[Trond]

I'm new to the tractor world, and have a simple question. I would like to mow my 12 acre alfalfa field occasionally, like a lawn. Over time I will be replacing the alfalfa with a 'cabin mix' grass. I will want to mow every month or two, to keep the greenery down to a reasonable height. But I don't plan on a smooth, lawn like appearance.

What type of PTO mower should I get for this purpose - a brush mower, or a finish mower? What would be the tradeoff between a pull or a lift mower deck?

My tractor is a Kubota B26 TLB.

Thanks,
Trond

 

[DJ in WV]

I have both, a finish mower and a brush hog. Both do a good job for what they were intended for.

If I try to cut heavier grass more than about 8 inches high, the finish mower starts to clog up and bog down. There is a label on the deck that says lawn grass only. Mine is a 5ft. King Kutter and I do love it for actual lawn finish mowing.

I don't know if other brands or models do this though. I don't want to bias your opinion. There are several manufacturers out there that build finish mowers, and these different mowers may perform a lot better than mine for the task that you want to do. I am also curious myself.

 

[wayne440]

The simplest solution would be a 4 or 5 ft "bush hog" with dual tail wheels. The dual wheels will help keep the deck level and with sharp blades the cut will look good. If you are going to mow every two months, the grass will get thick and high sure to clog a finish mower at all but the slowest speeds.

You don't want a pull type mower if you are going to back up more than once or twice during the job.

Here is the first example of a dual tail wheel cutter I found, there are others out there.

 

[BLIND REF]

The simplest solution would be a 4 or 5 ft "bush hog" with dual tail wheels. The dual wheels will help keep the deck level and with sharp blades the cut will look good. If you are going to mow every two months, the grass will get thick and high sure to clog a finish mower at all but the slowest speeds.

You don't want a pull type mower if you are going to back up more than once or twice during the job.

Here is the first example of a dual tail wheel cutter I found, there are others out there.

:ditto:

 

[KHodges]

If you don't plan on a "groomed" look, I'd also go with a brush cutter, and if you're going to cut 12 acres regularly, I think I'd go with a BIG one :ROF . How big a tractor are you using to cut this field?

A rotary cutter won't cut as fast as a finish mower, usually the blades are longer for a given cutting width and don't rotate as fast, so your ground speed is limited. The primary use is to cut heavier stuff including small saplings and brush, so they do their best work with a couple of long, heavy blades. Pull it too fast and it can't keep up with the grass coming in.

A finish mower can take more grass faster, they usually have ganged blades that turn much faster, but aren't made for heavy brush or big sticks. You can "cross over" with each to some degree, so light brush/big weeds can be cut with either one. Kind of depends on which end of the spectrum it will get used most, as to which one to get. I had a 60" LP finish mower, it worked fairly well as a light duty brush hog, but I didn't have a lot of heavy stuff to keep up with, but did have a lot of groomed mowing.

 

[xdiver86]

If that alfalfa has a good stand, I would be looking for someone to mow and bail it. good alfalfahay around here sells for 2to3 dollars a bale for small bales and 40to 60 for large round ones...

 

[STUMPGRINDER]

If that alfalfa has a good stand, I would be looking for someone to mow and bail it. good alfalfahay around here sells for 2to3 dollars a bale for small bales and 40to 60 for large round ones...

I agree,,,,,bale it...

But if not, a finish mower will do a prettier job than a brush hog..
But if you are going to leave it go for 2 months or more, brush hog..

I have a land-pride 5 foot brush-hog that does a nice job, i use it on large acreage jobs that only get mowed 3-4 times a year...

On large acreage residential lawns i use my exmark ztr because of all
the trees to work around, much quicker than the tractor & brush hog..

Just some thoughts, hope they help..

Bob..

 

[ColonyPark]

I'll vote brush hog too. I'm doing the same with my fields, although not alfalfa. The look from the back of the house after mowing (at a distance of 100 ft. away) is that of a finished cut. :goodl:

 

[Kbeitz]

I have both.... But my Woods finish mower will cut allmost any thing I put it to... Nothing broke after 8 years use...

 

[NEWT92]

If that alfalfa has a good stand, I would be looking for someone to mow and bail it. good alfalfahay around here sells for 2to3 dollars a bale for small bales and 40to 60 for large round ones...

:ditto: :ditto: You can double or even triple the square bale price now XDiver. See if someone would mow and bale it a couple times, then mow it yourself for the rest of the year if you want. If its a good stand, they should even pay you cash rent to farm it. raying:

 

[Birdman]

Trond,
I agree w/ Newt and Xdriver.
I've got a nephew in MT who farms and those big square bales of alfalfa get shipped down here (and elsewhere).
IF you have a good stand of alfalfa, why not just rent it out? 12 acres is a lot to mow just to keep the grass down, and if you're only doing it "every month or two" -- leaving it lay, not raking and baling -- you're going to run into long stuff coming out of your mower in clumps and killing off spots.

