Finish mower or topper?

M

Mith

Active member
I'm inbetween a bit of a rock and a hard place deciding between a finish mower and a topper (bush hog).
I'd like to mow decent grass down low, but I've also got some tall stuff to tackle at some point (picture).
Clearly, I can only afford one implement. Second hand is almost out, it all seems to be trashed or too small. Looking at 5 or 6 foot.
Undecided between getting a FM and taking it easy though the long stuff, or getting a topper and putting up with a 2nd rate cut on short grass. The other benefit of the FM is that its less bulky. Price difference is pretty negligible ($150).
The only other thing is that I dont have a live PTO, and the finishing mower would seem to be a bit easier to spin up, maybe a bit easier on the clutch?

I suppose the 3rd option is a flail, but they are quite a bit more expensive, and I hear they tend to bind up in long weeds.
Any thoughts?

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Jim,
I've used my finish mower on some limited stuff like that. If I take it slow, it will do it. I get better results by backing into it at that height.
 
Mith, I bought a KingKutter finish mower from Tractor Supply. They are good mowers for grass but don't do well in high weeds or grass. While it will cut the high stuff, you have to go very slow and. Also, for an old man like me, the belts are very difficult to install.

If you go the finish mower route, make sure you get a heady duty one that has a wide belt (the belt on mine is similar to what you will find on a car engine).

Bob
 
Jim, my BIL has a Kioti finish mower..5' model. It does very well in tall stuff & has a large belt...looks like 3/4" wide. I look at it like this...the finish mower "can" do both tall stuff (albeit slower) and nice low finish cut. The topper as you call it will only do a rough cut. I'd go with the FM, then maybe later when money allows, get the topper too.
 
I've known folks who went the other route - they got the topper (or shredder, or brush hog) and sharpened the blades to finish mower spec with pretty good results on the short stuff, it just meant having to clean up the blades more often when mowing the rough stuff.

good luck!
 
Thanks for the replies guys.

That really tall stuff is just round the edge of the fields, it encroaches about 20' in. I suppose I could keep going round and round taking 2' wide slices out it every time. I cant really go slow with the tractor, 1st gear is still walking pace.
I'm quite attracted to the topper though, I just know I'm going to find a pile of fence posts or something and trash a FM.
Do you think with a topper I could just blast straight into it? Backing in and out of it isnt really an option.

I drove the 4x4 around the fenceline (when I took the picture) to find all the junk (and find the fence). Found piles of posts, old gates, branches, rabbit holes. (Sadly no old farm machinery, that was what I was hoping for). I reckon its all cleared now, but you always find something with a mower.
I've been looking at the middle of the road quality ones new. I might just have to look harder at second hand ones and get both.

I did mow my lawn once with a topper, I was distinctly unimpressed with the finish, but that is like using a sword as a butter knife I suppose.
 
I want to agree with Erik- because you say are not sure about finding a pile of posts or something, and a large repair bill with it. Sharp blades, while not as smooth as finished cut, will still be decent, and the mower is tough enough to take the beating if/when you do find a post. And in a couple days, (during growing season anyway), the grass will grow enough to look better. On the other hand, if you would really rather have finished cut, like ya say a small strip first time around you should see most stuff before ya hit it.
Good luck!
 
After the mention of trash & crap, I'd have to back up & change my vote to the bush hog. Finish mowers would be torn up quick by the junk.
 
I reckon I've found all the junk now, as I say, I drove all over the weeds to find what was in there. I pulled out half ton or so of scrap, and the same of wood. The bulk of the fields were cut for hay last summer so I know its clear.
Most of it looks like the following picture.
I'm really starting to lean towards the topper, knock all the junk down and keep it shortish until I can get a FM.

I'm also starting to wish I had bought a tractor with high/low and a live PTO. Maybe there will be some next spring cheap if more farms/businesses go under. Ford 3000 or something, be great with a 7/8' FM on it.

Cheers guys

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Mith, I have a 5' Bush hog brand finish mower. I have cut grass/weeds higher then that. I hold the mower about 6" off the ground for the 1st pass and then lower it for the second. I have changed the blades and I have gator blades on it. I know I have cut saplings 1 1/2".
Only thing it wouldn't cut was a cast iron water meter box-----LOL

The pic attached is my lawn now. When I started it was 6' of overgrown pasture. I cut it all with the finish mower.

