Mower advice - bush hog or finish mower?

With the finish mower I think I would have to mow fairly often or the grass might get too high for it.

With a bush hog I think I could mow two or three times a year, spend a lot less time mowing, and still keep the place looking reasonable.

About how long would it take me to mow 5 acres with a 5 ft. bush hog given that there are almost no trees?

Any advice would be appreciated. I have been reading up on this but don't have any direct experience (other than hours on a small riding mower).

I have a BushHog ATH 720 ( 6� ) finishing mower on my JD 52 A and a BushHog FTH 720 ( 6� ) finishing mower on my favorite wife�s JD 48 A. Once you convince your wife and/or girlfriend how much fun you have mowing it cuts �your� time in half.

The finishing mowers require more maintenance. I replaced both belts this past weekend at $60 each. I also grease all 3 pulleys, all 4 caster wheels, and both U joints on each before mowing. I use a boom pole to lift each mower to sharpen the blades before mowing. The finishing mower will give you a clean cut and �mulch� the clippings. If you mow early in the Spring it will help eliminate some of the weeds from going to seed.

I have used my Corsicana 5� rotary mower on my JD 55 #70 Diesel. It requires less maintenance. I park it on the inclined entrance to my shop and sharpen both blades. I also grease the tail wheel and U joints before mowing. It is used for the �heavier� mowing in the bottom pastures in thicker grass and down in the woods. In an open field it will either cut or knock down the grass/weeds. There will be uncut grass left over. There will be a build-up and it will kill the grass underneath. I will not let my favorite wife use the rotary mower.

Glenster has a good idea that has worked well for both me and my neighbor for the last 3 years. My neighbor is allowed to cut and bale hay on several of my pastures. In return he cuts and bales on my �hay� meadow for my favorite wife�s horses. He benefits from the hay for his cows and I don�t have to mow these pastures. I do mow around the fence lines and trees using either the rotary mower, finishing mower, or my JD #5 sickle mower.

I use my JD #5 sickle mower to mow around the tree line of the pasture and under trees as pictured above.

It should take about 3 or 4 hours to mow your acreage depending on the horsepower of your tractor, speed of your tractor, width of the mower, sharpness of cutting blades, and height of the grass.

Hope this helps.