New owner trying to figure out mowing needs

[John Churchill]

Just purchased a 2021 L3301 4WD gear transmission tractor and loader with 88 hrs on it. Arriving in less than a week. Located in Ocala, north central Florida.
We have 20 acres, mostly open pasture with a few trees. We have a hay contract to get an ag exemption, so it gets cut for hay once or twice a year. I want to keep it cut between times to control weeds and keep it pretty as we are going to be living here starting in June. I don't anticipate letting it get overgrown.
I also have a Dixie Chopper 27 HP diesel zero turn mower with 72" cut. I use it to cut another 3 acre property that has lots of trees, bushes and obstacles.

I figure I will use the zero turn for around the house, but trying to figure out what to use too cut the pasture.
I have talked to every tractor store in town and get different opinions of course, some completely opposite. I want to get the nicest looking cut with the least amount of time.
Here's what I seem to understand:
Bush hog/rotary cutter- indestructible machine, can handle overgrown areas, inexpensive and no real maintenance needs. I think my L3301 can drive a 6 foot bush hog. There is a used Land Pride 6' for sale nearby that looks like new for $1600. And it's the right color.
Finish mower- gives nice cut, can't handle too heavy grass or brush, more expensive and higher maintenance with belts and spindles. Less popular with zero turns now common. I read that you can go up one foot wider on a finish mower than a rotary cutter but someone else said that it is one foot less. JD has a used 7 footer for $2500 or a 6' Woods locally for $1000 looks OK from pics. Not sure I gain anything with a 6' over the rotary cutter.
Zero- cuts fast, rough ride on anything but smooth terrain, cannot handle heavier grass or brush either. But I already own a nice one.

One guy who seemed quite knowledgeable spoke of a dual spindle, pull-behind rotary cutter that needs less power than a single spindle so you can go up in width and since it follows the ground contour, gives a better cut. He said my tractor is just a little small for it, although the Bush Hog site says the 2107 can work with 30 PTO HP (L3301 is 28). Haven't priced one yet and don't see any used nearby. I bet they are not inexpensive which is a big negative if my tractor cannot handle it.

I am thinking of giving it a shot with my zero turn this weekend while waiting for the tractor. Don't know how practical that is for 20 acres but I guess I will see. Thinking I will get a 6 foot bush hog unless the zero does great.
Our property is at the bottom of the photo.

 

[fried1765]

Just purchased a 2021 L3301 4WD gear transmission tractor and loader with 88 hrs on it. Arriving in less than a week. Located in Ocala, north central Florida.
We have 20 acres, mostly open pasture with a few trees. We have a hay contract to get an ag exemption, so it gets cut for hay once or twice a year. I want to keep it cut between times to control weeds and keep it pretty as we are going to be living here starting in June. I don't anticipate letting it get overgrown.
I also have a Dixie Chopper 27 HP diesel zero turn mower with 72" cut. I use it to cut another 3 acre property that has lots of trees, bushes and obstacles.

I figure I will use the zero turn for around the house, but trying to figure out what to use too cut the pasture.
I have talked to every tractor store in town and get different opinions of course, some completely opposite. I want to get the nicest looking cut with the least amount of time.
Here's what I seem to understand:
Bush hog/rotary cutter- indestructible machine, can handle overgrown areas, inexpensive and no real maintenance needs. I think my L3301 can drive a 6 foot bush hog. There is a used Land Pride 6' for sale nearby that looks like new for $1600. And it's the right color.
Finish mower- gives nice cut, can't handle too heavy grass or brush, more expensive and higher maintenance with belts and spindles. Less popular with zero turns now common. I read that you can go up one foot wider on a finish mower than a rotary cutter but someone else said that it is one foot less. JD has a used 7 footer for $2500 or a 6' Woods locally for $1000 looks OK from pics. Not sure I gain anything with a 6' over the rotary cutter.
Zero- cuts fast, rough ride on anything but smooth terrain, cannot handle heavier grass or brush either. But I already own a nice one.

