BrushHog - How Big for L3800HST?

[tk1469]

I'm in the market for a brushhog (aka: rotary cutter) for my L3800HST. It has a PTO HP of: 30 according to the manual.

How big of a brushhog can this handle? What other features should I be looking for in a unit? HELP !!

 

[Eric McCarthy]

5 or 6 foot depending on terrain. Level gound with mininal hills and slops 6ft, hilly with lots of ups and downs I'd go 5 foot. Stump jumper is a pretty safe bet if you happen to run across a hidden stump in the ground.

 

[tk1469]

Somebody told me that there's a type that allows you to hit stumps or rocks and it won't shear off any pins? Is this an optional piece of equipment?

 

[tk1469]

What's the "stump jumper" option vs. shear bolt vs slip clutch? (please excuse my ignorance...)

 

[number9]

I've got a 5' land pride 1260 and really like it. Havent had a time yet that it bogged the tractor down and I've cut about everything I see with it. I cut level, hills, banks, etc with it.

The stump jumper, I think, is a plate under the blade mounts that allow them to skim over rocks and stumps and not tear it up, like a skid plate sort of. The blades may still hit them but you'll know it if they do.

Shear pin is just a low grade bolt that will break if the blades REALLY jam into a stump, etc. if this happens you put in another shear pin (low grade bolt).

Other type is a clutch type that allows the joint between the driveline and gearbox to slip in the same scenario. Reportedly they require some setup and maint but lots of people like and use them.

I got mine with a shear pin. I didn't want to fool with the maintenance of a clutch and my thinking (may be wrong) was that if I hit something that would make the clutch slip, I'd rather a shear pin brake and I KNOW I just hit something bad and can get it out of the ground so it doesn't happen again.

...

 

[tk1469]

Number9: Thanks - that helps. I have an L3800HST too and my R4 filled rears are about 60" across. I'd like to be able to mow the edge of a wooded area without getting the front tires and/or loader into the woods itself. I was leaning towards a larger one - than 60" - but I might be taxing out the tractor.

In terms of operating speed - what RPM do you run it at? I normally run my L3800 at about 1800 RPM when working it.

How good does the LP 1260 cut? I would be using it on trails/lanes that are primarily weeds, grass and light brush. Could I expect to get a cut like from a riding mower - if I kept the blades sharp??

 

[TripleR]

Pretty much what Eric said, you can probably spin a 6', but depending on mower weight, terrain and what you are cutting, a 5' may be better. My L5740 will run a 7', but I use a 6'.

I cut some pretty rough stuff and years ago got tired of getting off and replacing shear pins, so I only use a slip clutches now, my brothers prefer pins so take your pick; pin may work great for you and is cheaper. Definitely get a stump jumper, we have them with and without and prefer jumper.

Good luck and enjoy your new tractor.

 

[Bluegill]

I have a 5" Land Pride on my L3800, works great! I have also pulled a 6" hog a few times, plenty of power here! But I don't really like the mower hanging out past the width of the rear tires. Tends to hit trees and fence posts and such. So I usually stick with the 5 footer...

 

[tk1469]

Thanks Guys for all the good advice. I can see that the 5 ft LP Hog would be the best performance-wise - but the 6 ft would allow me to get "up close" without putting my tires into the woods. The deciding factor could be the price and what I have in my "wallet".

One last question: How good of a cut can I expect from a unit that has sharp blades? Could I even get close to the quality from a "dull" riding mower??? (I don't know what to expect...)

 

[Bluegill]

I get a Very Nice cut with sharp blade on the hogs.

 

[Drew584]

I'm fixing to buy a 5' landpride for my L3800, I think it will be the best fit for the machine, I dont want to have to worry bout going up or down hills and worry bout teeeter tottering, or power issues when cutting thick grass.

On your question about cutting with good blades. Ive seen some pretty old cutters that have been abused and not taken care of that cutt better than most lawn mowers. haha! You'll be pleased.

