know I am going to start a long discussion/flame war about mowing and tractors but:
As you have stated you have allergies:
The M8540 is the Kubota utility tractor(designed for orchard and vineyard spraying specifically with the pressurised filtered tractor cabin as standard equipment.
Unless you plan on wearing a 3M M-93 particulate mask-I think this is the model anyway-its out in my truck and I am in here :^).
You would have to order a tractor cabin with pressurised air system otherwise- I know here he goes again.
The Laurin Eclipse model tractor cabin for almost all Kubota models pressurised cabin and air conditioning if desired.
The liquid "Rim Guard" ballast is better than wheel weights.
The flail mower with the hammer knives is the mower of choice because it works well and does not throw material making missles out of rocks, bolts, cans,
etc., and it simply grinds it up with much less effort than with a bush hog rotary with much less energy per foot of length and it will not clog either.
The flail mower with grass knives or hammer knives has more total cutting edge length than a brush hogs typical two blades and cuts at a faster speed
than a brush hog and it does not leave long grass pieces.
The flail mower cuttings degrade to compost much faster than a brush hog.
The flail mower will chew down saplings with much less work as the hammer knives will attack every exposed inch of the sapling to grind it down to the
ground.
Mowing in the rain will not be an issue due to the flail mowers ease of operation as the mower housing is simply used to control the rearward flow of the
cuttings and not employed to create an air stream suction as some finish mowers.
A flail mower with hammer knives wil not scalp as the rear roller is used to support the mower frame and act as the depth gauge for the cut.
An anti scalping front roller can be ordered to aid in depth control and in finish mowing.
The flail mowers offered today by Kubota are built by Land Pride but there are many other maufacturers of flail mowers as well.
The more knives the easier the cutting and more cutting surface per foot of width, and requires less horsepower per foot because of the efficient
transmission of mechaincal energy to the flail mowers rotor which becomes a huge balanced flywheel with belt drive.
A flail mower or brush hog should have a slip clutch shaft assembly properly sized in length to prevent damage from lifting the mower and bending the PTO
shaft and possibly damaging the seal and bearings of the rear PTO shaft exiting the transaxle of the tractor
In a previous posting I mention the Italian made Caroni flail mower and distributed by Agris supply from the Carolinas , they have a listed price for thier line
of flail mowers to your door every month in their sales flyers.
Flail mowers can have two rows of knives or four rows of knives; the flail mowers with four rows of knives cut finer and with less effort and power required
by the tractor due to the flail motors rotor where the knives are atached to the swivel connectors
The flail mowers individual grass or hammer knives are much easier to change and are designed to allow them to be free swiveling to allow them to avoid
being damaged if they strike a solid object as the hangers swivel backward in the event of striking and object.
The flail mower will allow you to cut the tall dead brush you dont get to if the snow is not to deep as well.
Your pocket book is going to be your guide and and the tractor on the lot may not have a pressurised cabin (unless it is the M8540 which would be a
necessity in your case unless you look at an another manufacturers models.
The smaller BX tractors and
B3030 will allow you to mount a snow blower front and rear if needed and in most years its a necessity anyway.
I like the Pronovost line of snow blowers as there is no comparison in quality as I have seen them up close and they are built for canadian winters and you
would not need a six month waiting period to get them off season or in season due to RAD making implements for many tractor lines and a rear snow
blower uses less power than a front mounted blower and you would want a cabin for a rear or front mounted blower anyway.
The other problem with buying a tractor off the lot is sealing surfaces as many posters are unhappy with their cabins, floors, and roof, due to noise and
fumes and in your case many allergens unless you purchase an M8540 off the lot which is pressurised and filtered, or order a tractor with a pressurised
cabin option, which is done and easily done for most models using the Eclipse model Laurin Cabin.
Please be advised I have relegated my asbestos underwear to the winter clothes bin and request/require advance warning to obtain my tub of Nozema skin cream.
leonz
