what size do i need to handle 6 foot or larger cutting deck to mow 50 acres of fields, i have both john deere and bobcat dealers within 60 miles. tried out toolcat with 90 inch deck, loved it but just too expensive to buy just to do mowing. also not sure if i need wheels or tracks, but i do think i'll like to use skid steer vs tractor . looking for used one to pay no more than 25k for it and mowing deck thanks
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skidsteer.ca
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Anything with 16 gpm and 2500 psi or higher will run a 6' rough cut mower. If your really seris a high flow machine (more volume and pressure the better). I'm sure a tractor could do it quicker, but if you really want a skidsteer. As for running a finishing mower look for the same specs or higher then the tool cat, but you will have some turf damage where you turn. Also it had better be fairly solid ground unless your thinking track loader, because a skid has most all its weight sitting on the back 2 tires and tends to make ruts.
Ken
siduramaxde
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I'm not sure if you are rough cutting or finish mowing but to mow 50 acres with a skid would be painfully slow. I own a lawn and landscape business and I could not imagine mowing 50 acres with my T200. I have an account that is 12 acres and it takes me 4 hours to finish mow with a 72" zero turn mower, and this is when conditions are perfect. My zero turn moves about twice as fast as the Bobcat so I would imagine that 50 acres would take about 40-50 hours to mow in a skid.
TriHonu
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Most Bobcats are rated at 7 mph. If you could mow at 6 mph and the mower is 6 feet wide:
6 mph = 6 x 5280 ft per mile = 31,680 feet in 1 hour.
6 foot wide mower x 31,680 = 190,080 sq ft mowed in 1 hour.
1 acre is 43,560 sq feet x 50 acres = 2,178,000 sq ft to be mowed
2,178,000 sq ft divided by 190,080 sq ft per hour = 11.46 hours (assuming you can maintain 6 mph.)
So 50 acres with a 6 ft wide mower making perfect cuts with no overlap we get:
6 mph = 11.46 hours
5 mph = 13.75 hours
4 mph = 17.19 hours
3 mph = 22.92 hours
2 mph = 34.38 hours
1 mph = 68.75 hours
Notes:
Add 10% to mowing time for overlapping cuts and turns.
Average walking speed is 3-4 mph.
The fastest commercial mowers are mowing about 12 mph.
Tractor sickle mowers rated max speed is 5-10 mph depending upon manufacturer.
I mow 1 acre in an hour with a 36" commercial walk behind with many trees and shrubs to maneuver around. Which means I am averaging 3 mph.
I would suggest talking to a dealer and renting a 2 speed loader and mowing for a day. Most dealers will apply the loader rental toward purchase. $200 to get a real world answer maybe the cheapest money you spend on this project. Mowing Cost per Acre will be the next big question...
If cost is a major issue, a used farm tractor and sickle mower will be much cheaper to purchase than a skid loader and mower.
My 2 cents.
siduramaxde
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I know all the math says you could do 50 acres in 11.5 hours but this is not realistic. I've been doing this for a long time and I think if you got 50 acres done in 23 hours you'd be doing good. I know lots of farmers in my area that run 350 hp tractors with 30+' implements and they are doing good to cover 120 acres in 12 hours.
My Buddy recently purchased 12 acres. I was advising him to get a utility tractor with a 3 point mower. He decided on a zero turn mower instead. Man! I've mowed his property with both the tractor and now his new mower. If all you are interested in is mowing, those Bad Boy zero turns with a 6' deck at about 12 mph is great. It is unreal how much area you can cover with one of those. His also has a perkins (Cat) diesel motor. I thought he was nuts. I admit I was wrong on that!
TriHonu
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SIDURAMAXDE - I agree that 25 hours would be a realistic estimate.
I spoke to a couple of my friends who farm and they gave me their times and the equipment used. One uses a 9 foot sickle mower and the other a 12 foot haybine. Their times end up averaging 3 to 4 mph.
They both stated that you could end up mowing slower considering the ground conditions and amount and type of hay that must be cut. They both stated ground conditions will probably be the most limiting factor. Even with a large tractor, rough ground is just hard on the operator and equipment. They also cautioned that with a front mounted mower you may not have any warning before you hit rocks or gopher mounds. A tractor pulling a mower gives you a view of what you're about to mow before the mower gets there.
They both estimated that a Bobcat with a 6 foot mower would probably take at LEAST 2 LONG days to get the 50 acres mowed; assuming this was existing hay ground and not 50 acres of gnarly overgrowth.
