salukipv1

getting some ideas for a way to mow some tall field grass, some trails etc...

anyone have experience with a atv tow behind/rough cut style mower

vs.

the standard craftsmen style lawn tractor?


advice/suggestions?

thanks in advance!

mbecnel

I have a swisher that I use to keep up a small pasture (about 2 acres) and I also use it at our hunting lease. Love it, the only thing I wish is that I could raise it higher. Going to modify it before next years grass season

doughboysigep

I have a swisher 44" finish mower. It really isn't meant for tall grass but I have used it for such (food plot, trail mowing, etc.) and have been very pleased, suprised, and impressed with it. I have to go slow in the high grass and over it in some cases, but it does a good job. I also tried raising it and it worked pretty good (put bigger diameter tires on it).

HatchieLuvr

I also bought a Swisher (@ Northern Tool) its the 44" Rough Cut, they do make a regular mower model as well but for bush hogging trails/fields etc the Rough Cut is what youll definetly want. It "says it's rated for up to 3.5" diameter material"! I'd sure NOT care to try it with mine. I have no doubt the 12hp B&S motor, the hvy dty deck & the blade/cutter bar assembly could handle the occasional arguement with such sapplings but I dont see the drive belt and pulley system being very compliant with such a program! (heck I also have a 7' xtrm dty 3pt bush hog I use with my 70hp Kubota & I wouldnt care to thrash that setup through such sized saplings as well either! Just because it can do it, doesnt mean it needs to.) But Ive mowed through 1"-1.5" stuff with fair ease, just slowed to a crawl & eased through it.

The Swisher is American made, reasonably priced, I want to say it was sale priced around $1300-$1400 + I was given another $100-$200 off coupon at the register by the cashier who was peeved at a previous customer who declined a sale, threw his $200 off coupon at her & walked out so she offered it to me PLUS another coupon for half off an extended warranty! The trail mower is ROCK SOLID & considerably heavier than I thought it would be. I wanted to tow it with one of my Honda Recons (250cc 2wd w/ MudLite tires on back) as they have alot better turning radius than my old, faithful Honda 300 4x4 (Mudlites all around). But I ended up having to use the 300 & realized on my 1.5mile, at times rough fenceline, I NEEDED 4x4 because the low deck would essentially sheer off some uneven areas like a box blade. The 2x4s wouldnt have done it. A 500+ size machine might do a little more forceful job but I get by with what I got.

At certain times (extremely dusty and alot of heavy, very dry clippings/debris) the drive belt will squeal a little, which indicates slippage which means the belt IS getting some polishing & wearing then. From the reviews I've read that is about the only "seasonal replacement item" youre likely to have to deal with. I also didn't buy the electric start model because I knew I wouldnt use it but a few times each year & didnt want to deal with keeping the battery up. If you use yours monthly or store it in a garage with electricity then a plug-in maintainer would take care of the battery. (mine is parked under a none wired equipment shed). I am also a firm believer in Stabil Marine Formula for ALL my seldom used toys since we have to deal with this crap corn fuel! My mowers, chainsaw, weedeater, brush cutter, ATCs, boats, '80 Chevy 4x4 farmtruck, '72 454 Chevelle... it ALL gets 1oz-5gals of SMF & Ive never had a fuel problem yet! (knockn on my wooden head)

Bush hoggn & mowin are 2different needs requiring 2 different types of machinery. A mower "slices thru" grass with a sharp blade but does so over & over as the material is circulated thru the mower deck. A bushog "whacks/chops" its way thru with a much more blunt edged yet thicker & stronger cutter bar. This is why you wouldnt use a bushog type on your lawn at home. It wont "nicely & finely" clip & mow your lawns grass. You would need to follow up with a "finishing mower". Ive cut 6-7ft tall weeds/grass with my Swisher, in the nastiest sections I can hear the motor lug down just slightly (& thats when you might occassionally hear the belt slippage) so I'll slow to a crawl & ease through such sections but the rest of the time in regular 2-4ft sections of pasture/fenceline I can motor on in 2nd & even 3rd gear with satisfactory results.

Good luck!
HL

270sniper

Try to find a Yamaha Tero Pro. The ATV comes with different attachments like a finish mower, brush hog, and tiller.

Mojotex

I suggest that you buy as heavy a duty pull behind "rough cutting" mower as you can afford.

Several years ago I hunted with a group of guys on a relatively small area. We had about 3 acres total of food plot and maybe 2.5 miles of woods road that we mowed with a Swisher brand rough cut mower. I forget what size the cutter was ... I am thinking 48 inches ??? We cut only one time a year ... just prior to planting. Weeds and growth in the fields was usually fairly thick, 3'-4' tall max and often had a few saplings. Some black berry briars as well. Nothing larger than maybe 3/4". The Swisher cut great.

The only issue we had was on one of the woods trails .... it had a section about 200 yards long of rather steep side hill lie. At times the pull behind tended to slide "downhill". We cured this with a home-made chain harness that helped keep the deck directly behind the ATV.

This machine was not cheap .... was not mine. I think that the guy tha bpght it paid about $2500. It was essentially a light duty bush-hog, with the swing arm blades. Not sure what it was rated to cut, but anything above maybe 1 1/2" soft wood saplings such as pines and gums .... I think would have been pushing it.

Coastal Mountaineer

I bought a Swisher 44" rough Cut Trailcutter Commercial Pro with a 14.5hp Kawasaki engine early last year. I tow it with a 2007 JD Gator 620i. Bought it from Home Depot and had it delivered to my house.

I'm very pleased with it's performance. It'll handle just about anything I can drive my Gator over except for heart pine stumps that I don't notice. Then the engine stalls out but restarts right away.

I can adjust height up to 7" which is just about perfect to mow my clover plots. It is hard to adjust but once you get the hang of leveling front and rear of mower, it does get easier. It cuts trails with ease through the thick underbrush and small trees which grow up within the pine tree rows on our tree farm lease.

The only problem I've had is when I forgot the control box was attached to the bed of my gator and drove away from it after un-hitching the mower. Damaged several electrical wires and the cable that engages the blades. My mechanic buddy had me up and running in a few hours.

wanderer08

Mine Swisher 44" is about 5 years old and I am still cutting with the original belt. I mostly use mine to maintain trails - atv and walking trails - by cutting them once a year. I have used it to clear a couple overgrown areas for food plots though, still you can say I use mine pretty lightly compared to Coastal Mountaineer). So far so good. No leakages or incidents.

bchanfcb1987

Garden tractors are versatile pieces of equipment. It can do a slew of jobs as mowing, tilling, lawn rolling, lamppost hole digging, and many other jobs. These jobs are possible through power take off spindle. This makes lawn tractors as the gardener's best friend.

bchanfcb1987

For a lawn that is more than 1/2 acre with multiple objects a zero turn mower would be a good choice. The time taken to mow your lawn can be cut in half with a zero turn mower as these mowers are more efficient. The excellent maneuverability allows you to easily mow around all size objects without having to back up and turn repeatedly. The rear wheels are used for both power and steering and operate independently so one wheel can reverse while the other wheel rotates forward allowing zero to 360 degree turns.