Landpride RCR1260 on BX2680?

[dansereaudd]

I am looking to find out if it's a really unintelligent idea to put a 60" rotary mower on the back of my BX2680 since it doesn't technically have 20 PTO HP (it has 19.5 according to spec). Am I overthinking this, or should I shamefully select the 42" that has the 18HP requirement? My Dealer seems to think I'll be fine with the 60", but just wanted some additional opinions.

Use case is pretty lightweight, I think. I have a roughly 2000 sqft pond with tall grass/weeds that I need to trim, and this rotary mower's first project will be this bit of trimming. Additional to this work will be mowing an extremely rugged pasture, filled with tall weeds. All that said, it feels like the workload in general should be fine for the mower, but I don't know if the PTO HP will be a detriment to the performance of the rotary mower.

Thoughts/opinions would be appreciated.

 

[dansereaudd]

Alright, well I did a bit more research and the PTO HP on the B2650 is the same as the BX2680, 19.5 PTO HP. This is the tractor model that a bunch of people on this forum are using for this implement, per forum post search. So now I am thinking it will be fine, so long as I keep my FEL on the front to offset the rear weight.

 

[jimh406]

With a two speed transmission, you are limited to L which is really slow and H. I think you’d be better off with the 48 which will allow you to go faster when the conditions are better but still be a good size. One other consideration is the weight of the cutter which is probably quite a bit heavier on the 60 compared to 48.

Generally, bigger tractors have quite a bit more torque even with the “same” HP. For instance, my L2501 doesn’t have more HP than yours but a lot more torque with a lot larger engine.

I’m sure others with BXs will respond later.

 

[SDT]

With a two speed transmission, you are limited to L which is really slow and H. I think you’d be better off with the 48 which will allow you to go faster when the conditions are better but still be a good size. One other consideration is the weight of the cutter which is probably quite a bit heavier on the 60 compared to 48.

Generally, bigger tractors have quite a bit more torque even with the “same” HP. For instance, my L2501 doesn’t have more HP than yours but a lot more torque with a lot larger engine.

I’m sure others with BXs will respond later.

Agreed.

Too wide and too heavy.

Nothing more than 48".

SDT

 

[Mossy dell]

I just got this cutter for my B2601 and it handles it fine. My tractor has a larger frame etc., but this is a standard duty cutter, not real heavy, though it is a big sucker back there. After buying it with the blessing of my dealer, i was surprised to see under Equipment Limitations in my owner's manual that Kubota wants a 48" cutter max. I imagine then that your tractor is likewise "limited" to under 5'.

What difference does this make? Probably little. But presumably if someone damaged his pto/transmission with a cutter that violated the limit, Kubota could refuse to cover the issue under warranty. It may make little or no difference that a Kubota dealer sold it to you for your tractor. Maybe somebody with some more experience on this issue can comment.

I actually wanted a heavy duty 4' for my situation, the Woods Brush Bull 48.3. But I couldn't get one till at least September. I was so happy my dealer had a bunch of 5' Land Prides in that I practically broke my arm getting out my wallet.

 

[dansereaudd]

Thanks everyone for your feedback. @Mossy dell I am glad you pointed out the limitation literature, kinda pulls the most weight on anyone’s decision here.

@jimh406 I didn’t think about the transmission but that is a good point. I’m a tractor newbie so I looked at base specs and assumed one tractor was physically bigger and maybe could push more GPM for lift capacity or something.

Definitely feels like the 48 is the way to go. But like @Mossy dell , I too have a dealer with 6 of the RCR1260s in stock haha. I’m gonna ask about the 48” and see how long of a wait it is.


Thanks All!

 

[PaulL]

48" is the right choice. Having said that, I'd be tempted by the 60". Questions:

1. Can the BX lift it? My old BX2350 was quite limited in what it could lift on the rear, and a 60" cutter sticks out a long way. If you're always very light in the front end that's not really safe (loader will help, I guess a bucket of dirt if you're really light).

