Rotary Cutter Is a stump jumper needed for a 4-foot brush hog?

[CoyPatton]

Your question on width of mower is a tough one to answer. It depends on many factors. What type of material you’re cutting, how tall, how thick.
Personally, unless the area is in almost lawn like condition (I probably would use a finish mower if so), I would want a stump jumper on the brush cutter (BC).
I have a compact tractor (24hp) with a 5’ BC. Most of the time what I cut it is fine, there are occasions that I get into really tall or really thick stuff I have to slow down (speed not RPM’s) to cut through this material.
If looking used, I suspect a few things—1) limited number of 4’ units on market, 2) any 4’ units you find will either be priced near the price of new or worn out and should go to scrap. If you count your time worth anything (very low labor cost $10/hour) by the time you buy materials to rebuild a worn out BC you will be approaching cost of new (if not exceeding) and that also means the BC was almost free.
If you have the lift capacity, look for at least a medium duty 5’ BC, I have a friend that is a bit stubborn and bought a light duty BC, even though a couple of us told him not to, and he quickly learned that he could rip the metal easily with stuff picked up by mowing. Of course with the damage, the dealer did not want the unit back.

Once you have made 1 pass through thick/tall stuff, you can always take a smaller pass through though to cut areas. Typically after 1st pass you will overlap about 6” (maybe more) on each followup pass.
You may not want a solid top link for your mower, so it has some ability to “float”. Many ways to make this happen mostly depended on the mower.

 

[Torvy]

If you are using equipment that is under warranty, and the warranty matters to you, stay within specs.

Something that can be done isn't necessarily something that should be done.

You can almost always tow more than you vehicle is rated to tow...but doing so shortens its life. Same concept with trying to run equipment that is too big for your tractor (or vice versa). Sure, they probably leave some tolerance assuming most of us don't listen.

In the final analysis, they have every legal right to deny warranty claims if you run equipment out of spec.

 

[ksbrdmkr]

I have an old 5 foot brush mower on my cs2410 and wouldn't have any smaller one. Yes it bogs down in heavy but go slow or half cut. If the mower hits any thing too solid it kills the engine and nothing get broken. Go with the 5ft if it go on the trailer and through the doors.

 

[part-time-Farmer-NC]

Hadn't heard of the "stump jumper" option. My bushhog has pivoting blades should it hit something. I'm guessing the stump jumper version is different...

 

[Fields_mj]

View attachment 3456318

Agreed! Mowing this with a 33hp engine and 6' LandPride bush hog can bog her down at times. If I mow monthly, it's not much of a challenge.

I mow stuff like that or maybe a little taller using a 6' BH behind an old Ford 1710 (~25 hp at the PTO), and I can mow it at a surprisingly fast pace. Not going to win a drag race, but I definitely wasn't creeping through it either. The only time I really had to take my time was when I was going over sycamore saplings that were 15'-20' tall after it had been neglected for 4 or 5 years, and that was just to give the blades time to work. The 1710 has a 12 speed transmission (4 ranges, 1-3 + R in each range). I normally ran in either 2nd range, 3rd gear or 3rd range 1st gear depending on how thick stuff was. Now, if the ground isn't flat, things change FAST. Going up a hill eats a lot of HP.

As far as a stump jumper goes, I wouldn't have a BH without one. If I don't need a stump jumper, I should probably be using a finish mower.

 

[RayIN]

A stump jumper only protects the gearbox and shaft from breakage, nothing else.
Once a field has been mowed, a stump jumper is not necessary; you either know where tree stumps have been left or removed them by the 2nd mowing(unless mowing for hire). A hump of dirt simply gets cut/leveled down.
If I must leave a stump when cutting a tree, I leave the stump 3'-4' high so it can be seen from the tractor seat. Then it's easier to pull too. (BTW ¼ stick of dynamite removes a large stump easily-properly placed)
I used a 4' rotary mower with my H. Ferguson 30 and mowed in 2 gear most of the time, which required sharp blades, but bushes and saplings required 1 gear (and you want duller blades for that, they shatter the "stump" so it dies instead of growing again).

 

[POGuy]

I would want the final rear tires width to equal the cutter width if at all possible as well.

