Mowing Pasture Mowing

[0654]

Can I expect a 4WD 30HP diesel tractor to be able to handle the mowing (bush hogging) required in an 11 acre pasture if I hope to only do it 3-4 times a season?

I guess I'm asking 3 questions:How big a bite can I take out of the grass before the tractor/mower labors under the load, at what reasonable speed can I expect to be able to mow, and how many acres per hour can I mow in the most challenging scenario? ie, "grass very thick and too high!"


I'm getting close to making a decision and for my price range and needs I continue to flirt with the TC33, an older NH 1630 and a 1999 JD 4400.

Your input is all very helpful, Thanks in advance...


tom

 

[Soundguy]

I mow 10 ac of land ( slowly becomming pasture ) with my
NH 1920. It is probably a tad closer to a tc 40 than a tc 33.

It is 4wd, etc.. but I mow in 2wd. I have found that if i mow about every 6 weeks, I can mow in 3rd range 2nd or 3rd gear. ( which is gettin' it on speed.. only do it if you can see where you are going. ).

When I got the land, it had 7' ragweed and dogfennel.. higher in some areas.. no joke. I mowed out in the middle of it, and som weeds were over the canopy on the tractor. Even then, I mowed in 2nd range 3rd gear... could have mowed faster if I could have seen what was ahead of me.

Hardes mowing I have ever done was on a neighbors pasture.. was 3' tall super thick grass, and occasional bramble.. I mowed in 2nd range, 2nd and 3rd gear... sometimes bogged down in 3rd.. 2nd cut it fine.

This is with a 5' hog.. I could probably run a 6' hog easilly.

With the 5' hog and speed I cut at.. takes me about 4 hours mowing time... ( sometimes more.. sometimes less ) if you ran a little slower.. figure 4.5 - 5 hours on 11 acers... depending on obstacles.. etc. perhaps less.

Soundguy

 

[0654]

Thanx, Soundguy, good info. ..I hoped I was not going to have to deal with it too frewquently just to be able to do it in 3rd or 2nd

BTW. you mentioned your 1920, I dropped a call this afternoon to the local NH dealership and they have a NH 1925 on the lot I may gander at..... I'll keep ya posted, thanx

tom

 

[BB_TX]

I run a 6' rotary cutter on 27 PTO hp and mow about 8 of my acres 2 or 3 times a year. Like soundguy, I normally run in 2wd. Mine tractor has 4 high and 4 low gears. I normally run in 2H, occasionally in 3H if the grass is not too high. That's about as fast as I want to go when mowing. I tried 4H in short grass, but seemed I was flying. If I let it go too long, it gets pretty dense in some low areas and I may have to slow down to 1H for short distances. But otherwise no problems.

 

[SteveM]

One thing to keep in mind is the condition of the pasture - re: bumpy or not.... I seem to have the roughest 40 acres in NY with dead furrows and 2ft dips everywhere, so I am limited by the maximum speed that doesnt throw me into the hog. I mowed a friend's field and I couldnt believe how fast and smooth it went....something to keep in mind /forums/images/graemlins/confused.gif

 

[normde2001]

Soundguy,
Do they allow "agricultural burns" "up" in your neck of the woods? I have a 20 acre field at my farm in N. Ga. that I used to rent out, but hasn't been used in 2 seasons. Fearing I was going to have to start mowing it, I found out about the "ag burns", and checking with the Ga. Forestry Dep't, all I need to do is cut a 4' firebreak around it, get a burn permit # and light 'er up.

 

[JerryT]

I have a JD4400 with a 6 ft. hog and I've cut some pretty heavy stuff with it and never had a problem (except with an occasional hidden tree stump). That's what shear pins or for.

 

[jayhawkRoy]

We mow 28 acres in two different locations with a TC30 and 5' Bush Hog. I stay in 2WD most of the time and only occasionally use 4WD. Have had no problem with the tractor keeping up. Am considering getting a 6' rotary cutter so I can get closer to fence posts, but that cutter could only be used on about 10 of the 28 acres. The other acreage makes using a 6' mower a lot tougher (gullies and the way the pasture is fenced for the horses).

 

[jayhawkRoy]

Missed the second part to your question. Last year we mowed 16 acres and the grass was over 3' high (tough fescue). The custom cutter we thought was going to cut and bale for us never showed and never returned our calls, so the fields had not been mowed in nearly a year. Except for shearing a few shear pins, we had few problems. Averaged one and a half acres per hour, primarily because I was unfamiliar with the fields and their contours, etc. Believe this spring's mowing will be much faster.

 

[Bird]

Tom, besides my own place, I mowed about 28-30 acres for a neighbor three times with a B2710 and 5' Howse brush hog. Mostly open, but a few little trees, and two stock tanks (ponds to you northern folks), so I go pretty slow on the dams, mostly pretty smooth ground (could run close to 5 mph), but some rough ground where I slowed down very slow, and it took me 21 to 22 hours each time I mowed it.

 

[NoTrespassing]

I mow about 15 acres with my L3710 and 6ft. rotary. One piece of advice I would give is this. If the pasture is rough, remove the loader before mowing. I found that with the short wheelbase of my compact tractor combined with a loader and 6ft. deck behind it, the tractor is very rough riding. I was amazed at the difference after removing the loader.

Kevin

 

[sewells]

That's about the amount of land I mow. I use a 30HP JD790 with a 5' Bush Hog. Never had the slightest problem with the rig getting the job done. Mowed a couple of acres of it when it was all brush and blackberry thickets higher than the top of the ROPS. It ate it up and spit it out no problem.

Hope this helps.

Steve Wells

 

[choreboy]

Steve,

That's a good point you made re: "..dropping the FEL" I can see the pictuire in my mind's eye as I rock my way through the pasture!

As I've said a few times before, all this input from experienced users is invaluable to those of us wiith little or no seat time.....That all may change in the week ahead, though that's another forum.

Thanks,

tom /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif