how fast bushhoging-stupid question

I know how fast you can run your bushhog has a lot to do with the lay of the land. I have a 3000 ford diesel and a 5 foot bushhog. I can run pretty fast with it, it's all I've ever used. Last fall I bought a big tractor and a 10 foot 3pt hitch bushhog. The old lady says I made better time on the 5 footer. I might have been taking it slow with the bigger one, first time I used it. How fast can you run with a big tractor and hog? It seems to me that I should be able to go about the same speed with either tractor. Anyway, I said it was a stupid question. Reason I'm asking is I am either going to trade off the 10 footer for an 8 footer or keep what I have. Bushhoging is a chore I do not care for anyway. Want to get it done and do something else.

I use a 14ft bush hog on a 100 hp moline and probaly go around 15mph. Somethin like 4 acres an hour somebody told me. It also runs off of a 1000 rpm shaft if it makes a difference. Hope this helps. Steiger

(quoted from post at 16:54:55 01/26/10) I use a 14ft bush hog on a 100 hp moline and probaly go around 15mph. Somethin like 4 acres an hour somebody told me. It also runs off of a 1000 rpm shaft if it makes a difference. Hope this helps. Steiger

Click to expand...

15mph? In the field while actually using a rotary mower? You must have one of those super duper, easy ride, full flotation, air ride seats.

I hope I dont step on your toes:sorry
I do a lot of bush hogging my self and very seldom do I get out of 2nd I no that sounds stupid but I want to be able to slow it down in a hurry if I have to.
You never know whats out there, WHAT WAS NOT THERE 3 WEEKS AGO MIGHT BE THERE TODAY.
Have a good one:
JR.Frye

Dapends a lot on the stuff you"re cutting. I use mine on grassy hayland. Move fairly slow to get a good cut, overlap quite a bit to get wheel tracks, and am cutting pretty low. Unfortunately, you loose a lot of the product (hay) cutting this way. I pnly do this on parcels I can"t get thru with a conventional mower. (Sure are lusting after a drum mower!)

WOW Steiger, that"s really fast.

not enough info, what you are cutting and the terrain

As far as the mathmetical part of it,the distance of travel of the blades at a given RPM vs the speed that you are moving forward somehow would determine the speed at which you would overrun the blades. I'm no mathmetician so I don't know how you'd figure it. The Deere dealer told me one time though that with a disc mower type of a mower conditioner,given the length of the knife,diameter of the drum and speed of rotation,you would have to run 22 MPH to overrun the knives. So simple answer,whatever the power,field conditions and quality of the cut will allow since you're not likely gonna go fast enough to overrun them on the brushhog.

For me it depends on whether its a familiar field or not and what it USED to be. When I do old cattle pastures it seems the faster I go the harder it is to stay in the seat. Otherwise I try to keep it at a brisk working speed with a good neat cut. I try to do either high 1st or 2nd but 2nd is rare. I use a farmall 706 and 10 foot single wing batwing mower. Works good. When I do little places I'll use an ih 484 and 6 foot 3 pt. With the 706 I can do the same places in 1/2 the time or less. Most places I go to the first time haven't been mowed in 10+ years. Those are usually pretty slow days with a lot of discovery. But when I go back in a month or two its always much much faster since the 12' tall saplings aren't there anymore and its mostly just grass growing up.

Everyone has a different opinion,but,what I remember when selling a disc,we told the operator between 4.5-5.5 mph.You will get the penetration you have set the disc at,and the field will be much more level.

Try letting the mower down in wet CRP.How in the blue blazes do you run road gear mowing pasture ground.Heck,Ive got 135 hp on 14 ft mower and topping crp ground off 8-10 inches high running 8-10 mph is all thats really possible without tearing something up and to do a GOOD job

Wow, that's actually more than 25+ acres an hour.

My tractor won't go 15 MPH with nothing tied to it.

Theoretically, if the larger tractor and rotary cutter, are a good match to each other, meaning it will cut the same material as the Ford 3000, just wider, hard to figure with the extra width why you are not making better time in the same conditions, realizing that field conditions will vary.

