WOW! This skid steer mower kicks Butt!!!

[rockyridgefarm]

Hey all,

I asked about opinions on skid steer mowers on here at the beginning of July. Got my skid steer mower last week. I can't believe the stuff this thing will eat! I've gone along the upper edge of my pasture's woods and taken out buckthorn, honeysuckle, multiflora rose, mulberry, and black walnut up to 5 inches across. It takes awhile to chew up a 5 inch tree, but you can grind it on the ground once it's down - no brush piling.

My biggest concern had been whether my Deere 317 had the capacity to run a 72 inch mower. I can honestly say it can. I never once felt unstable either to the front or to the side while mowing on some pretty steep hillsides. It helps that I'm running 12-16.5 solid tires. I could stand a *bit* more hydraulic speed (17 GPM on a mower capable of taking up to 25 gpm), but it did a very nice job even so. I watched the hydraulic oil temp quite a bit and never saw it go over 194 degrees.

I GOTTA get an expanded steel guard put on for a door, though. I've been wearing a chain saw helmet with the face shield and hearing protection, but it doesn't feel very safe. It seldom happens, but I have had some pieces ricochet into the cab...

 

[Roger in Iowa]

Thanks for the post. I have a 317 and wondered if it was capable.

Saw another machine operating and was impressed!

 

[Anonymous-0]

Sounds terrific!
You can probably trade a little torque for more rpm by downsizing the cubic inches of your hyd. motor a bit. When I was considering purchasing instead of building one, the dealer I talked with said they make swaps quite often to match motors to pump output. I'm running 60" with a 4.1 ci motor on my NH 565, which is 15gpm, and getting about 520 or so rpm to the gearbox. One thing you might consider if you haven't already is a pressure gauge on the input side to monitor how hard the hydro's are working.

 

[GordoSD]

Looks like a quail's best friend. LOL