How big of a mower can I run?

[PHS79]

We are looking to get either a rotary mower or a flair mower by spring time. So I was wondering how big of either of these 2 mower can the little Kubota L3600 handle, according to tractordata.com it has 39 engine hp and 31 PTO hp. I know for sure that it will handle atleast a 84" flail mower, I have used one on it already, and I also have a 84" finish mower that gets run regularly.

The mower will be used for mowing building lots in a couple of subdivisions a 2-3 times a year, so it will only be seeing 2-2.5' tall grass. Since time is money, they bigger the mower I can run the faster I can get the lots mowed.

So I was wondering if we were limited to 84" mowers or if I could go bigger?

 

[sweettractors]

I would stick with the 84 inch. Ken Sweet

 

[Carykong]

How wide is your equipment trailer? I would limit the width of your attachments so they can,at least, lay on the trailer floor.

 

[PHS79]

How wide is your equipment trailer? I would limit the width of your attachments so they can,at least, lay on the trailer floor.

I have a 25' gooseneck (20' bed + 5' beavertail) that measure a full 102" to the rub rails/stake pocket rails, so trailer width isn't a problem. I just want to get the widest mower that my tractor will be able to handle.

Also, I assume that I might be able to run a larger flail mower than rotary, correct?

 

[leonz]

Yes, you could run a wider 96 inch flail mower but the price of a new one may scare you unless you find one at a municipal auction (they will have very low hours of operation over thier service life).

But saying that, you will not be hampered by the smaller ones
simply as the mower can shred it to near ground
level and avoid throwing objects.

My father used a 7 foot JD flail mower to mow his
land regularly with a Ford Jubilee.

The local NYSDOT used the MF 135 for mowing for many years.

As long as you keep the engine speed up tp maintain
The 540 R.P.M. and maintain a stable ground speed to
avoid lugging you can operate it effectively.

Ideally you want to mow in a spiral as it will not
require you to stop and turn and reverse and as the
mower wil be at its lowest setting you will be able to
reduce or eliminate any invasives like poison ivy, oak,
or sumak.

When the brush is knocked down it wil look like a lawn
anyway with a flail mower.

One thing that I would strongly recommend that you do
is install a lanscape rake on the front of the Kubota while
mowing to avoid any "hidden objects" that may have appeared
mysteriously since the last mowing following what happened
to Iron Horse one summer as open lots and abandoned areas
tend to collect unwanted items often.

A flailmower with a grass slicing knive rotor (high knive count per row)
will shred and slice and leave little to see between mowings.

As long as you keep the rotor speed up and the engine speed up and
mower in a slightly lower gear if mowing full width or in a spiral pattern you will be fine as the engine will be running at its optimum near high idle speed.

The more knives you have the finer the shredding and less rotor loading per foot of cut.

I would ask The Honorable Ken Sweet how much the 7 and 8 foot flail mowers with a finish mower rotor would cost as he is a sponsor and contributor to the forum in good standing.

 

[Builder]

We are looking to get either a rotary mower or a flair mower by spring time. So I was wondering how big of either of these 2 mower can the little Kubota L3600 handle, according to tractordata.com it has 39 engine hp and 31 PTO hp. I know for sure that it will handle atleast a 84" flail mower, I have used one on it already, and I also have a 84" finish mower that gets run regularly.

The mower will be used for mowing building lots in a couple of subdivisions a 2-3 times a year, so it will only be seeing 2-2.5' tall grass. Since time is money, they bigger the mower I can run the faster I can get the lots mowed.

So I was wondering if we were limited to 84" mowers or if I could go bigger?

I wouldn't go much bigger. If you're gonna run 7' with 2&1/2' tall grass, you'll be near the limit for PTO HP on a bush hog 5HP/ft would mean you can comfortably run a 6 footer.
The other issue is the weight of a 7' bush hog. I have an MX-8 8 footer and it is HEAVY. What you have to watch is hills. A 7' b/h might throw your little rig around.

If you want to go 7' wide, I'd go with a flail. I think a 6' bush hog might go through tall grass faster, so the advantage of being 7' wide on a flail might not gain you much speed over the 6' b/h.

 

[PHS79]

Thanks for the input!

I am looking for a used mower since the only use I have for it is mowing these lots. I have a couple dealers looking for mowers for me, the one dealer goes to auctions 2-3 times a month so hopefully he can find a nice slightly used mower at a good price. We use to do ALOT of land clearing with the Bobcats equiped with grapples and brush hogs, but we have scaled back since people just don't want to spend the money now days. I had used one of the Bobcats with a 6' brush hog for mowing previously, but once we bought the tractor I tried that with a borrowed 7' flail. My time when from 4 hours with the Bobcat to 2.5hrs with the L3600, and that was at the smaller job.

 

[dieselscout80]

I'd say you are running at about the max width unless your grass is more like lawn mowing.

I have a IHC 424 that is about that HP and I use a Ford 917 Flail that is 78" IIRC. If the knives are dull or the grass is 3' tall I need to slow down more that 1st gear low allows or take smaller cuts. If the you have a hydrostatic transmission then you maybe alble to go slower and still cut good.

That said if I could test one for free I'd like to try a 10' for triming/clipping pastures just to see how it would work (the grass isn't high in the pastures).