Mowing HP needed for mowing

[oldcrusty]

How much PTO HP would be need to do some tractor mowing with a 5-6 foot rear cutter. I was looking at the 22-25 range in new Greens and Orange. However after talking to people who mow as a job they said I need at least 40 HP for the rear PTO. I will probably do this part time but want to be able to handle high grass and small (<1-2 inch) trees on occasion. Any of you guys have much experience you can pass along. If you have any specific brand/model please include that as well. The 2 I'm looking at now are the Orange L3130 or the Green 4210.

Thanks!!

 

[frank_f15]

there is a heck of a difference between high grass and 2 in trees. /w3tcompact/icons/eyes.gif but if it was me i might be inclined to go with the larger machine, but be aware that if weight and physical size are a concern then u need to rethink your options. ther is no such thing as the perfect tractor, if there was i would design it and be richer than BILL GATES/w3tcompact/icons/laugh.gif

 

[Gary_in_Indiana]

I have a 4200 with HST and maybe one HP less than the 4210. If you're just finish mowing grass you should be able to get by with that machine and a 6' finish mower. I'd definitely suggest nothing bigger than a 5' rotary cutter for rough cutting work. Two inch saplings will definitely cause you to slow down dramatically to get through with a 4210. A lot will depend on your use (personal or commercial). If you're just mowing your own property a smaller machine like mine will probably be fine for you. If you're going to do this as a potential profit center you're going to want to get finished quicker and a larger machine will be better for you.

I know it's easy for me to spend your money /w3tcompact/icons/grin.gif, but I can tell you that I've never wished for a smaller tractor with less power, but...

Good luck with whatever you decide. I hope this helps. /w3tcompact/icons/smile.gif

 

[Anonymous Poster]

What Gary said.

 

[rdbrumfield]

I have a 5300 JD with a 256 Bush hog "6'". I do a lot of heavy mowing and I will tell you that mowing brush and saplings take much less hp than heavy grass. The type of grass here can get up over 6' tall and very thick. It takes every horse that girl can muster to pull a full cut in heavy grass. At times I'm down to low range and second gear on level ground.
If you are going to do any heavy mowing I would HIGHLY recommend that you take your brand new mower and reinforce the sides and deck. I have 3/8 plate in the sides and 3/16 under the deck all around. It has a few bumps and bruises, but would be a total loss without the armor.
I also went to a 2 disc slipcutch on the mower driveshaft, seems to last a lot longer.

 

[BB_TX]

I will second what rdbrumfield said. I run a 6' rotary cutter behind my JD 950 (27 PTO hp). It will handle it pretty well. I can coast thru short dry grass or weeds 3' to 4' tall, but when I get into tall and/or heavy green coastal or Johnson grass, then I have to slow down quite a bit. Small trees and saplings are no problem other than the clanging and banging.

 

[equipman]

oldcrusty
You say that you are looking at a Kubota L3130. There is a difference of 1 1/2 hp at the PTO between the DT, GST and the HST transmissions. If you are mowing 1" diameter or less material, two good choices would be the Rhino SE or the Bush Hog SQ series mowers. You could go with the SE6 or the SQ720 (6 ft mowers) on the DT and GST transmissions but would be borderline on the hp requirement with the HST trans. 2" material would require the Rhino TW or Bush Hog 280 series mowers and then you would need to stay with the 5 ft. mowers (the TW60 or Bush Hog 285). Hope this helps.
Lewis

 

[Rick Jay]

Frank,

Richer than Bill Gates? I don't think so.

Let's see...if you designed it like MS products...

It would need an extra heavy ROPS 'cause it would crash once a day....

Users would have to get upgrades frequently...

With every upgrade, we'd probably also have to change the blend of MSDiesel (or would that be f15Diesel?)

If it was deemed necessary for a major upgrade, we'd have to buy all new implements to take advantage of the new upgrades. (Hmmmm....if we had to buy f15Implements, then maybe, just maybe you could be richer than BG.)

Oh...and the key position would be labelled "Start" to start the tractor and "Start" to shut it down.


O.K. enough fun. Actually, since I've upgraded to Windows XP, I really can't complain. Can't say the same about previous products, but I think they got it mostly right with XP.

~Rick

 

[Anonymous Poster]

Yeah Rick, XP is pretty good, but soon a new version will come out and new software and hardware will no longer work with XP, so you will have to upgrade hardware and software again. It never ends, so that Billy boy's money keeps coming in. The US computer industry depends on obsolence to keep them going.

I just hope the computerized tractors thing is not an indication that tractors are heading in the same direction.

 

[Trev]

<font color=blue>I just hope the computerized tractors thing is not an indication that tractors are heading in the same direction.</font color=blue>

If they are, just pray that MS doesn't write the code! /w3tcompact/icons/laugh.gif

 

[Trev]

I've got a 6' finish mower behind a 4300.. about 27-28 PTO HP. The only time I slow down is deep, think grass. I don't really have to, I guess, but you can hear the engine lugging down a bit, and it seems kinder to the equipment to downshift a gear rather than make it work so hard. As for the 2" saplings with a finish mower, I've done up to about 1" without a problem.. I woud guess that 2" wouldn't be a big problem, but I don't know that for a fact. But, in general, the 28 HP and the 6' mower work just fine. I've never had a problem that couldn't be solved by going just a tad slower, and I can count those times on the fingers of one hand. Normally you just set the speed to whatever the terrain dictates (so you don't get bounced around too much) and then just go for it. HTH.

