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mowing around pond

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Jeff Cochran
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1999-09-04          7653

Looking for some advice. I need to mow around the edge of a pond. There is a space about 2-3 feet all of the way around it I can't get to because it is either too steep and I'm scared or it is too soft and I'll sink in. People in my area have recommended a sickle mower but I haven't found one yet in four months that my NH 1720 can handle. The ones I have located are all for tractors with more PTO horsepower or they have sat out in the field so long they are frozen solid with corrosion. I've also thought about fencing it in (eyesore) and adding goats or whatever but didn't want to wade through goat pellets to fish. The pond partially adjoins my yard so I wanted it to look half-way nice. Right now the pond is walled in with 4-5 foot high weeds and brush except for the few places I have cleaned out with a weedeater for fishing access. I've thought about spraying also but that can't be good for the water or the fish. There has to be a solution out there that I am just too green to see. I even though about grass carp but they wouldn't clean out far enough from the edge to make a difference. Geez........ Will someone help me out.

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PaulB
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1999-09-04          7656

I just bought a push-type weed eater made by sears. Looks a lot like the DR Trimmers you see advertised on television, but it was only $300, which I think is substantially lower than the ( likely much better) DR. It has 2 rear wheels, and a rotor up front which turns very heavy plastic line ( it is .155 inch thickness, I think my regular weedeater uses .05 or something like that ). I use it to mow a steep hill on the side of my barn, probably 100 feet by 50 feet, and way too steep to drive on. It is a lot of work, but it does get the job done. Even if the grass is 3 feet tall, it will get through it. This might be the ticket for you.Paul ....

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Jack in IL
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1999-09-04          7657

Most sickle-bar mowers cut 6-7 feet in width. Since you only are going to cut less than half of that the horsepower required will be noticeably lower and your tractor might be able to handle it. New units are described at the SSB Tractor website (www.ssbtractor.com). You might also want to consider either the heavy duty string trimmers on wheels or the heavy duty walk behind field and brush mowers from Country Home Products (www.countryhomeproducts.com and www.drtrimmers.com) I use both of these units to mow the edges of streams and many other areas and I find that they work well. As long as the stream bank is not too soft nor too steep for you to walk on, they will work. Sometimes I can only mow very soupy areas by mowing towards the water and then backing up. The field and brush mower is self-propelled and works best in muddy areas. I wish the string trimmer were self-propelled as well. ....

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Jason MacKenzie
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1999-09-04          7665

Hello, I had the same exact problem, I have a large pond, and I don't take my John Deere 4200 that close to the rim of the pond. However, I bought a DR. TRIMMER MOWER, on wheels.. I am very happy with it. Does exactly what I hoped it would do. The Cords that do the cutting on this is so heavy duty, that I have only broke them a few times, and that is only when I am trimming around large sharp edged boulders. Replacing the cords is so easy on this machine.. it is just like tying a boat up to a dock, using a boat cleat. Just put the line in one hole and out thru another. very easy... I love it! Besides it is absolutly no effort at all pusing this machine around since it is on large bicycle style wheels. Good luck ....

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Dave
Join Date: Feb 2002
Posts: 113 New Jersey
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1999-09-05          7679

If the pond is very large you may not want to do it with a walk behind. I have a swisher pull behind mower deck. It has its own motor to run the blades and has good height adjustment. I have mine hooked up off-set from the tractor so it will mow 4 feet to the left of my underbelly mower. This allows me to mow under trees etc. without scratching the paint on my compact.Since the mower is relatively light and it has wide inflatalbe tires it sounds like it might be something to look at to mow around a pond. Plus there are added benefits like being ableto mow an additional 4 ft. swath on the outside of your underbelly mower. There are at least 2 diff. manufacturers of these and I know some are available thru Northern and Tractor Supply Co.Hope this idea is helpfull. ....

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PaulB
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1999-09-05          7683

Great idea. How do they mount - to the 3 point? ....

