Please help with bush hog/rotary cutter sizing and attachment type

[Dakota Joe]

Love this site and the community here. Will you please help a newbie?

Getting a new Kubota L6060 (no cab) with 53.0 HP at PTO. Tractor weight without loader and fluids is 3990.

Application: mowing 40-60 acres of meadows, once per year, to keep the forest at bay. Moderate hills, nothing scary. Meadows being managed for wildlife/birds, so can only cut at end of growing season. Grass/thistles/milkweed/some (not too thin) oriental bittersweet. Vegetation will be at least waist high. Fields have been well managed for years so I don't think I need to be that worried about stumps/stones/holes etc.

Not worried about getting in narrow spaces, as we have a 5 foot bush hog on 19 PTO tractor that could do that if needed. Of course I would prefer to buy a huge old 2WD ag tractor with cab and do it with that, but that ain't gonna happen for at least five years.

So which of these should I get:
6 foot single spindle
8 foot dual spindle
10 foot dual spindle
12 foot batwing
??

I guess I am thinking go with the 6 foot as the grass will be pretty high?

Footnote: will be getting Land Pride, since I can finance that with the tractor. If I go with 8 foot or under, can do 3pt hitch; otherwise will need to be pull type. From what I can tell, all the models have slip clutch.

Thank you so much

 

[crashz]

Love this site and the community here. Will you please help a newbie?

Getting a new Kubota L6060 (no cab) with 53.0 HP at PTO. Tractor weight without loader and fluids is 3990.

Application: mowing 40-60 acres of meadows, once per year, to keep the forest at bay. Moderate hills, nothing scary. Meadows being managed for wildlife/birds, so can only cut at end of growing season. Grass/thistles/milkweed/some (not too thin) oriental bittersweet. Vegetation will be at least waist high. Fields have been well managed for years so I don't think I need to be that worried about stumps/stones/holes etc.

Not worried about getting in narrow spaces, as we have a 5 foot bush hog on 19 PTO tractor that could do that if needed. Of course I would prefer to buy a huge old 2WD ag tractor with cab and do it with that, but that ain't gonna happen for at least five years.

So which of these should I get:
6 foot single spindle
8 foot dual spindle
10 foot dual spindle
12 foot batwing
??

I guess I am thinking go with the 6 foot as the grass will be pretty high?

Footnote: will be getting Land Pride, since I can finance that with the tractor. If I go with 8 foot or under, can do 3pt hitch; otherwise will need to be pull type. From what I can tell, all the models have slip clutch.

Thank you so much

Welcome Joe! I grew up in the Berserk-shires!

You have the Hp for the 10ft mower, have a small one for the tight quarters, and plan to upgrade to a larger tractor one day. So I would go with the biggest cutter you can safely run. You can always take smaller bites rather than cut the full width, but once you buy a cutter, that's only as wide as it will cut.

 

[1010]

I'd go with the ten foot pull type. Hard to justify the batwing unless the terrain is unsuitable for a ridged cutter. Pull type is the way to go.

 

[CoyPatton]

While you probably have the HP to do the 12’ batwing, I would drop back to the 10’ and have that extra reserve of HP to run it.
Having said my opinion, there is one other thought to interject. You mention size was not a concern, but my thought does not so much concern width as far a mowing but storage and transport. A folded up batwing will be way less wide while transporting if that may be an issue, and take up less space for storage when folded.

 

[Dakota Joe]

Thanks, Crashz--were in the Berkshires were you? (We are on Egremont/Sheffield border in South County)

 

[Dakota Joe]

Thanks, 1010

Just for my learning, what makes you recommend the pull type?

 

[Dakota Joe]

CoyPatton, good thought. I do think storage will definitely be a challenge under any scenario. And I am committed to keeping everything indoors. But I figure I just gotta get all the stuff and then see how big it really is and then deal that next (fun) challenge. Thank you

 

[dusty3030]

I'd do a pull type 10' or 8' if I were you.

Also, consider prescribed fire in your land management as well.

Prescribed fire for habitat management | Mass.gov

 

[3gunr]

I have a 6 ft cutter and was mowing a 10 acre field thi past weekend, took a full day.I would go with a 12 ft batwing, The new ones can be run with a 35 hp tractor. An 8 ft would be fine but would take some time.

 

[Gale Hawkins]

You have a nice tractor. I agree with the thoughts others offered. We have my wife's dad 265 MF with a commercial 6ft bush hog that I like for the 60 HP tractor. The bush hog is the type they used 50 years ago to mow under utility power lines every three years. It is to heavy to keep the Ford 3000 and 3600 on the ground. It cuts out the rear tire tracks but is not wide enough to catch a tree or post. I have a bush hog brand 7' finish mower that I do not use after I got the Bush Hog brand 7' offset twin spindle semi finish mower (rated to cut up to 1.5 inch bushes. For once a year and in the woods use consider the 6 foot size but in the end you need to go with what you like best.