Tow Behind Brush/field trailmower? Where?

[enginerd]

I'm looking for a reasonably priced (<$750) universal tow behind brush and field trailmower.

28hp tractor, it can pull a decent weight, so not worried about that, but we have half the property, ~2 acres, covered in grass/weeds/plants that grow fast when summer starts, and its not flat terrain, so the normal mower/deck is not a good choice.

I have only found one, its from northern tools.

http://www.northerntool.com/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/product_6970_200322969_200322969

Does anyone know of any others in this price range thats half decent? Does not need to be used much, maybe once a month for 6 months?

TIA!

 

[Charles (in GA)]

If you have a PTO, why not a bush hog of some sort?

It sounds like you are looking for a self powered pull behind mower, and all of those will be finish mowers, not suited to what you need.

Charles

 

[mulepackin]

Tractor supply has some, but I think they are basically the same thing as what you found at Northern.

 

[JohnHenrys48]

These guys seem to have some nice equipment. I have no personal experience other that drooling over their infomercials.

http://www.drpower.com/TwoStepChapt...EntryMode=0&BC=0|3:FieldBrush2Step&LinkType=3

 

[Roospike]

Brush hog / brush cutters / Rough Cut Trailmower ... gas power or pto mowers are for the once a month or once every few months mowing .

The finishing mowers are designed for yard looking grass that is going to be used more often.

The finishing mowers or normally blades and a lot if not most of the trail and rough cut mowers are chain cutters.

The once a month or every month mowers are going to take a lot more power than the finishing mowers that are used more often.

There are self powered and PTO driven units. Lots of choices so you have to know what your looking for as how you want the grass to look and also how often it going to get cut.

 

[z28toz06]

good luck on the 750 dollar price range. maybe you could find one that is a class 3 hitch without a motor for that price range, but not with a 15 or 20 horse mill on it.

http://www.cyclecountry.com/products/showPage.asp?id=45

 

[enginerd]

I was hoping to see more examples, and less explanations

I know what i need, and I am just trying to find a cheaper one.

DR power has one for 2k, sears/etc have ones for 1500. if it comes to that, it'll have to be.

But I was hoping someone had a good source for more affordable units.

Here is the Drpower unit, very nice, but a tad pricey for our needs.

http://www.drpower.com/TwoStepModel...me|2:DRPowerHome|3:FieldBrush2Step&LinkType=3

The unit from tractor supply is the same one from northern tools, cuts upto 2" thick.

 

[kbs2244]

For your budget you are talking used.
Check out EBay.

 

[Fast Orange]

I can't see using a 28HP tractor to tow a 44" self powered mower.For your money,why not go with a PTO powered brush hog? If you look around a bit,I'm sure you could find a 3 PT hitch mounted unit about 60" wide for the $750 you want to spend. It will be built a lot heavier,will take a beating better and will need next to no maintenance-Woods is the most popular around here.

George

 

[Roospike]

I was hoping to see more examples, and less explanations

I know what i need, and I am just trying to find a cheaper one.

Your low budget only says "USED" Now your going to have to do the footwork to find your used mower.

You dont post your location and whatever found would have to be local because it would be costly to ship a used mower.

So i guess the answer to your question would be ...............

Ebay and search local , local auctions , flea markets , the newspaper and such ..........BUT I'm sure you knew that already also .

 

[russlaferrera]

Have you looked at King Kutter , Model L48-40-XB? You need a PTO. Cost is $800 is available at Northern Tool. Me thinks a PTO is better because less to maintain , cheaper to operate. You can Google King Kutter to see more venders

 

[Roospike]

I was hoping to see more examples, and less explanations

I know what i need, and I am just trying to find a cheaper one.

BTW what exactly is it you need? Are you looking for a powered 44" cut finishing mower ? a 66" powered finishing mower or a powered trail mower ?

I would agree on the PTO powered mower as you already have a 25 hp tractor and the smaller PTO cutters will be cheaper then the already powered mower.

Again , what exactly is the mower u need ?

 

[Fast Orange]

E-bay has several Pto units ,varying conditions,all would be around $500-$1000 + frt,all over the country.Just search for "brush hog".

George

 

[Charles (in GA)]

I was hoping to see more examples, and less explanations

I know what i need, and I am just trying to find a cheaper one.

I think what virtually everyone is wondering is why you don't want the solution used by thousands of people in the same situation, a PTO driven "bush hog"? A 28 hp tractor will handily run a 5 ft one with ease. No extra motors to maintain, simple, stratight forward, and effective.