 

[Trev]

Maybe this mostly comes back to what my cousin once told me. He said, sure, you can use small tractors, geared way down, and do most the things larger tractors do.. just more slowly. Most farmers can't waste the time to do things slowly. So they need the bigger machines. The rest of us have fun on our tractors, don't particularly mind how fast we get a job done, and so can easily use the smaller tractors.

I'm sure there are exceptions to this rule, but in general I thought he made a good point.

 

[JohnMiller3]

<font color=blue>…As for the 2" saplings with a finish mower, I've done up to about 1" without a problem.. I woud guess that 2" wouldn't be a big problem, but I don't know that for a fact….</font color=blue>

Yow Bob…!!!

Stop abusing that poor implement… /w3tcompact/icons/blush.gif /w3tcompact/icons/frown.gif

Those finish mowers just don’t have the blade thickness, gearbox output shaft size, & deck/skirt metal proper thickness to hold up to that type of “rough” operation reserved for “rotary cutters”…

I know it sounds kinda backwards… but for less than ½ the average price of a finish mower ($1200)… you can do most of all the above and then some, with a basic rotary cutter ($550.)… and after a few cuts… from a distance, you’d be hard pressed to tell the difference…

Please… treat that finish mower of yours with more TLC… /w3tcompact/icons/wink.gif

 

[Trev]

Hi John,

<font color=blue>Those finish mowers just don’t have the blade thickness, gearbox output shaft size, & deck/skirt metal proper thickness to hold up to that type of “rough” operation reserved for “rotary cutters”…</font color=blue>

Well, it's only an occassional little sapling growing around a tree or two.. is this really going to hurt it? You can't even hear a sound when it chops it off.

I had previously asked folks if I should get a brush-hog (is it brush hog or bush hog? I've never been sure...) But everyone told me the bush hog would do a crummy job on the lawn so stick with the finish mower. I dunno... I'm dumb.. ask Franz.. he's met me. /w3tcompact/icons/laugh.gif

 

[cisco]

A 6' brush cutter on a 22-25hp pto is marginal for heavy, tall grass (as per prior posts). You can cut 2/3's widths (4') when your engine lugs, but if such is necessary very often, it kind of defeats the point of a 6' cutter. As to 2" saplings, forget a finishing mower, and the blades on many "light duty" brush cutters won't do too well (and neither will the unit, after a while). I've a 5' heavy duty brush cutter on an L3410 GST (28.5hp pto), and have handled lots of 2-3" saplings, very heavy brush, vines and the like without problems - but my engine will require a low gear in the heavy grass I cut once a month. Once I get the property fully "civilized" (without small stumps, brush, irregular ground), and have the time to mow it more often than monthly, I'm graduating to a 6' medium to light duty unit.
Basically, I'd recommend you consider a bit more pto power if a heavy duty 5' cutter, or a light duty 6' cutter in heavy weeds/grass, is intended, especially if you're going the HST route. You can eke by with less, of course.

 

[Bird]

<font color=blue>is it brush hog or bush hog? I've never been sure</font color=blue>

Bush Hog = A popular Brand name.

brush hog = generic brush hog, rotary cutter, shredder, rough cut mower, or slasher (depending on what part of the world you live in)./w3tcompact/icons/laugh.gif

 

[cmhyland]

Rick,
You missed something, If Msft made a 6 ft rotary cutter it would require a 750hp tractor to run it....

Just a little fun at Bill Gates and Pete Balmer's expense....

Regards,
Chris

 

[19th_VA]

Great thread. Anyone have a good recommendation for a 5' heavy duty cutter that does not cost the arm and a leg it would lop off, given the chance? Does the gear box hp need to match the tractor pto hp? Finally, is a slip clutch worth the added expense? Thanks for all the great info! I have 13 acres, of which I will clear about 8 acres. It was clearcut 20 years ago and I live in Virginia, so you can imagine what it looks like. If you really want to see it, go to: http://www.people.virginia.edu/~jas5n/adair1.htm And by the way, I'm really much better looking than the guy in the picture--it must have been the camera!

 

[rockyridgefarm]

<font color=blue>Does the gear box hp need to match the tractor pto hp</font color=blue>

GearBox HP= max hp before destroying gearbox

Min Tractor HP= HP range of tractor (PTO HP and aprox weight range)

slip clutch is cheaper than onerhaul

Hey, with a guy looking like that running around, you won't need to worry about varmints/w3tcompact/icons/grin.gif

 

[rockyridgefarm]

Oh, Beautiful place! (but you knew that; its in Virginia/w3tcompact/icons/grin.gif)