Land Pride adjustments for my pasture

[Beerlord]

New guy here...new tractor, new rural house, first question!
I have about 18 acres of pasture to cut and I started in the early spring and it was easy-peasy but now that it's summer and I'm only free 1 day a week, catching up has me slowing down. I have a Kubota L4802HST and I love it. My Land Pride seems to not be level and therefore, I have to go slower but, it doesn't look that far off. I wonder if I have it set too low.
For example, the last 2 weeks on parts of my pasture, I've had grass/weeds up to 18" tall. Should be no problem but, it's leaving balls of grass and I can hear and feel the tractor struggling. I have the lever (Position Control Lever???) set at 2 1/2 or so. Is that too low? The mower edges are touching the ground and my grand isn't all very level.
I wonder if by trying to cut lower to save me time cutting more often is causing me trouble. What's a good level to start off so that my pasture not only looks good but, is even and easy/faster to cut?

Thanks all!

 

[GreensvilleJay]

My gut says take about 1/3rd the height, 18" tall grass, cut 6" off, leaving 12".
curious are you trying to give the field a 'brush cut' ? Cutting 12-14" of grass,especially if 'moist' will be a challenge, and you'll have to go slow.It's not only the cutting,it's the 'removal' of the clippings that HAS to be considered.
If you don't want a lot of 'seat time', maybe consider renting the acres out for hay or oats ?

 

[Beerlord]

My gut says take about 1/3rd the height, 18" tall grass, cut 6" off, leaving 12".
curious are you trying to give the field a 'brush cut' ? Cutting 12-14" of grass,especially if 'moist' will be a challenge, and you'll have to go slow.It's not only the cutting,it's the 'removal' of the clippings that HAS to be considered.
If you don't want a lot of 'seat time', maybe consider renting the acres out for hay or oats ?

Actually, I couldn't get to cutting for almost a month due to working my butt off so that I could retire a bit early. Now that's done, I'm ready to keep on top of it.
I don't cut when it's wet and I have thought about having the local 'hay' man come by and that's an option I may use when I get older.
It's not my intention to brush cut but basically, that's what I've done recently and now I'll try harder to keep up before it gets too high.

 

[hodge]

Welcome to the forum!
If you're mowing (I'm assuming that you are using a bush hog/rotary mower) with the front mower skids touching the ground, that's too low. I mow with mine riding about 3 inches or so off of the ground, and it's about right. In addition, you might check the position of the tail wheel- it should be adjustable, and it may be too high or too low.

 

[Beerlord]

Welcome to the forum!
If you're mowing (I'm assuming that you are using a bush hog/rotary mower) with the front mower skids touching the ground, that's too low. I mow with mine riding about 3 inches or so off of the ground, and it's about right. In addition, you might check the position of the tail wheel- it should be adjustable, and it may be too high or too low.

Thank you.....the wheel has been adjusted but I think I am simply too low.
Appreciate you help!

 

[jyoutz]

Adjusting Rotary Cutters

Many people use a rotary cutter (often referred to by the copyrighted name “Bush Hog”) to cut grass and weeds, but, in too many cases, the implement is not correctly adjusted. This can cause premature wear, poor quality of cut, and an excessive power requirement.

www.lsuagcenter.com

 

[Flintknapper]

Thank you.....the wheel has been adjusted but I think I am simply too low.
Appreciate you help!

Sounds very much as if you are a bit too low. Raise it up to where there is 2.5"-3.0" clearance for the skids in the front and also set your mower so there is a slight 'rake' forward. In other words.... the front is slightly lower than the rear.

This lets the blades cut the grass at the front of the mower but doesn't cause a lot of 'drag' at the rear.

 

[Elliott in GA]

I cut fields with my rotary cutter and finish mower at about 5 inches; it is much easier on the grass and equipment.

 

[Amarillo]

I suggest raising the side skids of the cutter off the ground at minimum. I would also ensure that the front of the cutter is lower than the rear. You should be able to adjust your tail wheel height to accomplish this after figuring out how low you are going to lower the front while cutting. Having the front lower will spit the grass cuttings out the back and not clog up your cutter causing clumping and engine bogging.

