Rotary Cutter for Grand L4060

[WFM]

My rotary cutter has one wheel straight off the center in the back. Has Land Pride changed their design ?? Or thats a different type then mine ?

 

[mcmxi]

@Russell King, thanks for the suggestions. I have a camel back hydration system that I use for hiking and have Bose noise cancelling headphones/earbuds.

In the spirit of full disclosure I messed up a little today. I'm really enjoying the MX and the experience of running a rotary cutter so went back out later this afternoon/evening to do a few more hours work, and about the time I was going to call it a day the EM light illuminated on the dash. The coolant temp was near the high mark on the gauge so I jumped off the tractor, popped the hood and pulled the radiator screen out to find that it was completely blocked. DUH! The coolant temperature dropped fairly quickly once I pulled the screen. I'm going to use the compressor tomorrow to blow all of the crap out of every nook and cranny.

I've already cut four to five times what I typically cut each year, and in less time, but it's going to take 8 to 10 hours and maybe more to cut the entire area.

 

[mcmxi]

My rotary cutter has one wheel straight off the center in the back. Has Land Pride changed their design ?? Or thats a different type then mine ?

I apologize for missing this post. It's an RCR1884 that comes standard with one rear wheel (you can see the mounting location) but two rear wheels and chain guards are options that the dealer already had installed.

 

[mcmxi]

I'd like to make a comment or two about using top-n-tilt and a quick hitch with the cutter, and this is coming from someone with limited experience using t-n-t or a rotary cutter. The cutter is big, long and heavy and having a hydraulic cylinder for the top link is a real benefit in that I can raise the cutter much higher than I could with a fixed top link. If as stated in the operator's manual the quick hitch is adjusted such that the upper 3-point clevis pin is directly above the lower 3-point hitch pins then there's not enough lift to get the tail wheels more than a couple of inches off the ground. This makes it hard if not impossible to back up in some situations.

Having a hydraulic cylinder on one of the lift arm links is not as good in that the cutter goes out of level in relation to the tractor as the cylinder "leaks" so that's something I need to keep an eye on. A standard lift arm link set right (level) won't move which would be one less thing to worry about when running the cutter. If I can figure out how to disconnect the lift arm hydraulics at the rear remote I might be better off switching to the standard lift arm when using the rotary cutter. I'm not familiar with the style of fittings used on the rear remotes so will have to look into that.

On a side note, I bought a couple of cheap magnetic levels. One sits on the ROPS and one on the Quick Hitch and I can see if the hitch is level with the tractor regardless of the surface I'm on. I might come up with a more secure mounting option but am trying them out for now to see if they should be permanently installed.

The tractor looks like it's working now! The hood is up since I left it that way when the EM light came on. I want to get back at it today but have some other stuff to take care of. Hopefully I'll be able to look at the remotes, maybe get the standard

 

[BigG]

Your TnT should not affect the mower. Set it level and mow. The top link should be adjust to allow the rear of the mower to float. You do not need to raise the mower to back up.

With a 3 point mower and with one as large as the one you have you need to watch for dips such as crossing a ditch. The 3 point can make your tractor act as if it is a solid frame 25+ ft long tractor. If you look in the owners manual it will give you good info about crossing dips and swales.

I run a New Holland TL80A with a Rhino TW96 offset mower. It is a 2 point attachment mower. The wheels never come off the ground.

 

[mcmxi]

Your TnT should not affect the mower. Set it level and mow. The top link should be adjust to allow the rear of the mower to float. You do not need to raise the mower to back up.

With a 3 point mower and with one as large as the one you have you need to watch for dips such as crossing a ditch. The 3 point can make your tractor act as if it is a solid frame 25+ ft long tractor. If you look in the owners manual it will give you good info about crossing dips and swales.

I run a New Holland TL80A with a Rhino TW96 offset mower. It is a 2 point attachment mower. The wheels never come off the ground.

I ran into the situation yesterday when heading downhill and cutting off a critter mound and wanting to back up to take another cut. I didn't seem able to back up unless I raised the back of the mower off the ground. I ran into a similar situation when getting to the end of a "row" when turning around and trying to back up a short but steep slope.

My point about t-n-t is that the cylinders change length during use. Oil gets past the seals so I need to check that the setup hasn't changed significantly over a few hours. Like I said, I'm new to this so have some things to learn.
Thanks for the help.

 

[Russell King]

Now you’re going to have remember to clean that screen every time you start and stop the tractor through out the day. I use a blue cut to fit plasticky AC filter in front of my screen since we have a spear grass that gets caught in the screen and I have to pick them out one by one. Helps to just shake it out a few times and then replace it.

