Off-set Brush Cutting

[JeffroL]

I have a Kubota M7060 tractor with a 5' bushhog that I use for clearing brush. It works very well, but there are many areas of my property where I need something offset from the tractor that can clear the brush. Example, fence lines where there is a lot of overhanging brush. I also have buried creeks, in the fields, which are a major hazard. Huge sinkholes can open up so I just can't drive a tractor in those areas. I'm considering a sickle bar, but wanted to see if more experienced folks had any recommendations. Help!

 

[ericm979]

Ditch bank flails are made for that sort of thing.

 

[CMV]

That's a crap ton of tractor for a 5' bush hog

I like your sickle bar idea to really reach out for the areas you don't want to be driving on.

 

[Lowcountry Rebel]

Hardee makes a good side brush hog, our hunting club has one for cutting canal banks and cutting back limbs

 

[3Lfarms]

Ditch bank flails are made for that sort of thing.

The OPs tractor would be an excellent match for a ditch/bank flail.

 

[Industrial Toys]

Kind of an odd picture in the winter, but I had just got this and wanted to try it.

It has heavy hammers and will pulverize 3" brush but also cut grass amazingly well. Stones lay a real hurtin on the knives

It's a PERFECT by Van Wammel in Holland, but there is an almost identical machine out there

A hydro would be much nicer to maneuver it.

Oh, then there's this hydraulic sickle, I got last year. First time out, fifteen minutes later all the knives were badly damaged!

 

[ddbackhoe]

View attachment 558124 Kind of an odd picture in the winter, but I had just got this and wanted to try it.

I've heard cabin fever is a horrible thing.

 

[kthompson]

View attachment 558124

Kind of an odd picture in the winter, but I had just got this and wanted to try it.

It has heavy hammers and will pulverize 3" brush but also cut grass amazingly well. Stones lay a real hurtin on the knives

It's a PERFECT by Van Wammel in Holland, but there is an almost identical machine out there

A hydro would be much nicer to maneuver it.

Oh, then there's this hydraulic sickle, I got last year. First time out, fifteen minutes later all the knives were badly damaged!

View attachment 558125

Okay, what damaged the knives? I am in the market for small tractor ditch bank cutter and this is one I thought on. Have about same size and heavier tractor then the OP is using to use full size boom mower but need small tractor for use in normal trim type work. Too old for hand held trimmer.

 

[ovrszd]

I have a 3pt sickle bar belt drive mower. I had big visions of it's use. It beats nothing. But as I.T. mentioned maintenance is an issue. If mowing a "clean" area it wouldn't be. Problem being you'll want to mow all those areas you couldn't reach before.

 

[deserteagle71]

Okay, what damaged the knives? I am in the market for small tractor ditch bank cutter and this is one I thought on. Have about same size and heavier tractor then the OP is using to use full size boom mower but need small tractor for use in normal trim type work. Too old for hand held trimmer.

I grew up in the '50s mowing hayfields with a sickle bar mower in Pennsylvania. Any rocks/pebbles/dirt mounds will tear up or damage the knives. The knives are riveted on the bar so it takes time to change them once they are messed up, and constantly need to be sharpened anyway. They will not cut brush of any size without damage to the knives.

Now I live out in the Nevada desert and I'd dearly love to have a mower that mows my desert acres cleanly and not leave a ragged mess like the brush hog does. But when the ground is covered with ground squirrel mounds and the rocks they push up, a brush hog - heavy-duty brush hog at that - is the only option. In Pennsylvania I had to deal with the mounds that woodchucks left in the fields - but they were a minor problem compared to the mess ground squirrels leave.

 

[JeffroL]

Thanks for all the input folks, I appreciate it. I agree with the suggestion that a ditch flail is probably the best option. Yes the 5' bushhog is a little small for the machine - but it's what I've got so I use it. I really will only use the attachment 3-4 times a year to clear the buried creeks, along the pond edge and around the edges of the fields. I believe a sickle bar will be too much maintenance. Give it will be only used lightly I went with a value model. This one specifically: Titan 7" 3-Point Offset Flail Ditch Bank Mower

Plan is to the use bushhog to do the heavy cutting of the thick stuff in the fields, and use the flail to trim around the pond, fields, and ditches in 2-3 passes to avoid hitting any obstacles. The challenge will be I should be able to reach areas I've never been able to reach before

 

[Dadnatron]

You have a big tractor... that might not stick out past the wheel as far as you think.

