Rotary Mower Question

[knightstead]

I'm looking to upgrade and upsize my current mower to save some time while maintaining our property. I currently have an ancient Bush Hog
brand 5' that I use with my 45 PTO HP Kubota. I've done some reading online and talked to the local Kubota dealer and most people seem to
think I should be able to use up to a 7' mower. I wont be doing much heavy mowing, but do have about 30 acres of grass/hay that I'd like to
continue to cut at least once per year. Around 20 acres is currently cut for hay in early summer, and I usually mow those fields once again
in late fall/early winter. The remaining 10 acres is either in food plots or pasture type fields that were cleaned out with a skidsteer and
forestry mulcher last summer. Do you all think that a 7' mower is sized right for the HP I have and the mowing I'll be doing? I looked at a
Woods BB840X at a dealer this morning and am comfortable with the price he is asking. The only drawback I can see with the mower is that is
has a single tail wheel. Any thoughts on a 7' mower with single tail wheel? There's another Woods 7' mower listed close by that is a dual
tail wheel unit and I'm wondering if that would be the better option. Just looking for advice from those that have more experience than
myself. Thanks.

 

[Cash4Toys]

You could if you wanted to, go to a twin rotor 8' mower. The twin rotors are shorter from front to rear, and therefore are easier to lift than a single 7'. In fact, some JD compact tractors are not ok with a 7 but are ok with an 8.

 

[sandcastle1]

IMHO that would be 10 pto HP per foot of mower. You might get away with less if all you are cutting is grass. I have an older JD 2350 tractor at 63hp and with my 6-foot brush hog I have needed to go to low 2 in some heavy mowing. This is going to end up like an oil post as lots of folks have strong opinions on the subject. On the topic of tail wheels, I think that either a single or double is fine on a 7-footer. Good luck with your decision and stay safe.

 

[knightstead]

I'm not a speed demon when mowing, I'm typically in 3rd gear in low range now. I've been described as an 80 year old in a 35 year old's body. (Hope that doesn't offend the older crowd here). I'm sure I could cut much much faster, but I don't like to beat the tractor and Bush Hog to death bouncing around.

 

[knightstead]

I'd love have an 8 footer but haven't been able to find anything worthwhile in my budget. I'd like to stay around 3,500 or less.

 

[Leroy]

From what I have had I would say that a 7 foot is way too weight. possibly not power wise but weight wise for keeping front end on ground so how many front weights do you have? And I had a 5 foot pull type and I could kill the engine of my 60 horse Ford. That hay if it gets any size will be taking more power than you have, at lawn height cutting OK but not for a second cutting of hay so why are you not making hay off of it.

 

[E.B. Haymakin']

If the tractor you have is a 45hp compact I wouldn't go wider than 7'. If it's a M series or MX I would consider 8'. I am currently running a Landpride RCF 2072 behind a New Holland 3010s 42pto. It is roughly equivalent to the M series weight/frame wise. I am mowing 7 acres from grass to brush. Takes 4-5 hours. I slow down in heavy brush-tree limbs etc. I wouldn't run the RCF on a smaller frame tractor, I think it would be too much

 

[knightstead]

Thanks for your input, the tractor is an M series.

 

[knightstead]

I don't have any front weights, but I do have a front loader on the tractor, a Kubota LA1002. I don't cut the hay, I live over an hour away and don't have the time or equipment. Our neighbor cuts the 20 acres currently, and hasn't shown any interest in getting a second cutting in the fall. These hay fields haven't seen any fertilizer in 6-8 years, so they may not be as thick and difficult to cut as you'd imagine. For reference I think the neighbor only got 38 large round bales off my place last year.

 

[Geo-TH,In]

My L3560 can go 6.5 mph with a 6 ft woods RM660 mower and no stress.

Your only problem will be throwing more grass out of one place.
Some new mowers have rear discharge.

If you go with a bigger mower, you can always go slower.

A Farmall C has about 20 hp.
It does a great job mowing in first gear and a 6 ft woods belly mower.

My point is not horsepower as much as it is the speed.

 

[johnofnewhaven]

George that comparing oranges to apples. He is asking about rotary cutters not lawn mowers.

 

[John M]

I must be missing something, I pull a 7ft with my old M in 3rd most of the time. Sometimes I have to drop to 2nd, but rarely. I can also pull my 6ft BushHog in 4th in many areas of my feild and not think about it.

 

[Destroked 450]

Have you considered a pull type mower rather than a 3 point
You can pull a 8 footer easier than you can carry it on the 3 point
Don t know where your located but found several older 8 ft pull types on tractor house that were in your budget
For clipping and thin second cut hay you should be able to use a 8 footer with no issues. I d even consider a light 10 footer
I pull a heavy duty 10 ft with my 52 hp tractor, if the grass gets heavy I just move over into the already cut some and only take 1/2-2/3 of a swath, in thinner stuff you can get more done

 

[knightstead]

To be honest I haven't really considered a pull type mower. I don't really have a good reason, other than I've heard that you need to be
careful with tight turns and wearing out the u-joint on a pull type mower. I have one set of remotes, so I guess I should probably expand my
search and keep on open mind in regards to that type of mower.

 

[Steve in IL]

I run a 7 foot Deere 717 with our Deere 2240 (which is slightly larger that your machine, I believe). If set up correctly , single rear wheel is fine. When mowing gets tough, you can always slow down, or overlap previous mowing.

If you dont have a FEL, you might want some front weight.

Regarding going to 8 foot Most all 8 footers are twin spindle, which drive a much higher cost point, not worth the extra 1 foot.

 

[Russ from MN]

PTO or engine HP, hydrostatic or not? It all makes a difference. And how wide are your rear tires? We have a 6 foot Bush Hog on a JD 4600, 37 PTO HP, and that's about right, not enough power for heavy brush, but I don't do that very often. I leave the blades dull so I don't get sharp stumps to puncture tires, has worked well for us. For mowing just grass sharp blades might use less HP.

 

[knightstead]

45 HP at the PTO and not a hydrostatic transmission. Rear tires are 6 ft outside to outside, that's one of the reasons I'm not a fan of the 5' mower I currently have.

 

[knightstead]

Thanks for sharing your experience. As of now I'm leaning towards pulling the trigger on the Woods mower I looked at this morning.

 

[mjsnodgrass]

my 6ft bush hog type mower was getting pretty beat. i bought a new 6ft mower. i hate it. the new mower seems to have a gearbox that turns the blades a lot slower than my old 6 ft mower. soon as i get some time, i think i'm gonna swap gearboxs. might want to ask about gearbox ratios before you pull the trigger on a new mower. good luck.

 

[sammydwm]

I bought one of those 7' Woods mowers a couple years ago. Run it behind my NH TN85A which handles it fine but is a bit more than 45 HP.
Don't have a problem with the single tail wheel and can't imagine why you would need 2 other than for looks if you're doing field work. Maybe if your terrain was really humpy and uneven 2 would be a good thing.