 

[Russell King]

You need to cut the field twice, once high and then go lower if you really want it low. If you cut it low you may be killing of the grass you want to keep.

I dont think you said what you are trying to accomplish on your acreage but trying to get it to look good with a brush hog won’t be that easy.

Exactly what type of Land Pride mower are you using?

 

[mikester]

Find a farmer willing to farm your 18 acre field for you or embrace your new lifestyle.

 

[Beerlord]

You need to cut the field twice, once high and then go lower if you really want it low. If you cut it low you may be killing of the grass you want to keep.

I don't think you said what you are trying to accomplish on your acreage but trying to get it to look good with a brush hog won’t be that easy.

Exactly what type of Land Pride mower are you using?

I have the RCR12 60" cutter. I'm not concerned about how good it looks but, until I'm fully moved in, hopefully in the next 6 weeks or so and since I'm only there on weekends, I am trying not to spend all weekends mowing so cutting it lower was my intention but I can see that's not likely the best plan.
At least when I'm living there 100%, I can cut a little every other day or 2 and it will be manageable.

 

[Flintknapper]

I have the RCR12 60" cutter. I'm not concerned about how good it looks but, until I'm fully moved in, hopefully in the next 6 weeks or so and since I'm only there on weekends, I am trying not to spend all weekends mowing so cutting it lower was my intention but I can see that's not likely the best plan.
At least when I'm living there 100%, I can cut a little every other day or 2 and it will be manageable.

Since you are not yet living on the property you are pretty much relegated to mowing every few weeks....which by default means a rotary cutter or flail mower.

I have areas on my property where I like to maintain the pastures. Particularly behind the house where we don't run any livestock.

That is about 15 acres and I 'maintain' it with a 72" finish mower. I set it to cut as high as it will (about 5"-5.5"). I could do that with my rotary mower BUT I would have weeds and other undesirable growth.

Using the finish mower I can cut low enough that I only need to mow about every 10 days. It also helps promote the growth of the grass since it actually CUTS it and not shreds it.

So over time....the grass chokes out the weeds, vines, other and you left with a nice pasture with grass.

I find that 'maintaining' the pasture is much easier than letting it get away from me and have to go back in there and 'bush-hog' it.

I can go over it pretty quickly with the finish mower. My mowing season is from the 1st of March to the 1st of December most years.

But everyone has different goals.

 

[GreensvilleJay]

OK, I'm curious....just how long does it take to cut the grass !
My rough math says 18 acres is the same as a 6' wide 'strip' that's 25 MILES long.
If you go 3 MPH, that's over 8 SOLID HOURS of seat time.
Frankly I have better things to do than spend that amount of time 'cutting grass' and I know 'she who rules the roost' definitely has an 'opinion' !
18 acres in hay could be a great time and money maker. Even 10-12 is viable. Several that size near me where homeowners do nothing but get PAID for the use of their land AND get a HUGE property tax break.
The right farmer will maintain the pasture, keep Mother Nature from 'encroaching' while you get to sit on the porch, having a cold one. Farmers love the land.
It's an option you should consider, especially since NONE of us are getting any younger the older we get.

 

[drumminj]

Agree with others on raising the height on the 3pt.

I mow my pasture with the 3pt set a touch above 3, with the rear a little higher than the front. No issues with the 4701 and a 6' land pride rotary cutter.

What ground speed are you running at? My pasture's pretty rough so I can't go too fast

 

[Beerlord]

Agree with others on raising the height on the 3pt.

I mow my pasture with the 3pt set a touch above 3, with the rear a little higher than the front. No issues with the 4701 and a 6' land pride rotary cutter.

What ground speed are you running at? My pasture's pretty rough so I can't go too fast

My pasture does have some rough areas but while I don't have the exact speed, it's not very fast. There are some flat areas that I an ball it out almost at top speeds but I don't have much area like that.

I do think having a few horses will take care of some of my pasture but that's months from now.
Regarding the hay idea is something I've heard numerous times and it is already done near my home. It is definitely something I will think about especially as I get older and will be unable to spend as much time mowing as I do now.