3 Pt. Rotary cutter with a hydraulic rear end

[eichhoma]

Does anyone know of a rotary cutter that fits to a 3 pt but has hydraulic rear adjustment with dual wheels?
I know Landpride makes one but they are really proud of it...
Any other brands I should look at? Its mostly for cutting clover fields so doesn't need to be overkill. Thanks

 

[JasonW]

What width are you looking for? I believe they are called semi mount, any that design would cost more than a standard 3pt one.

Most are semi mount due to the weight and being able to manipulate them around differently than a pull type.

 

[eichhoma]

What width are you looking for? I believe they are called semi mount, any that design would cost more than a standard 3pt one.

Most are semi mount due to the weight and being able to manipulate them around differently than a pull type.

I'm looking for something like a 7 or 8' cutting width... just looking for options of who makes them... all I have been able to find so far is Landpride... thanks!

 

[TheOldHokie]

I'm looking for something like a 7 or 8' cutting width... just looking for options of who makes them... all I have been able to find so far is Landpride... thanks!

Bush Hog 2208 series for one. Here is another from Woods. I am sure there are others and all of them are pricey..

DSO8.50 Offset Dual-spindle, 96-inch - Woods Equipment

Woods' rugged and powerful DSO8.50 Offset Dual-spindle is ideal for orchards, tree-lined fields and any setting with overhangs.

woodsequipment.com

Dan

 

[McMXi]

Does anyone know of a rotary cutter that fits to a 3 pt but has hydraulic rear adjustment with dual wheels?
I know Landpride makes one but they are really proud of it...
Any other brands I should look at? Its mostly for cutting clover fields so doesn't need to be overkill. Thanks

I'm curious as to why you'd need or want hydraulic gauge wheel adjustment on a 3-point mounted rotary cutter. I know why that feature is standard on folding or batwing cutters, but just wondering about the benefits on a 3-point mounted cutter. (Added in edit) I suppose it's a faster/easier way of adjusting the gauge wheel height and hence cutting height, while on the move too, but I set it and forget it on my RCR1884. I wonder if adding hydraulics to a model that doesn't have it would be cost-effective.

My RC3712 (12ft folding cutter) is pulled off the drawbar, and the minimum deck height is set by shims that are easy to add or remove. The hydraulic height adjustment is there to provide clearance when needed, such as when making turns or when crossing obstacles, and the only way to raise or lower the deck is with hydrualics.

 

[eichhoma]

I'm curious as to why you'd need or want hydraulic gauge wheel adjustment on a 3-point mounted rotary cutter. I know why that feature is standard on folding or batwing cutters, but just wondering about the benefits on a 3-point mounted cutter. (Added in edit) I suppose it's a faster/easier way of adjusting the gauge wheel height and hence cutting height, while on the move too, but I set it and forget it on my RCR1884. I wonder if adding hydraulics to a model that doesn't have it would be cost-effective.

My RC3712 (12ft folding cutter) is pulled off the drawbar, and the minimum deck height is set by shims that are easy to add or remove. The hydraulic height adjustment is there to provide clearance when needed, such as when making turns or when crossing obstacles, and the only way to raise or lower the deck is with hydrualics.

View attachment 157246

View attachment 157247

Good question.... I have about 15 acres of clover and a pull behind cuts it much lower / shorter than what I am after... I keep my clover high, like 12" and just clip the tops... in a 3 pt., i cant support the rear of the cutter and when it bounces around I don't get a clean and level cut... it seems like a 3 pt but with hydraulic leveling / adjusting of the rear wheels would be the ideal set up for how I like to cut

 

[McMXi]

Good question.... I have about 15 acres of clover and a pull behind cuts it much lower / shorter than what I am after... I keep my clover high, like 12" and just clip the tops... in a 3 pt., i cant support the rear of the cutter and when it bounces around I don't get a clean and level cut... it seems like a 3 pt but with hydraulic leveling / adjusting of the rear wheels would be the ideal set up for how I like to cut

OK, that makes sense.

I plan on adding a pair of hydraulic gauge wheels to my Buhler/Farm King 3-way hydraulic rear blade to turn it into a better road grader, and finding suitable gauge wheels will most likely be the hardest part.

 

[hedgerow]

Good question.... I have about 15 acres of clover and a pull behind cuts it much lower / shorter than what I am after... I keep my clover high, like 12" and just clip the tops... in a 3 pt., i cant support the rear of the cutter and when it bounces around I don't get a clean and level cut... it seems like a 3 pt but with hydraulic leveling / adjusting of the rear wheels would be the ideal set up for how I like to cut

Like most things it depends on your budget. The mowers listed above will do what you but not cheap. Twenty plus years ago I had heart failure and we did a complete change of our farm operation and put hundred's of acres in the CRP program which planted it all to grass mixtures. Let me tell you when you quiet spraying crop ground you have weeds and most of this CRP grass can't be sprayed and you can't keep mowing it to the ground. Only thing they will let you do is clip the tops off of the weeds to keep them from going to seed and as a few years go by the grasses take over. At the time I didn't have a batwing mower only a straight ten foot bush hog three point. You had to leave 12 inches of grass so I install a shorten trailer axle { old mobile home axle} on the back with a hyd cylinder and ran the mower two point and only used a chain for a top link when I wanted to pickup the mower completely. It worked great and kept the FSA folks happy. They thought it was such a good set up they took pictures and posted it in they news letter. You could do the same set up with your current mower or buy a used one if you don't want to cut up your current mower.