Make sure you have them measure from the center 3pt hitch out to the end of the CUTTING area.

I'd hate for you to be disappointed because you only gain a foot past your tractor wheel.

 

[ovrszd]

And compare that measurement to center of tractor to outside of rear tire.

 

[JeffroL]

And compare that measurement to center of tractor to outside of rear tire.

That's good advice. It doesn't ship for a week so I'll investigate this further. That model of flail is for 70-80hp tractors, and mine is on the lower end of that, I spoke with the Titan Attachments rep for some time about it and he seemed to thing it was a good choice (although he's in the business of selling them so. . . .). The youtube videos also suggest a pretty solid reach. I'm optimistic but will get measurements from centerline.

 

[bdhsfz6]

I mow banks and ditches along a private road under conditions similar to what you describe. I bought the Maschio Girafetta 180SE 72" offset flail mower from Iowa Farm Equipment:

Maschio GIRAFETTA Series Ditch Bank Flail Mower -- Iowa Farm Equipment

I've been using it for a month now and so far, I'm pleased with what it will do. I particularly like the fact that the mower head can be set to cut vertically. It makes short work of brush and tree branches which encroach on the roadway.

 

[keegs]

Morning Jeffrol,

I use a 7' sickle bar mower for going around the pond, around the edges of the fields and up and down the driveway. it does slopes up or down nicely. It'll cut a 2" aspen sapling without skipping a beat. Most of the older models don't require remote hydraulics. My NH 450 cost me $1000. I don't do much to it other than grease it a few times a year. Money don't grow on trees.

 

[Gordon Gould]

I use a sickle bar for roadside brush also. I even hold it off the ground and run along the top of a rough stone wall. I do maintenance once a year, usually replacing one or two teeth or knife sections that have broke. Mine is easy to work on.









gg

 

[fuchifarm]

That's good advice. It doesn't ship for a week so I'll investigate this further. That model of flail is for 70-80hp tractors, and mine is on the lower end of that, I spoke with the Titan Attachments rep for some time about it and he seemed to thing it was a good choice (although he's in the business of selling them so. . . .). The youtube videos also suggest a pretty solid reach. I'm optimistic but will get measurements from centerline.

I was wondering how the flail from Titan worked out for you. I have about 3000ft of pond shore line to tend here as well as a couple thousand feet of ditch. I also have a m7060 and was thinking this would be a good option for me. I am an hour from the Titan warehouse. From the diagrams I can find online it looks like the agf series they sell has about a 46in offset from center of 3pt to the center of the rotation point on the flail and about 36" from center to the outside edge of the flail shroud. Is that about right? If so that should be about perfect for m7060 with 73" width.

 

[murse72]

I have a M7060 with a maschio giraffe 210si and I have no complaints with mine

 

[JeffroL]

I was wondering how the flail from Titan worked out for you. I have about 3000ft of pond shore line to tend here as well as a couple thousand feet of ditch. I also have a m7060 and was thinking this would be a good option for me. I am an hour from the Titan warehouse. From the diagrams I can find online it looks like the agf series they sell has about a 46in offset from center of 3pt to the center of the rotation point on the flail and about 36" from center to the outside edge of the flail shroud. Is that about right? If so that should be about perfect for m7060 with 73" width.

I have found it to be ideal. The reach is tremendous, I can get nearly 6' off my rear tire. The entire cutting portion will be off your tire. Plenty of reach. You don't want anything bigger! One lesson I learned is that my hydraulics move the unit fast. I was in a very slight slope (really slight) and extended it out downslope...when it stopped rather abruptly at the end of the reach I went up on two wheels. After a quick change of shorts I was fine, but it was a good lesson. Go slow and be ready to drop the unit to the ground if things get tippy. Use your ROPS and seat belt 100% of the time.

My main use case is taming the edges of my fields. Upright I can cut back the olive trees encroaching in my fields with ease.

Wear eye protection when you do that. Some debris flies!

All in all it was an outstanding purchase. I'm very pleased.