Charles

 

[RAYJAY]

Have you looked at King Kutter , Model L48-40-XB? You need a PTO. Cost is $800 is available at Northern Tool. Me thinks a PTO is better because less to maintain , cheaper to operate. You can Google King Kutter to see more venders

in all PTO is not better when running the brush hog your taking HP from the tractor

we have one of the 60" finish mowers from swisher for 4 years now and i can say anything bad about it we put it threw hell and back ( my wife uses it for a brush hog 1/2 THE TIME ) replaced a couple of bearings on the mower shafts ( think she finds ever rock ,old tractor parts ect ect to hit with the blades )

we cut about 3 acres and she can get it done in about 1 1/2 with trimming

we pull the mower with a Kawasaki mule now , we used to use a quad with it

one thing i did couple of weeks after getting it was to covert the hitch to a trailer ball coupler ,

lot faster and safer to hook up there pin set up just ***** (sorry no better way of putting it )

Jeff

 

[Charles (in GA)]

in all PTO is not better when running the brush hog your taking HP from the tractor

Which is why tractors have horsepower in excess of their needs for driving it. The HP for a tractor is max HP available to the PTO.

I have a Ford 2000, about 30 hp if I recall, it runs a 5 ft bush hog just fine with power to spare.

Charles

 

[RAYJAY]

but charles is his gas 28 hp like this

or diesel 28 hp like this

is his tractor hydro or shuttle shift big difference in HP left over to run implements


i have a 16 hp diesel kubota sub compact,hydro and its not powerful enuf to run the belly mower on the hills I have.


thats why we went to the tow behind mower and we can cut our grass in 1/2 the time it took with the diesel

did run a 4 ft brush hog on that tractor no recommended....... I should of bought a shuttle shift 30 HP or better for what I needed



Jeff

 

[Jared]

i wouldn't tow much behind it if its a cheap hyrdo-static, the tend to burn-out quite easily

 

[enginerd]

OK, thanks guys.

I did my own research and I think I found some solutions.

Its only about 2 acres of "brush," but its not flat, so I might have come to the conclusion a walk behind brush cutter would be best.

Best one I have found so far that fits our application is the Dr Scout. Affordable, and looks like it'll do the job.

But, I'm going to do a test run with the tractor and see how it handles the terrain by itself, see if it can even drive through this stuff first.

 

[Roospike]

WOW , Walking 2 acres of "brush" with a walk behind brush cutter on uneven land .........your more stout than i .

( or have a lot of time on your hands )

Good luck on that.

 

[dmogto67]

+1 for the bush hog. It sounds like a no-brainer to me. Cheaper, less maintenance, and faster. What else do you need? A tractor with a bush hog will go more places and do it way faster than any of your other options, IMHO. It also gives you flexibility when you don't have time to mow the field, you can let it go a few weeks/months and still be able to knock it down fast.

 

[enginerd]

Well, see the issue is its not straight 2 acres of brush, its like foresty. So there are stumps, small hills, holes, rocks, etc. So if its a pull behind its a bit tougher to stop, raise the deck, or avoid obstacles.

Its a bit hard to describe, but I'm going to do a test run with the tractor later this week and see how it handles the terrain by itself.

 

[tez929rr]

I do 26 acres with a 30 HP Kubota. I use a Rhino 3pt PTO powered shredder and have had good luck. Raising the deck is easy, although the trick is seeing stuff in time to avoid it when the grass is tall. A heavier duty 5ft shredder runs about 1300 here, and a light duty for your price range of about 700. There are even heavier shredders that run about 2000 (I plan to invest in one next year). A tow behind gives you another motor to worry about. Check Tractor Supply and Northern tool. A tractor dealer should be able to hook you up with something. The heavier duty ones are stout enough that a used one should be something to consider.

 

[enginerd]

Well, other than the manual labor, what about just getting a decent gas powered trimmer? Maybe I should take a picture to show "the experts" what we're dealing with. I don't see it being any less work than a "brush hog" style machine. With that I'll have to avoid the rocks, and take care of the engine, blades, etc. A quality "commercial" strength trimmer might do the job enough. If it takes 4-5 hours over a weekend, thats not a big deal.

What about something like this?

 

[Charles (in GA)]

A giant, heavy duty weed eater.

Charles

 

[enginerd]

Yes, thats what it is, but thats not what I asked

Does anyone have experience with these types of small machines for taking out basically overgrown weeds and some tall grass?

Self propelled would be helpful though.

 

[Roospike]

Your going to need at least a brush cutter or a sickle mower.

That large weed eater u posted is not going to work for 2 acres.

I thought you said u already knew what u needed ? U keep changing it and fighting the PTO brush cutter idea. The walk behind units are going to cost more than a PTO unit and about the same as a powered pull behind.

These walk behind units posted are $1500.- $2600.

 

[enginerd]

That Troybilt unit looks mean! haha

Well, I know what I need, as far as purpose goes. Everything listed will work most likely, just need to determine what will work best and give us the least amount of headaches.