Beyond that, it is very important to make sure that cutter is set up properly, blades are sharp etc. it does make quite a difference, I've seen instances where you could use a higher gear, just due to that, pays to set it up properly and keep those blades new, sharpened and balanced.

The way I see it, and that is the one implement I've run since was 10-11 years old, in all kinds of grass, brush, overgrown hay grasses etc., the field conditions will dictate speed, because you'll know based on what the cut looks like and or how the tractor is running, lugged down/sloppy cut or breezing through it/good cut, so most times you'll know whether your speed is in the ballpark. The other factor is the cut height, mostly so in tall/thick grasses and heavier like brush, better to keep those rpms up and take less of a cut, so much less abuse on the cutter and the tractor. You really have to adjust to the conditions to get an efficient cut, yes you can go a little too slow and over shred things, keeping the rpms up, to slow of a speed, whereas you are overdoing it, wasting fuel. I think a lot of it is common sense as well as the things I mentioned, both will help get the results you want. If that size cutter ( width ) is borderline or about all the tractor can handle,, this may slow you down, as you don't have the HP and or torque curve you really need, that being the case, you definitely want to consider a little less width, unless the material you are cutting with the wider one is not tall thick grasses etc. you can get away with it sometimes, but will take more passes, either at one time or increasing the cuts you make on a given field vs letting it get tall and having the tractor with a cutter that will deal with heavier work, without dropping speed, maybe I made this appear more complicated, but hopefully more help than not, I still enjoy the heck out of running mine, boy my neighbors 15 footer and 100 + HP tractor, sure makes short work of anything we need to deal with in this area, it will handle most material to the point your ground speed is just too excessive to ride on, though the mower will take it, the operator not so much, talk about going from one extreme, mine is same as your 3000 Ford, then jump on his, unreal.

It doesn't do the best job but gets it done fast. 4th high at full throtle should be close to 15 mph. Possibly a little less. A molines top speed is around 20 mph in 5th high , but we also have taller tires on the rear. Scary as heck mowing un till you get use to it, this summer i'll have to maeasure distance vs time at the end to find the true speed. I'll post back then. I could very well have my numbers wrong and not realize it.

I mow some commercial propertys that have to look good 4 to 5 mph is tops. Pull a cx 15 Deere figure 1.5 acres per hour per mph,4mph = 6 aph comes out close size & shape of area make a little difference

As fast as it gives you a good cut and youre comfortable...

Slower for slopes and rocky ground and the like...

15 mph x 14 ft wide is gonna figure out around 20 acres per hour...........

I'll have to check that this summer also. See just how much i was told is right and fix anything i may have said. Thanks guys for showing me this mistake . I'll look into it. Steiger

15 mph I call BS ,or you have been smoking something you just chopped ,that speed would beat you the tractor and mower to bits in no time flat

I did pecan orchard for years with 70 HP and 8 foot cutter. With sharp blades, I did the best job at about 3.5 to 4.5 MPH. Perfectly level ground...I wouldn't want to go much faster. At 6 MPH I always felt it didn't look as good.

Many bush-hogging incidents,injuries and deaths are speed related.
Somebody gets launched off the seat by an unseen bump or hole. They cling to the fender,seat or three point hitch screaming. Until they either wrap around the pto shaft. or get sucked under the mower deck.
Or the tractor tips sideways, same result.

That is more around 17 acres per hour...genius. Unless you missed a key and meant 5 mph.
I have a 180 hp tractor and I cut hay with a new JD 14.5 ft discbine and I cut at around 10 mph and it shaves it right down. On a good straight field that is really smooth I have got it up to 15 mph for a few seconds. Still does the same great job but its not safe to go that fast.

Especially Ford Ns right? Most of them propelled into the precipice by their lack of Lpto

I know what you mean. While roading into town with mine I have had bicycle riders pass me. lol

It doesn't help when the operator pushes the clutch and the tractor continues on. Worn brakes just make it worse.

"Scary as heck" and you continue to go that fast? That's just plain dumb! A serious accident just waiting to happen. Around 6 mph is about the top speed for a smooth flat field. Slower and more careful is way better than fast and careless. Dave