What size and quality of rotary cutter to buy.

Oliver1 · Feb 28, 2003

I recently purchased a little more land and decided I need a larger bush hog. I will be cutting about 100 acres. There are two fields around 25 acres each, the other fields range from an acre to seven or eight. Most of the land is flat to gently rolling. Some of the fields are across creeks and branches.

What about the gauge of steel on the cutters? It appears most units are usually eight or ten gauge steel. The price difference is big. For example a ten foot Bush Hog brand cutter is around $4,200 for ten gauge and is around $6,200 for eight gauge. The gears boxes may be different, I can't remember. Is it worth the difference? It will be used mainly for cutting the weeds off the pasture in the spring and fall.

Also, is a 3 point hitch over a pull type better or worse? My tractor is a TN75, so it can handle a ten foot cutter of either type.

Another question is bush hog size. Is bigger better? I'm looking at a seven foot and a ten foot. Depending on quality and brand names there could be as much as a $4,000 difference between the to sizes. Its seems you could pull the seven foot in a much higher gear and probably cut the same aceage as with a ten foot pulling in a lower gear. What are the pros and cons concerning size? I don't want larger than ten foot because of the cost of the unit and the sizes of my fields.

Thanks for any help. Any suggestion on brands would also be welcomed.

Bird · Feb 28, 2003

If all you're going to be cutting is weeds and grass, no thick brush, then the lighter cutter should be just fine. As for the size, I don't know, but our nearest neighbor until 4 months ago had bought a 7' one several years ago that he used on an old Farmall M model, but now has a 1755 Oliver, and frequently commented that he sure wished he had gone ahead and bought the 10' one.

Richard · Feb 28, 2003

Last summer, I had my first indoctrination of cutting roughly 125 acres, with a 5' cutter. /forums/images/graemlins/frown.gif /forums/images/graemlins/frown.gif /forums/images/graemlins/frown.gif

I'm horrified (ok.. maybe a slight exaggeration) at the prospect of doing it again this coming summer. I"m trying to talk the rest of the family (father in law owns the land) to either buy a 15'cutter, and sadly, the additional tractor that will be needed to run it, or maybe split the cost with me, and it will become mine "down the road", when all his kids are receiving their inheritance. (is that tacky of me??? cause I've not really broached THAT angle with him for fear of it being tastless)

It just kills me to see how insignificant a single pass makes on some of these fields with a 5' cutter.

Richard

HayDR · Feb 28, 2003

Put some cattle on the land.

Slippy · Mar 5, 2003

Oliver1, check out my post in the "Attachment" section. I asked many questions regarding 3pt v semi v pull type cutters and the pros and cons. I'm not sure who told be this, could of been CCI, but it makes alot of sense...the 7' cutter is possibly the worst choice. It has the biggest blade to turn of any of the rotary cutters.....effects are obvious, lower blade tip speed, harder to keep turning, etc. With a 10' foot cutter you get the extra width, overlapping cutting blades, and much small blades that are easier to turn.

JRP · Mar 6, 2003

One consideration is "How flat is the land?" If it has bumps and drainage ditches and irregularity then a 10' can be a problem because it is a single plane cutter that will not cut a ditch or the top of a bump well. A bat wing or folding cutter flexes to more evenly match the contour. The 15 has more parts than the 10' which has more parts than the 7'.

Gearbox ratios are designed so that blade tip speed is correct. A 7' diameter can often have higher speed than a 5'. A single 7' cutter has only one gearbox instead of three so should take less power than a 10' cutter.

Also consider driveline protection. A slip cltch helps to protect the tractor PTO but costs more than a shear bolt.

You might find a contractor that will mow this for $500 once a year. A new good 15' cutter alone will cost $5K to $9k, plus a much bigger tractor.

Oliver1 · Mar 6, 2003

Thanks for the info Slippy, should have known this subject had been previously discussed. Did you ever purchase a new mower?

Anonymous Poster · Mar 13, 2003

Another option that you might consider is renting the fields to a local farmer. They will care for the property and pay you in return for the use of the land. My father does this every year.

If this is not an option, then go with the widest cutter you can pull and fit into your budget. You will really appreciate the extra cutting width at the end of a long hot day/forums/images/graemlins/smile.gif Since your just cutting grass and no small trees or brush the standard duty cutters should last just fine. As far as pull versus lift type, its 6 one 1/2 dozen the other.Lift may be better for flatter land with no deep ditches that will cause the PTO shaft to bind or bottom out internally. The pull type is not as manueverable in tight places and you can't just pick it up and drive across a creek or small stream.

I just picked up a Rhino TW84 medium duty/forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif (up to 2" brush or young trees), but have not had enough seat time to give a qualified opinion on mowing. One thing I can say is that if all I was cutting was grass, I would have purchased a standard duty cutter, This thing is massively built. /forums/images/graemlins/tongue.gif