Rotary Cutter Moving on up - My Rotary Cutter decision dilema

[countrybumpkin]

One thing you might look at is flexibility of a 12’ vrs a solid deck 8 or 10. I have a 8’ and in rolling uneven ground it leaves hi and low spots , a 12 batwing will flex and give a more even cut.

 

[flashpuppy]

I am almost in the same situation and am considering the same options.

I really want a LP2512 but I figure I will still need a smaller unit to get into tighter spots. Really takes the appeal of the 12’ away a bit. Most likely will end up with an 8’ 3-point mounted unit.

 

[BufordBoone]

I inherited Bush Hog 10' semi-mount offset cutter and JD 2355 with the farm. I bought a Kubota L5740 and 6' LP cutter. I think the 5740 is 50 PTO HP.

After about 6 years, I set out to replace the JD with a cabbed tractor. Settled on a Kubota M7060. I also wanted to get a larger cutter. I was thinking either a 12' or 15' bat wing.

The dealer told me the L5740 would run an RC2512 but was not big enough for the Bush Hog cutter I already had. My fields have lots of very rough areas. The little L5740 has to go slower than the M7060. I figured "If it has to go slow, why not be cutting twice the width?".

I chose the RC2512 and am VERY HAPPY with the performance behind either tractor. I'm shocked at what the L5740 can handle with a 12' cutter. I am not allowed to cut my CRP fields from April 1 to July 15. That means the grass is high on July 15. The L5740 is slowed down by bumps more than cutting capacity.

Pros: Pull behind is better in rough terrain. Doesn't scalp as much. Easy to grease - Big plus. Easy to hook up.
Con: Larger turning radius.

A piece of advice: IF you have 3 rear remotes, have your batwing plumbed so that you can raise either wing independently. That is what i did and it is very handy to be able to raise only one wing to miss an obstacle.

 

[CADplans]

I just finished my fall mowing,, and I love my offset mower,,

Have you considered an offset mower? That feature really helps to keep fields tame,, if there are trees or fences,,,

My mower is a flail, I sold a rotary mower when I got this mower.
I never cut anything bigger than an inch, the stuff never gets a chance to grow that large,,,

 

[Hozzie]

Don't have a real need for an offset. A 12' would give me the clearance I need in most cases.

 

[Schrodinger]

This thread is very relevant to my interests.....

Let's say PTO HP wasn't a problem (MF 6290).

We have a LandPride 6' 3 point rotary cutter. It cuts great, but 6' wide gets old fast. We have >100 acres of pasture to mow, no trees or brush anymore. Almost all grass, undulating terrain, occasional bump/low spot.

We have limited time, and decided we need to go with a 12'-15' mower, just to get it done.

We'd love a 15' batwing, but what about a 15' flail shredder? Like a JD 27 or 115? It doesn't "float" on the sides like a batwing, and we'd have a little trouble getting it through all but one of our gates.
We don't need a lawn, just a 4-6" cut.
Any thoughts? Experiences?

Thanks

 

[Hozzie]

Went and looked at the LP this morning. Nice unit. Probably leading my list right now on the 12' side. Best price of any of them and has the highest blade speed. I was comparing all 4 major brands again. Pretty similar in most regards, but removing Bush Hog 1812 due to weight and no obvious benefit over the others. The Woods BW12 has 12ga top metal where the others have 10ga and it's blade speeds are between 2000 (center) and 1000 (wings) fpm slower. So basically down to considering LP and Rhino. One thing I like on the Rhino is it has a smooth bottom which I think will help with better discharge of cuttings, but it does have slower blade speed as well. The paint on the Rhinos also seems to not be as good as on the LP and others as I have noticed on ones that are a couple of years old. The LP has bracing like some others that I expect to catch clipping and create windrows. Maybe it won't, but seems it could easier. Really wish one could demo these things.

Example of the differences. The LP is from the one I looked at this morning. Not sure I like the stump jumper on the Rhino either. Do like the wheels better.

 

[Hozzie]

This thread is very relevant to my interests.....

