like more, it does do the work. Where I'm lacking is loader lift capacity and overall toughness of the loader. I feel like my little CUT's FEL arms are so delicate. I want something that I can abuse!

 

[bspeedy]

bspeedy, there are groundhogs in the upstate? I did not know that. Not all I don't know. lol

:laughing:

I grew up in Ohio and we had more than our share up there, but YES, there certainly are groundhogs here in SC.

Funny story - my boys came riding up to the house on their dirt bikes after riding in our woods. They were all excited. Apparently they startled a groundhog and it ran up a tree! Never seen that before...

 

[MutzFarm]

I have this same mower, and my 39hp is adequate but I have to slow down a lot. I was thinking 50hp would be about perfect for it.

I bog my tractor down very easily using the stumpgrinder though. But that could use 100hp so it's not surprising.

My PTO isn't my limiting factor on my L4610, even though I'd like more, it does do the work. Where I'm lacking is loader lift capacity and overall toughness of the loader. I feel like my little CUT's FEL arms are so delicate. I want something that I can abuse!

You need a M62........lol. We are trying to make up our minds on next purchase. Few years out. Either a B series or a RTV......

 

[stuckmotor]

A big tractor is nice when you need power and traction. A smaller tractor comes in handy when working in tight places and costs less to operate. Like nearly everything else, one size can't be perfect for all applications. Perhaps a sister question to the one im the thread's title would be' "Do you have enough tractorS?"

 

[stuckmotor]

:laughing:

I grew up in Ohio and we had more than our share up there, but YES, there certainly are groundhogs here in SC.

Funny story - my boys came riding up to the house on their dirt bikes after riding in our woods. They were all excited. Apparently they startled a groundhog and it ran up a tree! Never seen that before...

I was surprized to see a strange furry little animal on a trip to the mountains. I guess it was a ground hog. Can't remember whether we were in SC or over the NC line at the time.

 

[oosik]

I have 80 acres with a mile long gravel driveway. For 25 years my Ford 1710 4WD worked just fine. Then in 2009 I decided to move into larger jobs - traded the Ford in for a brand new Kubota M6040. Mainly - ability to "cut" my driveway in the summer when it turns to concrete, ability to move large logs and rocks - ability to go in with my grapple and clear large brushy areas. I was completely satisfied with the Ford and what it could do - I am now completely satisfied with the Kubota and what it can do.

Both of my tractors were/are open station. I have no need for a bush hog - thereby no need for a cab.

I enjoy being outside on the tractor and simply dress for the weather.

 

[rustyshakelford]

You need a M62........lol. We are trying to make up our minds on next purchase. Few years out. Either a B series or a RTV......

Just got out RTV in yesterday. They are awesome. Going to be spraying ranchettes with it

Brett

 

[Piston]

You need a M62........lol. We are trying to make up our minds on next purchase. Few years out. Either a B series or a RTV......

Ha! Yes, I do!

 

[gladehound]

I have this same mower, and my 39hp is adequate but I have to slow down a lot. I was thinking 50hp would be about perfect for it.

I bog my tractor down very easily using the stumpgrinder though. But that could use 100hp so it's not surprising.

My PTO isn't my limiting factor on my L4610, even though I'd like more, it does do the work. Where I'm lacking is loader lift capacity and overall toughness of the loader. I feel like my little CUT's FEL arms are so delicate. I want something that I can abuse!

My cousin has a JD110 that he barely uses and has been talking about selling for years. In PA though. Loader lift is just a little more than your L4610 but the structure of the loader is substantially beefier. If you decide you're interested I can put you in contact.

 

[Piston]

My cousin has a JD110 that he barely uses and has been talking about selling for years. In PA though. Loader lift is just a little more than your L4610 but the structure of the loader is substantially beefier. If you decide you're interested I can put you in contact.

Thank you Gladehound. Your right, it would be more of a substantially built loader, but unfortunately it doesn't "lift" all that much more than my current tractor, and it also has considerably less PTO hp so it's not a viable option. I like the little 110's but they are just too "little".
The M59/62 is substantially more capable than the 110. They aren't really meant to be comparable though as the M62 is in a different league. I don't have any interest in a 110.

It's really too bad Deere got out of the TLB segment. It would have been great to see Deeres version of the M62!

I do believe the dealer meetings are coming up this month, maybe we will see something new

Thanks for bringing it up though, perhaps someone else will jump on it.

