tripper225
Member
This is a great group of people here. Your posts from the archives and the answers today are so helpful. Thank you for being there for all of us newbies.
I am looking at a number of rotary cutters to match up to my '55 ford 850 tractor. I believe there is several considerations for the match up:
1. PTO HP. Don't overload the machine. It appears that many 6 ft. cutters will be okay for the 39 HP that this tractor produces at the pto shaft, if it still does??
2. Weight of the cutter compared to the tractor lift capacity. The tractor spec is 1200 lbs. at the lift arms, if the tractor can still heft that. It appears that a 800 lb. cutter may be okay. Some of the heavy duty 6 ft. cutters are considerably heavier than 800 lbs. I have 240 lbs. of wheel weights on the front and I can put the snow plow on the front for additional weight so the tractor will be balanced for steering control with a heavy cutter. With this much front weight will a 1000 lb. cutter be prudent?
The rear tires 14.9 x 28 are loaded with calcium (approximately 35 gallons) for traction and there is 200 lbs. of iron weights attached to the inside of the each rear rim. This should mitigate the rollover tendency, as long as I don't get stupid, on side hills.
Like I wrote earlier I am a newbie, and my feeling is that heavier cutters that are treated with proper maintenance will outlast a lighter cutter. I don't mind paying for a heavier duty machine as long as my decision accomplishes the following:
1 Safety first
2 Doesn't wear out this old tractor
3 Provides good cutting performance
4 Provides reliability that justifies the investment in the cutter.
There is a lot to wade through for this decision, probably more than I have mentioned. Please comment.
Thank you in advance for your feedback.
Jim
I am looking at a number of rotary cutters to match up to my '55 ford 850 tractor. I believe there is several considerations for the match up:
1. PTO HP. Don't overload the machine. It appears that many 6 ft. cutters will be okay for the 39 HP that this tractor produces at the pto shaft, if it still does??
2. Weight of the cutter compared to the tractor lift capacity. The tractor spec is 1200 lbs. at the lift arms, if the tractor can still heft that. It appears that a 800 lb. cutter may be okay. Some of the heavy duty 6 ft. cutters are considerably heavier than 800 lbs. I have 240 lbs. of wheel weights on the front and I can put the snow plow on the front for additional weight so the tractor will be balanced for steering control with a heavy cutter. With this much front weight will a 1000 lb. cutter be prudent?
The rear tires 14.9 x 28 are loaded with calcium (approximately 35 gallons) for traction and there is 200 lbs. of iron weights attached to the inside of the each rear rim. This should mitigate the rollover tendency, as long as I don't get stupid, on side hills.
Like I wrote earlier I am a newbie, and my feeling is that heavier cutters that are treated with proper maintenance will outlast a lighter cutter. I don't mind paying for a heavier duty machine as long as my decision accomplishes the following:
1 Safety first
2 Doesn't wear out this old tractor
3 Provides good cutting performance
4 Provides reliability that justifies the investment in the cutter.
There is a lot to wade through for this decision, probably more than I have mentioned. Please comment.
Thank you in advance for your feedback.
Jim