rotary cutter for B3200

[brbry]

I'm thinking about buying a B3200 and was told by the dealer a 48 inch rotary cutter was the right size for this tractor and a 60 inch would be too heavy. Anyone have any experience with this tractor. I prefer a 60 inch because I can get the slip clutch option.

 

[TripleR]

I have no experience with a B3200, but I use a 48" Land Pride rotary cutter on my BX2660, so it is hard to imagine recommending one this size for a B3200.

 

[leonz]

I'm thinking about buying a B3200 and was told by the dealer a 48 inch rotary cutter was the right size for this tractor and a 60 inch would be too heavy. Anyone have any experience with this tractor. I prefer a 60 inch because I can get the slip clutch option.

Why would you not protect your B3200 with spring slip friction clutch PTO shaft for a 4 foot cutter anyway?



leonz

 

[mazurrj]

I run a 60" on a B3030 with no problems, it handles it fine.

I have a Woods cutter, and was told since i was going with a 60" on the

B3030 which is not real heavy for a tractor to stick with the standard duty Woods cutter, its a lot lighter than the heavy duty. the PTO power is fine for a 60" cutter , ithe the weight of the cutter you have to watch. I have the slip clutch and well worth it for me.

 

[mike550]

just mowed 4 acres with new b3030 60" land pride worked great it took me about a acre to get my settings right had to raise the mower more in the 5ft tall mustard weeds or the motor started to pull down.

 

[General Lee]

I tried out a 72 inch bush hog the other day on my B3200 and it handled it fine. I just bought a 60 inch finish mower and was told by my dealer I could go as big as a 72 inch.

Now I have a question, what is the slip clutch option? And what does it do. You guys got me wondering now if I can damage the B3200 with the finish mower

 

[MarkV]

I tried out a 72 inch bush hog the other day on my B3200 and it handled it fine. I just bought a 60 inch finish mower and was told by my dealer I could go as big as a 72 inch.

Now I have a question, what is the slip clutch option? And what does it do. You guys got me wondering now if I can damage the B3200 with the finish mower

A slip clutch attaches on the end of the PTO shaft near the implements gear box. It has a series of disks that are spring loaded and designed to slip if the implement were to hit something immovable before the load were transmitted to the tractors PTO system. Most every PTO implement has either have one of them or a shear bolt that is designed to break before damaging the tractors PTO system. The clutches are good when maintained and don't do a thing when they are not. The problem lies in the fact that the disks rust together unless they are maintained by loosening the springs and breaking the disks free of each other on occasion.

It would be really unlikely that you would hurt your tractor with a finish mower. A slip clutch has it's place for those who do heavy PTO work, like right a way mowing, because it saves changing shear bolts when hitting unknowns. You do have a shear bolt and for finish mowing that protects you without the maintenance of a slip clutch.

MarkV

 

[MarkV]

Welcome to the forum. The B3200 has 23 PTO hp and the rule of thumb is 5 PTO hp per foot of rotary mower. Your close. If you are not mowing extreme stuff I would go with the 5' mower. You can always take a smaller bite in the heaviest stuff if the tractor starts to strain. Kubota is very conservative on it implement size recommendations.

MarkV

 

[Ductape]

I run a 5 footer on my B3030 and it handles it just fine.

As far as the finish mower question....... your finish mower has a belt that should slip in lieu of a slip clutch, so no worries.

 

[lawn_king]

I would run a 60" on that machine. Forget about a 72" with 23 hp @ the pto, that would be ugly when the cutter was under any serious burdon.

 

[herringchoker]

I run a light duty 5-footer on my B7800 (direct ancestor of B3200) with absolutely no problem.

 

[JerryTSummers]

I just purchased a Landpride 60inch mower for my L2800 HST(29 hp---25 hp PTO. I used it yesterday to cut very thick scotch broom 7-8 feet tall, about inch/inch and a half stocks. The machine handled it no problem. I believe our machines are very close with respect to size, weight and HP

 

[brbry]

I believe the L2800 in at least 800 lbs heavier than the B3200 which is 1774 lbs. I like the size of this tractor but it is light for a 32 H.P.

 

[davatk]

I believe the L2800 in at least 800 lbs heavier than the B3200 which is 1774 lbs. I like the size of this tractor but it is light for a 32 H.P.

Should be fine with a 5 footer - light or medium duty rotary cutter. I wouldn't opt for the heavy duty since that could add a lot of weight. I have the King Kutter Light/Medium dutey 5' on a B2630 and it handles it fine. Weighs in at around 500# I think.

 

[Shark]

I guess I am in the minority here. I used my old 5ft King Kutter on my B3200 and felt it was close to its limit with size and power. In fact I bent the top link while using it. I sold it and went to a 4ft wood (heritage) and it seems to operate much better. I am sure the B3200 can handle the 5ft, I just seemed to like the 4ft operation a little more but it does take a little longer.

 

[davatk]

I guess I am in the minority here. I used my old 5ft King Kutter on my B3200 and felt it was close to its limit with size and power. In fact I bent the top link while using it. I sold it and went to a 4ft wood (heritage) and it seems to operate much better. I am sure the B3200 can handle the 5ft, I just seemed to like the 4ft operation a little more but it does take a little longer.

Just out of curiousity - did yours have the "swivel" on the top link ? I notice that some have them some don't and maybe that would help from it gettng bent. The part I'm talking about is reference # 16 in this manual on page 32.

-dave

 

[devildog1]

I run a 72" Woods Rear Finish Mower on my B3200, have done this for two years and have no issues at all. Plenty of power even in high grass, high grass is what I'm talking about. Two years ago I owned a BX23 and used a 48" Bush Hog Squealer to cut small brush and tall weeds, not a problem at all, 1" to 2" saplings. Don't think you would have a issue with the B3200, go slow and steady. After the first cutting it would be easy to keep up with.
DevilDog

 

[MarkV]

I guess I am in the minority here. I used my old 5ft King Kutter on my B3200 and felt it was close to its limit with size and power. In fact I bent the top link while using it. I sold it and went to a 4ft wood (heritage) and it seems to operate much better. I am sure the B3200 can handle the 5ft, I just seemed to like the 4ft operation a little more but it does take a little longer.

Shark I appreciate your minority opinion. That is what is hard about giving giving the "best" advice to new people on an international forum. Everyone has a different experience because of their individual conditions. Here in the South (USA) where things are getting dry and thin from summer heat, an oversized rotary mower will work fine, in areas where grass is thick, dense and damp this time of year it will not work well. Many don't understand that thick heavy pasture grass can require more power than clearing 1" sapling from a forest area.

MarkV

 

[brbry]

Thanks everyone for the info. I went with the B3300 tractor, which is the B3200 with bigger tires, no mid PTO and a little bit heavier. Despite the dealers suggestion I went with the 5 foot rotary cutter. The ones with the slip clutch are heavier than those with the shear pin and weigh in at around 640#. I'll try it for a while and see how it goes. If I find a problem I will post the info.