B7100 w/ 42 inch Bush Hog - Mowing Question

[ajhaig]

I mowed several acres of fields with my new (to me) Kubota B7100, the thing is amazing - the grass was 6 feet tall in some areas.

I took it real slow as the grass was very tall and it was my first time mowing these fields (I paid someone to do it last year).

My questions:

How tall should I let the grass grow before I cut it again? I'd like to keep on top of it so it's not as slow and taxing on the Kubota in the future.

If I buy a finish mower could I cut the grass faster (assuming I keep the grass fairly short)?

What size 3pt finish mower should I consider, 48 or 60 inch?

Many thanks

AJ

 

[Kytim]

Hi, I have a woods RM360 60" finish mower behind my B71. I too have "mowed" fields that tall with my setup I would not want to on a regular basis. For cutting the field at a irregular interval your current setup is great. just keep in mind the airflow needed across the rad to keep that beast cool. please check it before you work her to hard again. they have a way of sucking up trash/grass/seed into the core restricting it.

Now if you want to maintain the "field" as a mowed area you could move to a finish mower. until you get it converted to a lawn mow frequently keep blades sharp and soon you'll have a large lawn to mow weekly.

Naturally, the harder you work a machine the more rapidly it will need to be maintained. while these tractors are "beastly" they can break down.

 

[Eric McCarthy]

I agree with Kytim 110%

If you plan to mow weekly or bi-weekly a finishing mower will work but giving the nature of the grass your cutting more then likely a finish mower will struggle to keep it cut. I have both toys myself a finish mower and a bush hog and if it were me with my tractor cutting that very same spot I'd be doing it with my bush hog.

 

[HickoryNut]

I agree with Kytim 110%

If you plan to mow weekly or bi-weekly a finishing mower will work but giving the nature of the grass your cutting more then likely a finish mower will struggle to keep it cut. I have both toys myself a finish mower and a bush hog and if it were me with my tractor cutting that very same spot I'd be doing it with my bush hog.

Ditto! I'm with Eric!

 

[Orange Tractors]

With a four foot bush hog, I would cut it when the grass gets about three feet tall. Mowing very many acres with a four foot brush hog takes a lot of time, considering you actually get about three and a half feet cut per pass by the time you allow for overlapping. I know I get tired of mowing my ten acres with a five foot pull type brush hog.

With a finish mower I wouldn't let the grass get more than 8-10" tall, less if possible.

I mow my yard with my L175 with a Woods L59 belly mower, I cut my pasture once or twice a year using my Allis Chalmers WD and a five foot BMB pull type brush hog. There is no way a finish mower will handle the volume of grass a bush hog will, they aren't designed for it.

I have been known to run the WD around the back yard cutting the grass to about eight inches in the spring, if the ground and grass are too wet (or tall) to do a good job with the finish mower.

Robert