# Brush hogs.



## Hoodoo Valley

I am looking at getting a brush hog for the 990. The dealer says at 35 PTO HP, that the 990 will run it fine, however, the literature I have from deere, puts the max for my unit at 5 foot. I'd like to get as wide a footprint as possible, but don't want to tax the tractor real hard either. I don't plan on running over 2 inch brush, but still want satisfactory results. What's your guys experience with PTO HP in that range, and running a brush hog.


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## Country Boy

From my experience, buying equipment that is the max your tractor can operate simply shortens the life of the tractor and costs more in the long run. I look at it this way. Why buy an attachment that your tractor can just barely handle when it will simply require you to go slower, eliminating any size advantage you had by buying bigger? I like to hit that sweet spot in the middle and save the wear and tear on my stuff. It has saved me a lot in money on repairs compared to the equipment my dad bought that was too big for his biggest tractor. He was running that tractor 110% every time he used it, and it has had 3 engine and 2 transmission rebuilds, two hydraulic pumps, and 3 front spindles in the 9500 hours he has on it.

That's my take on things, anyway.


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## jbrumberg

I believe that the "ol' rule of thumb" for PTO driven rotary cutters to be: 5HP(PTO)/Foot. In theory, 35 PTO HP = 7'. A lot also depends on what is being cut and the rig balance. To make it even more complicated one can choose heavy duty, medium duty, and light duty gearbox setups. I have no problems operating a 5' medium duty (40 HP gearbox) rotary cutter with 23 PTO HP, cutting a variety of vegetation including saplings +1.5" in diameter. With your tractor and its 35 PTO HP I see no problems operating a 6' rotary cutter.


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## Country Boy

jbrumberg said:


> I believe that the "ol' rule of thumb" for PTO driven rotary cutters to be: 5HP(PTO)/Foot. In theory, 35 PTO HP = 7'. A lot also depends on what is being cut and the rig balance. To make it even more complicated one can choose heavy duty, medium duty, and light duty gearbox setups. I have no problems operating a 5' medium duty (40 HP gearbox) rotary cutter with 23 PTO HP, cutting a variety of vegetation including saplings +1.5" in diameter. With your tractor and its 35 PTO HP I see no problems operating a 6' rotary cutter.


Depends on what he is cutting. If he plans to use it mainly for brush, then a bit smaller one will do a better job while taxing the tractor less. If he is planning on cutting mostly grass with a bit of brush, then the 6' one would probably work fine.


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## Hoodoo Valley

I think along the same lines as you Countryboy, and I also go slower than typical as well. I'll be mostly cutting grass. If you look in my profile page, you can see my field. I might go with a 5 footer, but I'd sure like to cover the ground on the 7 acres I'd be mowing.


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## ErnieS

Bush Hog has horsepower specs on their site. They recommend 40 HP for the 6 footer I've run a 6 footer fine in grass and brush up to about 1/2" with both my FarmTrac (34 PTO HP and a Kubuta with, I believe 24 HP It was much too heavy for the Kubuta and I had to run so slow, I wished I had borrowed a 5 footer. I'm picking up a 4 year old 5' Bush Hog brand mower tomorrow.
($375). I'll play with it a bit tomorrow afternoon and let you know what I think.


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## 2jdeeres

I've got a 48" hog that works well on my JD [email protected], I wish I had a 5' for the JD 4310. I'm mowing sometimes heavy brush on about 5 of our 12 acres.


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## Thomas

I for one like the deck width just pass the rear wheels,more so when chopping/cutting 2",also travel at slow speed.

Lot of it depends on tractor,whats being cut,type of land,also once the heavy work done..chop/cut does one need a bigger or smaller brush hog.


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## ErnieS

You have to consider 3PH lift capacity and the weight of the tractor too. When I ran the 6 footer on my nephew's Kubuta, I could lift it, but I couldn't climb a 10% grade unless I dropped it and if I hit something solid it would drive the tractor forward a few feet. I was always on high alert and it was not fun at all.
I would probably be OK with a 6 foot Hog on my machine, but why beat it up? The great deal I'm getting is just icing on the cake.


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## Mickey

A great deal of the issue of how much power is needed depends upon deck design and how well it clears the grass from under the deck. Not all deck design are the same. At the old place I used 2 different setups with a large difference in performance. Both tractors were close in size but rotary mowers were different. My BIL Kabota and JD mower struggled on my field. on the other hand my tractor was rated a couple HP less and had a newer Howes mower. Except for some areas that were very dense, my setup out performed my BIL's setup without breaking a sweat. My mower cleared out the cut grass WAY better than the JD mower on my BIL's tractor.

