kUBOTA 5040 VS 15FT(batwing)

[foreman Etexas]

I have a 2011 kubota m5040 4x4 with loader,my question is do you think that I can use a 15ft medium duty batwing(without any issues? I have used are 12 ft but that shredder isnt one to be loading on gooseneck and hauling down a county road. I bought an 8ft heavy duty when i got the tractor cause it fit on the trailer nicely but after mowing this year im really looking at going to a batwing..

 

[foreman Etexas]

I have a 2011 kubota m5040 4x4 with loader,my question is do you think that I can use a 15ft medium duty batwing(without any issues? I have used are 12 ftView attachment 238038 but that shredder isnt one to be loading on gooseneck and hauling down a county road. I bought an 8ft heavy duty when i got the tractor cause it fit on the trailer nicely but after mowing this year im really looking at going to a batwing..

I found a 15ft Predator batwing great shape for $5500,will have to add another set of remotes $1000
http://modernusa.com/images/15pred-pop.pdf

 

[Verticaltrx]

Honestly, I don't think you have enough tractor for a 15' batwing. We use one behind an M9540 and that is about as small of a tractor as I would recommend. First off, they are heavy and have a LOT of tongue weight. Without the loader or a full rack of front weights we have trouble keeping the front of the M9540 on the ground. Secondly, to really make them work well they need a fair bit of power. Really the 82 PTO hp on the 9540 is about the minimum I'd want for any moderate cutting. 100-120 PTO hp is much better.

Taking those things into consideration, I think you'd be much happier and more productive with the cutter you pictured.

 

[foreman Etexas]

Honestly, I don't think you have enough tractor for a 15' batwing. We use one behind an M9540 and that is about as small of a tractor as I would recommend. First off, they are heavy and have a LOT of tongue weight. Without the loader or a full rack of front weights we have trouble keeping the front of the M9540 on the ground. Secondly, to really make them work well they need a fair bit of power. Really the 82 PTO hp on the 9540 is about the minimum I'd want for any moderate cutting. 100-120 PTO hp is much better.

Taking those things into consideration, I think you'd be much happier and more productive with the cutter you pictured.

I just use that one around the house,but its usually on the m7040 the 8ft landpride is the one I usually haul to the lease place.Mostly goat weeds and rawsen weeds but I been spraying so they are getting less and less of them in pasture. Grass will be under a foot and not real thick

 

[KennyV]

Your tractor will be able to spin the 15 foot mower... but it will Not like mowing & it will really beat up your tractor... KennyV

 

[Ken45101]

Honestly, I don't think you have enough tractor for a 15' batwing. We use one behind an M9540 and that is about as small of a tractor as I would recommend. First off, they are heavy and have a LOT of tongue weight. Without the loader or a full rack of front weights we have trouble keeping the front of the M9540 on the ground. Secondly, to really make them work well they need a fair bit of power. Really the 82 PTO hp on the 9540 is about the minimum I'd want for any moderate cutting. 100-120 PTO hp is much better.

^^^ What he said!

I have a M5040 and wanted a 15' batwing. I bought a M9540 for it. It does good although with 600# of front weights, it's a little light in the front at times when turning on a hillside.

You might be able to do light cutting at very slow speeds with the M5040. But I certainly would not trust it to control the rig on hills.

An M8540 might be okay but the cost difference is very little between the 85 and the 9540 (they are basically the same tractor with a different engine tuning for a few more HP). That's as small as I'd go, meets the "5hp per foot of cutter" standard (almost). Check your Kubota manual, the M5040 is not rated for anything like a 15 footer. Likewise that's consistent with the HP recommendation from Bush Hog.

Ken

 

[Tx Jim]

I have a M4900 and I know it would light weight and low on HP for a 15 ft cutter.

 

[mcd176]

I agree with some of the others, I don't think you have enough PTO HP, I've always heard 5HP for every foot of PTO powered implements.

Mike

 

[foreman Etexas]

Most the pastures im mowing are so rough not going to get in any hurry I have used the 12ft Woods(DS1440),the tractor pulled it fine,you can tell the weights back there. Never felt light in the front(have ldr on) always ran it in 4x4. Seems like if it did hit a load the tractor would just power up and blow alittle black smoke from pipe and never slack up.But the batwing does weights about 900lbs more and is three foot wider than the woods. Thanks folks...

