Which brush hog should I buy

[Thick82558]

Hello
I am looking to buy a brush hog to mow two acres
I am new to this and am tractor stupid. There are so many brands
Out there and I don't know which way to turn. My land is flat with
No rocks a few stumps around the out side but no surprises.
The tractor width is aprox. 5' should I look at4', 5' or ,6'
Thanks for your help any coments would help

 

[Muhammad]

Welcome to TBN.

 

[Transit]

That is difficult to answer without knowing more about your tractor.

Brand?

Engine HP?

PTO HP?

2 or 4 wheel drive.

Front End Loader, yes or no?

3 point hitch, cat 0, 1, 2, 3?

Will you be removing the mower, on-off for other implements?

The rule of thumb to choose the size of the BH is 5 Hp / foot of deck width.

25 hp engine = 5 ft deck, 30 hp = 6 foot deck.
This rule is a guide, if you have hills you will need more HP to run the BH and move the tractor.

Some have 6 or 7 ft BH on 25 HP tractors.

 

[Thick82558]

I have a new holland tc29da
It has 29 eng. Hp
25 pto hp
4 wheel drive
Front end loader
And yes I will be removing mower to
Rototill
Are all brands equal

 

[farmboyZ]

What's your tractors pto size? this can be important when buying a brush cutter that way your tractor has plenty of power to handle it it thick grass or brush conditions.

 

[MikeInEburg]

I'd go with five foot. Any of the major brands will be fine.
Mike

 

[Soundguy]

5' economy duty mower. for that lilland don't spend alot. King kutter or howse will be fine.

plus the light duty will also mean 'lite' on the 3pt.

soundguy

 

[gerard]

I'd go with a new, med duty, 5 footer. Used ones are either almost the price of new, or beat to ****, at least that's been my experience. Good names are bush hog, landpride, woods. Other ones may be fine too. Things to check to compare is thickness of the sheet metal, total weight of the unit (more weight generally means heavier duty deck which is better, ie thicker metal). Other than that they're pretty basic implements.

 

[Transit]

25 PTO Hp = 5 ft deck, you could get away with a 6 footer. The FET will help counter balance the hog.
I don't think you need a slip clutch; they can be more trouble than they are worth. You will want at least one set of chain grads between you on the tractor and the leading edge of the hog to keep from getting peppered with cuttings.
I would also think about a quick hitch coupler, I installed Pats hitch coupler, Pats Easy Change 3 Point Hitch System

 

[CompactTractorFan]

Welcome to TBN!!! I too would go with a 5'...:thumbsup:

 

[WM75Guy]

Look at the specs for the brands you are considering. The Bush Hog Squealer series states 5' SQ160 is for a 25-40 engine HP tractor. The 6' SQ172 is for 30-45 HP. Don't be at the bottom of the specs, you will be limited on the size and speed you can cut. I would not go larger than 5'. If you buy new consider the dealer. For example, TSC does not have a repair and parts department. Warranty is a third party repair and all parts are ordered. Your local tractor dealer that sells implements should have a service and parts department. Check them all out, drink lots of their coffee, and see which one you get a good feel for. Low price is not always the best price.

 

[plumbstraight]

sounds like you have some easy mowing. Heavy grass is harder to mow than brush.

I use the bush hog brand, have used others, these have held up for me. the one thing to look for is how the tail wheel is connected to the main frame and how thick the sheet metal is on the deck.

Check the blades, try to get one that has blades that are tipped down in the front a bit so when you do hit something, and you willl, that the back of the blade hits the deck before the leading edge has a chance to find it's way through the deck. I know this from experience with a brand new mower.

I do commercial mowing and have hit just about everything in a "clean" field that you can imagine.

I took my last mower and added a 3/16 plate around the path of the mower blades and 3/8 along the sides and back of the mower. Have many years on it now and it still looks great. Do this before you use it so the steel will still be straight.

 

[Thick82558]

Thanks for all help

 

[Brad_Blazer]

I like my 6' King Kutter. My 31hp Belarus runs it fine.

If you can spend a little more consider a flail mower:
FLAIL MOWER 73 WIDTH W/ PTO SHAFT - Agri Supply
There are several threads here discussing this brand of flail.

A rotary mower has a lot of momentum when cornering due to it's length. The rotary momentum of the massive blades doesn't like bumps. The front corners can dig in on uneven ground. A flail mower will simply handle better.

 

[bullbreaker]

Many good brands out there.Me personally for "that" tractor I would buy a SQ160 Bushhog or a Hawkline bush hog(5'er).
http://www.tractorbynet.com/forums/attachments/94351-hawkline-rotary-cutter.html

Here's my SQ172 which I pull with my L3400 Bota(flat land).

Boone