A mower with full length skirt on the back side will not clear out as well as one that is mostly open with a chain curtain at the rear.


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## ErnieS

Well, I picked up the Bush Hog today. I have only spent 10 minutes or so with it, but it seems to be strong. It will need blades soon but the deck is solid. I ran it through some 3/4 to 1" brush and it cut into chips pretty quick. Ofer the road, it didn't effect steering, even when I was on the shoulder at flat out 14 MPH.
The Hog was sitting at the edge of a concrete pad and had a vine growing up and around the blades. I lifted it up and slid under to clear it. (tractor off and 3pt locked) When I got up, I had fire ants all over me. I must have 50 bites. Rubbing alcohol takes away the sting and itch, but I was still 20 minutes from home.


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## wjjones

Would a finish mower be better, or do you just cut it a few times per season?


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## wjjones

ErnieS said:


> Well, I picked up the Bush Hog today. I have only spent 10 minutes or so with it, but it seems to be strong. It will need blades soon but the deck is solid. I ran it through some 3/4 to 1" brush and it cut into chips pretty quick. Ofer the road, it didn't effect steering, even when I was on the shoulder at flat out 14 MPH.
> The Hog was sitting at the edge of a concrete pad and had a vine growing up and around the blades. I lifted it up and slid under to clear it. (tractor off and 3pt locked) When I got up, I had fire ants all over me. I must have 50 bites. Rubbing alcohol takes away the sting and itch, but I was still 20 minutes from home.



That chain idea there works perfect huh...


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## Hoodoo Valley

wjjones said:


> Would a finish mower be better, or do you just cut it a few times per season?


It's rough field with gopher holes..........


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## ErnieS

wjjones said:


> That chain idea there works perfect huh...


Yeah the chain allows the hog to raise up farther than a rigid A frame would. I have some pretty steep spots, especially out behind the septic fields and at the bottom of the hill where it levels off, I'd be tearing up the gauge wheel if I didn't have the chain.


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## ErnieS

Here's what I did yesterday in about 15 minutes.


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## tcreeley

I love my bush hog. I run over a lot of stuff with it. Small trees (2"pine etc 3" sometimes) etc. Mine is a 5' International World Agritech- older. I tow mine with a NH TC30 30hp. Don't overfill the tranny box were the PTO hooks up on it. I did and 20 min later the rubber seal was popped out. Luckily I noticed right away and stopped running it. Pretty easy to replace, but a pain to have to!


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## Thomas

15 mins,that save lots of pulling tuging also aches pains..yep work smart not hard.


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## jbrumberg

*"I love my bush hog."*

Amen Brother :tiphat. One of the most therapeutic attachments one can operate.

*"I run over a lot of stuff with it. Small trees (2"pine etc 3" sometimes) etc."*. 
3" pines make a lot of noise and flying shrapnel- I try to avoid those, but I am not always able :zoomin:. Makes me feel that I control the universe 

The field rodents fear the :flyingdev; can make for a finer field pate' for the :dog::dog:

*"I have some pretty steep spots, especially out behind the septic fields and at the bottom..."* 

The pic really does not really show the slope (Slopes like that (ours) do not show up as pics as they present while on the seat.), but I can really relate to slopes. It looks like you are going to have some decent therapeutic time.


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## pogobill

ahoo ahoo ahoo.... sorry, got caught up in the moment! What is the difference between a Bush Hog and a flail mower? I understand the flail mower has a pile of those hinged steel teeth under it and it beats the bejeapers out of the undergrowth. Does a bush hog have the same thing, or does it have something more along the lines of a blade? 
I'm really thinking about getting something for around the property once I get some more land cleared. I have a lot of clear areas in and around the place (I think this was actually a farm at one time) but they are overgrown with willows and small brush. I'd like to clean it all up and get a bit more useable pasture. What do you guys think .... flail mower or bush hog... or are they pretty much the same thing / do the same job?
Thanks for any input.
By the way, I'd be using a Case DX45 forty five horse 4 wheel drive.
Cheers
Bill


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## jbrumberg

Flail mowers have a lot more moving parts than a rotary cutter. It's my understanding that one has a choice of "cut" by type of toothblade(?). Rotary cutters usually have two pivoting blades attached to some form of stump jumper pan attached to a shaft. They are for rough cutting only.


