Looking for sickle bar mower recommendation for Kubota BX2670

[Diydave]

Would something like:

http://minneapolis.craigslist.org/csw/grd/5710143787.html

still be too heavy? There would be some fabricating to make it work, and most of them had wooden pitman arms that aren't made anymore, so there would probably be woodworking involved as well. Simplicity and Case Ingersoll had sickle mowers for their garden tractors that might be adaptable and lighter if you can find one of those.

The older pitman type mowers are prolly too heavy...

I'd look for an old Haban hydraulic sickle mower, like they usedta have on old cub or gravely mowers, and adapt one of those, they are lighter, and, and hydraulic powered, so all you have to fab would be a mount, and a coupla lines, if the hyd components are compatable, with your system pressure, and GPM...

Here is what I use: https://youtu.be/4YlDrisD-D0

Haban cub sickle mower:

https://youtu.be/bIISI18ocTc

 

[gbin]

I'm afraid I'm not much into DIY projects, guys; they take me too long and never turn out the way I want them to. I appreciate the thought, though!

And as I mentioned, Cer, "I really like the idea of mechanizing as much as I can, as I've a lot of property to care for and I'm not getting any younger." I might try your marsh skis idea sometime just for fun, though!

D2C, I'm only leaving certain areas to the cattails - because they're actually pretty darn good for a pond, even if they sometimes make life difficult for humans who want to enjoy the pond. (My wife and I are wildlife biologists, and a big part of why we bought this property is for the wildlife that make use of it.) Elsewhere I'm trying to encourage other kinds of native aquatic plants. The invasive exotic Phragmites doesn't do much good for anything except to provide cover; I don't think muskrats even like to eat it.

Let's keep our eyes on that prize, guys! Any more recommendations for sickle bar mowers that might work well on my Kubota BX2670?

You made an interesting suggestion, jd, and one that leads in a new direction. Thanks! But I'm already concerned about the bar being shorter than I would like on a mower my subcompact tractor can handle. The thing is that it has to extend out at least a little ways over the water - preferably from reasonably solid ground.

Gerry

 

[coachgeo]

here is another concept. Mechanized but not via tractor.

http://weedersdigest.com/the-aquatic-vegetation-groomer-hand-held-weed-cattail-cutter/. There is float device you can purchase to attach to it as well that would let you cut some out from the shore.

It's basically a weed wacker with a head that sealed to go below water if needed and mated with a skill saw blade as well.

 

[D2Cat]

As wildlife biologists how do you control the spread of the cattails?

 

[gbin]

Yeah, I've seen that aquatic weed cutter, Coach, and it looks pretty nifty for hand-trimming unwanted aquatic weeds at pond edges. But that woman wouldn't look nearly so happy in that picture if she were standing beside a thicket of Phragmites. It's just too much to deal with by hand - and it just comes back too readily! - if there are other means.

This is what Phragmites can look like at its worst: http://www.ontarioparks.com/parksblog/wp-content/uploads/2015/09/Phragmites-825x510.png My stands are only 8-10 ft tall, though, and fortunately my ponds drop off in depth quickly enough at the water's edge that the belt of Phragmites threatening to surround them is only a few to several feet in width (depending on the spot).

D2C, the best way of dealing with overly aggressive cattails that I know of is just what you said earlier, cut them off below water level and repeat if necessary. I know, that's not very easy when there's a big area to deal with. A device such as Coach recommended above would make it easier, though.

Gerry

 

[scdeerslayer]

You made an interesting suggestion, jd, and one that leads in a new direction. Thanks! But I'm already concerned about the bar being shorter than I would like on a mower my subcompact tractor can handle. The thing is that it has to extend out at least a little ways over the water - preferably from reasonably solid ground.

The Sabre Samurai at cutthat.com was going to be my suggesting also. If you have a loader and 3rd function that would seem to be a good suggestion. If you run near the water's edge it will give you about 3 feet over the water. You could probably even come up with a way to extend the mount off the side of the bucket to give you even more reach. Lots of versatility with that product. If you think it's just too short then maybe it's just not for you, but for the difference in price there's a lot left over to spend on some fabrication, if required. It's on my "wish list" but not yet on my "to buy list" since I don't really have any ongoing projects I would need it for.

Plus I'm not sure how well normal sickles would handle thick weeds. Aren't they mostly made for cutting hay, so that you're not pushing it down with the tires before cutting it? The Samurai is marketed for cutting brush and small trees. It's a different design, having two blades that run opposite of each other instead of one blade pushing against stationary bars.

 

[bucktail]

I would think a sickle would handle it. Stuff looks kind of like reed canary grass on steroids. I've run a sickle mower through cornstalks, buckbrush and raspberry canes.

 

[BAP]

I think your biggest obstacle is not having enough tractor to run any of these devices safely. A cutter bar hanging off to the side at 4-6' long is going to take a lot of weight off the opposite wheel. If you are working on any kind of slope and it is soft from being at waters edge, you could easily find yourself and your tractor in the water. These cutters may only require 15hp to run, but really need more tractor to handle the weight.