Can't cut level with bushhog

[dterry302]

I have an l3901 with a 5ft bush hog bh5 rotary cutter. i can't get it to cut level it leaves a strip about 6 inches wide in between every pass. I have put a level on the mower and tried to adjust the three pt arm. I just can't get it right has anyone had any problem similar to this thanks Drew

 

[bcp]

Might this be the plants mashed down by the tractor wheels slowly coming back up after the mower passes?

Bruce

 

[MadMax31]

Overlap tire tracks. Mines a little four footer, and I have to drive rears on previous pass to ensure I dont miss anything. My belly mower will leave a strip near the middle if im not running PTO rpm, which is annoying.

 

[dterry302]

I try to overlap at least one front tire width on each pass to prevent the mashing down of grass.

 

[TripleR]

Those mentioned as well as overlap so the edge of the blade is rotating against the grain of the last pass.

 

[L.C. Gray]

I've never been satisfied with the cut of a 3 point shredder with a single tail wheel. You can static level them over and over but that all changes when you apply torque through the PTO shaft. You can try to use some Kentucky windage in the static setup to have it cut flat under torque, but the amount of torque and reaction, thus the level of the shredder is constantly changing as you hit different depths and densities of grass. Although I have never tried one, I believe that a 3 point shredder with two tail wheels spaced as far apart as the shredder would allow would help keep it cutting flat. I don't even own a 3 point shredder for this reason. I use a 7' drawbar shedder with two large tires on a axle that hydraulically raises and lowers them. It cuts absolutely flat and level like a lawn mower whether you're cutting grass 6 inches deep or 6 feet deep. The downsides of the drawbar shredder is you have to watch your turns carefully or you can get into u-joint bind on the PTO shaft, and any backing up you may need to do requires more skill and attention. The only 3 point shredder I ever had, I gave to my brother, now I get to hear him bark about how he can never get it to cut flat.

 

[dterry302]

I know its a bushhog so just knocking down the thick grass is enough but I still like it to look uniform especially if its a job for someone else. Would switching to a 6 ft mower eliminate this problem?

 

[bcp]

Unless you figure out the cause, a wider cutter may just make strips farther apart.

Bruce

 

[nickelplated5s]

I use a 7' drawbar shedder with two large tires on a axle that hydraulically raises and lowers them.

Aren't those things the reason we see a lot of three legged dogs?