hogging clumps

[Freds]

A while back I mentioned hogging some 4-5 ft. tall grass in my back field. I didn't do it all, but rather made 10 ft. wide paths. It probably looks pretty interesting from the air. I figure I'll cut the rest in the fall when it dies off. A few days ago I lowered my BH to where it is supposed to have more of a mulching action and tried to go over the same areas and "groom" them up so there isn't the clumps of long grass that was spit out the back of the BH. The tractor didn't do too well and the going was tougher than when I first hogged it. I hate to take my RFM back there because there are quite a few areas where the blades can contact the ground. Does anyone know of a way that I can make these paths a little more walkable and better looking? A rake device maybe to get the clumps and cut grass off to the side of the path or maybe find a farmer who can run a hay baler over the paths and pick the grass up entirely? Next year I'll know not to let it go so long, but I need to start somewhere.

Fred

 

[hazmat]

Unless you are looking for a reason to buy a new implement, try letting it sit for a week or two to dry out a bit, then go back over it at the origional height.

 

[Golfgar4]

It may take a little time, but if you do a search for "bush hogging", you should be able to find a lot of information. I recall comments being made about the difference in mowing results when you tip the front of the bush hog down and when you tip the back down. One way gives a more "finished" cut, but I'm not sure which way does what.

 

[normde2001]

You didn't mention what size tractor and rotary cutter you have, but grass (weeds) lying on the ground normally should not be a problem. Maybe you just need to gear down and take it a little slower. Also a box blade will cure the problem of the mower hitting the ground.

 

[Bird]

Front end higher, back end lower = more mulching and chops thing finer, have to go slower.

Back end higher, front end lower = faster cutting and blows the cut stuff out the back.

 

[Golfgar4]

Thanks Bird! /w3tcompact/icons/wink.gif

Now all I have to do is remember for the next three years /w3tcompact/icons/crazy.gif until I get my own rotary cutter (with a tractor attached to the front of it!) /w3tcompact/icons/grin.gif

A little side note - Last night I was sitting in my favorite spot doing some catch up reading, and the wife was watching some British (BBC) show. At one point I glanced up to see what it was all about - a show called Ground Force (gardening stuff - quite funny actually!) - and I saw a tractor driving by in the background. Couldn't tell what kind it was, but there was one of those rotary cutter's with a skirt around it hanging off the back. I just kinda half spoke under my breath..."Oh, there's one of those slasher's!" My wife asks what I just said. I explained that in the U.K. and Down Under (Hi Neal!) they call rotary cutters "slashers". She gave me a /w3tcompact/icons/crazy.gif look, and I went back to my reading and she went back to her watching. /w3tcompact/icons/smile.gif

 

[Kodiak]

Hi Garry:
If it had a skirt around it, Could it have been a disk mower?

 

[Golfgar4]

Hi Russ,

Yeah, you're probably right. I remember seeing a picture of one of these somewhere, and it was by a manufacturer of all kinds of mowers. I just don't remember if that's what it was called, but I would expect it is because I haven't seen a lot of these anywhere else.

But knowing the proper name of it wouldn't have made any difference. I still would've gotten the /w3tcompact/icons/crazy.gif look! /w3tcompact/icons/eyes.gif

 

[Hoeman00]

If u made 2 passes to get the path cut, go one way on the first pass and turn around for the 2nd pass.
It will throw the cuttings to the outside just like RFM.This leaves middle more clear.

 

[BKColeman]

<font color=blue>a show called Ground Force (gardening stuff - quite funny actually!)</font color=blue>

I watch that almost every night. It is very funny. They're getting ready to start a US version - Ground Force New York.

They do such little lots there in England (most smaller than a garage), they'd have a heart attack if they saw the size lot that most of us have on this board.

--Brad

 

[Mosey]

About 3 years ago, I bush hogged down some grass and brush that hadn't been mowed for over 2 years and the grass was 4 to 5 feet tall and thick. I used a borrowed bush hog. When I got done I had windrows and clumps of grass with brush mixed in. After a few months it had all deteriorated and was gone. Since I didn’t have my own bush hog, I let it go for 3 years again. I bought my own bush hog this spring and mowed it again. The grass was 4 to 5 feet tall and thick again. When I got done I had windrows and clumps of grass with brush mixed in just like before. That was over 2 months ago. Now, the clumps have pretty much deteriorated and settled to the bottom. The grass is about 2 feet tall again. Now that I have my own bush hog I’m planning to mow it twice a year to keep it from getting so out of hand. So, if you just don't do anything and wait long enough the clumps will just go away on their own.

