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Rotary cutter hp

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jd60kid
Join Date: Jun 2004
Posts: 38 Callaway County, Missouri
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2005-04-08          109608

Is a 45pto hp tractor too much for a five foot medium duty howse rotary cutter?? Just wanted to know before purchase of new tractor weather or not to finance a new rotary cutter as well..

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Art White
Join Date: Jan 2000
Posts: 6898 Waterville New York
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2005-04-09          109614

For that size tractor I'd be looking at a 84" twin spindle bush hog. ....

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plots1
Join Date: Jul 2003
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2005-04-09          109620

My machine is 48 pto horse and it has all but done in the kk 5 footer, you need a bigger unit for that tractor. a 6 foot will barely cover the tracks, I'd at least go 7 foot Heavy Duty. ....

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jd60kid
Join Date: Jun 2004
Posts: 38 Callaway County, Missouri
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2005-04-09          109621

do you think if I run it at a lower RPM say 2000 would that be easier on the bushog?
....

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Billy
Join Date: Oct 1999
Posts: 975 Southeast Oklahoma
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2005-04-09          109622

You don't need a bigger cutter unless you want the cut path as wide or wider than the tractor wheels. Use it just like any other cutter. It's not the size of the cutter, it's what you cut with it. ....

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jd60kid
Join Date: Jun 2004
Posts: 38 Callaway County, Missouri
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2005-04-09          109623

Ok but the high horsepower wont destroy the cutter?? ....

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Billy
Join Date: Oct 1999
Posts: 975 Southeast Oklahoma
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2005-04-09          109625

The higher horsepower will not destroy the cutter. What the blade hits will!

....

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greg_g
Join Date: Jan 2004
Posts: 1816 Western Kentucky
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2005-04-09          109627

Ain't so Billy. He's torquing 45 PTO horspower (about 5250 ft/lbs) into a 30hp mower transmission that's only rated for up to 3500 ft/lbs. Something's gotta give, and it will eventually be the mower. 5250 ft/lbs will put a serious spin on the blades. But as soon as they hit something serious, the over-torque will take it's toll on the gears.

One solution is to reverse engineer a slip clutch. Adjust it for 30 PTO hp, which will then slip as soon as the tractor PTO tries to transfer more than 3500 ft/lbs. But if it were me, I'd just go with the bigger mower suggestions.

//greg// ....

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plots1
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2005-04-09          109629

Sounds like Greg G summed it up. like I said you will need a HD cutter. running at PTO speed will take it's toll on a lighter duty cutter.I still use my 5 footer but it's going to bomb soon. And if you do fing an object that you didn't know was there the weight of that tractor will about tear a lighter built cutter into. I'm speaking from experince. do your self a favor and save for a well built HD cutter for that machine. ....

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Billy
Join Date: Oct 1999
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2005-04-10          109643

According to the info I could find, the Howse light duty cutter has a 45 HP gear box and the medium duty has a 75 HP. jd60kid said it's a medium duty.


Now back to my point. If you cut what the cutter is capable of cutting, then I don't see a big problem. Now if you try cutting what the tractor is capable of cutting, then you can expect a different story. ....

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greg_g
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2005-04-10          109644

I stand corrected, as medium duty typically corresponds to a 30hp tranny. But a five footer is still not likely to cut a swath as wide as the rear wheels of a 45 PTO hp tractor, so my recommendation to "buy bigger" still stands. For fenceline work, around trees, etc, your mower has to be at least as wide as the tractor.

//greg// ....

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plots1
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2005-04-10          109651

KK and Howse are some of the cheapest cutters made and that probley because of there not built as nice and tuff as the more spendy model. My KK worked great and was sized correctly for my 790 but is not near built strong enuf for the large framed machines.If you go that route be very carefull around fences and or trees as if it catches something (And you will sooner or later) the weight of that tractor will tear that cheesy 3 point hook up all to $#%*. were as the 790 would buck around and almost stop letting you know you were hitting something without hurting it.that large frame tractor will twist and crush it up Fast before you can correct. I been through this already, my next cutter will be a 7 foot HD. best of luck in your choice. ....

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jd60kid
Join Date: Jun 2004
Posts: 38 Callaway County, Missouri
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2005-04-12          109763

sorry guys im pretty sure its a light duty now that Ive looked a little closer. Does anyone know where I could find a cheap used brushcutter bigenough for that much hp??? ....

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Chief
Join Date: Jul 2003
Posts: 4297 Southwest MiddleTennessee
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2005-04-13          109785

jd60kid, in your case I would recommend financing the cutter with the tractor provided you budget will allow. My experience with used rotary cutters is that most are pretty wore out and tore up by the time they are put up for sale. Not much economy in that. Try asking your dealer if he has a cutter that is a piece of aged inventory and see if he will cut you a good discount on it if you buy the tractor and cutter together. You should at the very minimum buy a cutter that is wide enough to cover the max. width of your tractor tracks and 1 to 2 ft. wider in my opinion if possible. I good medium duty cutter is going to cost you nearly triple what an economy model light duty will but you will be getting ESSENTIAL items such as a slip clutch and front & rear chain guards. Nothing wrong with a King Kutter or Howse brand; they are good for cutting light brush and area's that have already been cleared. If you are planning to cut an area that has not been cut in a long time and is not familiar to you; (i.e. known obstacles and objects that the cutter can hit) buy at least a medium or preferably a heavy duty cutter. I like the Woods Brush Bull medium and heavy duty cutters as well as the Deere MX series medium and 09 series heavy duty cutters. Mind you, they come at a premium but will hold up to tough use. Billy is right on about the object you potentially hit. With respect to running a light duty rotary cutter that has a gear train rated less than your tractor's pto hp; the hp is pretty much irrelevent as the lower cost rotary cutter drive trains are protected by a shear bolt. The bolt will break when its challenged by a potential strike object that exceeds the break strength of the shear bolt PROVIDED you use the specified grade/type shear bolt. If cutting heavy brush with many objects to potentially hit, you may be changing shear bolts more than you end up cutting. Anyhow, just thought I would throw this out there for you to consider. Good luck with you purchase! ....

