Finish or Rotary?? - Again

[Beltzington]

After deciding on a Bush Hog Squealer SQ172 I suffered sticker shock when the best deal I could find was $1750 +Tax. Granted that was new and included chains and slip-clutch, but I was not planning on spending $2000 to cut grass. I was set to pay this and be happy and then I find a slightly used Bush Hog 72" FM for $1100 dollars. Now I'm not cheap and always buy the best I can afford but $900 is allot of beer. So let me drag this one around the yard again.

8-acres, rolling hills and clumps of grass, nothing over 3/4", I believe the finish mower would cut fine as I have used my 38" lawn tractor to cut about 1-acre without any major problems. My biggest concern is the wear and tear of the FM mower bouncing over the rough terrain. I have no doubt my lawn tractor would break an axle or two with continued used. Cutting speed is also a consideration as I would like to cut at least 2-acres/hour. Look at the picture and give me your thoughts. TIA

 

[Farmwithjunk]

From all apperances, you're right at the fine line where a finish mower MIGHT work, but a bush hog would probably live longer. A great deal will depend on how often you plan on mowing. Keep it well manacured, mowing weekly or even every couple weeks, and you may get by with a finish mower. If you're planning on cutting monthly or just 3 or 4 times per year, I'd skip any thoughts of using a finish mower. They just aren't built for a hammering like that. I'm quite sure there are those who've done just exactly what I said shouldn't be done, and had reasonably good success. But there are many documented cases where people just killed a good finish mower in one or two seasons by mowing as if they had a much heavier piece of equipment. I'd MUCH rather spend $2000 now and have a mower 5 years, 10 years, even longer on down the line, than $1100 on one now and another $1100 in 2 years, then another....... Well, you get the point.

 

[MarkV]

It looks to be fairly easy mowing, for a bushhog, have you considered a lesser brand like King Kutter to save some money. They are not as pretty but if you are not mowing commercially like Junk does they will last a long time.

MarkV

 

[EddieWalker]

I wouldn't worry about the finish mower wearing out if you buy a decent brand. The real limiting factor when mowing on rough terrain is in how much pain can you handle? Hitting the rough stuff on a tractor wears you our fairly quickly. The constant jarring just adds up to a point where you will either have to slow down, or just get off the tractor and take a break. If you can handle the speed that you are mowing and it's not beating you up, then a finish mower will do just fine.

Eddie

 

[have_blue]

Beltzington,

I've come full circle on mowing. I had a Woods BB72, and it mowed my 7-8 acres just great. Because I mowed regularly, I had no brush, and wished I had a finish mower. Someone offered me a good price for my tractor and BB72, so I sold it. I got another tractor, and bought a cheap 6' finish mower. I didn't like it. Neither did I like a fine quality Bush Hog finish mower that I borrowed. Both were too noisy, too slow, and too much maintenance.

I got a new SQ172 (same price as a Woods BB72), and am now happy again. It mows nearly as smoothly as the finish mower, and is much quieter. If I keep my blades sharp, I can mow at a reduced RPM, saving fuel, saving blades, and saving noise. The only thing I regret is storage space. I was really enjoying the room my finish mower was saving me.

So after going full circle, I'll say there is little advantage to a finish mower. And,,, if I feel like backing my Squealer into a patch of brush or hitting a dirt pile, no harm done.

So my recommendation is, stick to a 6' brush hog. If you feel you must get a finishing mower, get the widest one you can afford and your tractor will pull. And get Woods or Land Pride. The cheapies aren't very rugged.

 

[greg_g]

I have two rotary cutters (5' and 6') and a finish mower (7'). The main job of all three is pasture maintenance. Since the fuel crunch has hit the highway department, I'm stuck mowing their right of ways too. If I had to rely on the state anymore, my property value would decline.

Anyway, the right of way is too steep for the finish mower. The 6' rotary cutter helps stabilize the tractor better. And first mowing in the spring, the pastures are often too thick for the rotary cutter. But other than those two exceptions, I definitely prefer the finish mower (set at max height). The end result is better groomed pasture, less seat time, less fuel consumed.

But the comment about a stout finish mower is huge. Mine is a First Choice GM35-84, which weighs in at about 860 pounds. That means it's far less prone to bouncing at speed. The deck is maybe twice as thick as smaller/cheaper finish mowers, and the OE blades are noticeably heavier. They're so tough, that I haven't found a need to sharpen more than once a year. The best part is the price. New, they're typically under $1800. I got this one only slightly used, for $1000 - and have never regretted the investment.

