Bush Hog Cutting Height?

[Bill VA]

What is your typical mowing height with your bush hog?

How tall / thick is the grass/undergrowth?

12ft batwing here, been clipping a field (Teff residue) to about 4” and looks really good. I think the thing will cut as low as 2 inches, but scalps any shorter than 4ish inches. Beautiful cut though.

Mowed a little patch of fescue/weeds pasture today at the same 4” setting. Undergrowth and stems was thick and worked the tractor a bit, but gave a good cut none the less.

How low are you cutting and how tall/thick grass are you cutting.

Just curious.

Thanks!

 

[wh]

Use a 15 ft batwing. Cut to around 3 to 4 inches. Few areas I have to raise up because of terrain to keep from scalping.

 

[Richard G.]

What is your typical mowing height with your bush hog?

How tall / thick is the grass/undergrowth?

12ft batwing here, been clipping a field (Teff residue) to about 4” and looks really good. I think the thing will cut as low as 2 inches, but scalps any shorter than 4ish inches. Beautiful cut though.

Mowed a little patch of fescue/weeds pasture today at the same 4” setting. Undergrowth and stems was thick and worked the tractor a bit, but gave a good cut none the less.

How low are you cutting and how tall/thick grass are you cutting.

Just curious.

Thanks!

About 4 inches here.
Not much reason to go lower.

 

[JD Dave]

Depends on the machine and the terrain. 3 1/2 to 4/12. Set the cylinder collars high enough so you don't scalp off spots and you don't have to worry about it.

 

[Tgrasher]

My neighbor across the road asked if I had tore up anything after hearing me clear an area that didn't get mowed for two years. Usually, 3 to 4 inches unless I'm planning on discing for a crop, then as low as I can go.

 

[Ray,IN]

I just replied to this on TBN. I mow fields at 6-8" high. I mow my lawn at 4", any shorter allows sunlight to hit the ground and promote weed growth. The attached article there explains in detail.
I was allowing a man to harvest grass hay from my 20A bottom field. He was using a disc mower and cutting so close he was cutting dirt in places. This was promoting weed growth and my field was losing the good grass, weeds taking over. I stopped him from harvesting hay and began mowing it this year at 8" high. I can already see the decliine in weed growth. I figure next spring will bring a great grass crop, and if I see weeds I'll set my mower at 12" and clip the weeds off as soon as they begin to bud.
That's one of the downsides to allowing someone to harvest hay just to avoid mowing it 4x /yr. They don't care about the land, of which man was appointed steward.

 

[m16ty]

I bushhog at 6-8 inches. If you cut at least that high the bushhog will pull a lot easier, not as hard on the grass, and you don’t have as much residue piled up.

I couldn’t imagine trying to cut below 4” with a bushhog, that’s finish mower territory.

 

[Bill VA]

Thanks for the replies - much appreciated!

 

[560Dennis]

Splits the stock of the plants better at 4 inches ,right ? Best to kill the weeds , tree line edge grows.

 

[Texasmark]

What is your typical mowing height with your bush hog?

How tall / thick is the grass/undergrowth?

12ft batwing here, been clipping a field (Teff residue) to about 4” and looks really good. I think the thing will cut as low as 2 inches, but scalps any shorter than 4ish inches. Beautiful cut though.

Mowed a little patch of fescue/weeds pasture today at the same 4” setting. Undergrowth and stems was thick and worked the tractor a bit, but gave a good cut none the less.

How low are you cutting and how tall/thick grass are you cutting.

Just curious.

Thanks!

Being a STO, I have a medium duty 6' pulled with 6' width tires on the tractor. I set the tail wheel such that the deck, when in cutting position, is up in the rear to allow clippings to escape evenly rather than make a wind row. The 3 pt. lowers the deck to the ground and then I watch it and lift until it clears the ground making clipping height 2-3". Makes for a nice smooth, even result. The other thing I do is set the front tire of the tractor outside the previous pass tire marks and alternate direction back and forth. This helps to get the grass cut that was mashed down on the previous lap, up and into the blade to eliminate the standing grass that otherwise stands up a few days later and ruins the looks of the job.

 

[joeysmith]

No less than 6 inches if im mowing to control weeds
Usually closer to 10