 

[hrcarver]

If you want a big one, look for a tri deck finishing mower. Sod farms are going belly up every where. Both of my main competitors have gotten out in the last year. Should be able to find one cheap and in good shape, and a 50hp tractor shouldn't have any trouble with the finishing mower that size.

If you need a real bush hog, I'd stay at either 6 or 8', maybe 10' max.

 

[art]

We set tractors of that size up with 15' bat wing finish mowers and that is about all that they can handle here in NY and we do grow good grass. I know that pastures often have a greater variety of sizes to cut and often aren't as consistant of grass as a lawn might grow.

I'd stay with the 12 foot as I feel that is about the most you should be pulling.

 

[bigbull338]

you could pull the 15ft batwing with that tractor.but it would lugg it down in heavy grass or brush.if you want a bigger shredder id go to the 10ft.an that will be enough for your tractor.

 

[Treesanddust]

If I'm understanding correctly, you're thinking 15' batwing mostly for the ease of hauling it to where you need to mow.

There's no law that requires you to mow a full 15' width each pass.
If you've been mowing with a 12' mower with the M5040 and it does ok, then if you don't get in a hurry and don't mind part of the 15' mower running over what's already been cut, you should be ok.

Here in the Dallas area, I see commercial mowers, pulling 15' batwings with M7040s quite often.

Used to on occasion to pull a 15' batwing with an old IH424, had to run in 1st or 2nd but it would turn the blades ok in weeds/coastal

 

[Ken45101]

Here in the Dallas area, I see commercial mowers, pulling 15' batwings with M7040s quite often.

1) were those brush mowers or finish mowers? Big difference, a tractor can handle a bigger finish mower.

2) an M5040 is not an M7040

Ken

 

[Treesanddust]

1) were those brush mowers or finish mowers? Big difference, a tractor can handle a bigger finish mower.

2) an M5040 is not an M7040

Ken

1. They are bush hogs, not finish mowers. Mainly mowing 1+ acre empty lots or land. They are not doing highway mowing. But they are using them in a everyday commercial environment. However the areas they mowing are mowed several times a year due being within the citys around here.

2. I realize the HP diff between the two, but the physical size is very close.

 

[Treesanddust]

Just two other thoughts:
A big factor in the HP requirements to run a mower depends on what you're cutting. I can give my 7040 all it can handle with a 6' mower cutting a dry/dead Bahia grass pasture.

I'd rather run a wider cutter at a slower pace than a smaller cutter at a faster pace.

 

[foreman Etexas]

If I'm understanding correctly, you're thinking 15' batwing mostly for the ease of hauling it to where you need to mow.

There's no law that requires you to mow a full 15' width each pass.
If you've been mowing with a 12' mower with the M5040 and it does ok, then if you don't get in a hurry and don't mind part of the 15' mower running over what's already been cut, you should be ok.

Here in the Dallas area, I see commercial mowers, pulling 15' batwings with M7040s quite often.

Used to on occasion to pull a 15' batwing with an old IH424, had to run in 1st or 2nd but it would turn the blades ok in weeds/coastal

Yes sir,that right it will fold up nicely without anything hanging over the trailer.Probaly will sell the 12ft and keep the 8ft,if we purchase the 15ft batwing. The 5040 is just easier to drive on trailer with shredder attached and put the ldr up on the neck of trailer is why i choose it over the 7040(weight you will have to back 7040 on and that leaves ldr and tractor far back on dovetail).

 

[foreman Etexas]

Well just an update I got me a 15ft batwing,well I have pulled it around up and down,put it on some side hills and tractor handles it just fine.I will only be doing light shredding but its not any different than pulling the 12ft flat-deck WOODS. I will put some pics on here when I really get to mowing,put the shredder up for now.

 

[bigbull338]

enjoy your new batwing.

 

[Hollow]

Congratulations, batwings are nice! You should be just fine, I wouldn't want to pull it up and down any pond levees or do RoW work with it but for pasture topping and mowing you should have plenty of tractor to handle it. Around here (north AL) the state dept uses JD 7000 series tractors to pull 15' mowers, seems like such a waste.