Buying Advice Need Help/Recommendation for a 15' Bat Wing Finish or Rotary Cutter Mower...

[Jet Star]

Guys...

Have been doing a lot of vacillating on getting a 15' Batwing Rotary Cutter or a 15' Batwing Finish Mower...

Me and the Boss (aka Wife) really like the look the finish mower leaves (have 2-6' Woods 3PH Finish Mowers now) and I very rarely do any serious bush (brush) hogging but I would like to make an informed purchase here...I have been mowing with the finish mowers the last two years so the land is in pretty good shape...It 's just that it takes so long to mow with the 6' wide mowers and I only have a limited amount of time to mow on the weekends...I usually mow 20 acres but that will be going up to 50 acres in less than 2 years when I retire... I will be mowing with a Kubota M9540 so probably have about 86 PTO HP...

To me, a Rotary Cutter would be the way to go if it would leave a somewhat finish mower look as it would offer more utility for future brush hogging opportunities...I'm not sure one model stands out from the others to accomplish this task (Rotary Cutter leaving a Finish Mower look)...Recommendations if this type of rotary cutter exists would be appreciated...

I am currently looking at the Bush Hog Batwing 2715L Rotary Cutter and the Rhino Batwing TX1500 (15') and/or the TX1700 (17') Finish Mower...The grass is Byhalia (Bahia) and is cut every two weeks...I would say during peak grass growing season the grass would be 7-8" high when cut...

I am leaning towards the Finish Mower purchase but would like to consult with the experts on the path forward...

I will be buying new because I don't have the time to work on equipment, at least until I retire...

So what say you, experts..??? I'm all ears, but I do need some opinions on this type of purchase...

Thanks in Advance for Any Assistance...

Regards...

Rick

 

[bilrus61]

Guys...

Have been doing a lot of vacillating on getting a 15' Batwing Rotary Cutter or a 15' Batwing Finish Mower...

Me and the Boss (aka Wife) really like the look the finish mower leaves (have 2-6' Woods 3PH Finish Mowers now) and I very rarely do any serious bush (brush) hogging but I would like to make an informed purchase here...I have been mowing with the finish mowers the last two years so the land is in pretty good shape...It 's just that it takes so long to mow with the 6' wide mowers and I only have a limited amount of time to mow on the weekends...I usually mow 20 acres but that will be going up to 50 acres in less than 2 years when I retire... I will be mowing with a Kubota M9540 so probably have about 86 PTO HP...

To me, a Rotary Cutter would be the way to go if it would leave a somewhat finish mower look as it would offer more utility for future brush hogging opportunities...I'm not sure one model stands out from the others to accomplish this task (Rotary Cutter leaving a Finish Mower look)...Recommendations if this type of rotary cutter exists would be appreciated...

I am currently looking at the Bush Hog Batwing 2715L Rotary Cutter and the Rhino Batwing TX1500 (15') and/or the TX1700 (17') Finish Mower...The grass is Byhalia (Bahia) and is cut every two weeks...I would say during peak grass growing season the grass would be 7-8" high when cut...

I am leaning towards the Finish Mower purchase but would like to consult with the experts on the path forward...

I will be buying new because I don't have the time to work on equipment, at least until I retire...

So what say you, experts..??? I'm all ears, but I do need some opinions on this type of purchase...

Thanks in Advance for Any Assistance...

Regards...

Rick

Buy some cows...............

 

[Jet Star]

Buy some cows...............

Nice....

 

[TripleR]

I am no expert, but I will respond any way. I pull a Woods DS1260 10'6" rotary cutter with our M8540 HDC and have a Woods 121 10' we keep as a backup and used for years.

I have an 8' RFM that hasn't been out of the shed in about four years or so. We have to have rotary cutters as we move wild life cover around on our farms and maintain paths through our warm season grasses. The quality of cut is not as good as with a finish mower, but I have mowed my son's back and side yard with it as I have to drive through them to get to the fields and it blends in quite well.

Our renters use Woods 15' bat wing on a couple of our pond levies and if the grass is not too tall, it looks really good.

I think foreman etexas has a Land Pride bat wing.

All are good brands, I just don't have any experience with the models mentioned.

With the RFM, we found if the grass got a bit high when rain kept us off it or for other reason, we had to go agonizingly slow or we would smoke the belts.

As mentioned, running cattle or having someone hay it might be considerations depending on your plans for using the land.

 

[Treesanddust]

Are you currently mowing the Bahia with a finish type mower now?

The reason I'm asking is that we have issues with the tall stems of the Bahia when mowing with a finish mower, along with the grass being very hard on the blades when it gets dry in the later summer months.

Later in the summer, we get better looking results with a bush hog type mower than with a finish mower.

