L4600 bushhog and finish mower sizes?

[Sid Post]

I have a new two wheel drive Kubota L4600 with FEL headed my way and need to buy implements for it. The first thing I'm going to get is a "bushhog" mower. For heavy hay, how much mower should I get for this tractor? Is 8' too much? Or 7'? Any particular good or bad brands to mate to this tractor?

For lighter work, what finish mower is suggested? Would a light weight bushhog be a good match for a 3 acres of yard with a small riding lawn mower for trim work around trees and the house?

 

[skeets]

Im thinking the rule of thumb is like one foot per 5 Hp so your L4600 is rated at say 45 Hp so I would think an 8 footer would work, but if your in super heavy stuff maybe a 6 footer would work better

 

[Sid Post]

Im thinking the rule of thumb is like one foot per 5 Hp so your L4600 is rated at say 45 Hp so I would think an 8 footer would work, but if your in super heavy stuff maybe a 6 footer would work better

Thanks! My "rule of thumb" is similar at 5 PTO Hp per foot. I'm thinking in the heavy stuff, I would just go slower so when the cutting isn't as heavy I will get more acres per hour at a normal mow speed versus a smaller 6 or 7 foot model.

 

[Eric McCarthy]

Yall keep saying "heavy stuff" like its impossible to mow through. I cut a back lot that was over the hood of my B6100 with a 4ft hog and at the same travel speed I would at on any other project and no problems what so ever.

 

[jimsdeere1010]

I don't know how big your place is, but that tractor will handle either one. Just keep in mind an 8 footer is not only bigger, but usually weighs quite a bit more, costs more and reduces the maneuverability of the tractor. If you have a lot to bush hog the the 8 foot would be a time saver. The finish mower I would go with a 6 ft to cover your tire foot print if only doing a couple acres. Just my thoughts I have used both for years.

 

[Sid Post]

Yall keep saying "heavy stuff" like its impossible to mow through. I cut a back lot that was over the hood of my B6100 with a 4ft hog and at the same travel speed I would at on any other project and no problems what so ever.

Heavy to many means stalks. To me it includes baby Cedar trees and what is left from a Black Berry thicket. Tall grass versus heavy grass is different too.

 

[Sid Post]

I don't know how big your place is, but that tractor will handle either one. Just keep in mind an 8 footer is not only bigger, but usually weighs quite a bit more, costs more and reduces the maneuverability of the tractor. If you have a lot to bush hog the the 8 foot would be a time saver. The finish mower I would go with a 6 ft to cover your tire foot print if only doing a couple acres. Just my thoughts I have used both for years.

Thanks! The 3-Point will lift any mower the tractor can pull. An 8 footer is definitely harder to maneuver around trees and fence corners but, they sure are nice out in the open. Finish mowers seem to be relatively expensive so, that combined with a smaller area to cut suggests something smaller.

 

[chim]

Last year when we upsized the tractor I was thinking about a 7' RFM. I wasn't as concerned about manouverability as I was scalping - or not cutting low enough - because our place doesn't have all flat land. I went with a 6' RFM due to that concern and it's been working out great. It takes considerably less time to mow with the 6' deck than it did with the 5' deck. With the 6' deck I can do an acre in about 23 minutes (timed) without going like a maniac.

 

[Sid Post]

Last year when we upsized the tractor I was thinking about a 7' RFM. I wasn't as concerned about manouverability as I was scalping - or not cutting low enough - because our place doesn't have all flat land. I went with a 6' RFM due to that concern and it's been working out great. It takes considerably less time to mow with the 6' deck than it did with the 5' deck. With the 6' deck I can do an acre in about 23 minutes (timed) without going like a maniac.

Your scalping comment is a great one for people like myself to consider. Our land has some gentle slopes but, scalping and cutting height aren't issues of concern right now. I guess I should consider that though as I look for a retirement property which most likely won't be as flat as where we currently live.

And THANKS for your timed comment about the 6' mower. In high school I used a 7' mower on an old field tractor in large fields and it seemed to take forever to cut anything. I guess I need to rethink my bias from that 7' mower experience.