One guy who seemed quite knowledgeable spoke of a dual spindle, pull-behind rotary cutter that needs less power than a single spindle so you can go up in width and since it follows the ground contour, gives a better cut. He said my tractor is just a little small for it, although the Bush Hog site says the 2107 can work with 30 PTO HP (L3301 is 28). Haven't priced one yet and don't see any used nearby. I bet they are not inexpensive which is a big negative if my tractor cannot handle it.

I am thinking of giving it a shot with my zero turn this weekend while waiting for the tractor. Don't know how practical that is for 20 acres but I guess I will see. Thinking I will get a 6 foot bush hog unless the zero does great.
Our property is at the bottom of the photo.

View attachment 123969

I don't know if the L3301 has a cab with air, but without a cab and air, cutting 20 Ac. in the Ocala Summer, will be brutal!

 

[johnjk]

I do about 6 acres of hay here in Central OH on contract. They cut 2-3x a year. No need to cut in between their mowings as it would decrease the size the grass grows by the next cutting. I do however run a finish mower along the driveway and some property lines just to give us areas to walk. If they are mowing for hay, not much in the way of weeds will get started. Leave it sit for a year and you will start to really see other stuff pop. They did not harvest last year and I had my son knock it back in October using the Woods RC5. If you are not on it weekly as it grows, a finish mower will not do the job

 

[SDT]

Just purchased a 2021 L3301 4WD gear transmission tractor and loader with 88 hrs on it. Arriving in less than a week. Located in Ocala, north central Florida.
We have 20 acres, mostly open pasture with a few trees. We have a hay contract to get an ag exemption, so it gets cut for hay once or twice a year. I want to keep it cut between times to control weeds and keep it pretty as we are going to be living here starting in June. I don't anticipate letting it get overgrown.
I also have a Dixie Chopper 27 HP diesel zero turn mower with 72" cut. I use it to cut another 3 acre property that has lots of trees, bushes and obstacles.

I figure I will use the zero turn for around the house, but trying to figure out what to use too cut the pasture.
I have talked to every tractor store in town and get different opinions of course, some completely opposite. I want to get the nicest looking cut with the least amount of time.
Here's what I seem to understand:
Bush hog/rotary cutter- indestructible machine, can handle overgrown areas, inexpensive and no real maintenance needs. I think my L3301 can drive a 6 foot bush hog. There is a used Land Pride 6' for sale nearby that looks like new for $1600. And it's the right color.
Finish mower- gives nice cut, can't handle too heavy grass or brush, more expensive and higher maintenance with belts and spindles. Less popular with zero turns now common. I read that you can go up one foot wider on a finish mower than a rotary cutter but someone else said that it is one foot less. JD has a used 7 footer for $2500 or a 6' Woods locally for $1000 looks OK from pics. Not sure I gain anything with a 6' over the rotary cutter.
Zero- cuts fast, rough ride on anything but smooth terrain, cannot handle heavier grass or brush either. But I already own a nice one.

One guy who seemed quite knowledgeable spoke of a dual spindle, pull-behind rotary cutter that needs less power than a single spindle so you can go up in width and since it follows the ground contour, gives a better cut. He said my tractor is just a little small for it, although the Bush Hog site says the 2107 can work with 30 PTO HP (L3301 is 28). Haven't priced one yet and don't see any used nearby. I bet they are not inexpensive which is a big negative if my tractor cannot handle it.

I am thinking of giving it a shot with my zero turn this weekend while waiting for the tractor. Don't know how practical that is for 20 acres but I guess I will see. Thinking I will get a 6 foot bush hog unless the zero does great.
Our property is at the bottom of the photo.

View attachment 123969

Sizing a rotaty cutter depends upon what one plans to cut, how ofter one plans to cut it, how closely one plans to cut it, and how quickly one plans to move while cutting it, as well as tractor power weight and terrain.