 

[Freds]

The first time I hogged it I had the back tilted up to make cutting easier. It has been at least a few weeks and the cuttings have dried out, but they aren't cutting any easier. This time I tried the back end tilted down to try and mulch them up better but ended up having to raise the whole BH or I was bogging down too much. It was worse than when the weeds/grass was being cut for the first time. My KK brush hog discharges to the rear. I don't know how making a couple passes in different directions would throw the clippings to the side...I know I have travelled pretty much the same path in opposite directions, but the stuff just won't break down. Maybe I need to put a sharper edge on the blades to handle the long stuff better. My one buddy said he had the same problem trying to turn his field into something that resembled a lawn. He ended up sharpening the blades to resemble a finsh mower on his BH once the serious hogging was done and it still took him a couple years. I was looking for something a little quicker.

 

[Freds]

Just saw your post Danny (I'm a slow typer). I'd like to utilize the paths in my business which will be opening in about a month. I need a quick fix that I can maintain like a lawn, otherwise by the time the clumps disappear it will probably be too high again. I know I'll never let it get this bad again.

 

[Von]

Freds, The trick to getting it to look more like a lawn is to cut it more often, The more you cut it the better it will look. used a hog on my yard when I first built my house (it was the only mower I had!) would cut the grass every two weeks for the first summer. Made it look just like a yard. I did sharpen the blades like a finish mower, so that might have helped alot. Set the mower to cut as low as it would go, (about 4") and it looked good. I do the same here at my three acres at my antique shop. I cut about once a month and it looks good. See attached photo.

 

[dourobob]

Hi Freds
I bush hog a couple of miles of walking trails around our farm for the B&B Guests to meander on. I have a 5 ft hog on a Ferguson 2085 tractor (1951 vintage) After the first couple of cuts of the season I find that the trails are almost like lawn with a bit of trash to one side. I do try to clean them up every couple of weeks. If I have time I travel both directions on the trails and have 5 - 6 feet in the middle that is short and clear (easy for walking) with a bit of trash on either side.

For what it's worth.

Douro Bob

 

[Mosey]

If you still have a month, then maybe you could burn the clumps? A month should be enough time for the ashes to disappear. Just an idea, but don't try it if it's too dry around there! Otherwise, I'd say a baler is your best bet for a quick fix, then just dump the bales in the woods somewhere and cut the twine, it would make good fertilizer for the trees.

 

[Kodiak]

Sounds like after you take the initial high cut with the brush hog. A flail mower would do a great job of tuning those remaining clumps and windrows to mulch.

 

[crown]

Freds,
I agree with Von the secret is too bush hog frequently. I have 3 acres at my place that I bush hog when I first bought the place I had it done 3 times a year never looked great, since I bought my tractor I now do it myself this year I have been more deligent about every 12 to 20 days, it is only wild grass and weeds but it really looks good, ironicly with the hot dry summer we have had that area is greener, thicker and quite frankly looks better than my finish lawn/w3tcompact/icons/sad.gif. Cut it often and you will be amazed how quickly it will start looking like an established lawn.
Good luck and have fun/w3tcompact/icons/smile.gif

 

[normde2001]

Fred, maybe I'm missing something here, but I sometimes go 3 months without cutting my property and when I do, I leave clumps and windrows 8" -1' deep. When I run back over them with 20 hp, 4' rotary cutter, in 5th or 6th gear at 2400 rpm, I don't even know they're there. they virtually disappear and I lose no rpm's. Are you sure you're running the proper gear and rpm.

 

[Freds]

Norm, I have 16 hp at the PTO and a 4' BH. I run low range and normally don't depress the HST pedal all the way to stay in a lower gear. Like I said, I had no problem with the initial cut, just the clumps. They get spit out the rear of the BH looking much like they did when I ran over them and if there is a particularly large/thick clump or several that can be covered at the same time by the footprint of my BH, they will bog down the engine. I also had no problem when hogging small saplings and brush. Since I can't add hp (or can I with some kind of modification?) I guess my alternative is to sharpen the blades and keep having at it until they finally get broken down. Being a first time tractor owner with property to maintain it just struck me as odd that mulching would take more hp than cutting. I'll have to do a search on flail mowers to see what they are all about.

Fred