 

[DieselBound]

I've got two tractors, a Kubota B7800 running a 5' bush hog (recently acquired a LandPride 1860; it's working really nicely) and my, almost one year-old, Kioti Nx5510 running a 6' Bush Hog B26(? extremely well-used by PO!). I appreciate both tractors, both have their purposes. The Kubota has been through utter heck and, though I have to slow down with some really heavy stuff, it has just chugged away: it's done a LOT of work. It fits in places where few tractors can, while having the power to do what similar sized ones cannot. It'll run on soft ground, and if it gets stuck the Kioti is used to extract it: I don't dare get the Kioti stuck. My Kioti runs the 6-footer with ease. I only need to go slow when cutting really heavy brush (backing in, of course). Cutting grass speed is determined by how much jostling I can stand: ride is generally better than on my Kubota, but when this larger mass gets bumping around it too can be pretty jarring). One day I'd like to get a 7' flail for the Kioti. Can't really go very big because I've got a lot of obstacles, mainly in the form of trees (these also limit my speed).

 

[mapper]

Same here. That would be fun. I'd be concerned about a groundhog hole or washout and doing some damage to my machinery. Or hitting an exposed rock with the cutter. Maybe I'm just a coward...

I'm just too old to want to take that sort of a beating

 

[DieselBound]

I'm just too old to want to take that sort of a beating

I'm still too stupid to realize that I'm too old to take these beatings!

My neck is trashed from whiplashing around on my B7800. That tractor can be pushed really fast and it can turn on a dime. The Kioti has forced me to slow down a bit: cost of repairing bits on a larger tractor is substantially higher.

 

[mapper]

I'm still too stupid to realize that I'm too old to take these beatings!

My neck is trashed from whiplashing around on my B7800. That tractor can be pushed really fast and it can turn on a dime. The Kioti has forced me to slow down a bit: cost of repairing bits on a larger tractor is substantially higher.

The cost of repairing bits on any modern tractor is high, haven't broken any thing yet on the Massey, not looking forward to the day I do. In the meantime I have more time than money so I don't have to beat up my equipment getting stuff done.

 

[shaeff]

The OP's terrain makes for easy bush hogging, given the open space between clumps of tall weeds, and the thin stems of 1.5" or less. The cutter has time to mulch the tall stuff and spit out the dregs before it has to ingest the next bite.

By contrast, tall grass never lets the deck get a break to clear out the accumulated junk. Thicker woody brush requires multiple turns of the blade before it gets chopped up into small pieces.

Here in the northeast, where we get plenty of rain, overgrown fields with 5 or more years of growth need at least 6 HP per foot of diameter on the bush hog, and slower speeds to make sure you don't overwork a tractor.

Agreed. When me and my wife bought our property, there was a section of maybe two acre field that had overgrown for easily 10 years, maybe longer. My father's tractor is a Kubota L2850- 34hp, 28pto. It took several weekends working very slowly, my brother and me on our knees cutting the really thick stuff with chainsaws to lay it over- but we got it done. Brought that tractor to it's knees many times with a 5' Bush Hog. We were working in late fall when everything was dead and crispy which helped a lot. His old 75hp diesel International would have made much faster work of it. Miss that thing!

 

[DieselBound]

For me, wet stuff seems easier to cut than dry stuff. Perhaps it's psychological, I'm thinking it lubricates the cutters?

 

[Mace Canute]

Do you have enough tractor?

Why yes, I believe I do!

 

[kenmac]

why do we always need a bigger tractor ? Back in the day, they were doing things with 30 HP tractors and mules, that we are doing today with 50-60 hp tractors

 

[rustyshakelford]

why do we always need a bigger tractor ? Back in the day, they were doing things with 30 HP tractors and mules, that we are doing today with 50-60 hp tractors

Because we are all in a hurry! I mow my home place of 13 acres with a 15' batwing. I like to get it knocked out and I can go back to doing family stuff. I'll spend money to increase efficiency

Brett

 

[DieselBound]

why do we always need a bigger tractor ? Back in the day, they were doing things with 30 HP tractors and mules, that we are doing today with 50-60 hp tractors

I guess most folks could be reminded that "back in the day" is still TODAY, and that much of the world works by oxen-power.

My machinery is almost always beckoning me away from other things for maintenance and or repairs. I rationalize it all by saying that it keeps me from really breaking my back! I figure it's all less expensive than medical bills.