How do you mow? Special pattern?

[RobJ]

BH or FM I guess. I use to mow in the big square or circle. Then realize as the square got smaller I could not make the turns at the corners without going back at the end and finishing them up. I started mowing in rectangles. IE go across the field, make a gentle 180 left turn then head through the field keeping my spacing with the cut line on the left. Then when I get to the end I make the same gentle left turn and the rectangles sort of move over each loop. Not sure if it's any faster but it makes the mowing seem faster because you can see the field being cut from left to right instead of a long shrinking circle. Here is a couple pics...The last pic is a small garden area where I take this to the extreme. I kept making S's, when I got to the end I repeated the S's but on the unmowed area. Make sense. With 3.5 hours of seat time this weekend you've got some time to think!!

 

[B8FISH]

Rob--I do the rectangle type pattern when I bushhog, too. Sometimes I start in the middle and just keep working out the 2 sides--almost a reverse oval of sorts, until 1 side gets small enough and then I just around that--nice because you can come back and finish the other side sometime later and doesn't look like cr--p while you wait.

 

[Z-Michigan]

I have tried both patterns on a 5-acre field we have. I find the overlapping rectangles more pleasant, but I don't think any faster. Going in squared circles I always seem to miss spots and then have to spend touch-up time later. I'd be curious how the pros like FWJ approach a big field.

 

[Highbeam]

I start by going around the outside edge 3 or 4 times in a big inward spiral. 3 or 4 times around leaves me a good 15 feet of cut perimeter. Then I blow right through the middle of the field which is quite fun. At the far end I turn around and mow back beside the initial middle cut and mow in rows from that point on. The 15 foot cut perimeter allows me to finish the rows and turn around without wasting cut time.

HST transmission kelps as there is some reversing involved at each turn around.

Alternatively, I could make a wider perimeter cut and then do huge teardrop 180 degree turns without reversing.

I like the reversing turns becuase it allows me to back the mower into the brush at the edge of the field and reclaim a little bit of pasture with each row.

 

[RobS]

I do the rectangles from outside in. Every few passes the corners get sharpened so I'll re-radius gently on the inside and do a few back and forths to clean up the resulting triangle. When I get towards the center the width eventually becomes less than the turn radius of the tractor so I just abandon the ends and make passes up and back. Some three point turns for the final couple of passes and I'm done.

And hey, where's your snow?!? We've been done cutting grass for months now.

 

[Farmwithjunk]

Efficient mowing patterns vary with mower width. What works well with a 15' batwing doesn't work as well with a 6' mounted mower.

With a batwing, I usually mow 3 to 5 "laps" around the outside, the start at one side, making 180 degree turns at each end. Back and forth 'till done. Wide mowers will let you make a nice rounded turn. The tractor is following a path 15' center to center. That's not a difficult turn provided enough of a headland.

With smaller mowers I usually make 5 to 7 "laps" around the perimeter, then I'll divide the field into 40 to 50 foot wide segements, generally running parallel with the longest side.

Or a dozen other patterns....

Long and short, I try to keep the mower cutting as much as I can. Minimize the amount of time in turns without actually cutting anything. I try to keep moving forward with as little stopping or reversing as possible. An efficient operator can mow quite a bit more in the same amount of time as an ineffcient operator. I've had 6' mowers running side by side at the same ground speed where I could cut 2-1/2 acres per hour and another operator just barely making 2 acres per hour. That adds up over the course of an entire summer!

When I mow my own pastures, I usually try to mow a different pattern each time to minimize wearing in tracks.

We're going almost exclusively to 15' batwings this coming year. I'll use one 60HP/7' mower as a "weedeater" of sorts to trim out confined areas, but the wider the mower, the more efficient it is. (a LOT less time lost in turns)

 

[SPYDERLK]

I mow from the center out while discharging inward. Otherwise you deplete the field by successively moving organic matter outward. The field needs more fertilizer. Problem is it only works perfect in round fields. Squares not bad tho.
larry

 

[RobJ]

I
And hey, where's your snow?!? We've been done cutting grass for months now.

Not much snow down here. The pics below are the exact same hill I'm mowing but back on Oct 14, 2007. There is good coastal under there if it's not to far gone. I'm just mowing it now because I have the time. We'll see what pops up in a few months.

You can see at the bottom of the second picture the coastal comming up where I mowed it 4-6 weeks earlier. I just mowed an access road at that time.

 

[TwinWillows]

I use a 6ft bushhog for our pasture mowing & what I've found works well is to cut @ least 4 laps around the perimeter & then starting w/the longest straight length cut the field in big rectangles cut in strips (ie cut 1 row, skip 1 row, cut 1 row, etc & then complete by going back & cutting the skipped rows) as much as I can. Ditches & washes & corners/trees change my pattern some but I've found that maximizing the straight driving shortens the overall time required.

I pretty much try & avoid backing up or 3point turns as I've noticed that approach really adds time. YMMV depending on the the particular layout of your property or mower size.

I use the same method on when mowing big areas w/our zero turn mower & have found it to work well also (that is to mow in alternating strips).

 

[RobJ]

Long and short, I try to keep the mower cutting as much as I can. Minimize the amount of time in turns without actually cutting anything.

Talk about maxing out the mowing time. BIL has a couple pastures that he doesn't do much with...to bad they can't make E-85 out of goatweeds!! I'll start in the middle and do a continous outer spiral. A little tight turning at first since I mow in 3rd gear at near pto speeds on my L(according to my manual that's about 6.4mph). Maybe it'll get caught on a satellite photo someday!