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## ErnieS

pogobill said:


> ahoo ahoo ahoo.... sorry, got caught up in the moment! What is the difference between a Bush Hog and a flail mower? I understand the flail mower has a pile of those hinged steel teeth under it and it beats the bejeapers out of the undergrowth. Does a bush hog have the same thing, or does it have something more along the lines of a blade?
> I'm really thinking about getting something for around the property once I get some more land cleared. I have a lot of clear areas in and around the place (I think this was actually a farm at one time) but they are overgrown with willows and small brush. I'd like to clean it all up and get a bit more useable pasture. What do you guys think .... flail mower or bush hog... or are they pretty much the same thing / do the same job?
> Thanks for any input.
> By the way, I'd be using a Case DX45 forty five horse 4 wheel drive.
> Cheers
> Bill


It has heavy, 1/2" thick by 4" wide blades that are mounted on pivots so that they can swing out of the way if they hit something really big.


You can see where I cut on that mound, to the left it is starting to get steep. It gets worse as it goes left to right along the edge of the cut spot


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## pogobill

Thanks guys. I have a lot of work ahead of me before I do get anything, but looks like I may try one of those bush hogs.
Cheers
Bill


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## Halifax

The way I understand it, bush hog is a brand name that is common now for any Rotary mower. Similar to saying Xerox for any copier. Rotary mowers are great for rough cut, clearing grown up fields. Once the saplings and rocks have been cleared, my mower cuts almost as well as my riding mower, since I can keep the blades free of gouges and rock dings. Aubrey


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## pogobill

Hello Halifax,
I was kind of wondering about that bush hog thing. It's like going Skidooing, even though you may have an Arctic Cat!
I think once I've cleared a bit more land and see what I have, I'll then be able to see what I really need. I have a lot of bush up this way, but the land is pretty flat. I look forward to getting some trails through it and a bit more pasture closer to the area where the barn and sheds are.
Cheers


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## DrBailey

Here are blades. I seen a tree stump cut off at the ground and these blades hit it, one blade took the left wheel off the mowing machine. It was my stump, another mans bush hog, I paid to fix it.
http://www.agrisupply.com/Bush-Hog-Blade/p/10509/&sid=&eid=GL021908006/


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## Hoodoo Valley

DrBailey said:


> Here are blades. I seen a tree stump cut off at the ground and these blades hit it, one blade took the left wheel off the mowing machine. It was my stump, another mans bush hog, I paid to fix it.
> http://www.agrisupply.com/Bush-Hog-Blade/p/10509/&sid=&eid=GL021908006/


Okay, but who was at the controls? How big was the stump? I'll bet that thing shook like a son of a buck until it stopped spinning huh?


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## Mikefarm

Hi all

I'm looking at getting a 6' slasher (aussie term for brush hog) and wanted to understand a few terms.

Terms that I don't understand are: pivoting headstock

LE series: http://fieldquip.com.au/products-page/rotary-slashers/le-series/
"Has a pivoting headstock to allow the slasher to 'float' over undulating ground"
I can see it uses a a chain to connect to the top link.

LS series: http://fieldquip.com.au/products-page/rotary-slashers/ls-series/ (a bit more$)
"Has a floating top link to allow the slasher to 'float' over undulating ground"
This one does not have chain and does not pivot.

What's the difference? I have not used brush hogs/slashers before.

Also options for these are 
* a 4 blade cutting disk instead of a 2 blade - what's advantage of 4 blades.
* adjustable height rear wheel - do I need this?
* chain guards instead of rubber - does the rubber get shredded? are chains better or just personal preference?
* over running clutch - I have read what this is, stops the slasher driving the tractor forward if you press the clutch in. Do I need this option? I'm looking at either a Kioti Daedong RX6010 or a Case Maxxfarm 60. The Kioti PTO specs says its type is "independent" and the Maxxfarm 60 says its PTO is "Independent system"

One thing I want to do is to raise the slasher to about 1 foot as I dont want to cut the grass real low. I presume I just raise the 3pt link to the height that I want and it supports the weight of the slasher. The rear wheel would then be off the ground ? so it would not do much.

