Will it work and should I do it?

[mstan99999]

I have a Nortrac NT204C, 20HP tractor and a northern tool 48" mower deck. I have been using it to mow my pasture without any issues. My question is this...I have a hillside on my place that was clearcut by a previous owner 15 or 20 years ago. Sense then, the hillside has grown over with beauty berry. I would LOVE to clear this hillside and make it a food plot for deer, but I'm not sure my tractor would clear this stuff. Beauty berry cuts easy enough, but being a clear cut, there are stumps and limbs hidden in the thick. Should I even try to mow this stuff?

Thanks

Matt

 

[Affordable]

You may be able to start out with the mower deck up off the ground making a pass which should expose some of the bigger stuff,you will then just need to be carefull around the stumps.I guess you are talking about a 48" rough cut mower not a finish mower ??

Tommy
Affordable tractor Sales

 

[3RRL]

Mowing hillsides is tricky stuff....especially with a heavy mower hanging off the 3pt.
Do you have an fel to counter balance? Can you walk the area first to identify stumps? Not just to avoid moving, but so your tires don't go over them and send you ***** over tea kettle. The fel can be used to help stabilize if you start to tip. Lower it down to the ground if (when) that happens. After that, do like Tommy says. Suspend the mover a good 2 feet above the ground and back straight up the hillside and drive straight down. Lower it when you see there are no stumps in the way. Do not go sideways across it! Unless it's a very gradual incline but still watch out for those stumps. A slight nudge when going sideways is dangerous. Best would be to get the stumps out if you want to keep that area mowed and clean.

 

[Soundguy]

Stumps? I hate mowig over stumps.. unless we are talking 2" or less.

If so.. be carefull.. mow down hill.. go slow.. let the mower chew it up at a speed the tractor can handle.

Soundguy

 

[RonMar]

As Rob mentioned, mow up and down, not across the slope. I personally prefer to do the initial cut going up hill as it is easier to stop and easier to back down the path I have already cut than it is to back uphill. I wouldn't be backing a brushhog into brush that I suspected to contain stumps. 3PH arms pull great, they don't push so well and neither does the bracketry on the mower. I would go forward always. I also wouldn't do this without a FEL. As mentioned the added forward weight balances things nicely. I also use mine like a curb feeler. The bucket is kept down low(as low as the mower deck) to find any stumps before the wheel or front axel does. I also use it to push over brush and sapelings that I drive over. I do my brush busting at a VERY slow pace(1st-2nd creeper/LL). That way when the FEL finds an immovable oblect, the tractor just gently drags to a halt as the wheels start to dig in.

Good Luck

 

[mstan99999]

Thanks for all of the info. I do have a FEL on my tractor and it is not a very steep hill, so that shouldn't be a problem. I'm not sure if you are familier with beauty berry, but it is a woody stemed, brambly mess of a plant that is almost impossable to walk through once it has taken hold. This was more my reason for the question. i most likely won't be able to walk through this stuff before it's cut. I like the idea of keeping the bucket dow as a curb feeler and going SUPER slow. I'll give it a try and let you know how it works.

Thanks again!!!

Matt