 

[eichhoma]

OK, that makes sense.

I plan on adding a pair of hydraulic gauge wheels to my Buhler/Farm King 3-way hydraulic rear blade to turn it into a better road grader, and finding suitable gauge wheels will most likely be the hardest part.

I suppose adding a hydraulic cylinder

Like most things it depends on your budget. The mowers listed above will do what you but not cheap. Twenty plus years ago I had heart failure and we did a complete change of our farm operation and put hundred's of acres in the CRP program which planted it all to grass mixtures. Let me tell you when you quiet spraying crop ground you have weeds and most of this CRP grass can't be sprayed and you can't keep mowing it to the ground. Only thing they will let you do is clip the tops off of the weeds to keep them from going to seed and as a few years go by the grasses take over. At the time I didn't have a batwing mower only a straight ten foot bush hog three point. You had to leave 12 inches of grass so I install a shorten trailer axle { old mobile home axle} on the back with a hyd cylinder and ran the mower two point and only used a chain for a top link when I wanted to pickup the mower completely. It worked great and kept the FSA folks happy. They thought it was such a good set up they took pictures and posted it in they news letter. You could do the same set up with your current mower or buy a used one if you don't want to cut up your current mower.

Thanks so much for that detail... I guess im cheap, I dont want to spend 12K on a new cutter that does this, I would spend 6-8k though...I would love to see some pics of what you did... a buddy of mine suggested the same type of thing, that it would be feasible to rig something up but would love to see a couple examples... Thanks!

 

[MOOTS]

What about a finish mower? They have wheels on 4 corners they ride on. I think for clover that would give a better cut with the higher blade speed vs. a bushhog.

 

[eichhoma]

What about a finish mower? They have wheels on 4 corners they ride on. I think for clover that would give a better cut with the higher blade speed vs. a bushhog.

Im not opposed to a finish mower, will it cut at 12-14" though, or is it mostly for like 0-3-4"? Thx

 

[McMXi]

Bush Hog 2208 series for one. Here is another from Woods. I am sure there are others and all of them are pricey..

DSO8.50 Offset Dual-spindle, 96-inch - Woods Equipment

Woods' rugged and powerful DSO8.50 Offset Dual-spindle is ideal for orchards, tree-lined fields and any setting with overhangs.

woodsequipment.com

Dan

Damn ... that Woods is pretty slick. The hydraulic gauge wheel height adjust is cool, but the offset is awesome.

@eichhoma, perhaps you could use the Woods for inspiration for hydraulic gauge wheels. As @hedgerow mentioned, you could convert an existing rotary cutter for as little as a couple of hundred dollars or a lot more depending on whether or not you have wheels, hubs, axles and such laying around.

I have a rolling chassis trailer frame with two axles (3,500 lb each) that I got for free. I had to tear down the old camper body and take a bunch of crap to the dump to get to that stage, but I could remove one of the axles and use it for my rear blade after some modification. An appropriately sized hydraulic cylinder and two hoses along with some steel and some welding would get it done. A turnkey system is hard to find, and very expensive, so making something up would undoubtedly save a lot of money and perhaps the same is true for you. The image below from the Buhler/Farm King owner's manual shows a turnbuckle to adjust blade height, but replacing it with an hydraulic cylinder would be the way to go.

@JasonW used the term "semi-mount" since you don't need a top link connected to raise the rear of the implement when you have adjustable gauge wheels. However, in order for the offset ability to be retained, in the example below you'd need to have a top link. The same must be true for the Woods cutter that @TheOldHokie linked to. In order to swing the cutter left or right, the gauge wheels need to be off the ground (ideally) so a top link is still required.

 

[MOOTS]

Im not opposed to a finish mower, will it cut at 12-14" though, or is it mostly for like 0-3-4"? Thx

I believe most top out about 5”.

 

[McMXi]

I guess im cheap, I dont want to spend 12K on a new cutter that does this, I would spend 6-8k though...

Would a folding cutter or batwing work for you? Most models can be set to cut at 11" to 12" high. Maybe a used 10ft model. A dealer about 3-1/2 hours from me has new IronCraft 10ft batwing mowers for sale, so maybe a used one could be had for quite a bit less. You might have to look further afield though for a decent used one.

IronCraft 2510 10' - $13,495 with 4 laminated Tires, Weight 2400lbs, tongue weight 830lbs, 2" sapling cutting, 25-60hp pto 175hp gearbox rated!

 

[hedgerow]

Does anyone know of a rotary cutter that fits to a 3 pt but has hydraulic rear adjustment with dual wheels?
I know Landpride makes one but they are really proud of it...
Any other brands I should look at? Its mostly for cutting clover fields so doesn't need to be overkill. Thanks

Check Facebook Emporia KS. 287 Bush Hog 7' $3200