Finish Mower.... How large can I go?

[LindaK]

We just bought a used Kubota M6840 (approx. 70 horse) and would like to add a finish mower for a cleaner look in our pastures. The tractor is strong and runs like new, so no problem there, and the pastures are like lawns, very little weeds, but thick, short grass. How large of a finish mower can I look to buy? I have been looking at 14-15 ft batwings, however, I just saw a 21ft batwing for sale. The pasture is open and without trees, but is this size still going to be frustrating? And would this tractor even handle it? I do have a 7 ft rotary cutter to use if it would ever get to tall for a finish mower to handle. What is the rule of thumb on finish mower/ hp size?

Thank You...
Linda

 

[Midniteoyl]

How bigs the pasture? Rule of thumb, I believe, is 5hp per foot. so 70hp = 14'. Not to say you cant go bigger, and there are those that do, but you start to get into things like how flat, how tall the grass, how much room to turn, etc.. I would say that 21' mower just might work if you have the room to maneuver and the grass is kept short.. but you are pushing it.

 

[LindaK]

Thank you for the reply... does the rule of thumb of 5 hp per foot hold true for rotary mowers AND finish mowers alike? Does one take more hp per ft than another? This has been an ongoing discussion at our house. Although the pasture is fairly flat, smooth and mowed short I would prefer to stay well within the tractors limits. ( and it is a 6800 not 6840). If given a choice would you go with a 15 ft rotory or finish? pro's and con's? About 25 acres in pastures. No problem with tight areas.
Linda

 

[RickB]

I have customers easily running 15 foot finish mowers with 45 PTO HP and up. HP requirements for finish mowers are less than for rotary cutters.

 

[JimRB]

We fenced out smaller pastures up so we can rotate horses. We only have 9 acres and we have 4 turn out areas. This gives the areas a chance to rest during low rain or cold weather. I do not have much mowing usually. Even after I sprayed for weeds and tossed out fertilizer for the first time in years and even with lots of rain I do not have much mowing to do.

How many acres do you have? How much livestock is eating those acres. How big are the sectioned off pastures?

http://www.woodsequipment.com/uploadedFiles/Products/Literature/TBW Full Line.pdf

 

[LindaK]

That's good to know that the finish mower will generally take less horse power to run (given all things equal). Thank You...

Our pastures aren't cross fenced, we just have two ( one 20 acres and another across the drive way of 5 acres ). We only have 3 horses, are on a 12 in/12 out schedule and when two are out they wear grazing muzzles (yes, they are easy keepers!) We haven't used the smaller pasture in several years. So, basically, I'm wanting a lawn mower on steroids, since this is in our front yard.

Linda

 

[jenkinsph]

Linda,
I think I would look more towards the 15 to 18 ft sizes, your tractor is about 60 pto hp. Look at the 17 ft Woods tri deck as that would be a good match for your tractor. Mowing time should be about three hours with a 17' finish mower approximately.

Here is a link,
http://www.woodsequipment.com/productDetails.aspx?id=332

 

[Midniteoyl]

3hp per foot is pushing it for a finish mower in a pasture, IMHO. Its not a lawn getting an inch off the top every week...

 

[jenkinsph]

3hp per foot is pushing it for a finish mower in a pasture, IMHO. Its not a lawn getting an inch off the top every week...

According to the OP (LindaK) she is treating it as a lawn and would be mowing it regularly.

 

[leonz]

We just bought a used Kubota M6840 (approx. 70 horse) and would like to add a finish mower for a cleaner look in our pastures. The tractor is strong and runs like new, so no problem there, and the pastures are like lawns, very little weeds, but thick, short grass. How large of a finish mower can I look to buy? I have been looking at 14-15 ft batwings, however, I just saw a 21ft batwing for sale. The pasture is open and without trees, but is this size still going to be frustrating? And would this tractor even handle it? I do have a 7 ft rotary cutter to use if it would ever get to tall for a finish mower to handle. What is the rule of thumb on finish mower/ hp size?

Thank You...
Linda

It all depends on the time you to put in every time you mow.


An 8 foot finish flail mower will work well with you tractor and
will mow it well if it becomes over grown.


Mowing in a spiral pattern from the center of the paddock
eliminates braking and turning and reversing saving you
much time while mowing.

The only time consuming part is mowing the edges either before hand or afterwards.
Doing the trimming mowing beforehand saves you time where you know how much
of the edge has been mowed leaving only the radius mowing at each of the the corners.


It will also be easier to manuever as it is smaller in length than
a rotary cutter and it is not towed like a batwing rotary cutter
as it is an integrally mounted implement.

"Its your decision and your money" an eight foot finish flail mower
will last avery long time and will also have an excellent resale value.


The automatic tranmission if it has one also requires a lot of
horsepower when using the power take off.