good day folks, i'm new on here, i have a B7800, i have a field which was a lawn before the old wheelhorse died, about 5 acres. i have a chance to buy a woods bb72 that's like new, or a 5' finish mower. both pretty decent deals. my question is,, which will the tractor handle the best? all flat ground and just grass, its tall grass right now, but after i get going i'll keep it maintained. thank you for your comments and have a great day,, giv
bush hog or finish mower help please
- Thread starter Givrsum
- Start date
That first cut with a finish-mower will be a little slow but after that the FM will do the nicer job. Take only 2/3 or 1/2 wide swath till you get it down to normal. Or only move at a dead-slow crawl. Keep the revs up.
thank you birddogger, i was kinda thinking the bb72 may be a bit much for my tractor, do you recommend raising the cutting height to as far up as it will go? or can i keep it a little high with the rear lift?
kubotasam
Well-known member
Equipment
B2410, B7100dt, B7500,Woods BH750,Landpride 2660RFM, Tiller, B2781 Snowblower
I mow my field with a 5 foot finish mower on a B7100. Lots of times the grass will be 2 - 3 feet tall before I mow for the first time each year. I set the wheels to about 6" mowing height and travel slower than if I was mowing a lawn. It still leaves kind of a rough cut. I wait a week and mow again with the wheels set at around 3" and get a pretty good cut. I don't need this to be lawn quality work but just want to keep the field from getting over grown.
I would not recommend you trying to adjust the cut height with the 3 point hitch like you suggested. Adjust the cutting height with the wheels.
I would not recommend you trying to adjust the cut height with the 3 point hitch like you suggested. Adjust the cutting height with the wheels.
In my opinion, this is going to be a multiple cut project. The finish mower sounds best to use to me also. I would cut it as high as possible the first time around. This would minimize the chance that you would burn out a good portion of the "lawn" if you cut it too short to fast in August. It won't look very good initially, but you can lower the blades a notch every time you mow until you get down to your normal mowing height. The general rule for lawns is to not remove more than 1/3 of the grass height at any single mowing. You can't do that at first mowing with a neglected lawn but you can sort of do it after that. Each mowing after the first will look better and better. Avoid leaving heavy clumps of grass if possible, keep your blades sharp, and be patient. The extra time and effort you put into this now will give you 5 acres of lawn that reach its potential. Also Fall is the best time to seed those thin or bare spots. Forget about weeds until next year if that's a concern.
You can do what you like with the height, personally I don't like futzing with adjustments unless absolutely necessary, if it takes a wrench I'd probably not touch it (I'm lazy) if the height is set with pin-clips then I'd adjust it. You can "top it" with the mower lifted a bit, then you have to go back and cut a 2nd time to the final height; or you can cut 1/2 swaths at the final height, either way that first cut will take double work till the height is tamed.
I have a place in WY with hills and lots of Sage Brush. When purchasing my 4740 the deal included a 5' Land Pride Brush Hog. It will cut 4' high, <4" thick Sage. Since there are also rocks, I opted for the heavy duty unit. Cuts look very nice but I go slow and only take a 3/4 cut each pass.
IMO, a brush hog will cut grass and it will look fine, but a finish mower will not cut anything heavy. If you think you'll ever need to cut anything heavier than grass - the brush hog has somewhat more versatility than a finish mower. It's why you note highway departments using them to finish cut along highways.
That said, if you are just going to cut grass and don't expect to cut anything heavier, the finish mower is the way to go and the cut will look a bit nicer.
IMO, a brush hog will cut grass and it will look fine, but a finish mower will not cut anything heavy. If you think you'll ever need to cut anything heavier than grass - the brush hog has somewhat more versatility than a finish mower. It's why you note highway departments using them to finish cut along highways.
That said, if you are just going to cut grass and don't expect to cut anything heavier, the finish mower is the way to go and the cut will look a bit nicer.
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TripleR
Active member
Equipment
BX2200, BX2660, L5740 HSTC, M8540HDC and some other tractors and equipment
What they said, I havent got my finish mower out in several years as I cut a variety of stuff and HATE changing implements. If I only mowed grass, I would stay with the finish mower.
I'm going to throw a curve ball into the mix and say this, look at a flail mower. You get the best of both worlds. A mower that can cut the thick and heavy stuff like a bush hog or can cut nice and clean if not better then a finishing mower.
Why not reconsider the whole idea of maintaining five acres of lawn.
Over the years, I've let our lawn shrink by half, letting the field get closer to our home. It puts fewer hours on the equipment, burns less fuel, and puts less hydrocarbons into the air. Most importantly, I spend half the time sitting on my butt going back and forth.
I brush hog our fields every couple of years to keep the woody stuff and invasive species from taking over and enjoy the natural open space. Wildlife likes it better than lawn too.
When I want to see acres of green grass, I go to a golf course or a park.
Enjoy!
Over the years, I've let our lawn shrink by half, letting the field get closer to our home. It puts fewer hours on the equipment, burns less fuel, and puts less hydrocarbons into the air. Most importantly, I spend half the time sitting on my butt going back and forth.
I brush hog our fields every couple of years to keep the woody stuff and invasive species from taking over and enjoy the natural open space. Wildlife likes it better than lawn too.
When I want to see acres of green grass, I go to a golf course or a park.
Enjoy!