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Finish Mower or Field Mower

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SoniaWebb
Join Date: Jun 2005
Posts: 4 Nortern Virginia
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2005-06-15          112385

Hi All - I am in the process of purchasing a Kubota L3300. It is coming with a front end loader but I am also in need of some type of mower. There seem to be so many types out there it is all very confusing. I have about 5.5 acres of horse pasture to mow. The land is rolling but no steep hills. We live in a suburban area so I want it to look fairly nice but realize it's never going to look like a "yard". I'd like something that can mow up to at least 6 inches, 8 would be great. I am also not sure about side vs. rear discharge. Does anyone have any suggestions? Should I be focusing on Finish Mowers for this type of work or Field Mowers? Any advice would be greatly appreciated!

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Murf
Join Date: Dec 1999
Posts: 7249 Toronto Area, Ontario, Canada
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2005-06-15          112392

Any good 5 foot rotary cutter, generically called a bush-hog after the name of the company that first made them popular, will do exactly what you're looking for.

A horse pasture is not the place for a finish mower.

If there are going to be animals in the pasture, or anywhere nearby, which is NOT advised, be sure any rotary cutter you use is equipped with safety chains around the perimeter.

A peice of debris can easily become a piece of shrapnel when a mower blade hits it.

Best of luck. ....

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denwood
Join Date: Jul 2004
Posts: 542 Quarryville PA
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2005-06-15          112399

For 6 or 8 inches, a finish mower will work fine. I have a 72 inch and routinely mow more than it is designed for, sometimes in the 16-18 inch range and almost always in the 12 inch range. A single spindle (blade) bush hog does not follow the rolls of the ground as well and scalps those areas since it is equally as long as wide. A 3 spindle finish mower is wide but not long and can roll in and out of dips a lot better and usually they ride on their own wheels all around which helps. Buy a good one if you are going to overdo it on the rough terrain. ....

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denwood
Join Date: Jul 2004
Posts: 542 Quarryville PA
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2005-06-15          112401

I could be wrong since I only have a side discharge but I believe the rear discharge will handle the higher grass faster since each spindle is discharging its own grass rather than feeding it to the next blade and then the next. I have never had any problems with discharge and it seems to blow it out just fine without clumping. ....

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BillMullens
Join Date: Jun 2000
Posts: 649 Central West Virginia
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2005-06-15          112404

I would say field mower for these reasons: Cheaper, tougher and more versatile. The finished cut won't look great from the tractor, but it will look fine "from the road". I've known several people that cut around their house with a push mower, and mowed the surrounding acreage with a bush hog, and it looked just fine. You're already aware it won't turn out like a golf course.

I use a 3-point hitch finish mower for my own lawn, and frequently use it to mow sections (an acre or less) in/near the woods that I shouldn't. But there is no way I could cut the fields on our farm with it. Wait a few days too long, and it would be a real struggle for tractor and mower in the thick pasture grass.

Good luck,
Bill ....

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Murf
Join Date: Dec 1999
Posts: 7249 Toronto Area, Ontario, Canada
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2005-06-15          112406

IMHO, you're just asking for trouble cutting long grass and or on tough ground with a finish mower.

The blades are not a swing-away type, so anything you hit will potentially damage them, even a small bend will throw them out of balance.

The case is very light compared to a bush hog, again, hitting debris (or bumping a fence post even) could result in damage.

The blades are belt driven not gear driven, it will dramtically shorten the life of the belts cutting heavy stuff.

Besides, a finish mower is usually more money than a bush hog, why spend more then beat it up doing something it's not intended for?

Best of luck. ....

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denwood
Join Date: Jul 2004
Posts: 542 Quarryville PA
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2005-06-15          112420

One possible compromise is the Bush Hog SQ84. It is a light duty field and brush mower rated for 25-50HP and it has 2 spindles so it is 84 inches wide but roughly half as long. It has swing away blades with lift. I have one and it does a pretty nice job as well as cutting anything I can push over. My JD 4300 handles it just fine. My favorite feature is it is offset to one side so you can reach under branches and over the bank of the pond a little. ....

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tom21769
Join Date: Jun 2005
Posts: 10 Middletown, MD
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2005-06-16          112447

Consider a flail mower as well as finish mowers and rotary cutters.

Flail pros:
* much safer than a rotary cutter ("bush hog")
* no windrowing
* better suited to tall grass and weeds than a finish mower
* better quality of cut than a rotary cutter
* cutters (if not abused, on good equipment) shouldn't need regular seasonal sharpenings/replacement
* many models can operate in an offset position (to mow hedgerows, etc.)
* smaller (stem-stern length); may be easier to park

Flail cons:
* much more expensive than other types (but for some people, could take the place of 2 machines)
* dozens/scores of knives to replace vs. 1-3 blades
* a little harder to find
* heavier ....

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earthwrks
Join Date: Dec 2003
Posts: 3853 Home Office in Flat Rock, Michigan
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2005-06-18          112545

I use a 5' KK rottay cutter to mow fields commercially. I always tell a new customer what to expect before I begin: for relativley tall grass most of the grass will not get mulched or cut into small pieces like a finish mower and it won't be pretty since it will leave a windrow which typically has longer grass under it since the tires pack it down which neve gets cut. I looked into flail mowers but my dealer says they require as much as 30% more HP to turn them. But the result, to me, would be worth it if you need something that looks good. ....

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Murf
Join Date: Dec 1999
Posts: 7249 Toronto Area, Ontario, Canada
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2005-06-20          112571

While a flail is undoubtedly more money to buy, I don't know about the power requirement being any higher.

According to Woods, the power required for a 5' medium duty bush hog is 30+hp.

Rhino-Servis say the power requirement for their 5' medium duty flail mower is 25+hp.

So according to the manufacturers the flail actually takes LESS power not more.

Best of luck. ....

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tom21769
Join Date: Jun 2005
Posts: 10 Middletown, MD
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2005-06-21          112605

I'd expect these comparisons to get pretty tricky.
For instance, does a Woods medium duty rotary cutter
really equate to a Rhino medium duty flail?
I suppose it depends on what you intend to do with the machine.
If you want a machine to cut brush up to the lower limit of the two,
maybe it really does take 30% more power
to do that task with the flail compared to the rotary.
The machine weight would be important, too.
The flail mowers I considered are heavy compared to finish mowers, not quite so heavy compared to brush cutters,
but then I don't know if the flail is usually pulled on its rollers or carried off the ground from the 3ph. ....

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tw-20ford
Join Date: Jun 2005
Posts: 20 yankton
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2005-06-21          112625

We have New Holland 6 ft finish mower. WE run the height at about 4 in for our yard. I think it would go up to 7in. Anyways it works great.
....

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