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Chief
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Posts: 4297 Southwest MiddleTennessee
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2005-04-13          109793

Sorry, I meant to offer a recommendation on a particular cutter. If the budget can support it; you won't find a heavier duty medium duty single spindle rotary cutter for your application than the Woods Brush Bull 840 in my opinion. It comes with all the goodies and weighs in at 1,280 lbs. A very solid unit. They make a heavy duty 84 inch cutter but it weighs in at 1,570 lbs. and that might be a bit much for you tractor and anyones budget except maybe for Murf! ;O) Just kiddin' ya Murf! How are you doing these days? ....


Link:   Woods Brush Bull 840

 
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jd60kid
Join Date: Jun 2004
Posts: 38 Callaway County, Missouri
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2005-04-13          109800

I dont have the premium account but i think i got most of what you said, whut do you think the cheapest 6-7 foot rotary cutter would cost in missoui??
....

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Chief
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Posts: 4297 Southwest MiddleTennessee
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2005-04-13          109802

You can buy a 6 ft. rotary cutter at places like Tractor Supply Center and Rural King in the $675 to $700 range. A 7ft. cutter will put you triple this price range typically. Don't forget to address front ballast weights if needed. ....

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greg_g
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Posts: 1816 Western Kentucky
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2005-04-13          109803

Even though your tractor will handle one, there is no such thing as an inexpensive seven footer. Cheap maybe, inexpensive never. If you've got $1800 bucks, check out the IM-702 (from International Machinery Corporation). Their medium duty six foot IM-602 by contrast runs under $900 - about $1200 for the HD version.

//greg//
....

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Murf
Join Date: Dec 1999
Posts: 7249 Toronto Area, Ontario, Canada
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2005-04-14          109825

Somebody rang? LOL

I have a personal preference for rotary cutters over flails, however having said that, I own both.

If you think an 84" heavy duty rotary is spendy, try pricing out the heavy duty 84" flail mower.

My Rhino 74" flail mower weighs just barely less than a 1,000 lbs. It also makes a noticeable difference in the feel of the tractor when it's back there, it sits pretty close to the tractor too, about the same as a box blade does, I can only imagine what an 84" rotary would do, I suspect the load would be a good 2' further back.

My 'Bota is about the same as we're talking about here, with cab & loader it is a substantial machine, but with a 1,500 pound load on the 3pth you sure know about it. Depending on the terrain I would almost think it would be better done with a trailing mower like the Rhino CY series. This puts only about half of the total weight of the cutter on the tractor, the other hallf is carried by two wheels out the back. The nice part about a unit like this is itif you have a hydraulic remote outlet you can change both the cutting height and pitch on the fly.

Best of luck. ....


Link:   Rhino CY Series Cutter

 
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jd60kid
Join Date: Jun 2004
Posts: 38 Callaway County, Missouri
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2005-04-14          109846

Murf,
Whats a flail mower?can i do what a brushhog can w/ it such as go through 1/2 to 1" hardwood remember i cant read long messages sorry ....

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Murf
Join Date: Dec 1999
Posts: 7249 Toronto Area, Ontario, Canada
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2005-04-15          109889

What is a flail mower you say, hmmmm, this could be interesting.

I guess the best way to describe them is to say they are very much like a rototiller, except where a tiller has curved tines, a flail cutter has many small knives connected to the rotating bar by a single link of chain.

In operation the the knives are sun around on the shaft at a terrific speed, they have a tip speed of about 9,000 FPM, anything they contact gets the Ginsu treatment, there's just a million tiny chips left behind.

They will NOT slice through a sapling as a rule, but they do defoliate and strip the bark killing the tree. IMHO this is a better deal since you don't have a tiny jagged stump poking up waiting to get your tires or whatever else either.

As I explained, they are a lot more money, but they cant turn a piece of debris into a missle like a rotary can either.

Best of luck. ....


Link:   Rhino Flail Mowers

 
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jd60kid
Join Date: Jun 2004
Posts: 38 Callaway County, Missouri
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2005-04-17          109950

Thanks Murf but I think we'll get a rotary cutter. ....

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rodlauver
Join Date: Apr 2005
Posts: 5 Columbia, MD
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2005-04-27          110433

As for the flail option -- I have an Alamo flail mower I bought to pull behind an ATV. It has not been a happy experience. I suspect it would be fine in a ball field or park, but it has just not been the right tool for the job. It doesn't cut dry late-season grass and the front lip catches on bumps and turf and as a result has flipped forward three times. I put bigger tires on it and anti-scalp rollers and still snagged it. Plus the turnbuckle that adjust the height has spun itself loose, dropping the front, and flipping it over. Also, anyone considering using an ATV to pull a mower should consider that you can't hold the speed steady -- its a real constant nag to keep things on track. Just my opinion. ....

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