Peruzzo or Ventura

[RMRDallas]

About to purchase either a Peruzzo or Ventura ditch bank mower. Ventura has the better reach but Peruzzo seems a little beefier and has a "Hydraulic Shock Absorption System" which is supposed to help protect the equipment and operator in various situations. Anyone have any experience with this system and is it a big plus?

 

[leonz]

What the Peruzzo family refers to as the "Hydraulic Shock Absorber System" for its boom mounted flail mower has is what is referred to by the hydraulic component folks
that manufacture these valves as a "cushion valve" which will protect the mower and the boom in the event the mower contacts a solid object.

When the mower encounters resistance such as a tree or fence post as it advances forward it will weaken the hydraulic pressure in the circuit and allow the mower to be pushed back with no resistance from the hydraulic fluid in the circuit.

[Removed by request]

The one thing you have to realize is that if you encounter an object with the mower and it is pushed back you must reverse and reset the mower and go around the tree or what ever it contacted as the mower will not go around the object as you move forward.


Another option would be the weed badger as it has a solenoid controlled mower head and will return to the linear path it is mowing in and it will follow a slope as you mow forward.


The domain name weedbadger.com is for sale

 

[RMRDallas]

Sounds like it would be a benefit IF it only worked. My main goal is to be able to mow pond banks. I have four ponds, one of which is 5 acres (see picture) and most are treeless and fairly clean around the banks. The two mowers I am looking at are:

Peruzzo Bull Cross Ditch Bank Flail Mowers -- Iowa Farm Equipment

Ventura TRIN Offset Ditch Bank Flail Mowers -- Iowa Farm Equipment

My 12' bat-wing gets me close to the edge of the banks but the last few feet are a bear to keep trimmed. Just tired of using DR Trimmers and other such mowers.

 

[leonz]

Hello RMRDallas,

If all your mowed acreage is like the pond in the image you provided I see no reason why the Peruzzo mower will not work for you.
Having a tilt meter on the hood of the mule(if you do not already own one) will help keep you safe and remid you to back away from
the edge of the pond with the tractor and keep it at 15 degrees or less of slope at all times to prevent a rollover.

The main issue is having a counterweight on the outboard side to maintain the stability of the tractor you will use for the mowing.

Having suitcase weights for the front and wheel weights for the left rear tire and ballasted rear tires will assure you can maintain
the center of gravity you need to mow the banks of your ponds

If you already have ballast in your tires I would at least invest in the tilt meter and bolt it to the hood of the tractor and after mowing
with it for a week or so to get used to the weight of the mower and how it handles while you move it in and out while mowing before I
tried mowing the slopes of the ponds.

You need to keep the lower links of the three point hitch level at all times while mowing as this helps to keep the boom and mower head
within the proper reach/extension and down angle on the pond banks.

When adjusting the mower after mounting it you need to lock the stop for the draft control at the point where the lower links are level and the mower is fully extended and is resting on the rear roller and use that point of reference when mowing the pond banks as you will be lowering the mower to the pond bank and following the contour of the bank while the tractor is on the stable ground above and to the left side of the pond bank.


The major issue is knowing in advance how much hydraulic power you have in the tractors hydraulic system and flow in the remote to adequately lift the mower from the slope and retract the boom.

It would be worth every penny spent if you could part with the tractor for a few days and let the dealer install it for you to make sure it works properly.

 

[kthompson]

I have an offset ditch bank mower like I think like the one you are buying. It is on a Kubota L6060 with cab and fel and have no stability issue. Not sure the exact size of cutter head but over 4 feet. I use low range with my hst transmission, four wheel drive so the front end can keep the front end pointed up hill. Verify the pond edge is dry, firm and no tunnels by animals or water washing. If you have issue lifting the mower when offset then retract it some behind the tractor.

 

[TerryR]

I have the much lighter Peruzzo Fox Cross ditch and bank mower. It's very well built with lots of attention to details.

The main issue is a hydraulic one, though it seems to be a different one than the "Hydraulic Shock Absorber System" as I read the description of that. On the Fox Cross there is a relief valve that is supposed to keep you from opening the head into an obstacle as you swing it out to the side. It's so sensitive that it won't let you swing the head out if you are facing down a hill or on a side-hill moving the head to the uphill side. Adjusting it seems to have no effect and Iowa Farm Equipment has been no help. I'd remove it if I could find the fittings to do that.

 

[RMRDallas]

I have a tilt meter ready to put on my new tractor as slopes bother me, especially with something like this that will be hanging off the side. The tractor I will be using is a JD 5100R which is a fairly heavy tractor but still one I would like to add as much weight as I can get. My JD dealership will be delivering the tractor in about a week while this Peruzzo mower is out of stock for 6-8 weeks! I have seen a variety of reviews on Iowa Farm Equipment but so far Andrew has been very helpful – time will tell. I know there are a lot of other mowers out there but based on my tractor’s hp and desire to maximize the reach, I felt the Peruzzo and also the Ventura (have not seen ANY reviews on) were the best choices.

The pond bank in my picture also disguises a variety of drop-offs and ruts caused by erosion, beaver wars, geese, etc. which is another reason I have been hesitant to get my brush-hog wheel too close to the edge. Hopefully, I can get this mower hooked up and working without too many problems. My mega location JD dealership has those service trucks that roam the countryside so maybe they can stop by if I have problems. Thanks for all the help guys.

 

[oldnslo]

Peruzzo hydraulic cushion system.
NOTE: This is just an educated guess on a possible system operation
It is possible that Peruzzo is using a valve that opens fully when a preset pressure is reached. Some companies call these pressure shut down valves. They operate by staying closed until a preset pressure is reached and then they open allowing oil to pass at minimal restriction. Problem with these valves is that ALL flow must stop before they will reset. In systems I have seen these used this required stopping flow to that function, allow the shut down valve to reseat, then operate the function again. On a ditch mower not sure but suspect you would have to stop and movement of the tractor - mower combination as well as any flow - pressure supply to this function.