Going from 5' to 6' gives you ~20% more coverage with each pass. 6' to 7' gives ~17% more coverage and 7' to 8' gives ~14% more coverage. A 7' mower is probably better matched to my PTO HP so, that's probably worth some strong consideration

 

[Eric McCarthy]

Heavy to many means stalks. To me it includes baby Cedar trees and what is left from a Black Berry thicket. Tall grass versus heavy grass is different too.

Ohhh it was THICK!!! I'm 6ft4 and most of that came up to my crotch and some up to my waist. It was difficult to walk through checking the area for objects. I had to pick my feet up high to walk around.

 

[Bulldog]

If you have a really nice flat yard you can probably go with a wider (7' or 8') finish mower but if it has dips and/or humps a 6' is about as wide as I would go. I scalp some with my 6' but not real bad.

Just due to the way they are designed I would stay away from a 7' Bushhog. They stick way out behind you and will make you frontend light. A 8' like a 3008 Bushhog brand mower has a 98" cut and is a side by side cutter. You do have 3 gear boxes to maintain but that's not a big deal. They are tucked in behind the tractor much more than a 7' is and really do a nice job.
That said, it's a load on a tractor in high heavy grass and brush. Lots of us use the 5 hp per foot but that becomes a gray area when you get into implements that size. Unless you are clipping pastures a 40 hp tractor can't handle a 8' cutter. I have one and at times it's a load on my M9000 and it's 92 hp. Just for added info I had to hang (minimun) 400 lbs of suit case weight on the front so I could steer safely.

Personally I (JMHO) wouldn't recommend a 8' cutter on a L4600.

 

[Bonk]

I have a 4600 and I use a 6' Landpride bushhog. I use mine for cutting pastures and light to medium brush. My property is hilly and occasionaly the tractor will struggle to keep the PTO RPM in the sweet spot. It will do the job but I definitely have to slow down in thick grass going uphill. It works just fine but I'm not overpowered at all. I think a 6' is perfect for the 4600. Maybe 7 if you're doing primarily light work on flat land. 8'? Too big IMO. YMMV.

 

[Sid Post]

Thanks everyone!

I ended up with a 6 foot Woods mower in faded blue.

I got a good deal on a heavy duty used mower I hope to put to good use over Christmas. I came close to getting a John Deere MX-6. The MX-6 was in better cosmetic condition but, I saw many bad reviews of this mower and a lot of favorable reviews for the one I got. It is probably a little much for my tractor being a heavier unit but, it also allows some growth room in the future with a higher HP tractor (better gearbox). With this heavy duty mower, I've been thinking about a twin spindle "light" duty (or finish) 8' mower which I think would be a good complement.

 

[tsafa]

What do you guys think of this Brush Hog for the L3800 from Tractor Supply Co?

http://www.tractorsupply.com/en/sto...tary-cutter-with-a-40-hp-gearbox?cm_vc=-10005


I am also considering this Finishing Mower from Tractor Supply Co:

http://www.tractorsupply.com/en/sto...r-discharge-finish-mower-with-a-40-hp-gearbox

Reviews say that the wheel pins tend to come off, but I am thinking that is easy to fix. The reviews say the machines work well. The mowers seem a lot cheaper in price. The Brush hog is about $600 cheaper then what Kabota quoted me. The Finishing Mower is about $1,000 cheaper.

 

[Bulldog]

I have looked at the stuff from TSC and I look at it like this. You get what you pay for and as long as you realize that it's not the best product up front you will probably be happy with it.

Will it work, yes.
Will it last like some other brands, Maybe / Maybe not.

All I will say for sure is that every implement I have bought from TSC has worked as it should.

 

[tsafa]

How do you guys engage your PTO with the mowers? Do you crank up the RPM's and then engage? or start with low RPM, engage clutch and then Rev up?

 

[Bulldog]

Start it slow at low RPM.

 

[Frank46]

With the john deere and the kubota start slow, then engage mower and throttle up to where its supposed to be. Saves wear and tear on both the mower and tractor also known as shock loading. Fran

 

[WFM]

There isn't much talk about flail mowers here, but looking at a couple videos I'd like to get one , you can still mow over rocks and rough terrain but it mows closer then the bush hog, so you might want to explore that option...'Santa'...its on my wish list....