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Jack in IL
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1999-09-05          7687

There are are several brands of off-set trail-behind mowers. Swisher was mentioned earlier. Right now Farm and Fleet is displaying a 42" rough cut model made by Haben Mfg of Racine, WI (414-637-8388). All of these mowers attach to the tractor drawbar--not the 3 point hitch. They have extra long tongues with joints so the mower can be either to the left or right for mowing and straight behind for transporting. ....

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KenB
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1999-09-07          7707

Here are a couple of links to follow for more info:Self-powered, towable mower decksBush Hog (http://www.bushhog.com/)Cycle Country (http://www.cycle-country.com/)Fuerst Bros. (http://www.fuerst-bros.com/mwrs.htm)Haban Mfg., Racine, WI, (800) 411-7658.Kunz Engineering (http://www.kunzeng.com/)Swisher (http://www.swisherinc.com/) ....

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Carl in Va
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1999-09-08          7762

Jeff, Have you considered replacing the grass with a mulch so that mowing is not necessary? You may be able to locate a free source of mulch. For example our local land fill makes mulch from dropped off tree limbs, leaves, etc. which they give away. ....

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Bob Herman
Join Date: Jun 1999
Posts: 16
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1999-10-04          8532

Jeff, I agree with Paul B. I have a lrge farm pond. I have used a 7 Ft sickle mower, 3pt mount on my John Deere 830. However, last year I bought the Sears push type string trimmer and it works very well around the pond as well as along the country road ditches. Good luck. ....

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hay
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1999-12-24          11445

mowing the slope around a pond can get exciting. i mow around a 3 acre farm pond with a jd2150(46 hp) and 6 ft bush hog. i will go no closer to the water line than 6 ft. because of possible slippage from mushy ground. once you get down in the water, it's hard to get back out and it's possible to turn over and then you are in a world of problems.just use common sense and if it looks too steep or boggy then don't get down that far. use a weedeater, it's much safer, but a lot more work. ....

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bruce
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1999-12-25          11456

Have you considered using a three point hitch disc
mower? They are similar to the old sickle bar mowers,
but use rotating discs with small knives attatched. I
don't think a compact tractor will handle one, but a 2150
will. I think most of the hay equipment companys will have
one pictured on their webb sites. ....

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hay
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1999-12-26          11462

that is a good idea about the disc mower, bruce, but my boss does not want to spend the money for another implement. i have a jd 870 with a 7' sickle mower and i do sometimes use it around the pond, but not often as i have to haul the tractor a long distance. for the meantime i just tighten the seat belt, hang on and pray. thanks for the input, bruce. ....

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Bird Senter
Join Date: Jun 1999
Posts: 962
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1999-12-26          11476

PaulB was definitely right about his Sears string mower on wheels costing less than my DR trimmer/mower. Of course, there are different sizes and prices in the DR line (don't know about the Sears line). A couple of years ago I had carpal tunnel surgery on both hands and the doc recommended avoiding vibrating tools as much as possible, so I sold my big old weedeater and bought the biggest electric start DR trimmer/mower. As someone else has already said, it's a work horse; beats the heck out the big weedeater I had. It has another nice feature, too. My wife even uses it, and she never did that with the hand held one. As for the off set self-propelled, pull behind mowers, Tractor Supply stores in this area keep them in stock in the summer. I think the 5' model was about $1,100 ....

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SierraPete45
Join Date: Jul 2003
Posts: 6 Marion, Illinois
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2008-08-10          155994

What do you think of this?

http://www.northerntool.com/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/product_6970_757532_757532

....


Link:   

Click Here


 
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kthompson
Join Date: Oct 2005
Posts: 5275 South Carolina
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2008-08-11          156010

Quote:
Originally Posted by SierraPete45 | view 155994
What do you think of this?http://www.northerntool.com/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/product_6970_757532_757532


If you will notice on the top left of their post it gives the date it was posted. Your suggestion seems to be a good one but long after their discussion. Keep up helping though. kt

....

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auerbach
Join Date: Sep 2007
Posts: 2168 West of Toronto
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2008-08-11          156017

Don't use mulch unless the pond surround is shallow-sloped, or rainstorms will move the mulch into the pond. ....

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