Use a leaf blower to get all that grass off the mower and tractor frame or it will mat up and get wet and start rusting spots.

 

[mcmxi]

Now you’re going to have remember to clean that screen every time you start and stop the tractor through out the day. I use a blue cut to fit plasticky AC filter in front of my screen since we have a spear grass that gets caught in the screen and I have to pick them out one by one. Helps to just shake it out a few times and then replace it.

Use a leaf blower to get all that grass off the mower and tractor frame or it will mat up and get wet and start rusting spots.

I've never owned a leaf blower ... yet another thing I'll need to buy. Currently I'm using a compressor and nozzle to blow the crap off the tractor and cutter but it's slow. That's a good tip re using an A/C filter screen. I've noticed that it's best to turn the front wheels to the left or right in order to get clearance to remove the screen without bending it.

I lowered the deck one "notch" yesterday and ran up and down the field a few times to test and it's cutting great. Not fun though when you hear the blades whack a stone or stones that are inside a mound of dirt. This tractor & cutter combination really is a game changer for me. It's a great feeling knowing that I can take care of the field now and for years to come.

Thanks to everyone.

 

[mcmxi]

@Russel King, I bought an ECHO leaf blower today from Home Depot for $150. It's the PB-2520 model and supposedly made in Japan just like my BX and MX and is almost the same shade of orange! I won't be using it for anything but blowing crap off the tractors so didn't want to spend $$$ on a high end model. Already used it to clean off the cutter which sat out in the rain last night with grass/dust all over it.

I had better stop following this thread for fear of spending even more money!

Thanks again.

 

[JimmyJazz]

@Russell King, thanks for the suggestions. I have a camel back hydration system that I use for hiking and have Bose noise cancelling headphones/earbuds.

In the spirit of full disclosure I messed up a little today. I'm really enjoying the MX and the experience of running a rotary cutter so went back out later this afternoon/evening to do a few more hours work, and about the time I was going to call it a day the EM light illuminated on the dash. The coolant temp was near the high mark on the gauge so I jumped off the tractor, popped the hood and pulled the radiator screen out to find that it was completely blocked. DUH! The coolant temperature dropped fairly quickly once I pulled the screen. I'm going to use the compressor tomorrow to blow all of the crap out of every nook and cranny.

I've already cut four to five times what I typically cut each year, and in less time, but it's going to take 8 to 10 hours and maybe more to cut the entire area.

View attachment 57498

Don't forget to check the air filter. They get dirty fast. Smack it on a hard surface or blow it out with compressed air. Enjoy your new rig. Beautiful photos and country.

 

[mcmxi]

Don't forget to check the air filter. They get dirty fast. Smack it on a hard surface or blow it out with compressed air. Enjoy your new rig. Beautiful photos and country.

Thanks! I checked the filters the other day when the EM light came on. I was pleased to find an inner filter in addition to the main outer one. I've had to clean off the screen and radiator two more times since that first EM light event.

I am loving this MX. I've been running the cutter for a couple of hours each evening and it's looking awesome. It's tough on the rotary cutter and I wonder if a lesser model would hold up to this kind of "abuse" so I'm glad that I went a little crazy with this purchase. I need to run through the slip clutch check and keep up with general maintenance to keep this thing running for years to come.

Here are a few more photos to show the progress. The middle photo shows the upper section of the field that you can't see from the bottom. The photos don't really convey the terrain that well. It's much rougher than it looks and I'm sure that I would never have managed to cut the field with the BX. By the way, I get elk passing through this field each winter and shot a nice bull last November.

 

[Russell King]

@Russel King, I bought an ECHO leaf blower today from Home Depot for $150. It's the PB-2520 model

I had better stop following this thread for fear of spending even more money!

Thanks again.

I also have an echo blower and love that thing. I only use the premixed gas in a can since it is non ethanol and just plain easier than mixing it up yourself.
I don’t even look at the price per gallon and live in ignorant bliss with easy to start two stroke engines.

 

[mcmxi]

The RCR1884 is surely christened now with a couple of nice dents in the steel housing either from a rock being driven into the steel or the blades being forced up due to a rock. The blades look pretty sad too at the moment. These implements take a beating and I know that I'll be making repairs from time to time. As long as the gear box and driveshaft hold up I can easily handle the other stuff at little cost.