ANOTHER option: check your conservation dept and go with native grasses and let it go. I've done that to a couple spots on our property. Nice for wildlife, doesn't look bad, and cuts down on my time on the tractor.

 

[Trond]

Good thoughts, thanks guys.

I've pretty much decided to go with a brush mower, for occasionally knocking down the taller stands of alfalfa and grass. I might also use it to go after the fire hazard presented by the neighboring 200 acres ...

Renting out the land is not an option, until I get irrigation to the other 10 acres, because we have very dry conditions (9 inches average precipitation).

The local dealer sells King Kutter 6 foot rotary, lift style, for 999 dollars. Will this work with the Kubota B26 TLB?

thanks again,
Trond

 

[wayne440]

A 6ft will work, but a 5ft model would be my choice. In tall stuff that 6ft cutter will absorb your 19.5 PTO hp quickly. Either size would probably work just fine if you cut it regularly.

 

[Trond]

Good advice, friends!

Here's an update. My neighbor farmer will harvest the alfalfa, he takes 2/3 of the bales, I get 1/3. I guess I will sell my bales, I have no use for them. Is that a fair deal?

Now the only thing I personally need the mower for is my (presently) 2 acres of alfalfa/cabin grass .... not a very tough job, I would think?

Thanks,
Trond

 

[cjax]

TROND,
Congrats on getting someone else to cut it for you. That's an arrangement I need to make. I have had someone cutting my fields since I moved in (scrub grass, nothing special) and haven't been getting anything for the 12-15 round bales they get once if not twice a year. I know I'm losing some $$, but I also don't have to spend the time cutting it.
I'll have to work out a deal with them like you did! For the other 2 acres, stick to a finish mower.
Best of luck!

 

[Trond]

I ended up buying a King Kutter, 6 foot, rotary deck - a big factor was the local availability. It works great - no issues at all with lack of power cutting alfalfa, and I can run full speed in second gear (I have 3).
Thanks to all for the advice,
Trond

 

[Caseguytoo]

Good advice, friends!

Here's an update. My neighbor farmer will harvest the alfalfa, he takes 2/3 of the bales, I get 1/3. I guess I will sell my bales, I have no use for them. Is that a fair deal?

Now the only thing I personally need the mower for is my (presently) 2 acres of alfalfa/cabin grass .... not a very tough job, I would think?

Thanks,
Trond

Just sell him the other third at a reasonable price and that way, you are done with it. Somehow, I don't think that you want to be bothered hauling bales, stacking them, keeping them dry, advertising them for sale and then dealing with the tire kickers who only want a couple bales.

Let the farmer have 100 percent of the crop and 100 percent of the issues that go with it. He's got the experience, the equipment and the storage to deal with it.


You get to save wear and tear on your tractor, personal time, fuel costs and a ton of hassle.

 

[tettruck]

I usually cut my 4 acre field grasses with my 5 ft rotary cutter. I ran into a neighbor farmer today who said that the rotary cutters will kill the grasses.

What's he mean? My cutter doesn't do a clean job, and leaves the cuttings in my wheel tracks, but I figured it would all mulch.

Any idea what he's talking about? And, how can I get a cleaner cut?

 

[Trond]

Seems to me that the sharpness of the blades will have a big effect on the clean-ness of the cut, at least that's the case with my rotary lawn mower. Might mowing speed also be a factor?

Also, I read in the manual for my rotary cutter that the angle of the deck, front to back, affects the residence time of the clippings inside the deck, and therefore the fineness of the clippings. A flat deck is supposed to 'mulchify' the best. Raising the rear of the deck a couple of inches lets the clippings escape earlier, reduces PTO power requirement, allows for faster mowing, while leaving coarser clipplings.

Trond

 

[KHodges]

Seems to me that the sharpness of the blades will have a big effect on the clean-ness of the cut, at least that's the case with my rotary lawn mower. Might mowing speed also be a factor?

Trond

Same goes for the rotary cutter. The blades turn more slowly on a rotary cutter than a finish mower, and depend more on the weight of the blade to "bull through" whatever you're cutting. What they give up in sharpness, they make up for in inertia, but once ground speed gets to a point where you're moving through the grass too fast, it's tearing more than cutting, and if the grass is thick enough, will drag the engine down some--just like a finish mower in heavy grass when you go too fast. So pick a ground speed that allows you to cut without having the engine bog, and gives you the cleanest cut.