4' or 5' bush hog

E

easttnrhino

New member
I have a mahindra 20 horse 4wd (not hyd trans) with a front end loader and have been very pleased with it i pull a 6ft blade behind it very regular. i am needing a bush hog and cannot make up my mind if a 5ft would be to big for the tractor to pull. any thoughts? Thanks
 
Is this 20hp at the PTO or a 20hp tractor? I'm leaning towards the 4 footer for your setup. I have a 5 footer on my 30hp Kubota (25 PTO hp) and I sure would not go any bigger on mine.
 
You might find a dealer that would let you try the 5' hog. Not having seen your tractor or the bush hogs you are considering .... I'll stick with my guess that you will be better served with a 4 footer.

Another thought ..I have a 54" box blade that is perfect for my tractor. 5' was to big and 4' seemed small. Maybe they make 54" bush hogs also. If so that might be the perfect fit for your setup.
 
I would try the 5' and see how it goes. IF you don't have to work it hard then the wider cut is a real convenience. This would mean setting it very high for the first cut of the season, minimal brush, minimal slopes to climb while loading it down cutting.

I bought the 4' rotary mower for my elderly 20 pto hp tractor. It is a good match except when mowing uphill on slopes, where I can't maintain 7th gear because the mower is sucking so much of the hp.

This year I mowed the entire 9 acre orchard with the 4' mower behind my smaller, 15 pto hp tractor. (also elderly, 25+ years old). It did fine except for even more sensitivity to uphill grades like in the photo. This was one of the few spots where I had to stop and shift to low range instead of rolling along smoothly shifting among the three speeds in high range. Also note the high cut at this spot, 4 to 6 inches. I had raised the mower slightly when I made the previous pass down that grade and got into that very dense patch of weeds.

If I were doing it again I might buy the 5' version and go slower. But my use is simply cutting weeds. For heavier cutting, I wouldn't exceed 4 ft.

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It's not just about the HP, it's also about the weight of the mower. You have a loader that helps with your ballasting, but a 5ft maybe too heavy and make the tractor unstable.
You would be surprised how much difference 1 foot will make.
 
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