finish mower vs. sickle bar

[mjw357]

I have B3200 that I want to use to keep about 15 acres of horse pasture mowed. Want to keep it cut no shorter than 6", and no taller than a foot or so. Any big advantage of one type of mower over the other?

How big of a mower can I go? Land is very flat. Manual says 72" on finish and 5' on sickle bar, but I suspect I could go bigger. Thoughts?

 

[davesl708]

Depends on what you want the field to look like after cutting. The sickle bar will cut the grass in one swoop and lay it down on top of the grass.
The finish mower will chop it up fine and leave a more lawn look.

As far as bigger if the grass is not to dense then 72" would be fine. If thick you would need to go slower.

 

[bcp]

Sickle mowers don't take much power. They cut each blade once. The limitation may be about the offset weight of the mower.

A finish mower cuts each blade many times.

Bruce

 

[chim]

6" to 12" or so aren't parameters I've had to work with. I have about 3-1/2 acres that is pretty much just a big yard and usually keep my grass around 4" with a finish mower. The L3200 handles a 72" RFM just fine. I'd wonder if a rotary / bush hog might be better for your application. Unless you want to mow very frequently a finish mower may not work very well. If you let it get to 12"+ and whack it down to 6" I'd be surprised if you would be happy with the finish mower.

 

[Trials]

Two completely different beasts. The sickle bar is for harvesting hay and straw, the finish mower is for mowing grass.
Too bad you don't live closer, I've got an old 8' tow behind sickle bar mower I'd give you for free :|

 

[DaleHotz]

I actually have both types of mowers that I use on my 33 hp New Holland for my 18 acre horse facility - a BEFCO 7' 3 blade finish mower and a 6' BEFCO Sickle Bar mower. I acquired the finish mower when I bought the tractor, but it took me forever to mow pastures, particularly in the early spring when growing season occurred faster than I could get to the pastures. Further, anything higher than about 8" of growth required me to go very slow and I had a lot of "clumping", even with a rear discharge. I was also concerned about putting the horses back on the pasture too quickly, as ingested clippings can be a prescription for colic.

I really like the sickle bar mower - much different than the pull behind used on the farm as a kid to cut hay. This one attaches to the 3PH and has a hydraulic lift hose. I can make quick work of mowing pastures no matter what the height of the growth and also use it in places I could never get the finish mower (ditches). Now I only use the finish mower later in the summer to tidy up the uneven growth from where the horses graze.

 

[powerscol]

I have B3200 that I want to use to keep about 15 acres of horse pasture mowed. Want to keep it cut no shorter than 6", and no taller than a foot or so. Any big advantage of one type of mower over the other?

How big of a mower can I go? Land is very flat. Manual says 72" on finish and 5' on sickle bar, but I suspect I could go bigger. Thoughts?

Trying to get a sickle bar to mow at 6" will be almost impossible. Have you thought about haying the pasture you don't use?
If you need to mow, a finish mower, if it can be set that high will work, but a brush hog might be better. Brush hog will leave a rough cut though.

Many many years ago I worked on a golf course as a laborer. They used a gang reel mower that they could set high for the rough, also used it for the fairway. It was PTO powered behind a Ford N Don't know if they exist anymore.

 

[mjw357]

Thanks everyone. I think I'll plan on just sticking with the brush hog.

 

[Sawyer Rob]

Thanks everyone. I think I'll plan on just sticking with the brush hog.

Smart move...

SR

 

[Streetcar]

I actually have both types of mowers that I use on my 33 hp New Holland for my 18 acre horse facility - a BEFCO 7' 3 blade finish mower and a 6' BEFCO Sickle Bar mower. I acquired the finish mower when I bought the tractor, but it took me forever to mow pastures, particularly in the early spring when growing season occurred faster than I could get to the pastures. Further, anything higher than about 8" of growth required me to go very slow and I had a lot of "clumping", even with a rear discharge. I was also concerned about putting the horses back on the pasture too quickly, as ingested clippings can be a prescription for colic.

I really like the sickle bar mower - much different than the pull behind used on the farm as a kid to cut hay. This one attaches to the 3PH and has a hydraulic lift hose. I can make quick work of mowing pastures no matter what the height of the growth and also use it in places I could never get the finish mower (ditches). Now I only use the finish mower later in the summer to tidy up the uneven growth from where the horses graze.

Dale
Why are the clippings from finish mower more of a horse problem than the clippings from sickle mower.
My only horse experience is from boarding a friends with my cows. The horse ate the same things as the cows.