But you haven't mentioned what kind of tractor you have. Start with how many PTO horsepower you have, and how front-heavy your tractor is (front weights/loader), and your rear lift capacity. Make your mower short list from there. This GM35-84 for example, probably wouldn't work as well as I describe with less than 35 PTO horsepower - needs at least a 900 pound lift capacity - and would probably lift the nose of any tractor (without FEL) that under 3000 pounds working weight. Another thing to consider is your desired acre per hour mowing rate. Depending upon the terrain, 2ac/hr could be a tad optimistic for a 5 to 6 foot swath

//greg//

 

[Runner]

Beltzington,

My land is just like yours, but smaller. I'm sure that I could easily mow my pasture area with my Frontier GM1072R rear finish mower, however, I didn't want to be constrained with having to "keep up with" the growth of the pasture, which can be overwhelming here in the midwest.

So, I decided to mow my lawn area with the finish mower and got a rotary cutter for the pasture. This way, if I want to let it go a couple of months between mowing, I have that option.

I would say it comes down to how often you want to mow it.

 

[kossetx]

What's sticker shock? A FM costs more than a shredder so used prices should be slighly higher also.

A finish mower is never going to hold up as well as a shredder. If you cut the area very regularly it will do ok, but if you let the grass get high it will suck. To me, the look of grass mowed with a finish mower is preferable to a rough cut, but the blades and bearings won't hold out on the FM.

 

[MarkLeininger]

Finish mower won't cut as high as a brush hog. If you're maintaining a pasture for critters to eat, you want to mow as high as possible and still do weed prevention. The depth of the roots is approximately equal to the height you cut. The shorter you cut, the more susceptible to drought and the less feed you'll have during dry spells. I keep the pasture around 10", only cut shorter early in the year when it's raining like crazy to keep up with the weeds. If you're not mowing for critters to eat the grass, it will look better shorter but turn brown quicker when the rain goes away.

 

[Soundguy]

I'm forced to agree with FWJ.. cutting 3/4" material is not duty a finish mower will like to do...

Rough land will also be hard on it... and you will want to mow often.. finish mowers don't like gobbling down foot tall grass.

Soundguy

 

[greg_g]

I'm forced to agree with FWJ.. cutting 3/4" material is not duty a finish mower will like to do...

Rough land will also be hard on it... and you will want to mow often.. finish mowers don't like gobbling down foot tall grass.

Soundguy

I can support those observations relative to the comparatively light duty 4/5/6 foot finish mowers. But you have to see this 7 foot First Choice perform to believe it. Cutting height is adjustable up to 5 inches by fabricating an extra shim. It's strong; 3/4" saplings/fist sized rocks - no problem. Mixed grass & brush, no problem. It's stout; heat treated blades, oversized gauge wheel spindles, enclosed lift pins, no dents in deck after 5 years, haven't even had a flat tire. It's excellent value for the money - BUT ONLY FOR tractors that can handle the size.

Matter of fact, just compare the spec sheets on http://www.firstchoiceequipment.net/details2.asp?ProductID=45

//greg//

 

[Hooked_on_HP]

How about a flail mower . You get the best of both worlds.
Bill

 

[blueriver]

I would get the rotary (brush hog) it will cut the big stuff ... to a point ... and do a nice job on a regular bases.

 

[ChuckinNH]

It might be worthwhile to rent a rotary cutter for the first couple of mowings. Once you have that thicker stuff mowed down a finish mower might work well for you. Part of this depends on how short you want to keep the grass. If you try to mow 4"-5" high on rough, or undulating ground with a rotary cutter you will do lots of scalping on the humps, and in turns. If you want to mow twice that high you will be fine. I have a half acre, or so that I mowed with my garden tractor with the mmm all the way up. I got a rotary cutter for my new B2620 (4') and have to cut the grass a lot higher to keep from tearing up the area. Renting one (they are commonly available around here) would answer a lot of questions for you, even if you can't rent the size you will eventually buy.