Your 28 PTO HP tractor will handle a 5' rough cut mower in nearly all conditions and a (not too heavy) 6' rough cut mower in some conditions. Do not even consider anything larger. Because I see no steep ground in your photo, I expect that a light 6' rough cut mower will be suitable so long as you do not allow the grass to become too thick, in which case you will bew required to reduce speed due to inadequate power. Contrary to the beliefs of most, heavy grass requires much more power to cut than does tall weeds/brush.

Do not consider the 7' JD cutter or the 6' Woods cutter unless it is the light weight version. Either will be too heavy for your tractor.

Mowing a hay field with a finish mower will take a toll on the finish mower as such mowers are designed for smooth terrain. Expereiment but do not plan to do so repetitively unless you wish to replace finish mowers regularly.

Your tractor has insufficient power for any multiple spindle rough cut mower. Save your money.

 

[SDT]

I don't know if the L3301 has a cab with air, but without a cab and air, cutting 20 Ac. in the Ocala Summer, will be brutal!

No cabs on L series tractors aside from GLs.

 

[JimmyJazz]

20 acres of mowing is a lot. A bigger tractor and a duel spindle mower is what I would suggest. I am not sure how many cuttings would be required to "keep it pretty" there in Florida. We have 20 acres of pasture that is mowed periodically for the same reason. The farmer uses and ancient 60 HP International Harvester pulling a 10 ft duel spindle cutter. That tractor probably weighs three times what your Kubota does. Thats an important factor. Here in the Pennsylvania Laurel Highlands the growing season is much slower so take that into consideration. You might consider paying someone with the proper equipment to cut it periodically for you. Good luck.

 

[JimmyJazz]

Sizing a rotaty cutter depends upon what one plans to cut, how ofter one plans to cut it, how closely one plans to cut it, and how quickly one plans to move while cutting it, as well as tractor power weight and terrain.

Your 28 PTO HP tractor will handle a 5' rough cut mower in nearly all conditions and a (not too heavy) 6' rough cut mower in some conditions. Do not even consider anything larger. Because I see no steep ground in your photo, I expect that a light 6' rough cut mower will be suitable so long as you do not allow the grass to become too thick, in which case you will bew required to reduce speed due to inadequate power. Contrary to the beliefs of most, heavy grass requires much more power to cut than does tall weeds/brush.

Do not consider the 7' JD cutter or the 6' Woods cutter unless it is the light weight version. Either will be too heavy for your tractor.

Mowing a hay field with a finish mower will take a toll on the finish mower as such mowers are designed for smooth terrain. Expereiment but do not plan to do so repetitively unless you wish to replace finish mowers regularly.

Your tractor has insufficient power for any multiple spindle rough cut mower. Save your money.

Thats good advice.

 

[GreensvilleJay]

kinda curious as to why you want to cut your cash crop ? seems to me you WANT the hay to grow to make money ?

 

[fried1765]

Just purchased a 2021 L3301 4WD gear transmission tractor and loader with 88 hrs on it. Arriving in less than a week. Located in Ocala, north central Florida.
We have 20 acres, mostly open pasture with a few trees. We have a hay contract to get an ag exemption, so it gets cut for hay once or twice a year. I want to keep it cut between times to control weeds and keep it pretty as we are going to be living here starting in June. I don't anticipate letting it get overgrown.
I also have a Dixie Chopper 27 HP diesel zero turn mower with 72" cut. I use it to cut another 3 acre property that has lots of trees, bushes and obstacles.