The loader bucket dug this beast of a rock up the other night. There was about 4" sticking up out of the ground. It's about 3 feet long and 18" high. I have lots of these "icebergs" in the field along with rocks/boulders that will probably never be moved so will have to mark their location with T-posts or similar. I want to get this field to a state where it's fun to cut which means no rocks able to damage the rotary cutter. Maybe I need to run around with a rear blade to locate the problem areas.

With the sun coming up you can get a better idea of the terrain. The rock can be seen sticking up out of the ground to the left in the first photo.

 

[MoCo]

I have both a Kubota (Land Pride) 72 inch finish mower and a 72-inch rotary mover. The finish mower is used only for lawns and relatively level terrain. I have a large lawn area to cut. Even on my Grand L6060 it takes over 2 hours. I would never use my finish mower on any rougher terrain or any of my fields or trails. A rotary mower (brush hog or bush hog style) is built for that work with blades that kick back, a stump-jumper and much heavier blades too. The finish mower blades run on belts which will slip and burn out in deeper ruts and very heavy grass. A flail mower with hammers instead of knives is an option (costly) but it won't cut down saplings or brush like a rotary mower can do easily. That's my opinion, anyway. After using other brands of mowers in the past, I am very pleased with Land Pride quality on their heavier duty units.

 

[JimmyJazz]

The RCR1884 is surely christened now with a couple of nice dents in the steel housing either from a rock being driven into the steel or the blades being forced up due to a rock. The blades look pretty sad too at the moment. These implements take a beating and I know that I'll be making repairs from time to time. As long as the gear box and driveshaft hold up I can easily handle the other stuff at little cost.

The loader bucket dug this beast of a rock up the other night. There was about 4" sticking up out of the ground. It's about 3 feet long and 18" high. I have lots of these "icebergs" in the field along with rocks/boulders that will probably never be moved so will have to mark their location with T-posts or similar. I want to get this field to a state where it's fun to cut which means no rocks able to damage the rotary cutter. Maybe I need to run around with a rear blade to locate the problem areas.

With the sun coming up you can get a better idea of the terrain. The rock can be seen sticking up out of the ground to the left in the first photo.

View attachment 57842

View attachment 57843

View attachment 57844

Keep in mind there are some people that pay to have rocks like that "installed" in their landscape. Adds character some would say. On YouTube look up stone walls of Ireland if you want to see something interesting. Keep up the good work.

 

[kubotafreak]

It is probably the remote valve itself, that is changing the cylinder position... They are notorious for having poor leakdown.

 

[mcmxi]

Keep in mind there are some people that pay to have rocks like that "installed" in their landscape. Adds character some would say. On YouTube look up stone walls of Ireland if you want to see something interesting. Keep up the good work.

I was just talking with a friend last night over dinner about rock walls in Britain and he mentioned the walls in New England that date back to the early 1600's. To think that all of those walls in the UK and Northern Ireland were built by hand by farmers clearing fields for plowing ... amazing! I have four huge rock piles on my property that must have been made by someone with a similar notion. I plan on using the rocks to make a retaining wall the entire length of the common driveway. Maybe I should call that a fantasy rather than a plan but you get the idea.

 

[mcmxi]

I'm going to adjust the wheels back down a notch today (to raise the cutter up) before continuing with mowing. I can always lower the front a little more in areas where it's safe to do so. I'll pull the blades too and do exactly what the manual says not to do i.e. knock down some of the bad spots on the anvil. The steel blades seem kind of soft which is probably a good thing or else they'd shatter on impacting a rock.

 

[mcmxi]

Guess who showed up to inspect my work in the field ... a bunch of about 20 on Saturday morning followed by another bunch of about 20 Sunday morning. Never gets old watching elk.

I have a friend who has 70 acres not too far from me with a beautiful 30+ acre field that I'm going to cut for him in the next few weeks. It should be a lot of fun. I'll take some photos for sure.

 

[mcmxi]

I can't say enough good things about the MX and the Land Pride rotary cutter but simply put they're a match made in heaven. I have an EA box blade showing up this week so need to unhook the RCR1884 and make another receiver for the quick hitch so that I can move the utility trailer around once I pick up the blade. I also need to be able to move the trailer around easily in order to make space for some excavating near the house.

So I started up the tractor this morning, looked out at the field and thought I'd make a few passes because it's so enjoyable, and it's simply a game changer to have this awesome combination. The field has never looked this good in my seven years of owning the property.

I think I have the cutter set perfectly now which will hopefully limit the amount of damage to the blades and the housing while still giving good results in terms of grass/weed height. Onwards and upwards!