Let's say PTO HP wasn't a problem (MF 6290).

We have a LandPride 6' 3 point rotary cutter. It cuts great, but 6' wide gets old fast. We have >100 acres of pasture to mow, no trees or brush anymore. Almost all grass, undulating terrain, occasional bump/low spot.

We have limited time, and decided we need to go with a 12'-15' mower, just to get it done.

We'd love a 15' batwing, but what about a 15' flail shredder? Like a JD 27 or 115? It doesn't "float" on the sides like a batwing, and we'd have a little trouble getting it through all but one of our gates.
We don't need a lawn, just a 4-6" cut.
Any thoughts? Experiences?

Thanks

If I had your HP and size to mow, I wouldn't consider anything less than a 15'. I would stick with a bat wing as a 15' wide flail is not going to follow contour very well at all.

 

[Hozzie]

I inherited Bush Hog 10' semi-mount offset cutter and JD 2355 with the farm. I bought a Kubota L5740 and 6' LP cutter. I think the 5740 is 50 PTO HP.

After about 6 years, I set out to replace the JD with a cabbed tractor. Settled on a Kubota M7060. I also wanted to get a larger cutter. I was thinking either a 12' or 15' bat wing.

The dealer told me the L5740 would run an RC2512 but was not big enough for the Bush Hog cutter I already had. My fields have lots of very rough areas. The little L5740 has to go slower than the M7060. I figured "If it has to go slow, why not be cutting twice the width?".

I chose the RC2512 and am VERY HAPPY with the performance behind either tractor. I'm shocked at what the L5740 can handle with a 12' cutter. I am not allowed to cut my CRP fields from April 1 to July 15. That means the grass is high on July 15. The L5740 is slowed down by bumps more than cutting capacity.

Pros: Pull behind is better in rough terrain. Doesn't scalp as much. Easy to grease - Big plus. Easy to hook up.
Con: Larger turning radius.

A piece of advice: IF you have 3 rear remotes, have your batwing plumbed so that you can raise either wing independently. That is what i did and it is very handy to be able to raise only one wing to miss an obstacle.

Thanks for your response, it helped me just bite the bullet and order the LP RC2512. I didn't want to regret not going bigger. The money will be long forgotten after a short amount of time. I only have two rear remotes so I will rework it myself after I have used it a bit to see how I want to plumb it. May end up adding a third remote eventually.

Dealer is backed up a bit right now so won't get it until next week, but looking forward to trying it out.

Thanks everyone for the feedback!

 

[BufordBoone]

Thanks for your response, it helped me just bite the bullet and order the LP RC2512. I didn't want to regret not going bigger. The money will be long forgotten after a short amount of time. I only have two rear remotes so I will rework it myself after I have used it a bit to see how I want to plumb it. May end up adding a third remote eventually.

Dealer is backed up a bit right now so won't get it until next week, but looking forward to trying it out.

Thanks everyone for the feedback!

FYI, cut height is controlled by spacers put on the rod of the hydraulic cylinder which controls deck height. The wings come to the set deck height then float on uneven terrain.
Inasmuch as the cylinders are single acting, they only require one hydraulic line. I plug mine into the left side of each set of remotes.

Your dealer should offer you two plumbing options for your two remotes:
1 - Use of only one remote - One line to hook up and one lever works both wings AND the mowing deck. My understanding of hydraulics (poor) is that the weakest link is serviced first. In other words, moving the lever back should raise one wing, then the other wing then the mowing deck.

2 - Use of two remotes - One line works the mowing deck height and the other line works the wings. Again, I suspect the wing with the least resistance would be the first to be raised.

I think the owner's manual for the cutter has more information.

Additionally, mine came with lights, I guess for towing on the highway, I removed them. All they did for me was to make it harder to clean the grass off the cutter.

My cleaning tip is to use a battery powered blower. I have a DeWalt 20V cordless that is small enough to fit in the tractor cab. When done cutting, but still in the field, I blow the grass off the cutter. Much easier/cleaner than using a broom.

Good luck with your new cutter. I hope you find it as useful as I have found mine to be.