The other pic is after the encounter with the water meter.
 

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My RFM (rear finish mower) is also a brush hog brand. Very sturdy / tough. It does a good job. But the issue might be more how often do you plan to mow this area? If you can mow it weekly during the growing season a finish mower will be perfect for you. If not you'll wish you had the brush hog. A finish mower will leave the ground looking much prettier for sure. But if you have a brush hog you can mow it once a month and still have it looking okay. I aways like the look of a field after brush hogging but compared to a yard done with a finish mower, the yard looks 1000 times better.
From the picture the terrain looks like it might be a little rough for a finish mower.

I'm surprised at the price difference for a brush hog vs a finish mower. My finish mower cost over 1000 dollars more than the brush hog. The brush hog was 675 while the fiinish mower was 1800 dollars. If I had wanted the belly mower it would have been even more, around 2500 bucks.

Will you have front hydrolics to control the height while you are mowing?
 
I would rough cut it with the factory grind on the brush hog axes then take a fine grit belt sander to the axes to hone them sharp and use that to keep it looking good.
 
The other thing that helped with the cut quality of the brush hog was to use check chains and let the top link float. Not the safest but the mower followed the contours of the ground much better.

Keep your eye out for a Flail. I found mine for $800 and it runs great after some TLC.
 
Cheers guys.

A little twist to the story, I was out at the farm over christmas and the long weeds in the pictures have been topped. Dont know who did it, possibly the farmer next door. So that reduces the need to cut long stuff, and I know for sure there isnt any junk in there now.
However, it is awfully bumpy, darn rabbits are a bit active.
I'm starting to favour the topper, put a pair of tail wheels on it, possibly some front wheels. I cant help but think that if I get the FM I'll thrash the hell out of it.



Haffast, I'm glad to hear from you, I was a bit unsure as to whether a FM would work well with the tractor. Presumably there are no worries with the PTO shaft hitting the front of the deck when the mower is lifted? I know the tractors like our have very low PTO shafts.

Doc, I guess the answer to how often I will cut would be 'when it needs it'. I'll probably cut a few inches growth off it. It'll probably have cows in some of the time. The idea with the FM is that I'd be able to cut nicer grass too.
I'll link to the 2 mowers I have been looking at. They are at the lower end of the price scale, but the qulity is good for the price. As you can see, there is about $100 between the 2 now, and the FM is a foot wider. If only there were toppers for $675 (£400) here, buy a new one every time I wanted to change the height! :D

PB, I've heard that flials tend to wrap grass around the rotor in long grass, is that not true?
 
Mith said:
PB, I've heard that flials tend to wrap grass around the rotor in long grass, is that not true?
Click to expand...

I suspect it depends on the type of grass and your blades. I have had some fencing wire wrapped around the drum :hide: but not much grass. Everything get's chopped up pretty good.

I have "finish cut" blades on mine and I don't let the grass get that high (usually) but it has chugged through 2-3 foot stuff with no problem.
 
I've followed this thread with interest so I'll give you my 2 cents worth. I have no experience with a flail mower, it would seem to a good compromise though, but I'd get a bush hog. Don't get me wrong, I've cut pasture with a RFM but let's just say that it struggled. It's slow and tedious and if you like your machinery, it'll hurt to abuse it. Besides, it's expensive to buy and repair. The finishing mower has no slip clutch or shear pins so even when you are only cutting a couple of feet at a time the belts can slip and smoke and drag the engine down because you are only loading up one side of the mower. I've also on occasion cut parts of the yard with a bush hog. If the blades are sharp it does a "reasonable" job.

If I was going to cut that pasture on a regular basis, I wouldn't trash a finishing mower by using it in there. Now if you were going to cut it every week or two after the initial cutting, that might be different but I think I'd still go with the bush hog.
 
Well said Frank. You said it better than I. I agree with your assessment. Brush hog / Rotary cutter is the way to go. :thumb:
 
Bush hog can give a great finished cut!!

I cut this field once every 3 weeks!
 

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