What size Finishing mower?

[Brad V]

I have a 1954 Tea 20 and use a 4foot Slasher/Brush/Bushhog and am interested in purchasing a 5 or 6 foot finishing mower to speed up my cutting.
With the Slasher/Brush hog I can let the grass grow longer and cut less often.
I realise that the finishing mower would not be the machine to use on longer grass and I would have to cut more often to keep on top of it all.

I was wondering what is the largest size Finishing mower this tractor could safely power?

Also this tractor is rated at approx 28.2 HP when new.
Is this at the engine or at the PTO?
Regards Brad

 

[Anonymous-0]

5 foot would be best for your Machine.

 

[Toora Stephen]

My 1951 TED20 can run a 5 foot slasher. A TED20 is less powerful than a TEA20. I don't know how much grunt you need to drive a finishing mower, but I would take a guess that if you can drive a 5 foot slasher through rough terrain you can drive a 6 foot finisher through smoother terrain... but that is purely a guess.

- TS

 

[John(UK)]

If you really do intend to cut regularly then a 6 foot finishing mower will be OK. You should keep the blades sharp though, this will make a better finish and will not use as much power. The blades should be sharp otherwise it isn't cutting it is knocking the grass off. This also applies to Bush-Hogs as well, always keep the blades sharp and keep the blades balanced or the mower will vibrate itself to bits..John(UK)

 

[Brad V]

Thank you for you informed input and I think that I will purchase a 5 foot finishing mower just to make sure I don't over stress this great old machine.
With a 5 foot cutter I think that would be the safest option as it won't stick out past the width of the rear tires, so less chance of an accident.
I will then have the option of using the 4 foot slasher if I happen to let the grass get a little too long.
John (UK) would you know if the 28.2 HP quoted for these machines is at the engine or at the PTO?
Many thanks
Regards Brad.

 

[Xwild]

Not to hijack a thread.. but since the subject doesn't clarify a particular tractor, I'll tag on to this thread.

I'm in the same situation with my TO-35. I've got a 5ft hog that works great, but wouldn't mind a bit wider cutting path. I'm mostly looking to keep a field mowed down to a consistently short height, so a finish mower would be usable. Especially if being faster, I'd do it more often.

What size finish mower can I put behind a 35?

 

[John(UK)]

I think that is a wise choice really, as long as it will take out the wheel marks, it will be fine. But do keep the blades sharp as you can lose so much power if they are dull, plus it will make a much neater job of cutting, if the blades are dull it will "knock" the grass off, not cut it, and you will get a white appearance from the top part of the grass leaf, which will look awful around your house. I don't think that your better half would be too pleased with that.
The figure of 28.2hp is at the PTO.This is for the 85mm engine only, if you have the 80mm engine it will be 23.9. Do you have an Over-running Clutch fitted to the PTO shaft of the Mower, this is a necessity as you only have a single Clutch on your tractor. You should avoid lifting the mower too high or you may damage the joints in the PTO shaft, you may hear them rattling, this is telling you that they are under stress and they will eventually fail. You should only need to lift the mower clear of the ground to turn around, say about 12". You can do this with your tractor Hydraulics if you lift the mower and as it is lifting, move the Lever forward towards the Lower Position until it neither lifts nor lowers. When you reach this point, move the Lever stop up to the front of the Lever and lock it in place.While you are setting this have the Engine running only at a fast idle speed. All you do now is lift the mower and move the Lever to the Stop when you get it as high as you need it to clear the ground.Leave the PTO Running unless you wish to stop the Blades as that is also driving the Hydraulic Pump. If you have a need to transport the Mower a distance, then detach the PTO from the Tractor so that you can lift the Mower fully and leave the Hydraulics running, this will allow the hydraulics to keep the mower at a constant height automatically if they creep down. The correct speed for the PTO is 540rpm which is at 3/4 throttle on the Engine.You should avoid running it any faster.Email me if you have any questions about all this..John(UK)[email protected]

 

[John(UK)]

You could use a 6 foot mower with a TO35 as you have more PTO power. Depending on conditions you may even be able to use a 7 foot mower but remember that the ground really needs to be flat the wider the Mower is otherwise you will be scalping and that will dull the blades quickly.
Keep the blades sharp at all times and don't cut too low as this will absorb a lot of Engine power. Plus keeping the blades sharp will make a much better finish...John(UK)

 

[Xwild]

Thanks John. That's along the lines of what I was thinking I could manage... Now just to find a used one at a reasonable price.