Mike


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## jbrumberg

I believe the pivoting headstock is a stump jumper pan. This is the best pic I can find of one. I do not see any advantage to a four bladed cutting disk- those two blades are spinning pretty fast. They both really need to be "balanced" (i.e. no big chips of pieces misssing on one of the blades relative to the other.) in order for the rotary cutter to function optimally. I think 4 blades would be more a maintenance problem. I would recommend an adjustable height rear wheel (laminated best IMHO) to help keep the deck level at cutting height. I do not use check chains to level the deck with the rotary cutter on my current tractor just the 3PH. I do not have chain/rubber guards on my rotary cutter (I should, but do not ). I do not know about the durability of rubber guards, but it is my belief that insurance companies will not endorse rubber guards for flying debris protection. I do not know if you need a over running clutch for those tractors. I believe that with "independent" PTO's one does not need an over riding clutch.


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## Mikefarm

Hi

Thanks jbrumberg, I haven't ever seen the disk underneath one. I can see its curved upwards and so would deflect the slasher upwards over a stump. Hope I never hit one though. I'll go for the plain 2 blade one. 

I looked up a headstock on Google and found that its the part that is bolted or welded to the top of the slasher - still can see why some use two chains from the top point to the bottom and others use a rigid link. 

> One thing I want to do is to raise the slasher to about 1 foot ....

** I presume I can run the slasher at any height that the 3pt will lift to. **
I basically just have to make sure it's level with the ground. If so the rubber or guard chains will be well off the ground so I presume one just has to make sure no one is near when slashing.


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## MillNeckFarm

Posted a question about proper sized bush hog for my newly purchased 2010 JD 4005 in the JD forum, then saw this thread. I've been waffling between 5 or 6 footer but leaning to 5 in order to not over-tax the tractor. Sounds as though I'm on the right track there.

Question: do many (or any) of the 5 footers have a slip-clutch vs. shear pin? Is this really a big deal other than replacing the pin occasionally? 

Anyone here living in the Surry County, VA or Richmond, VA area have one for sale?


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## jbrumberg

I believe that one can usually purchase an after market slip clutch fo those rotary cutters without the slip/clutch. I had to factory order a slip-clutch for my 5'. I believe that the JD 4005 has ~35 PTO HP-with that HP you could run either a 5' or 6' rotary cutter. I would recommend a cutter that will cover your tracks


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## Hoodoo Valley

MillNeckFarm said:


> Posted a question about proper sized bush hog for my newly purchased 2010 JD 4005 in the JD forum, then saw this thread. I've been waffling between 5 or 6 footer but leaning to 5 in order to not over-tax the tractor. Sounds as though I'm on the right track there.
> 
> Question: do many (or any) of the 5 footers have a slip-clutch vs. shear pin? Is this really a big deal other than replacing the pin occasionally?
> 
> Anyone here living in the Surry County, VA or Richmond, VA area have one for sale?


I was told by our JD dealer that the sheer pin is the most bullet proof way of going and the cheapest obviously. It's fairly difficult to break the pin, so unless you are tangling up in wire, rock hopping or cuttong 6 inch in diameter brush you'll be okay with the sheer pin. If you are cutting up to 2 and a half inch stuff, for the 990 -4005, the 60 inch is the max period, this according to my local dealer. Cutting just field grass and very light brush, you could get by with a 72 inch.


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## MillNeckFarm

tractor beam said:


> I was told by our JD dealer that the sheer pin is the most bullet proof way of going and the cheapest obviously. It's fairly difficult to break the pin, so unless you are tangling up in wire, rock hopping or cuttong 6 inch in diameter brush you'll be okay with the sheer pin. If you are cutting up to 2 and a half inch stuff, for the 990 -4005, the 60 inch is the max period, this according to my local dealer. Cutting just field grass and very light brush, you could get by with a 72 inch.


Thanks TB.


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## MillNeckFarm

I love saving money!!! A buddy that I've been helping has 3 older bush hogs in varying condition. Managed to cobble together one that works well & meets my immediate needs.

One man's trash is another man's treasure. :thumbsup:


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## Hoodoo Valley

MillNeckFarm said:


> I love saving money!!! A buddy that I've been helping has 3 older bush hogs in varying condition. Managed to cobble together one that works well & meets my immediate needs.
> 
> One man's trash is another man's treasure. :thumbsup:


Okay.....Pictures!


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## Farmer_John

here's our mowing setup it's a 1934 cat 22 standard model 22-25 hp an a 6' PTO driven rotary mower. The operator is my brother because it's his tractor. I took the picture of the cow.


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## wahlda

Why did they discontinue the frontier RC1080 brush hog mower? Dave


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