The tractor does not have PTO capability, it would be a separately powered trail behind unit.

I like the self propelled unit the best, but not sure if it would be the best overall solution.

Its ~2 acres, but its not ALL brush, its spread out over that side of the property. Eitherway, I'll talk to the landscaper and see what he suggests.

Thanks for the pictures.

Oh, and the reason I liked the "weed eater" string based units is that I can hit Rocks and Tree Stumps and not cause damage. I imagine running over a couple rocks in the ground and treet stumps with the blade machines would do damage after a couple hits. No way I'll be able to see the rocks and stumps in the ground.

 

[Roospike]

************** ***************

 

[Wardrum]

Well, other than the manual labor, what about just getting a decent gas powered trimmer? Maybe I should take a picture to show "the experts" what we're dealing with. I don't see it being any less work than a "brush hog" style machine. With that I'll have to avoid the rocks, and take care of the engine, blades, etc. A quality "commercial" strength trimmer might do the job enough. If it takes 4-5 hours over a weekend, thats not a big deal.

What about something like this?

We have an Ariens wheeled string trimmer similar to that with commercial grade plastic line....and you will be an old man before you finish 2 acres with it. It works good on flat ground in tall grass but it is heavy and clumsy on uneven ground. Rough vegetation, jagged rocks, etc. will rip the heaviest string out of it.

I have a 34 horse Kubota L3430 with a 6' brush hog and I cut down some nasty stuff on very uneven ground. It handles it with little effort. Unless you have to mow that area frequently, consider renting a decent tractor with a 3 point hitch type PTO powered brush-hog. They are specifically meant to cut in rough conditions like you are looking at.

 

[jwith68]

I imagine running over a couple rocks in the ground and treet stumps with the blade machines would do damage after a couple hits. No way I'll be able to see the rocks and stumps in the ground.

Actually, PTO powered rotary cutters and probably most of the walk behind machines pictured here do not have blades fixed the same as a finish mower. They will have a blade carrier that attaches to the gearbox output shaft, with 2 blades attached to the carrier on pivots so that they swing free, and are able to take abuse from hitting obstacles. Centrifugal force holds them out in cutting position. They are rugged, heavy blades and will take a lot of abuse.

However, if your tractor doesn't have a rear PTO, you are out of luck on the regular rotary cutter. The rental idea mentioned isn't a bad one at all. Also, some of the new sub-compacts offered by Kubota, Case-IH, Deere, etc. have all the capabilities of compact utility tractors and are still small enough to use as a lawn mower.

 

[enginerd]

Interesting, thanks for the info.

Mmmm, centripetal and centrifugal force, got to love them. Just make sure you know which is which (sorry the enginerd in me).

 

[jwith68]

I has been to enginerd school myself!

I think that if you look at the definitions of each, you can say that centrifugal force holds the blades out there, and the centripetal force keeps them from flying off the machine.

Remember, it's "centrifuge", not "centripete."

 

[enginerd]

Nice, where'd you grad from?

 

[jwith68]

University of Missouri - Rolla, majored in mechanical. I do refrigeration for a living, to support my farming habit.

 

[enginerd]

Gotcha.

So I was outside checking out the brush, and it needs to be tamed soon.

I'm pretty confident a walk behind unit would be best, as the tractor setup we have is not suitable for this type of terrain with a tow behind powered rough cutter.

Now we just have to find a nice self propelled unit that is not crazy expensive.

Any other suggestions for self propelled walk behind rough cutters?

 

[Fast Orange]

Howz about a herd of goats?

 

[enginerd]

It would help with the taxes, classify the land as farm, but then we have to tend to the goats...not worth it I'll stick with a man made machine.

Dr power Scout looks great, and is well priced...might even ask the local places if they have any used ones around. $1250 free delivery is not bad.

The other option, is the trimmer, which fro the videos, looks like it can easily handle the job, but not sure if the Scout would be more efficient. This is under $1000, also free shipping.

 

[enginerd]

I picked up this little ryobi brush cutter for a couple bucks just to try out this weekend and see how it does. I figure at the least its another little tool to have to get some tight places. It came with a steel 3 sided "cutting wheel" as well as the normal nylon string cutter. I'll post tomorrow how it works, it got great reviews though, and for under $150, its worth a try.

Update: The ryobi kicks ***! But its definitely not going to work for the 1-2 acres of brush to clear. Its just too much, too hot outside, not going to happen.

I am trying to think of something I can rig on the back of this craftsman tractor. It looks like with the mower attachment removed it has no problem handling the terrain, but there are stumps and sticks and whatnot, and there is no cutter that will just chop it all up, well anything not industrial big *** farm sized