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Best way to mow 20 acres

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Steve

08-11-2002 20:39:59

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I have 20 acres I mow for a company once a year. Last year I used a new holland 30 hp tractor and a 5 ft woods rotary mower cutter I rented. until I can buy my own rig This is about the best I can do. It took me 14 hours, by the proofmeter, to cut. the acreage is almost totally tall grass, I was thinking a 7 ft sickle bar would work since the land used to be mowed as a lawn. Ideally I want a batwing mower or a rig with a side and rear mounted flail mower. Any tips on speeding up my time so I'm donee thrhin under 8 hours would be helpful. My ground speed is almost roadgear because all but 3 acres is real flat and smooth.Those 3 acres are litter with poorly backfilled trenches. thanks

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Jim Ct

08-14-2002 06:20:59

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Re: Best way to mow 20 acres in reply to Steve, 08-11-2002 20:39:59

Steve don't get hung up on having a stand of alfafa.There is almost no such thing as bad hay if made right and not rained on.-even then proprerly dried the cows will eat it.You may not get the highest qulity or volume but mowing will help think of your lawn.Theres work involved no matter what you do but if possible grazing and eltric fence each season then no winter chores and no summer baling problems.

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G Taylor

08-13-2002 20:05:55

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Re: Best way to mow 20 acres in reply to Steve, 08-11-2002 20:39:59

While it has little to do with the mower, please do the mowing after the wild turkeys have hatched and left the nest.

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Jay

08-14-2002 09:00:36

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Re: Re: Best way to mow 20 acres in reply to G Taylor, 08-13-2002 20:05:55

That is if you like to have the wild turkeys around. My State is doing well with protecting them and building the herd, but that doesn't help me keep them from eating the bejesus out of my corn just as the seedlings emerge. People in the area think I have the worse corn planter in the state. They are always asking me why my planter skips so bad in the field, when really it's the turkeys that pull the seedlings and eat them.

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Punchie

08-15-2002 05:52:31

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Re: Re: Re: Best way to mow 20 acres in reply to Jay, 08-14-2002 09:00:36

HI Jay

I've have read some where that , if you plant oats with your corn that, the crows will not eat as much?? May work for turkeys? Plant at last disking ( broadcast and than disk) at a low rate to the arce, but you have to be able to till they away after corn is up. From what I read it is to make it harder for they to focus on the corn. I have to but electric around any thing I plant for deer, turkeys, rabbits coons, and anything else that thinks I'm not to get any harvest for me, LOL.

Feed them may work too.

I had a crow dust about 10 years ago that worked too well. Black bird dust.

Good Luck!!

Punchie

[email protected] If you have any ideas.

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Jay

08-15-2002 08:03:09

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Re: Re: Re: Re: Best way to mow 20 acres in reply to Punchie , 08-15-2002 05:52:31

I really doubt that the oats will germinate with the herbaside that I use. It seems to do very well with killing everything but the corn. I've never heard anything about burd dust. That's a new one on me.

Jay

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Punchie

08-15-2002 05:26:01

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Re: Re: Re: Best way to mow 20 acres in reply to Jay, 08-14-2002 09:00:36

HI Jay

Feed them may work too.

I had a crow dust about 10 years ago that worked too well. Black bird dust.

Good Luck!!

Punchie

[email protected] If you have any ideas.

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Punchie

08-12-2002 18:30:31

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Re: Best way to mow 20 acres in reply to Steve, 08-11-2002 20:39:59

HI Steve

IF the field is clean no junk etc, in it . You can try a sickle mower, maybe a hay-binder. But I would say at 30 HP and 14 hours you did OK. I cut about 100- 150 acres/year with a brushhog. Average in grass is about 2 acre/hour. Using Allis Chalmers WD, 5 foot woods brushhog. If brush, as slow as 1/2 arce / hour. I have to do a good job, no tops up in the air, or too much bent over. Good clean job 3"-4" high.

Cost for me in Equipment to start: 1,200 for a WD & 400- 500 for a brushhog. Shearbins, gas, blades, oil, and tires average per acre is about 10.00 my cost. So tink about it sickle and binder you can spend a lot of time in fixing them (down time is low with a brushhog).

Good Luck!!