2. How often are you mowing, how heavy going is it? If you're mowing reasonably regularly, then you'll probably not work it to hard. First couple times might be very slow, but once it's in reasonable shape, it's not too much load to run

3. 19.5 v's 20 HP isn't that different. I wouldn't make a decision based on half a hp

4. How fast do you want to go? My theory is I'd rather go slow with a big mower than fast with a small mower. They get the same work done, but mowing faster beats you and the tractor up a bit more. I know I'm not in the majority with that viewpoint though.

Ultimately to me it feels like a 60" cutter would push a BX around a lot. The BX does take a 60" belly mower, so it can run 60" implements, but a rotary cutter is a bigger/harder to drive implement than a belly mower.

A couple of last thoughts. Do you have a belly mower on the BX? How often are you going to mow the pond and pasture? If you can borrow a bush hog, or just do your first time very slowly, you could probably get away ongoing with the belly mower lifted all the way up. I've done plenty of stuff that way with my old BX, and do it with my new B2601. The mowers on them are reasonably heavy duty. I wouldn't cut saplings that way, but weeds should be fine.

Have you looked at a flail? I feel like you could run a bigger flail than a rotary cutter, they're also less load on the 3ph (don't stick out as far) and less HP to spin. You can get an offset flail, which might be real handy around a pond. Also sounds like you'll be mowing reasonably often, a flail does a nicer job if you're mowing once a month or similar. Check out the Messicks recent video on flails.

 

[anomad]

Another B2601 point of comparison. I just tried my old 4 foot bush hog on the B2601 this weekend and knocked down a couple acres. It has plenty of power to run it, but it's plenty hanging off the back. Would be interesting to know the weights of a light duty 5 footer and my 4 footer for comparison. I wouldn't want more.
I had to use 4wd almost constantly and I almost never engage 4wd on my old Yanmar. The old Yanmar has tall filled ag tires and sits about 6 inches wider.
My hay farmer has a Massey 471 and an 8 foot flail. Makes my little tractors look like toys.

 

[Mossy dell]

LP 1260 = 478 lbs

 

[Jchonline]

The BX is just too small for a 6 ft cutter. Hope you have a dry, thin, coastal hay meadow you are going to be mowing with that 6 ft rotary cutter...if it is thick, high, wet you will definitely bog it down or be traveling at excavator speeds. My advice is dont do it. Stick with the 4 or get a bigger machine. I would not get a flail mower. It is much more complex than a rotary cutter (6 times the # of parts) and they break down much easier than the rotary cutter.

 

[dansereaudd]

48" is the right choice. Having said that, I'd be tempted by the 60". Questions:

1. Can the BX lift it? My old BX2350 was quite limited in what it could lift on the rear, and a 60" cutter sticks out a long way. If you're always very light in the front end that's not really safe (loader will help, I guess a bucket of dirt if you're really light).

2. How often are you mowing, how heavy going is it? If you're mowing reasonably regularly, then you'll probably not work it to hard. First couple times might be very slow, but once it's in reasonable shape, it's not too much load to run

3. 19.5 v's 20 HP isn't that different. I wouldn't make a decision based on half a hp

4. How fast do you want to go? My theory is I'd rather go slow with a big mower than fast with a small mower. They get the same work done, but mowing faster beats you and the tractor up a bit more. I know I'm not in the majority with that viewpoint though.

Ultimately to me it feels like a 60" cutter would push a BX around a lot. The BX does take a 60" belly mower, so it can run 60" implements, but a rotary cutter is a bigger/harder to drive implement than a belly mower.

A couple of last thoughts. Do you have a belly mower on the BX? How often are you going to mow the pond and pasture? If you can borrow a bush hog, or just do your first time very slowly, you could probably get away ongoing with the belly mower lifted all the way up. I've done plenty of stuff that way with my old BX, and do it with my new B2601. The mowers on them are reasonably heavy duty. I wouldn't cut saplings that way, but weeds should be fine.