I figure I will use the zero turn for around the house, but trying to figure out what to use too cut the pasture.
I have talked to every tractor store in town and get different opinions of course, some completely opposite. I want to get the nicest looking cut with the least amount of time.
Here's what I seem to understand:
Bush hog/rotary cutter- indestructible machine, can handle overgrown areas, inexpensive and no real maintenance needs. I think my L3301 can drive a 6 foot bush hog. There is a used Land Pride 6' for sale nearby that looks like new for $1600. And it's the right color.
Finish mower- gives nice cut, can't handle too heavy grass or brush, more expensive and higher maintenance with belts and spindles. Less popular with zero turns now common. I read that you can go up one foot wider on a finish mower than a rotary cutter but someone else said that it is one foot less. JD has a used 7 footer for $2500 or a 6' Woods locally for $1000 looks OK from pics. Not sure I gain anything with a 6' over the rotary cutter.
Zero- cuts fast, rough ride on anything but smooth terrain, cannot handle heavier grass or brush either. But I already own a nice one.

One guy who seemed quite knowledgeable spoke of a dual spindle, pull-behind rotary cutter that needs less power than a single spindle so you can go up in width and since it follows the ground contour, gives a better cut. He said my tractor is just a little small for it, although the Bush Hog site says the 2107 can work with 30 PTO HP (L3301 is 28). Haven't priced one yet and don't see any used nearby. I bet they are not inexpensive which is a big negative if my tractor cannot handle it.

I am thinking of giving it a shot with my zero turn this weekend while waiting for the tractor. Don't know how practical that is for 20 acres but I guess I will see. Thinking I will get a 6 foot bush hog unless the zero does great.
Our property is at the bottom of the photo.

View attachment 123969

SELL your L3301 ASAP!
It is TOTALLY wrong for what you want to do!
You just bought a VW beetle to run the Indy 500?
Get a bigger tractor,... with proper mower, and A/C.

 

[GreensvilleJay]

Heck my Gleaner A would be perfect for the job of trimming 20 acres of hay,mind you I'd need to double my money, so $1000 it's available !

 

[Russell King]

You should consider a flail mower.

Talk with your hay bailing people and see if they will cut it more often.

 

[mcmxi]

Sizing a rotaty cutter depends upon what one plans to cut, how ofter one plans to cut it, how closely one plans to cut it, and how quickly one plans to move while cutting it, as well as tractor power weight and terrain.

Your 28 PTO HP tractor will handle a 5' rough cut mower in nearly all conditions and a (not too heavy) 6' rough cut mower in some conditions. Do not even consider anything larger. Because I see no steep ground in your photo, I expect that a light 6' rough cut mower will be suitable so long as you do not allow the grass to become too thick, in which case you will bew required to reduce speed due to inadequate power. Contrary to the beliefs of most, heavy grass requires much more power to cut than does tall weeds/brush.

Do not consider the 7' JD cutter or the 6' Woods cutter unless it is the light weight version. Either will be too heavy for your tractor.

Mowing a hay field with a finish mower will take a toll on the finish mower as such mowers are designed for smooth terrain. Expereiment but do not plan to do so repetitively unless you wish to replace finish mowers regularly.

Your tractor has insufficient power for any multiple spindle rough cut mower. Save your money.

Great post. Could a Land Pride RCD1884 work for him in this application? It's rated at 35-60hp, and given that he has a gear drive tractor rather than HST it might be worth looking at.

Land Pride

www.landpride.com

@John Churchill, if you go to Land Pride's website they have a "Kubota Matched" tool that will give you some idea as to what might work.

I have a 5ft flail and an RCR1884 (7ft) rotary cutter but am looking at a 12ft folding cutter to reduce the time I spend cutting 10 to 12 acres at my place (very hilly with lots of off camber stuff) and my friend's 10 to 12 acres which is nice and flat. One of the problems with wider rotary cutters is that they're more inclined to high center and scalp the ground. One of the appealing aspects of a 12ft folding cutter is that it consists of three 4ft cutters tied together which should reduce the likelihood of high centering.

