Bushhog in Reverse

[slice38]

I was laughing to myself this weekend while using my rotary cutter On my M5-111.

I swear I think I use it in reverse more than I use it in forward.

Anyone else do the same? Backing into rough spots.

Big Mike

 

[marrmanu]

Not as much now.
When I first acquired my property it had several large berry patches on sloped areas. I would back right into them until the throns dug into me. I soon found that I had to secure the hitch pins on the 3pt to hog otherwise the man eating berries would rip them out!
I also have a couple of steep slopes that I back up, due to no exit at the top, and steepness.
Some times I think if I mowed backwards everywhere the grass would get cut before the tires knocked it down.

 

[rc51stierhoff]

I was laughing to myself this weekend while using my rotary cutter On my M5-111.

I swear I think I use it in reverse more than I use it in forward.

Anyone else do the same? Backing into rough spots.

Big Mike

Good day.

I do with some exceptions. When I mow (pasture or center areas of trails and the bowling alley) machine generally going forward, except when trying to get close to items, then I back up to it/under it(like edge of woods and also under branches). As far as brush cutting, I mainly back into it unless just tiny saplings.

I don’t know backing is the correct thing to do, but certainly along edges of trails I back into the brush vs driving forward into it. Basically I let the rear guard holding the chains take the brunt of it.

 

[SDT]

I was laughing to myself this weekend while using my rotary cutter On my M5-111.

I swear I think I use it in reverse more than I use it in forward.

Anyone else do the same? Backing into rough spots.

Big Mike

Absolutely.

Such is the precise reason that I bought my L6060, which was used mostly as my "first round" tractor.

It probably has almost as much reverse time on it as forward time.

 

[NCL4701]

Bush hog in reverse? Yes.

3 point mounted rotary cutter fits under trees so it’s good for cleaning up edges. Mowing our one field with a grid of trees in it, I probably back up more than I go forward.

Running over saplings with the tractor before the cutter gets there lays them down and sometimes results in a less thorough cut depending on species and soil conditions. If they don’t spring back up well, they don’t get cut as well. Simply backing over saplings; or raising the cutter, backing up, and setting down often results in a more thorough shred.

Backing up steep slopes with no upper exit point allows cutting all the way to the top.

Have heard from some that mowing in reverse with a rotary cutter is hard on it. I kind of think there’s no point in having it if I can’t use it to do what needs doing. Mine does look like it has been abused but it looked like that when my father bought it a few decades ago so not convinced my reverse mowing has been a contributor to its unappealing appearance.

 

[Beerlord]

Using in 'backwards' helps me not fall into the pond!

 

[jyoutz]

I was laughing to myself this weekend while using my rotary cutter On my M5-111.

I swear I think I use it in reverse more than I use it in forward.

Anyone else do the same? Backing into rough spots.

Big Mike

Yep

 

[BBFarmer]

I soon found that I had to secure the hitch pins on the 3pt to hog otherwise the man eating berries would rip them out!

Funny you say that, the exact same thing happens to me often.

If back into a thick berry bush, im almost guaranteed to lose a pin. Early on I wouldn't catch this until the end of a row when i'd lift the mower and lose a wheel.

Strong, grabby fellas for sure.

 

[bird dogger]

Sure I do....ever since day one with it.

 

[rc51stierhoff]

Bush hog in reverse? Yes.

3 point mounted rotary cutter fits under trees so it’s good for cleaning up edges. Mowing our one field with a grid of trees in it, I probably back up more than I go forward.

Running over saplings with the tractor before the cutter gets there lays them down and sometimes results in a less thorough cut depending on species and soil conditions. If they don’t spring back up well, they don’t get cut as well. Simply backing over saplings; or raising the cutter, backing up, and setting down often results in a more thorough shred.

Backing up steep slopes with no upper exit point allows cutting all the way to the top.

Have heard from some that mowing in reverse with a rotary cutter is hard on it. I kind of think there’s no point in having it if I can’t use it to do what needs doing. Mine does look like it has been abused but it looked like that when my father bought it a few decades ago so not convinced my reverse mowing has been a contributor to its unappealing appearance.

My rear guard requires some TLC every now and again. . I’d think without the guard if get too happy with the throttle it could roll the edge of the metal deck under , maybe?

 

[NCL4701]

My rear guard requires some TLC every now and again. . I’d think without the guard if get too happy with the throttle it could roll the edge of the metal deck under , maybe?

Maybe.

Mine has seen a big pipe wrench a time or three and a BFH a couple more times. In my defense, this is pretty much what it looked like when Dad bought it back about 1990 except the tail wheel bracket was busted off. I don’t know what he paid for it but suspect it wasn’t much. Still works fine, but it ain’t pretty.

 

[Grandad4]

It's misleading for anyone to say that you shouldn't run a brush cutter backing up... just about everyone needs to back their cutter into some tight spots at some point but it's obvious you have to be careful to avoid running into stumps, rocks, etc. when doing so. And there is probably some truth in saying that Harry Ferguson's 3 point hitch design - what is standard on modern tractors - was intended mainly for pulling an attachment going forward because that's pretty much what tractors were used for back in the day. It's good to remember that standard 3 point linkages will not have the same strength pushing backward as they do when pulling forward.

 

[SDT]

Funny you say that, the exact same thing happens to me often.

If back into a thick berry bush, im almost guaranteed to lose a pin. Early on I wouldn't catch this until the end of a row when i'd lift the mower and lose a wheel.

Strong, grabby fellas for sure.

Agreed, which is why I used locking lynch pins.

 

[hedgerow]

I was laughing to myself this weekend while using my rotary cutter On my M5-111.

I swear I think I use it in reverse more than I use it in forward.

Anyone else do the same? Backing into rough spots.

Big Mike

After fall harvest is over I put 100-200 hours on the tractor and the 14 FT rotary cutter doing my final mowing of the season and I swear half of those hours are in reverse. I up graded that tractor a couple years ago from a JD 4440 to a JD 7320 FWA its very nice having the reverser now. Glad the bush hogging season is over. I got the mower cleaned up and greased just never got it unhooked from the tractor and the duals off the tractor.