L2501 Bush Hog?

[Olddaddy]

I just bought an L2501 Kubota and want to ad a Bush Hog. Which brand/model do you recommend? New? Used?

 

[85Hokie]

A "BUSH HOG" is a brand name - I take it you want a rotary cutter?

5' is the size you are looking for - 6' would be too much DEPENDING on grass and speed of cut

The cost is depending on new vs used - really about your budget and local findings of used cutters.

 

[ken erickson]

I run a light duty LP 72" on my L2501. I am not saying this is what you should run but I can offer my real world experience and reasoning behind ending up with a 6 foot cutter.

For all practical purposes the L2501, L3301 and L3901 utilize the same or very close chassis components, wheel base, weight, 3pt lift capacity etc. The difference between these 3 tractors then becomes the rated HP. For this reason I was confident that the size and weight of the 6 foot cutter behind the L2501 would not be an issue. If the L3301 and L3309 can physically handle a 6 footer the L2501 would be able to. The issue then becomes , as 85Hokie mentioned what material you will be cutting.

My land consists of 56 acres of sand country native prairie grasses and native forbs and an extensive trail system. I do NOT have a need to cut dense , high cool season non-native grasses. I do have a need to maintenance mow my prairie, which also includes mowing invasive saplings , some ranging to 1 3/4 dia. at the base , aspen, black locust, oak.

My experience for the last 2 and half years is that my L2501 handles the 6 foot just fine and rarely will I have to slow down because of the HP. I slow down at times due to being bounced out of the seat! lol. I do have some fairly steep hills, though short, that the tractor will drop a hundred RPM or so as I climb the hill. I do have plenty of throttle to adjust for 540 PTO rpm if needed with the L2501. One of the aspects that I love about the 6 foot cutter, which ends up being about 6 inches wider per side than the outside edge of the rear tire. Mowing trails the tires are in the tracks and I am keeping the edges pushed back just enough. It also allows me to get closer to objects and closer to the pond edge.

Again, your mileage may vary and I am not advocating you should go with a 6 footer, just passing on my experience .

Congrats on your tractor by the way! Looks good.

 

[Elliott in GA]

It really depends on what you plan to do with the rotary cutter. If your are simply mowing grass in a field fairly often (not waiting till it grows 3 feet tall and thick), you can probably run a 6 foot light duty cutter. If you are trying to reclaim a field or portions of fields, you will most likely need a 5 foot medium duty cutter, and the same is true for cutting new trails in overgrown areas.

I run a 5 foot medium duty cutter with a slip clutch PTO (highly recommend if you are taking back areas from briars, multiflora rose and etc. that are 5+ feet tall - you are going to occasionally hit things/ground out). I have my cutting height set to 5 inches, and I take it slow when reclaiming areas (frequently backing in and cutting down bigger than 1.5 inch bushes/trees with my chainsaw). Once a field is under control, I mow it with my finish mower (also set to 5 inches cut height).

FWIW, I have been very pleased with my LP mowers listed in my signature, but there are many great brands.

 

[TheOldHokie]

I just bought an L2501 Kubota and want to ad a Bush Hog. Which brand/model do you recommend? New? Used?

I have an L3901 and it never even burps clearing woodlots with my ancient 5' Mohawk brush cutter. Thats 2' plus tall grasses, briars and bramble thickets, fallen limbs hiding in the leaves, and small saplings up to and beyond 2". I have no idea what it would do mowing a pasture of 3' grass but I would guess it would be pretty slow going.

Mowing 12" tall grass tight with a 72" finish mower will put me in low range on slopes.

Dan

 

[jimh406]

The general rule of thumb is 1 ft for 5 HP. However, my dealer suggested a 6 ft for my L2501.

His reasoning was you want the cutter to be wider than the tires. Practically speaking, that's a good idea. It may mean you have to go slower in really thick grass/brush. On the other hand, you clear 20% more on each pass. I don't have that much experience with a rotary cutter, and I live on sloped property. I'm probably never going to mow on M, so speed isn't really an issue for me.

 

[PoTreeBoy]

The general rule of thumb is 1 ft for 5 HP. However, my dealer suggested a 6 ft for my L2501.

His reasoning was you want the cutter to be wider than the tires. Practically speaking, that's a good idea. It may mean you have to go slower in really thick grass/brush. On the other hand, you clear 20% more on each pass. I don't have that much experience with a rotary cutter, and I live on sloped property. I'm probably never going to mow on M, so speed isn't really an issue for me.

I saw an L2501 at a dealer lot the other day with a 5' cutter which was wider than the tires. The wheels were pulled in close and it may have had R1 tires.

Your point is well taken though. There are 2 advantages to the 6' cutter.
1. If, as someone mentioned, OP's ground speed is limited by field conditions, the 6' will cut about 20% more grass.
2. If stability is an issue, the wheels can be set wider and still be covered by the cutter.

 

[jimh406]

I saw an L2501 at a dealer lot the other day with a 5' cutter which was wider than the tires. The wheels were pulled in close and it may have had R1 tires.

Fwiw, mine has R4s with the OEM spacers. I can't say I've measured the width though.

 

[Fordtech86]

A 60” mower will cover the track with R4s (without spacers installed), it was 55” or 58” wide if I remember correctly. Use a rcr 1860 on my L

 

[Flintknapper]

It really depends on what you plan to do with the rotary cutter. If your are simply mowing grass in a field fairly often (not waiting till it grows 3 feet tall and thick), you can probably run a 6 foot light duty cutter. If you are trying to reclaim a field or portions of fields, you will most likely need a 5 foot medium duty cutter, and the same is true for cutting new trails in overgrown areas.

I run a 5 foot medium duty cutter with a slip clutch PTO (highly recommend if you are taking back areas from briars, multiflora rose and etc. that are 5+ feet tall - you are going to occasionally hit things/ground out). I have my cutting height set to 5 inches, and I take it slow when reclaiming areas (frequently backing in and cutting down bigger than 1.5 inch bushes/trees with my chainsaw). Once a field is under control, I mow it with my finish mower (also set to 5 inches cut height).

I consider the above, excellent advice and it has been my experience as well.