Rotary Cutter Question for JD 3320 owners r'e rotary cutters

[brentbtractor]

Hello and thanks in advance for any advice you may have to offer. I know this question has been asked in various forms many times, but I was hoping to hear some first hand experience on the subject.

I have seen from multiple sources that 5 PTO horsepower per foot of rotary cutter is recommended so I understand that I should get a 5' rotary cutter, and of course I would like the rotary cutter to have lots of power so it will cut through thick vegetation with ease, but I have several miles of electric fence that I currently weed whack or chop out with a machete, so it would be great if I had a mower that was a little wider than my tractor so I could drive along the electric fence with the edge of the rotary cutter under the barbed wire a little bit so I could cut the weeds from under the electric fence with my rotary cutter.

So does anyone know how well my John Deere 3320 with ehydro transmission and 25 PTO horsepower would run a 6' rotary cutter? There is not much brush in my pasture, but it would be pretty thick 3' tall grass and weeds some places.

Is there an inexpensive way that I could offset a 5' rotary cutter a little bit so I could run it under my electric fences with my JD 3320?

Thanks for any advice,
Brent Bowman

 

[GreatWhitehunter]

Why don't you look for an offset flail mower instead? The 1' per 5 hp is a guideline. I run a 8' twin spindle with 35 pto hp.
You just need to pay attention to the rpms and be realistic on what you're expecting for results. I previously had a 3320 and have no doubts it'll run a 6' cutter but just watch the weigh as that'll likely be the most important factor.

Matt

 

[brentbtractor]

Thanks Matt, I like the offset flail mower idea. I will have to check some of them out to see if they will fit under my electric wires. The fences I want to mow under are double barb wires and the bottom wire is not too far of the ground so I will have to see what the height is on the flail mowers.

Thank you,
Brent Bowman

 

[TractorGuy]

Seems like you could offset a brush cutter a little with the adjustable sway links.

 

[mcfarmall]

Another tidbit of advice is to cut your pasture before it gets 3' tall. You will be able to mow faster... terrain permitting. You will experience better results. You will have fewer issues with your radiator plugging up with chaff and weed seeds. You will be able to run a wider cutter without running out of PTO power.

 

[brentbtractor]

Mowing the pasture is the cow's job, I just want to mow under the electric fence, but you do have a very good point.

Thanks for the response,
Brent Bowman