 

[foreman Etexas]

We Have 12ftWoods and 8ftLandpride,im not familiar either with the two mentioned but I think for the money if just light mowing the Plainsman or the heavier stuff the Commander series would be a good pick for the money. Another thing to consider that 15ft finish mower got alot more to it then just a regular batwing mower. Another shredder to look at would be ModernAg they are made right here in Texas...

My 15ft batwing is a TerraKing(I think)or (OLD YELLER!) gets pulled by a 46hp Kubota M5040

 

[Jet Star]

TripleR...

I am no expert, but I will respond any way. I pull a Woods DS1260 10'6" rotary cutter with our M8540 HDC and have a Woods 121 10' we keep as a backup and used for years.

I have an 8' RFM that hasn't been out of the shed in about four years or so. We have to have rotary cutters as we move wild life cover around on our farms and maintain paths through our warm season grasses. The quality of cut is not as good as with a finish mower, but I have mowed my son's back and side yard with it as I have to drive through them to get to the fields and it blends in quite well.

Our renters use Woods 15' bat wing on a couple of our pond levies and if the grass is not too tall, it looks really good.

I think foreman etexas has a Land Pride bat wing.

All are good brands, I just don't have any experience with the models mentioned.

With the RFM, we found if the grass got a bit high when rain kept us off it or for other reason, we had to go agonizingly slow or we would smoke the belts.

As mentioned, running cattle or having someone hay it might be considerations depending on your plans for using the land.


TripleR...

Thanks for your comments...

If nothing else you've made me go back and rethink the rotary cutter option...For that kind of cash outlay I might as well get two utilitarian needs met vs. just one...


Treesanddust...

Are you currently mowing the Bahia with a finish type mower now?

The reason I'm asking is that we have issues with the tall stems of the Bahia when mowing with a finish mower, along with the grass being very hard on the blades when it gets dry in the later summer months.

Later in the summer, we get better looking results with a bush hog type mower than with a finish mower.


Treesanddust...

Yes, I am mowing the Bahia grass with a finish mower and yes it does leave tall stems (I call them runners) fairly repeatedly, even after installing new blades on the mower...After your comments and those by TripleR on this subject, mowing with the finish mowers might be one of my problems with the slow cutting speed encountered during dry grass/late summer mowing conditions... Interesting comments...Thanks...


foreman Etexas...

We Have 12ftWoods and 8ft Landpride,im not familiar either with the two mentioned but I think for the money if just light mowing the Plainsman or the heavier stuff the Commander series would be a good pick for the money. Another thing to consider that 15ft finish mower got allot more to it then just a regular batwing mower. Another shredder to look at would be ModernAg they are made right here in Texas...

My 15ft batwing is a TerraKing(I think)or (OLD YELLER!) gets pulled by a 46hp Kubota M5040.


foreman Etexas

Thanks for all the photos and excellent explanation on each component...Pictures are worth a thousand words, eh..??? After all of the comments received I will be moving forward with purchasing a rotary cutter for my mowing needs... I will lower the cutting height and try to cut it before it gets too high in order to keep up with it a little better before it gets out of control...


After all these comments, the rotary cutter seems to be a better application for my needs...

Really Appreciate Everybody's Comments...

Regards...

Rick

 

[DT86]

I must ask... What makes you want to cut 50 acres every two weeks and why are cows not an option?

 

[Hollow]

The BH 3715 is a beast, if you buy one and take care of it you should never have to buy another mower as long as you live. I used one to do some mowing for a university a few years back and they are nice! The only thing you'll have to worry about if you are trying to cut as close to the ground as possible is the skidds gouging at the ground in rough areas. I hate to say this but if you have the money and want a lawn like cut you might want to look at the Rhino tri deck flail mowers. I wouldn't want one (to delicate) but they do leave a good cut and you can cover some ground in a hurry. Cap Mowers also makes one but they are an industrial hydraulic setup and I imagine they cost a pretty penny. If I were you I'd go rotary, they are tough, more forgiving, and simple to maintain. Degalman makes a wing mower wither rollers at the front of the skidds to prevent gouging but be prepared to spend 20k+, but they are some of the best in the industry.

 

[Jet Star]

I must ask... What makes you want to cut 50 acres every two weeks and why are cows not an option?

I cut 20 acres every two weeks and the other 30 acres are being cut by a gentleman who I let have the hay for his cattle for keeping/improving the land...The reason I cut 20 is because my wife likes the look...I don't mind it either...Complicating the issue is that I live 400 miles (each way) from my farm and I only go home on the weekends and I only get Saturday's to mow (weather permitting)...I don't like sitting on a mower that long and I desire to cut it as soon as possible...I would also like to spend some time with my wife when I'm home...

After I retire I might start cutting those additional 30 acres..."Might" being the key word...

Cows...The land is not fenced and I won't spend the money to fence it and I don't want any cows...

Thanks for your note...

Regards...

Rick