 

[jaxs]

Questions such as this on forums are usually seeking majority opinion thinking it has to be correct. I beg to differ but realize I'm basically whizzing into the wind by straying from majority but for what it's worth ,here's my take. It's your money, at least form an opinion based on common sense and facts.
Most if not all rotary mowers (aka Bush Hog, Butch Hogg ect) have a gear box rated for a certain horsepower. That rating is the MAXIMUM horsepower that should be used to power the gearbox. A 30 hp rated mower on a 50 hp tractor will have it's guts striped out because unless engine bogs operator thinks mower is doing fine. Can we agree that regardless what color or what it says on side of mower the work is done by whirling steel machetes? How wide of swath is cut depends on length of machetes. Go to Bush Hog's website and notice they sell multiple 6' mowers with the difference being thickness of deck and other material and hp rating of gear box. If you ask customer service they will advise a mower with 30% to 60% higher rateing than tractor you intend using it on. All these come lately brands offering 6' mowers for less money than Bush Hog don't make that clear because they don't offer same warranty nor reputation so they push price while making customer think a 30 hp gear box is all they need for their 30 hp tractor. Think of it as a rope rated to tow a 10 ton barge. If barge hits a sandbar and tug isn't rated for more weight progress is stalled until remedied. If tug is capable of more the rope will snap. It isn't about normal mowing , it's about having a margin during occasional stress. A 4' deck with 50hp box is my recommendation for 30 hp tractor.
In reality i believe a flail mower suits your circumstances and here's why. Most important is how land looks after being mowed. Rotry mowers leave a lot of trash whereas a flail leaves it looking near as nice as a z-turn. In the long haul ground up grass and ,weeds improve soil. Poorly shredded weeds and grass form thatch restricting air to soil. If field is mowed then fertilized much fertilizer lies on trash,is dewed on then lost to atmosphere instead of reaching soil. Poorly shredded material molds then picked up and mixed in hay. Like all tools a flail will not do well with chores it isn't designed for, specifically cutting brush but will excel at grooming tall weeds and grass.. Beg borrow or steal a flail to test drive then decide for yourself before buying.

 

[mcmxi]

In reality i believe a flail mower suits your circumstances and here's why.

A good flail definitely does a better job of mulching compared to a rotary cutter but it's slower. When you're cutting a 4' or 5' swath during a pass, it's going to take a long time to cut 20 acres. I have a 5ft hydraulic offset flail and wish a bigger version were available from Del Morino when I bought mine. It'd take 9.2 hours to cut 20 acres at 3mph. From personal experience you're probably not going to be moving at 3mph, more like 1.5mph which means more than 18 hours to cut 20 acres.

Last year I used the RCR1884 to cut my friend's 12 or so acres and it's still an all day affair. The extra 2ft of cutting width reduces the cutting time but it's still slow going.

For 20 acres I would suggest going with the widest and fastest ground speed you can unless being out in the hot sun with the bugs is your idea of fun.

Cutting 20 acres with a 7ft wide swatch running at 2mph will take 12.7 hours, but that doesn't include the turns at the end of each run.

 

[John Churchill]

kinda curious as to why you want to cut your cash crop ? seems to me you WANT the hay to grow to make money ?

At least here, for small properties, the landowner just gets the ag exemption, no cash for the hay.

 

[GeoHorn]

kinda curious as to why you want to cut your cash crop ? seems to me you WANT the hay to grow to make money ?

Don’t know about the OP’s reason…. but as for me… I also have a tax exemption for hay production.
The state requires me to have sufficient acreage for the purpose… and asked for proof, which I provided. However… When I asked about how I Report my Hay Sales…. they issued the tax exemption…and No Reporting requirements of Hay Sales.

I may be the worst Hay Farmer in the South. If it ever gets tall enough to harvest I’ll have to quit landing airplanes out there.

 

[John Churchill]

Cut 10 acres today with my zero. Between ruts from fence guys, prior tractors and gopher mounds, it is a lot rougher than I expected. Got it cut in 4 hours which seems like an OK amount of time to spend. Was thinking I will get that 6' LP rotary cutter but it has sold. Added to my list- a box blade for the tractor to smooth out the worst spots and a bunch of owl nest boxes.