 

[Orange Tractors]

A brush hog is not a finish mower. They are designed for rough cutting, such as pastures, roadsides, and brush. They will also chop, splinter and shred any trees that you can drive the tractor over; but they aren't meant to give a smooth lawn like cut.

To give you an idea of the difference, we used to buy hay from a man that cut ripgut bottom grass that was six to seven feet tall with an old M Farmall, prior to baling hay. My dad said it was the only way to make the grass dry quick enough to bale before it rotted (this was before the days of modern mower/conditioners).

Robert

 

[WFM]

I believe my cutter is the #RCR1872 Landpride- 737 lbs. my L3800 runs it effortlessly. It takes a good swath and chops the brush up fine. I use my several times a week to keep my land maintained.

 

[gssixgun]

There is a train of thought that if you are cutting through actual Brush that has anything in the 1 inch or larger diameter in there, that a "sharp" edge on the blade can be very bad for your tires..
Basically a sharp blade leaves neatly sheared spikes in the ground where a dull blade leaves shattered masticated tops...

Just something to consider

 

[WFM]

I was wrong....my cutter is a Land Pride RCR 1860...not the 72....tractor handles it great...

 

[Pappy]

A stump jumper refers to what the blades are attached to under the shredder. It can be either a stump jumper (also called a blade pan) or just a bar-type carrier with bolt holes in it for the blades to attach to.

Here's a link that shows both types. The stump jumper (blade pan) is in the top photo. The bar type is in the second photo. (Ignore the double blade system in the 2nd photo. That's unusual.)

http://salesmanual.deere.com/sales/salesmanual/en_NA/cutters_shredders/2009/feature/blades/blade_holders/pan_type/hx15_hx20_stumpjumper.html

The theory is that the blade pan will ride up and over stumps and big rocks, whereas a bar-type carrier can slam into them and break a shear pin or cause your slip-clutch to slip. Or, in some cases, something worse can happen.

 

[Pappy]

Oh, and between a slip-clutch and shear pin system, I'll take a slip-clutch every time. I've used both types extensively. We had a shear pin gear box on one mower where the shear pin hole got wallowed out some and allowed enough play (slack) that very slight jolts would shear the shear pin.

That's really frustrating - to have to carry a pocket full of shear pins every time you go out to mow.

I'm not saying this happens to everyone. Some people use mowers with shear pins in them for years and never break one.

 

[Eric McCarthy]

Oh, and between a slip-clutch and shear pin system, I'll take a slip-clutch every time. I've used both types extensively. We had a shear pin gear box on one mower where the shear pin hole got wallowed out some and allowed enough play (slack) that very slight jolts would shear the shear pin.

That's really frustrating - to have to carry a pocket full of shear pins every time you go out to mow.

I'm not saying this happens to everyone. Some people use mowers with shear pins in them for years and never break one.

Why not just tap the hole bigger and put a slightly larger shear pin in the hole?

 

[Pappy]

Why not just tap the hole bigger and put a slightly larger shear pin in the hole?

That would be easy enough to do, but presumably, the shear pin size that was in it was designed for that size gear box and a larger shear pin could require more force to shear it, and thus stress or damage the gear box. I'm no engineer, though.

 

[Orange Tractors]

Oh, and between a slip-clutch and shear pin system, I'll take a slip-clutch every time. I've used both types extensively. We had a shear pin gear box on one mower where the shear pin hole got wallowed out some and allowed enough play (slack) that very slight jolts would shear the shear pin.

That's really frustrating - to have to carry a pocket full of shear pins every time you go out to mow.

I'm not saying this happens to everyone. Some people use mowers with shear pins in them for years and never break one.

I agree. If I ever buy a new brush hog, or even a PTO shaft for the one I have now, it will have a slip clutch on it.

My current brush hog is an olllld 5' BMB pull type that I use behind my WD. NO sheer pins on the brush hog, thankfully AC put one on the PTO shaft under the tractor.

I mow my 10 acres about once a year on average. Sometimes I can mow the whole place on one pin, sometimes it takes five or more.

Robert