 

[Anonymous-0]

I have a land pride 1560RD (60" cut width, rear discharge) and it works well. I use it behind my 1955 TO35. My personal choice would be to use a smaller unit, finish or brush hog, to keep from beating up my already old tractor. Mine is in good shape and I would like to keep it that way.

 

[Brad V]

(quoted from post at 04:49:27 04/12/12) I think that is a wise choice really, as long as it will take out the wheel marks, it will be fine. But do keep the blades sharp as you can lose so much power if they are dull, plus it will make a much neater job of cutting, if the blades are dull it will "knock" the grass off, not cut it, and you will get a white appearance from the top part of the grass leaf, which will look awful around your house. I don't think that your better half would be too pleased with that.
The figure of 28.2hp is at the PTO.This is for the 85mm engine only, if you have the 80mm engine it will be 23.9. Do you have an Over-running Clutch fitted to the PTO shaft of the Mower, this is a necessity as you only have a single Clutch on your tractor. You should avoid lifting the mower too high or you may damage the joints in the PTO shaft, you may hear them rattling, this is telling you that they are under stress and they will eventually fail. You should only need to lift the mower clear of the ground to turn around, say about 12". You can do this with your tractor Hydraulics if you lift the mower and as it is lifting, move the Lever forward towards the Lower Position until it neither lifts nor lowers. When you reach this point, move the Lever stop up to the front of the Lever and lock it in place.While you are setting this have the Engine running only at a fast idle speed. All you do now is lift the mower and move the Lever to the Stop when you get it as high as you need it to clear the ground.Leave the PTO Running unless you wish to stop the Blades as that is also driving the Hydraulic Pump. If you have a need to transport the Mower a distance, then detach the PTO from the Tractor so that you can lift the Mower fully and leave the Hydraulics running, this will allow the hydraulics to keep the mower at a constant height automatically if they creep down. The correct speed for the PTO is 540rpm which is at 3/4 throttle on the Engine.You should avoid running it any faster.Email me if you have any questions about all this..John(UK)[email protected]

 

[Brad V]

Something went astray with my previous post.
Thank you John (UK) and others for your responses.
It is important to listen to more experienced persons on the forum to steer us in the right direction as some not all retailers inform us that this or that will work on our machines/ life generally, only to find different when we buy and then try to use them.
My tractor is the 85mm version and I did buy an ORC after reading about them on this forum.
My first experience when I used my Slasher/Bush hog was quite frightening as I had no idea that the tractor does not stop with the cutter running. Luckily I was in an open paddock with nothing to hit but it did make me miss a few heartbeats and realise that death is a distinct possibility with inexperience on these machines.
I have a modern Kubota with all the bells and whistles that come with modern tractors and when I first started using the Ferguson it seemed like such a backward step.
After much practice in an open paddock (took some time) I adjusted to how it works and thoroughly enjoy using it to the extent that I rarely use my Kubota any more. I just wish it did not drink as much as is does but that's life.
My 16year old son now has taken over the Kubota.
I do use the hydraulics when turning around as you sent me the full details of how to use the Slasher/Bush hog some time ago and once again many thanks.
Regards Brad

 

[jdamman]

I run a 7 ft woods finish mower behind my 35. Have to say right on top of the mowing chore and occasionally half clutch (live PTO) or downshift, but it worked well behind my 1959 that is a bit weak (gotta keep the RPMs up). It seemed to use a lot if gas, and I have this season started using my 1955 with a freshly rebuilt engine. It send to have plenty of power and I run it at a more reasonable RPM (neither have a functional Rachel yet). To keep from scalping, even on my fairly flat yard, I now at the highest setting and I just got a center 'anti scalp' roller that'll hopefully help when I do go along ridges
Hope this helps.
PS: when the grass really gets growing in May and June, I now every 6-8 days.

 

[Xwild]

(quoted from post at 11:52:21 04/13/12) I run a 7 ft woods finish mower behind my 35. Have to say right on top of the mowing chore and occasionally half clutch (live PTO) or downshift...

What gear can you normally run in?

 

[jdamman]

With the more tired mower, usually low side 3rd. I run the fresh engine high side 1st t
typically.

*correction from my previous post; neither have a functional tach (silly phone autocorrect)

 

[Xwild]

(quoted from post at 11:41:10 04/16/12)
With the more tired mower, usually low side 3rd. I run the fresh engine high side 1st t
typically.

*correction from my previous post; neither have a functional tach (silly phone autocorrect)

Thanks.. I've got to find myself a 7 footer at a reasonable price.