Opinions Wanted - Brush Cutting

Dillier23 · May 22, 2014

Hello all,
I've been trying to buy a few acres for a home site and pasture or hunting ground recently. I currently have a Kubota B2620
(20hp PTO) and am wondering how much of a chore it's going to be to get this area cleared using this small compact tractor. The picture below is a good indication of what the ground looks like, some areas are fairly clean while others are worse than the picture depicts. I would ideally like to take my time and work with what I have, which would be the tractor above and a 4ft rotary mower. This will be in the neighborhood of 17-20 acres to knock down. After the initial clean up it shouldn't be tough to keep things under control.

I know I can rent a skid steer with a front mounted mower if I need to for the first knockdown.

Let me know your thoughts.

dieseleric · May 22, 2014

I have a b2920. I would think you could do it. Do you have a front end loader? If so it would help to keep that low and lay the grass over some before mowing it. You will have to keep a very close eye on the temp gauge as the radiator screen plugs up fast on them. Other than that have some fun. I would opt for the skid steer with front mounted bush hog first if it was me. Time is money and that would be way faster.

DarkBlack · May 22, 2014

To me 17-20 acres is not " a few acres" as you opened with. Assuming you will be leaving the trees standing, I think you first need to see how many large rocks and stumps are hidden from view in the tall grass and brush. That could make a huge difference in what it will take.

Gale Hawkins · May 22, 2014

Around here that are services using skid steers with a heavy duty bushhog on front that will mow ground that grew trees while in the CRP set aside land. I guess they work by the hour. You might consider that option for the first time. It would be important they cut at the ground level so as not to leave stuff that would puncture your tractor tire.

LostInTheWoods · May 22, 2014

Dillier23,

17-20 acres is a lot of ground to cover with a 4ft rotary cutter. Every acre is 43,000+ square feet. Assuming an average speed of 4MPH, you're looking at about 10 or 11 hours of mowing every time, assuming you don't have obstacles to negotiate that would slow you down. And 4MPH might be overestimating average mowing speed. It would jump to about 14 hours at 3MPH.

Dillier23 · May 22, 2014

I will agree that 17-20 acres is a little more than a few. I'm strongly considering a 50hp compact and a 6' mower, this would drastically cut down my time and give me an excuse to buy a larger tractor with a much stronger loader. The B is a good little tractor, but I'd say 5-10 acres would be it's limit depending on it's usage.

I'll check on the skid steer rentals also, this may change my perspective based on cost to rent vs owning a tractor.

Ed of all trades · May 22, 2014

I would consider bush hogging the important areas and the clean areas and saving the rest for winter when you can see better. No matter what size tractor or skid steer you use a broken or bent part = $$$:2cents:

jimpen · May 22, 2014

You can probably rent a bush hog for the first pass. That would probably be a 3 day weekend to knock it down.

YardBikeBob · May 23, 2014

My thoughts are why do you feel the need to knock it all down?

Sure, if you have a dwelling, run circles around it so its clean 30 or 40 feet out to discourage critters. Use the cutter to make some trails through your property to keep an eye on it. Then just expand peace meal when a project arrives.

After you 'clear' the whole thing, you can revel in your accomplishment only once. After that, the maintenance 3 to 4 times a month in growing season gets pretty old.

Oh, and rotary cutters on a slope are not much fun. I drag a swisher mower behind my ATV to keep my trails open. Slopes no problem. I rotary cut about 6 acres of flat (bumpy) pasture (with a 6' and it takes 3 hours) and let nature squat on the rest of it.

Or do you really already have something that needs a pasture?

Bob