Generator Help with cutting pond dam

[trook]

I need something to help me cut grass on the inside portion of a 5 acre pond dam. My first thought is some type of sickle mower. However, the ones I have seen are quite expensive.

Can ya'll give me some suggestions for the best attachment to handle this chore? If I have the right attachment, I imagine I will use it every 2 weeks or so. As always, price is a consideration, but I don't a piece of junk either.

I will be using a JD 4320 with 40 pto hp.

Thanks in advance.

 

[bigbull338]

your best bet is to get you a hand sprayer an spray the pool dam.because shredding or mowing it isnt safe at all.i know a guy that was shredding his pool dam,an his tractor rolled over an killed him.pinning him in the pool.

 

[TripleR]

I don't know of anything cheap and safe unless you can run across a good cycle bar mower and even then it is going to depend on your tractor. We mow ours with our M8540 and Woods DS1260 pull type rotary cutter, but we had our ponds built with the dams at less of an angle than many.

I agree, if you don't have the right setup, leave it alone as it is not worth getting hurt.

 

[trook]

The angle will not be a problem as far as safety is concerned. I figured with a sickle (or whatever implement you recommend), I can stay on the top flat part and just lower the sickle toward the water to cut that portion.

 

[trook]

The last thing I want to do is use a string trimmer, or as we call them down here, a weed-eater.

 

[TripleR]

The angle will not be a problem as far as safety is concerned. I figured with a sickle (or whatever implement you recommend), I can stay on the top flat part and just lower the sickle toward the water to cut that portion.

Then a good used sickle bar mower should work. We have used them in the past and they worked well.

They make self powered off-set finish mowers for ATV's that work well for this, but they are fairly expensive.

We have an 8 acre pond that doesn't have a really long dam and I have used my L5030 and Land Pride cutter to just back down to the waters edge. With the HST, this does not take a long time. I also do this on some of our smaller ponds that are much steeper.

I know our ponds and there are no drop offs, so I feel safe doing this.

 

[TripleR]

The last thing I want to do is use a string trimmer, or as we call them down here, a weed-eater.

I know what you mean. We use to use a wheeled string trimmer that cut about a two foot path, but that is a lot of walking. We also had a self propelled sickle bar cutter that worked really well as long as we had kids to pilot them. I can't walk worth a darn, so I use tractors.

I use to see a guy on the way to work who had attached two push mowers to an out rigger.

 

[8404]

this is what i use to cut along the waters edge on ponds and levies.I use the standard bush hog to cut the backsides of the levy. Im sorry these darn things arnt cheep so it wont be what your looking for.

 

[SandburRanch]

Weeping willows planted the length of the dam will stabilize the soil that gophers are trying to disrupt and you won't have to mow it.

 

[beenthere]

Around here, weeping willows will shade out the grass and then erosion will occur. Don't think that is what one wants on a dam slope but it may be different where the OP is located.

That size tractor should take a long bar sickle mower and do quite well.
I'd rig one to hook easily and quickly to the iMatch for doing the chore often so it looks mown all the time.