Go BottomHow can I size a mower
 | Kasey
Join Date: Posts: 1 
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2003-06-27 58425
I have a JD 955 that I use to knock down my pasture (about 8 acres) several times a year.
I use a JD 503 mower to do it now, but at 5 ft. at a shot, that is a lot of trips around the pasture.
I would like to get a bigger mower (not necessarily a green one) and wondered how I can determine what size mower I can use safely with this tractor.
Any help would be appreciated.
Thanks!
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 | DRankin
Join Date: Jan 2000 Posts: 5116 Northern Nevada 
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2003-06-27 58427
Most manufacturers rate their products into horsepower classes. How much power do you produce on the rear PTO on that model? ....
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| KaseyT
Join Date: Jul 2003 Posts: 7 Nebraska
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2003-06-27 58429
I don't have that with me, but I can look it up.
It is about 30hp.
So you are saying the mowers will have PTO HP ranges in the specs?
That should make it pretty easy.
Thanks! ....
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 | Murf
Join Date: Dec 1999 Posts: 7249 Toronto Area, Ontario, Canada
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2003-06-27 58432
Kasey, as Mark stated the cutters themselves are rated as to the horsepower range they recommend, however, this does NOT take into account the load you will put on them, this is why it is a range. Smaller tractors can run a bigger mower on lighter tasks but you run a very real risk to your equipment trying to do heavy work with an implement that is too big for you unit.
As a rule of thumb you need about 5-6 hp per foot of cutter for average work, as the cutting gets heavier the horsepower required goes up exponentially.
I have seen 25 pto hp units running 7' cutters for years with no problems, but not for any heavy work. Likewise, I have seen 40 pto hp units running 5' bush-hogs where the pto clutch was completely gone in 24 hrs cutting time.
If you're trying to cut fairly heavy grass I wouldn't recommend anything bigger than a 5' bush-hog for your machine.
Best of luck. ....
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 | Art White
Join Date: Jan 2000 Posts: 6898 Waterville New York
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2003-06-28 58463
Your grasses that you are mowing will make the most difference as Murf stated. With ther hydro you can get thru most anything but for the width you will be decreaseing your ground speed. You have to remember that when using a brush-hog style the wider the deeper or further back from the tractor you will be. That could also cause problems. One of my favorite mowers is the 84T by Bush-hog that is a twim spindle 84" that even has an offst built into it which makes it nice for fence trimming and isn't any sdeeper then a 48" mower so you can get by with less front weight to counter balance. ....
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| melensdad
Join Date: Jul 2003 Posts: 90 Northwest Indiana, near Lowell and 8 miles from Beecher, Illinois
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2003-07-10 59278
Assume 5hp for every foot of blade for typical mowing. If you keep it short and mow when it is dry, you can get by with 3-to-4hp/foot. But if it gets tall and or wet then you need 6-to-7hp per foot of blade. If your tractor is 30hp, then a 6' deck is about right. You could go 7, but don't let the grass get too tall or mow when wet. ....
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| Jelliott
Join Date: Jul 2003 Posts: 58 North Georgia
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2003-07-11 59351
Kasey,
Are you looking for a rotary cutter (bush hog), or a finish mower? I have a 287 (7') bushhog rotary cutter that I use to knock down 3 - 4 ft. grass in my pasture a couple times a year. My 50pto hp tractor handles this pretty easily, but I cannot imagine trying to use this cutter in high grass with my 30 hp B7800 Kubota. Sounds to me like you are close to the limit with your 5' cutter. ....
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