Better Than A Brush Hog? Speed Vs Cut Quality

Field testing a zero turn vs a brush hog in a 2ft tall field

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[bwillan]

For the tractor and brush hog, you could adjust your turning technique. Instead of doing the 180 degree turn to get the next row beside where you just cut, turn such then you move over 4 to 5 widths of your brush hog and drive back, and then do the same turn. Essentially, you would be turning in big circles. This is how the large farm tractors mow a field with a bigger cutter.

[bigbuck]

Zero turn not made for field cutting, I cut 4 acres at farm, and when done looks like I cut it with lawn mower. I also don't let it get that tall . Show me a zero turn that will run over a fence post and spit it out in pieces and keep going. Boils down to right tool for right job

[bryanbutler]

I had the same issue.. I went and bought HIGHLIFT blades for the zero turn made a big difference on the quality of cut in the thick stuff..

[jimmccullough]

Nice comparison. I use a tractor with finish mower on most of our 12 acres, I use the circle method as others mentioned so don't do a lot of backing. I start at the outside and use the NASCAR model, drive, turn left, drive, turn left, drive, turn left, and repeat.

[TheLuke]

Was glad to see this video as I recently pulled the trigger on a Husqavarna zero turn for our homestead of 30 acres, but only about 1/3 is pasture and lawn around the house...the rest is all woods. I had agonized over forking out the dough for a tractor and then mowing with that but I ultimately decided that if I paid someone to brush hog the pastures in the fall and then I stayed on top of them this spring I could get close to something that resembled meadow fields vs. straight up jungle by summer.

So far, so good and I am happy with the speed and cutting performance of the zero turn. One thing I did not account for is how much lower to the ground the zero turn is and I busted a cast iron spindle on a low-lying locust stump I have always driven right over in my old lawn tractor. The dealer said "it's impossible to break one of these spindles"...so I brought mine in and he said "yeah, that's busted."

Husqavarna covered it on warranty, I was impressed.

I'm going to mow with the zero turn for the foreseeable future and, once I have the cash saved, probably go with a Kioti CK2610 for working in the woods and property maintenance.

[CliffsideStables]

When I bush hog I don’t turn around at the end of each row; instead I just turn and mow the next side until I’m back to the start. This cuts the length and width on each pass.

[great]

I have been mowing my 8AC with a 60” Toro Titan.

You are correct about grass height. Anything above 8” I will have to slow down drastically. Fuel consumption climbs rapidly.

When mowing thigh height… I have to creep along… do a triple pass… and burn about 10gal of gas for one 3.5AC pasture. It will look like a golf course at that point.

That is great for a yard but horrible for a pasture grass management.

I recently got an old John Deere 870 with 72” brush hog. I set the blade to cut at 8” tall. Did a pasture at thigh height… and it took about 1/4 of the amount of time…. And the gas gauge didn’t budge hardly!!!

That direct injected, liquid cooled, Diesel engine, turning blades at a much slower speed much higher off of the ground… was so much more efficient.

AND my grass is already thanking me by continuing to grow and not get shocked into dormancy.

Which is important. Also, shorter grass has more sugar in it… which is horrible for horse.

[place]

The tractor probably rides better and better on fuel

[tkimball]

A couple weeks ago I used my zero turn to mow down our fields. It’s a 50” cut cub cadet. I mowed around 18-20 acres and it did good. Grass was about 1.5 feet tall. I did it all in two days. I mowed longer the second day and did notice and the very end with 3-4 passes left that the hydraulics we’re getting sluggish because of the heat. Had the deck set at 4” high. Wasn’t the best way to do it but it worked well. Fields look fantastic now.

[nunyabizness]

We have a Toro Zero Turn (not sure what specs, sorry), and it takes me just over two hours to mow 2.24 acres. My husband could do it faster, but he's reckless. :) I love my Toro.

[nealtubbs]

The tractor did a much better job mowing and would be much more comfortable to drive. Luckily for me I don't need to worry about a few seconds. :)

[jamesh]

So now you just gotta cut the front lip of the deck on the zero turn with an angle grinder and you’ll be golden!

[BAMFWOODS]

Do you believe the time savings is worth the beat down the body gets in zero turn. Would it even be considered?

[tanneradams]

Would be interesting to see if the traditional way of bush hogging would be faster than both. Like leaving strips so you don’t have to back up. I think it’s called grid mowing. That way the tractor stays moving forward the entire time

[sharkman]

Adam you generated a good discussion on this subject. I have a friend who has a "large" yard (2-3 acres) and he got many comments on how to mow it. He got anything from zero turn to tractor with belly mower, to a brush hog. Currently he pays someone to do it. He is a new homeowner and chose not to lay out an investment yet for equipment.

[ochohd]

Both are heat machines but the other factor would be fuel consumption. I’m assuming the zero turn is gasoline.

[garybenedict]

Adam what is the difference in fuel consumption?

[wardvanderberg]

I agree that "the right tool for the job" is the deciding factor. Having both available would seem to be ideal. I think the tractor looked more comfortable than the zero turn. jThat would save wear and tear on your body. Plus a loop pattern with the tractor would save a bit of time.

[weaverkevin]

I still don't understand why people cut grass 2times I was always taught to blow the grass away from you. It's harder on the mower cutting it twice.

[piercem]

Great comparison I literally was debating the Kioti and a Ztr on 3.5 acre section I will be mowing. This helped tremendously.