KING KUTTER

[STEVE RI]

I HAVE A KUBOTA 185 DT. SAYS IT CAN TAKE A 5FT CUTTER IN THE MANUEL. IS THIS TOO BIG . OR SHOULD I USE A 4FT TRACTOR IS 17 HP DIESEL 3 SPEED POWER T. OFF.TRACTOR IS IN EX. SHAPE IT IS 48IN WIDE.

 

[pork]

ive got a 6 foot on a 550 oliver and it does fine. if you can, find one to borrow before you buy then youll know w hat you can handle. my tractor has more power so its a big differece. sometimes a faster cutting speed is better than a wider cut width though

 

[cbp]

I've got a 5 foot Bush hog which I run on both my AC D14 and Kubota L3400. The D14 is 4000 lbs or so with every weight on it and the tires filled, the L3400 is probably about 2600 pounds (maybe 3000 with the loader). HP wise it's hard to compare the Allis with Kubota but the D14 doesn't notice the 60 inch, where as the 30HP Kubota strains hard when I get into very heavy and thick grass. With it, I have to back out of a problem pretty quickly or it will kill the engine even running full out.

Makes me think the HP might be a bit low on the 185 depending on what you are trying keep up with. The L185 is rated 15 PTO HP. On the other hand, I should mention that a woman I know, uses a little Allis IB with a 60 inch and has no problems. All flat fields and she keeps up on them so they never get long, plus there is no lift involved so she's not wheelieing all the time due to the light weight of the machine. I usually am into 2 and 3 foot grass when I kill mine.

Weight wise, the 2600 pound machine is ok. When you hit something serious, you notice the difference in the weight of the machines. Not sure what yours weighs in at, mainframe on the 185 looks to be as stout as the 3400, just has a different profile. Maybe they weigh in close to one another?

The King Kutter may be a bit heavier than my Bush Hog razorback because of the bracing they put on them. I don't think I'd go heavier for my compact but I deal with some pretty steep hills. Probably wouldn't make a difference with flat land.

Agree strongly that a test would be worth it. Might find a rental place and try running it for a day.

 

[STEVE RI]

THANKS GUYS THATS A GOOD IDEA TO TRY ONE FIRST. THE FIELD THAT I CUT IS MOSTLY 4-8IN. GOOD GRASS AND NO HILLS. I JUST DON'T WANT TO KILL THE TRACTOR, I RESTORED IT 2 YEARS AGO IT'S 30 YEARS OLD BUY THE CERL. # LIKE I SAID IT'S 48IN WIDE A 4FT CUTTER IS CLOSE.THE BOOK SAYS IT CAN TAKE 600LBS. OF ROTARY CUTTER BUT LIKE I SAID IT'S 30 YRS.OLD

 

[JBMac]

If your mower has a slip clutch, adjust it so that it won't damage your tractor. Replacement discs are cheaper than gears! Just a thought...

 

[johns48jdb]

you don't cut five foot wide most of the time anyway and you can always skip over a little bit and only cut 3 to 4 feet wide in tough places. if the weight is o.k. i'd go with the five, but i like the idea of borrowing one or even carrying my tractor down to the dealer and trying a four foot one and a five foot one and see how they react on the tractor.

 

[BradD-17]

Just my 2cents. I have a 20 hp New holland compact diesel model 1215. My dealer sd a 5 foot "hog was too much for it, 4" would do much better. I do pull a 5" finish mower with it. If the grass is dry and not too thick it does fine with it. Wet and weedy have to slow down a bit. I don"t have much weight on the tractor though.

 

[cbp]

I decided to look around at the L185. It may be quite a bit lighter. I'd double check the weight on it. If you are getting down around 2000 lbs, I'd go for the 48 inch. The breaking point on the modern compacts was about 2000 pounds to handle a 60 inch when I was asking how small you could go. Those are 30HP. For example, the soon to be discontinued 7800 and the Cub Cadet (think it's the 5000 series) are just in the range where dealers would recommend it for light duty mowing with the 60 inch. Especially with a restored machine, seems a shame to push it too hard.

 

[Jerry/MT]

A rule of thumb is about 5 hp per foot cutter with regard to horsepower. If you are cutting relatively short grass and it's relatively flat you can probably get by with a 5 footer. You can always take less than the full cut in heavier stuff. If its wider then the tractor it means you can get closer to fences etc.

The other factor is mower weight. When you lift the mower you don't want the wheels to come off the ground or lighten the front end excessively. get the Seller to let you try it from the lifting and steering standpoint. What's the capacity of the three point hitch? Make sure that you are under that capacity with regard to mower weight.

 

[Oldmax]

I don't think I would use a 5'Kingkutter on a 17 HP tractor. I have a 5' I use on a 1715 NH FWD dont think I would want less HP than 27 with it.

 

[STEVE RI]

thanks guys all the info has realy helped one more thing. the power take off on the 185dt has 3 speeds 540-750-1000 the rpm for cutters and most equip. is 540 what would you use the 750-1000 for?

 

[Anonymous-0]

That tractor is only about 13-15 Hp Depending on Who you believe! Try a 4' model Bush Hog, maybe it'll pull it. The one I used to use on a turf farm would barely pull a 11'wide toro reel mower.

 

[cbp]

As an example, I bought an old 48 inch tiller made for Simplicity/AC (pretty old) that was 1000 RPM. The gearing in the tiller seems it could use it too. I cut the Cat 0 3 point off and put a Cat 1 on it, adapted a 1 3 / 8 shaft. It turns a bit slow at 540 though it does work. It would have been much better stock and on a machine like yours that has the 1000 RPM capability. I'd run the speed the implement is intended for if you want both safest and best results. I sure would not want to run a 540 implement at 1000.

It looks like most of the lower HP machines are still made with a 960-1000 rpm speed and a 540 (e.g. Kubota 74xx-75xx). The 20HP and above market appear to be 540 only. Tells me there must be a lot of 1000 RPM 3 point implements out there. On the older ones, I'd bet a lot of them have a Cat 0 though. That's not too hard to change with some steel and a welder though you'd want to make sure the implement is built strongly enough to make it worth it. In the case of the Simplicity/AC it was.