 

[EddieWalker]

I have a 6ft Landpride Rotary cutter and a 7ft Landpride Finish mower. Each has it's place, but for the best looking lawn, there is no comparison. The finish mower does a much, much better job of making the grass look nice. It's cut is even and uniform without windrows, standing grass or a wavy finish. The four wheels on the finish mower make it's height perfect all the time. No highs or lows, it cuts the same distance from the ground, which over a larger area, makes a big difference. Especially if you cut at least once a month. If the grass gets much longer then that, then the rotary cutter is a better choice because the finish mower isn't built for handling that much material.

For a really manicured look, a riding mower is even nicer, but I only use mine for my front yard lawn and driveway. If I'm expecting guests to camp out at my lake, I'll also cut that area with the riding mower, but that usually takes two to three cuts with a weeks growth in between to get it really nice from what the finish mower does. My riding mower is a 5ft Scag zero turn.

Eddie

 

[keyser soze]

It looks to be fairly easy mowing, for a bushhog, have you considered a lesser brand like King Kutter to save some money. They are not as pretty but if you are not mowing commercially like Junk does they will last a long time.

MarkV

Well... like you said the King Kutter is not as pretty, but I bet it will last just as long as the Bush Hog, and cost much less too. It's not like the Bush Hog is built much heavier. It weighs a little more (754 for a 6' Bush Hog with a 65 HP gearbox vs. 740 for a 6' King Kutter with a 60 HP gearbox), but when you consider that the King Kutter has the "I" beam sides versus the formed metal sides of the Bush Hog, I bet the King Kutter one will actually be harder to bend up the deck and sides on.

Also... why do you want a slip clutch if you're only cutting material up to 3/4" of an inch. You don't need it until you're starting to cut stuff up around two inches... and ALWAYS use the specified grade of bolt for the shear bolt. On a King Kutter it's a grade 5 bolt, and I think that's what the Squealer uses also. Both have 5 year gearbox warranties, but if the gearbox or cutter isn't abused... you shouldn't need it. Keep in mind that neither warranty a gearbox that the seal has been ripped out of by foreign material or if the gearbox is not properly lubricating the gearbox.

 

[Soundguy]

I can support those observations relative to the comparatively light duty 4/5/6 foot finish mowers. But you have to see this 7 foot First Choice perform to believe it. Cutting height is adjustable up to 5 inches by fabricating an extra shim. It's strong; 3/4" saplings/fist sized rocks - no problem. Mixed grass & brush, no problem. It's stout; heat treated blades, oversized gauge wheel spindles, enclosed lift pins, no dents in deck after 5 years, haven't even had a flat tire. It's excellent value for the money - BUT ONLY FOR tractors that can handle the size.

Matter of fact, just compare the spec sheets on First Choice Equipment

//greg//

The mower may handle it.. but i can't imagine 'lawnmower' style blades like most finish mowers use will last under that kind of punishment.

soundguy

 

[LetsRoll]

The mower may handle it.. but i can't imagine 'lawnmower' style blades like most finish mowers use will last under that kind of punishment.

soundguy

I have the same finish mower that Greg has, GM35-84 and the blades are no where even close to a lawn mower blade. If I remember right, there .250" thick (1/4"). I cant see where you can compare that to a lawn mower blade.

 

[greg_g]

The mower may handle it.. but i can't imagine 'lawnmower' style blades like most finish

Every single thing on my 5 year old GM35-84 is OE. Nothing's ever broken, nothings ever been replaced, nothings ever been added. Next time I have that mower mounted, I'll lift it for an underside photo. That should give you a fair idea how well the blades have held up to 5 years of mowing these rocky hillside pastures.

Another benefit I've realized from grooming with a finish mower (versus hacking with a rotary cutter) is better noxious grass/weed control. I used to have problem areas where brome sage/sericea lezpedeza/pin oak/sumac crowded out the "good" grasses. The rotary cutter cut that crap back, but did little to control it. Since buying that finish mower however, the pin oak and sumac count is now nearly zero, the sericea coverage is down to ~10%, and the sage only covers ~30% of what it used to.

//greg//

 

[have_blue]

Another benefit I've realized from grooming with a finish mower (versus hacking with a rotary cutter)
//greg//

There's no need to hack. Try sharpening your blade! YMMV, but for me it's hard to tell the difference between the cut fom a rotary cutter and a finish mower. Do an honest comparison and you'll be surprised. And the RC is much quieter and less dusty then the RFM.