Punchie

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DANMAN

08-12-2002 08:52:38

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Re: Best way to mow 20 acres in reply to Steve, 08-11-2002 20:39:59

I use a 5' bushog with my 8n...cant beat it and it will cut briars and blackberries whereas a sickle wont

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Jay

08-12-2002 07:55:24

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Re: Best way to mow 20 acres in reply to Steve, 08-11-2002 20:39:59

This may be a stupid reply, but why not find someone willing to cut it for hay? Then it'll get done atleast twice if not 3x and will generate some income as well. That's my $.02 worth.

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steve

08-13-2002 19:19:53

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Re: Re: Best way to mow 20 acres in reply to Jay, 08-12-2002 07:55:24

The 20 acres in question is an AM radio statiuon with (4) 222' towers and 18 guy wires per tower.So Haying is probably out of the Question.

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bill

08-13-2002 12:31:56

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Re: Re: Best way to mow 20 acres in reply to Jay, 08-12-2002 07:55:24

Depends where you are. My wife's family has maybe 10 acres in upstate NY and can't get someone to hay it for free.

Last year I rented a small Kubota and a 4' rotary. Took 12 hourse to cut. This year I plan to rent something bigger and get that down to 6 hours.

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Richard

08-12-2002 14:59:49

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Re: Re: Best way to mow 20 acres in reply to Jay, 08-12-2002 07:55:24

I agree, I work with a custom hay outfit, and most of our customers have 20 to 50 acres they want cut. Especially if its once a year.

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Richard

08-12-2002 14:59:20

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Re: Re: Best way to mow 20 acres in reply to Jay, 08-12-2002 07:55:24

I agree, I work with a custom hay outfit, and most of our customers have 20 to 50 acres they want cut. Especially if its once a year.

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PHILIP

08-12-2002 07:35:59

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Re: Best way to mow 20 acres in reply to Steve, 08-11-2002 20:39:59

10 COWS AND 20 GOATS.

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Davidj

08-12-2002 06:16:48

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Re: Best way to mow 20 acres in reply to Steve, 08-11-2002 20:39:59

Try a flail mower. I have a 6' that I use with an FE 35 Fergie and works well for finish work. A little slow in tall stuff as you have to cut twice, once about a foot off the ground and then next to the ground. I'd only get a flail if you were going to cut regularly like you would your lawn.

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Davidj

08-12-2002 06:16:30

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Re: Best way to mow 20 acres in reply to Steve, 08-11-2002 20:39:59

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RayP

08-12-2002 06:04:14

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Re: Best way to mow 20 acres in reply to Steve, 08-11-2002 20:39:59

I have the same problem, except it's about 70 acres of old hayland, that I don't want to loose to weeds and trees. Have mowed it with everything from a garden tractor with pull behind deck to a pair of brush hogs, to sickle bar mower. Each has advantages. The sickle bar probably does the nicest job in tall stuff, as mower decks and hogs tend to lay down and slide over the taller stuff. Sickle bars have the problem of clogging especially in short or dense short grass. In other words, you have to choose your weapon. Look very closely at what you need to do, and go from there... If it is nice and clean, a "finish mower" on a small to medium tractor would probobly do your best job. If it's tall grasses, Sickle bar would be the choice, otherwise choose the hog. Be aware that a sickle bar will require more maintenance, greasing, sharpening and replacing blases and guides than the others. Are you prepared to tinker?

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Confused

08-12-2002 14:15:03

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Re: Re: Best way to mow 20 acres in reply to RayP, 08-12-2002 06:04:14

Am I the only one that see a HUGE waste in mowing a 70 acre field simply to keep the weeds and brush out? Why not have it made for hay? That way you would accomlish your goal to keep out weeds and you would get some money too.

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David Berger

08-13-2002 15:11:32

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Re: Re: Re: Best way to mow 20 acres in reply to Confused, 08-12-2002 14:15:03

No you are not the only one.you gotta be able to make somethin on 70 ACRES of GOOD GROUND.haha it really dont cost that much eithe rto get a good haysetup goin.man where is this 70 acres at?