Have you looked at a flail? I feel like you could run a bigger flail than a rotary cutter, they're also less load on the 3ph (don't stick out as far) and less HP to spin. You can get an offset flail, which might be real handy around a pond. Also sounds like you'll be mowing reasonably often, a flail does a nicer job if you're mowing once a month or similar. Check out the Messicks recent video on flails.

Answers:

1. Technically, I thought I read somewhere that the lift capacity for the rear is like 600 lbs or so.
2. The only thing i'm really using it for right away is for 6ft tall weeds around a pond. The pond is about 200ft by 100ft, and there is about 5-8ft deep border of weeds around it. Can't use the belly mower around the pond due to hill/slope.
4. Don't need to go fast.


The pasture I referred to mowing earlier, I actually mowed with the BX with the mower at the highest setting and that worked ,but i went for the bumpiest ride in my life lol. Plus there is a dip/creek in there somewhere that I would rather not drive into/over.

 

[anomad]

LP 1260 = 478 lbs

Interesting. I looked mine up (no way to weigh it myself). Bush Hog says 455 pounds for the 4 footer.

 

[dansereaudd]

Have you looked at a flail? I feel like you could run a bigger flail than a rotary cutter, they're also less load on the 3ph (don't stick out as far) and less HP to spin. You can get an offset flail, which might be real handy around a pond. Also sounds like you'll be mowing reasonably often, a flail does a nicer job if you're mowing once a month or similar. Check out the Messicks recent video on flails.

I was actually looking at the idea of a ..."sickle bar" mower, cause it looked cool and like something I could use lol. I haven't looked into what I would need, hydraulically, though. Might not be worth the investment for just the pond rim mowing, cause I wanna say I was seeing prices in the 5K range for those new.

 

[PaulL]

I was actually looking at the idea of a ..."sickle bar" mower, cause it looked cool and like something I could use lol. I haven't looked into what I would need, hydraulically, though. Might not be worth the investment for just the pond rim mowing, cause I wanna say I was seeing prices in the 5K range for those new.

Sickle bar mowers are well known for cutting the legs off your dog. If you're getting one, be super careful. For a pond an offset flail is probably the best bet. If you've already mowed your paddock with the BX once, and your issue was getting beat up, then a rotary cutter won't fix that.

3ph lift capacity is measured either at the pins, or 24 inches behind. A big rotary cutter has the centre of mass more than 24 inches behind. Those things hang way out. My old BX would have had a lot of difficulty lifting a cutter that big I think, and it also would have pushed it around a lot - I'd expect it'd pitch over bumps far worse than it would with the belly mower.

 

[dansereaudd]

Maybe I'm not looking in the right spot, but I don't see a BX-matched Flail mower that LandPride sells. They are at a minum requiring 30HP, and for at least the B series. Also, I wanna say the Flail was pretty expensive, I don't need to spend 5K on a mower. I think I'll go with the 48" Rotary cutter for around 1500 or so, and just use it to back into the sides of the pond. Don't mind it taking an hour to mow around the pond, will take less time after the first initial mow anyway. I am hoping to not mow around the pond but once per month anyhow.

 

[dirtydeed]

Maybe I'm not looking in the right spot, but I don't see a BX-matched Flail mower that LandPride sells. They are at a minum requiring 30HP, and for at least the B series. Also, I wanna say the Flail was pretty expensive, I don't need to spend 5K on a mower. I think I'll go with the 48" Rotary cutter for around 1500 or so, and just use it to back into the sides of the pond. Don't mind it taking an hour to mow around the pond, will take less time after the first initial mow anyway. I am hoping to not mow around the pond but once per month anyhow.

Take a peek here as I don't think land pride makes one...https://www.messicks.com/attachment/category/94/mowers-flail

I have a BETSTCO (FHM) 54" that I picked up for $1100 shipped. It cuts pretty well behind my limited HP. They offer smaller/lighter units as well.