 

[Flintknapper]

Cut 10 acres today with my zero. Between ruts from fence guys, prior tractors and gopher mounds, it is a lot rougher than I expected. Got it cut in 4 hours which seems like an OK amount of time to spend. Was thinking I will get that 6' LP rotary cutter but it has sold. Added to my list- a box blade for the tractor to smooth out the worst spots and a bunch of owl nest boxes.

It all depends on your circumstance. IF you only need to cut hay a time or two a season to qualify for the Ag tax break...then you could cut and 'maintain' the pasture in between scheduled cuttings when you let it grow some.

We have several pastures on our property for different uses. I have about a 10 acre pasture behind the house that we do not run livestock on or have cut for hay. I just keep it mowed and maintained.

I actually use my Zero Turn to mow that acreage. I don't let it get over 8-10" high before mowing it. I have a 31 hp Scag with a 61" cut and I can cut that pasture faster (and better) than using a finish mower and tractor.

I mowed some of it this evening in fact. Right now we are just experiencing the spring 'green up' and it is largely clover and some native weeds.

I can cut it very quickly with good results. (Cut area on left).

Very soon....it will turn to Volunteer Rye and I will cut that as well.

And then the native grasses will take over through the summer until fall. During our peak growing season the grass will literally grow an inch a day. So I need to be able to cut/maintain it quickly. Zero turn does it the best.

My larger pastures are allowed to grow more....so of course I use a rotary Bat-Wing on those areas.

My finish mower sees the least use. It is 6' wide but I can't cut as fast with it as I can the 5' zero turn. Fuel consumption IS different between the Z/T and the tractor however. But its not a concern of mine.

 

[mcmxi]

It all depends on your circumstance. IF you only need to cut hay a time or two a season to qualify for the Ag tax break...then you could cut and 'maintain' the pasture in between scheduled cuttings when you let it grow some.

We have several pastures on our property for different uses. I have about a 10 acre pasture behind the house that we do not run livestock on or have cut for hay. I just keep it mowed and maintained.

I actually use my Zero Turn to mow that acreage. I don't let it get over 8-10" high before mowing it. I have a 31 hp Scag with a 61" cut and I can cut that pasture faster (and better) than using a finish mower and tractor.

I mowed some of it this evening in fact. Right now we are just experiencing the spring 'green up' and it is largely clover and some native weeds.

I can cut it very quickly with good results. (Cut area on left).

View attachment 124021

Very soon....it will turn to Volunteer Rye and I will cut that as well.

View attachment 124022

And then the native grasses will take over through the summer until fall. During our peak growing season the grass will literally grow an inch a day. So I need to be able to cut/maintain it quickly. Zero turn does it the best.

My larger pastures are allowed to grow more....so of course I use a rotary Bat-Wing on those areas.

My finish mower sees the least use. It is 6' wide but I can't cut as fast with it as I can the 5' zero turn. Fuel consumption IS different between the Z/T and the tractor however. But its not a concern of mine.

Wow! Beautiful pasture you have there. I sure would love something like that.

 

[biketopia]

If you were able to cut 10 acres in 4 hours you did great. The ZT will be your fastest rate of cut by far. If you can get the ruts smoothed out and the ZT doesn't beat you to death that might be your best bet to keep it in check. I ran a 72" finish behind my 2650 for a season and half before picking up my Turf Tiger. If you cut the grass weekly, the finish does great, using it to clear overgrown areas, not so much. I can do my 5+ acres in less than 3 hours with the 61" ZT, but I'm on hills, with the tractor and FM it would take over 4. I'd get a box blade and smooth out areas of your pasture then keep an eye out for a 5 or 6 foot rotary cutter to have for clearing purposes, or when the pasture gets too tall for the ZT.