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RayP

08-12-2002 17:23:45

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Re: Re: Re: Best way to mow 20 acres in reply to Confused, 08-12-2002 14:15:03

Dear confused,

Farm was in pretty good hayland when my father retired in the early '70s. We had a farmer who raised beef harvest the hay for a number of years until health issues and declining quality of the seeding caused an end to that partnership. (Believe me, my family and I miss the beef we got in payment!) I have not the money to properly refurbish the seedings, and my "economy" attempts have not been very successful. I have managed to acquire (borrow) some broken down equipment this year, and my son, wife and I harvested about 15 acres of first cutting, this summer. Will come in handy for the sheep and llamas that my wife got this spring. Much of the rest is not best quality for feed at this point. Needs to be put in rotation of several years of row crops, plenty of fertilizer, al lots of TLC, before it becomes productive again. On one field last year, I disked, (several times,) plowed (once,) and disked again a couple times, then planted alfalfa by broadcasting. Got a wonderful crop of what the locals call Russian Clover (shepherd's purse.)
Mowing is my feeble attempt to try to keep weeds somewhat under control, and not loose what little seeding I have to weeds and brush. My budget for this is extremely tight. Farmers interested in farming my place to my specifications are not knocking at the door! They all want a fast crop, at minimum investment, leave the soil poorer than they found it, and vamoose! - Ray

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Jay

08-13-2002 10:47:04

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Re: Re: Re: Re: Best way to mow 20 acres in reply to RayP, 08-12-2002 17:23:45

I wouldn't start right off with alfalfa if I were you. I don't really see the need to plant row crops for a few years either. Plenty of fields around here have been reclaimed by dragging a railroad tie or something behind a disk then crack seeding timothy. Seems like after doing that once or twice you would have something worth cutting hay from. I'm no expert, so if anyone has other ideas for this kind fella, please speak up.

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David Berger

08-16-2002 11:21:01

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Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Best way to mow 20 acres in reply to Jay, 08-13-2002 10:47:04

If you just wanted grass hay id brushog it a few times then when it grows back it should be ready.my neighbors fields got clover and a little
timothy in them naturally.we didnt even have to seed it.

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Jay

08-16-2002 21:23:11

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Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Best way to mow 20 acres in reply to David Berger, 08-16-2002 11:21:01

I agree with the only exception being we tend to have acid soil here in the North East ( CT ), so putting down 2 tons of lime per acre helps me a whole lot. Sometimes I sweare that they put clover seed in with the lime. When ever I lime, the clover comes in like I seeded it. Funny thing how Mother Nature works.

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David Berger

08-18-2002 12:22:41

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Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Best way to mow 20 acres in reply to Jay, 08-16-2002 21:23:11

Yep.That might be why our hay is so thin it hasnt been fertilized in like 4 years except for the casual manure that gets put on it.I imagine that it could use some lime.were getting 300 bales out of 3 acres but its only one cutting
that we get each year.Do you know how many square bales/acre were supposed to get,on ohio ground?
thanks

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jon.

08-16-2002 20:09:46

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Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Best way to mow 20 acres in reply to David Berger, 08-16-2002 11:21:01

DO NOT PLOW I baled 4800 sq bales and 275 big rnd most from free ground. I own 35 acres that is mostly pasture for cattle. by mowing at different dates, frost seeding and spinning on a little fert. or lime as needed you can bring back some really nasty brush piles into hay.

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mdm

08-12-2002 04:56:48

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Re: Best way to mow 20 acres in reply to Steve, 08-11-2002 20:39:59

I could not justify buying equipment to mow 20 acres once a year. When you consider purchace price, operational expences, repairs, and storage I would think you would be better off continuing to rent or hire someone to do it for you.

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JMS/MN

08-11-2002 22:35:25

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Re: Best way to mow 20 acres in reply to Steve, 08-11-2002 20:39:59

A 7 foot sickle mower should do about three acres per hour.

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jon

08-11-2002 21:03:52

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Re: Best way to mow 20 acres in reply to Steve, 08-11-2002 20:39:59

Steve, a lot of guys (and myself) tend to mow pastures with our haybines, 9 foot cut, and they"re already hooked up to the tractor! old bar machines with the rubber conditioning rolls shot are cheap at sales around here, people tend to buy them for a couple hundred dollars just for the wobble boxes,(spare parts) I've got a disc machine that eats four ft tall multi-flora roses like second cut clover but disc machines are horsepower pigs and expensive to buy even used.

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jon

08-11-2002 21:03:38

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Re: Best way to mow 20 acres in reply to Steve, 08-11-2002 20:39:59

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