 

[bgr]

With 25 HP and probably less at the PTO, you will find many times when a 5 foot mower is too much for tractor power. Kubota recommends a 42 inch mower for their 23 HP BX models.
Stump jumpers save the mower drivetrain from a lot of shock. You can usually buy one from the mower manufacturer and add it if the mower is not a chinese one.

 

[deserteagle71]

Hadn't heard of the "stump jumper" option. My bushhog has pivoting blades should it hit something. I'm guessing the stump jumper version is different...

Nope. They all have pivoting blades. The blades on a mower can be attached to either a flat piece of metal, or a dished piece which allows the mower to slide up and over an obstruction. That dished piece is the stump jumper.

No stump jumper:

 

[part-time-Farmer-NC]

Thanks for the clarification.

 

[mjonesnh]

Have a 5 ft Bushhog Squealer now. Did have a 42" on a sub-compact New Holland. Both have had a stump jumper. To be frank I have never seen one without a stump jumper. My experience is limited to Bushhog, Modern and Howes.

 

[jyoutz]

When I had a small 25hp tractor, I bought a 4’ Landpride cutter and it had a stump jumper. That size is what you want for a 25hp machine.

 

[jyoutz]

Isn't the some sort of ratio recommended for horse power to diameter of brush hog, .. Something like 1 foot of cutter for every 5 HP of tractor.....

Rotary Cutter - Bush hog hp requirements

Is there a general rule for how much pto hp is needed for various sizes of bush hog type rotary mowers? I will be needing to cut tall (2-3ft) grass hay, lots of blackberry bushes , small diameter saplings. Am I going to need at least 25hp, or will 18 to 20 work? Any advice is appreciated.

www.tractorbynet.com

Yes, but that’s pto hp, not engine hp.

 

[Williy]

And remember to get the light BH not the heavy duty one
and make sure you grease it real good before using

willy

 

[ning]

I don't think the stumpjumper affects the cutting at all; the cutting is only happening at the end of the blade, which is tracing the same path with or without a jumper.

My guess is that the jumper keeps you from somehow getting a... stump... from getting in too close to the spindle where it would either hit the spindle directly or cause the most damage by suddenly stopping the spinning blades. Most of the time you're going to hear the stump getting hit by the blades, but I guess it's possible that the blade could miss the stump and then as the tractor moves forward the deck changes orientation of the tractor wheels drop into a hole and suddenly the stump that got passed by is (relatively speaking) sticking up higher; the jumper gives it a chance to glide over at the most vulnerable part.

 

[mllud]

Cut off the bottom of an old 100# propane cylinder could work. Maybe cut the top and bottom welded together if needed. Cut off flanges.
Take extreme care cutting old propane bottles.
I didn't read this whole thread yet.

 

[EddieWalker]

There are a lot of things out there with names that imply they do a certain thing, but they don't.

A stump jumper does not jump a stump, it does not prevent the blades from hitting a stump. It's just a clever name for a piece of metal that the blades are connected to.

 

[ning]

There are a lot of things out there with names that imply they do a certain thing, but they don't.

A stump jumper does not jump a stump, it does not prevent the blades from hitting a stump. It's just a clever name for a piece of metal that the blades are connected to.

Given that the blades are attached below it, clearly the blades will hit anything first, so you're definitely right
... though if the mower isn't spinning I could see it giving a hint more protection. Not sure why you'd be moving the mower with a protruding stump under the mower with the mower down without the blades running though, so
was it just clever marketing and everyone adds them now?
It's got to be easier to build a balanced blade carrier which isn't big and round.

 

[airbiscuit]

To me,a 4 footer best suits the size of the tractor, not just in terms of power, but also maneuverability, and intuitive use. I have to say that a stump cutter has saved my bacon more than a few times when I ran over stumps that supposedly knew they were there. By the time I hit the clutch, the cutter had "jumped" over the stump.

BTW, here is my former 15hp Shibaura with a 4' rough cut mower. I would drive right through 8' brush to make trails.

 

[crazyjake8493]

I have a Kioti CS2220 and recently bought the 4ft Countyline brush hog from Tractor Supply, which has a stump jumper. $1200 during the Memorial Day weekend sale, back up to $1500 now. Used 4ft are going for $900-1000 here in fair shape at best, so when that one dropped to $1200 I couldn't pass it up. Perfect size for a 20-25hp tractor.

As others have said a "stump jumper" won't stop the blades from hitting a stump, but it should help save you from breaking shear bolts so often.