Thinking of purchasing a Skid mounted rotary mower, any opinions?

[tmc31]

I am considering purchasing a rotary mower to attach to my skid steer. I have watched the videos and looked at some specs, I would appreciate opinions from any of you that have experience with this attachment. I have a side business doing mowing/shredding and brush control. There places that I just don't want to take my tractor/shredder because of the chance of destroying the tires. I have turned down a few jobs in the past few weeks because of this. My skid is a NH L190 with an enclosed cab. If I do this I will most likely be foaming my tires. My NH dealer told me that he was expecting a Rhino SM72 to come in on trade with in the next month or so. Has anybody got one of these? I saw a 72" Wildkat Brush Cutter on the web that has the blades exposed on the front. Looks like a good idea for the rough areas. Tim

 

[skidsteer.ca]

I would skip the foam tires in favor of steel tracks to protect your tires and add mobility.
If your 190 is hi flow and you purchase a hi flow attachment you will have more power to keep the attachment from stalling the blade rotation.
If yours is standard flow you have more limitted hp to run the cutter, @ 25 or 30 hydraulic hp.
For that reason these cutter are not as good a s a tractor for mowing heavy grass in open fields, a tractor wins hands down here because all of its engine can go to the mower.
How ever in close quarters, even with less power a skidsteer begins to win in manueverability and by mowing without running the brush over first.
The open front design is the most efficent for conserving hp, unfortunately most open front cutters are high flow. Not sure why this is as the open front helps discharge grass and conserves blade momentum and hp. The only downside is it throws more debris. I have had it chuck stuff out the front and bounce back off a tree and hit the machine. Stay 200 ft away from anything breakable.
That mower is a direct drive (no gear box) design which I like. The only thing that stands out is the 10ga deck thickness is only .135" material. I have a converted tractor mower that is .125 and it gets dented up pretty bad. A .250" deck is the norm for these comecial grade skidsteer and you have plenty of machine to lift it.
If you can take a look at one of these someplace
http://virnigmfg.com/index.php?page...category_id=4&option=com_virtuemart&Itemid=69
They have a massive blade spindle and 1/4" construction, also float and tilt available and front and rear roller options.
In the mean time here is a vid of my LS 160 running my converted pto mower on 15.5 gpm at 2600 psi, you can here it stall the blades at times, but it will still do quite a bit of damage for a std flow machine/attachment.
http://www.youtube.com/my_videos_edit?ns=1&feature=vm-privacy&video_id=i0eWNpMYFYk
I have a 72" virnig cutter now as well, but have not had the time to video it in action. Also it is a big load even on the Bobcat 185, where this lighter cutter works well with the Ls160
Ken

 

[tmc31]

I would skip the foam tires in favor of steel tracks to protect your tires and add mobility.
If your 190 is hi flow and you purchase a hi flow attachment you will have more power to keep the attachment from stalling the blade rotation.
If yours is standard flow you have more limitted hp to run the cutter, @ 25 or 30 hydraulic hp.
For that reason these cutter are not as good a s a tractor for mowing heavy grass in open fields, a tractor wins hands down here because all of its engine can go to the mower.
How ever in close quarters, even with less power a skidsteer begins to win in manueverability and by mowing without running the brush over first.
The open front design is the most efficent for conserving hp, unfortunately most open front cutters are high flow. Not sure why this is as the open front helps discharge grass and conserves blade momentum and hp. The only downside is it throws more debris. I have had it chuck stuff out the front and bounce back off a tree and hit the machine. Stay 200 ft away from anything breakable.
That mower is a direct drive (no gear box) design which I like. The only thing that stands out is the 10ga deck thickness is only .135" material. I have a converted tractor mower that is .125 and it gets dented up pretty bad. A .250" deck is the norm for these comecial grade skidsteer and you have plenty of machine to lift it.
If you can take a look at one of these someplace
http://virnigmfg.com/index.php?page=shop.product_details&flypage=flypage.tpl&product_id=20&category_id=4&option=com_virtuemart&Itemid=69
They have a massive blade spindle and 1/4" construction, also float and tilt available and front and rear roller options.
In the mean time here is a vid of my LS 160 running my converted pto mower on 15.5 gpm at 2600 psi, you can here it stall the blades at times, but it will still do quite a bit of damage for a std flow machine/attachment.
http://www.youtube.com/my_videos_edit?ns=1&feature=vm-privacy&video_id=i0eWNpMYFYk
I have a 72" virnig cutter now as well, but have not had the time to video it in action. Also it is a big load even on the Bobcat 185, where this lighter cutter works well with the Ls160
Ken

The reason for foaming the tires is to prevent stubble from poking up through the tracks and puncturing the tires. I have a set of Mclaren tracks for my L170 and have had trouble with this problem before. I have not ever used one of these cutters before but it seems to me that they would tend to leave quite a bit of short sharp stubble. I could be wrong about the tire foaming, wouldn't be the first time My Skid does not have hi-flow, the spec says 21gpm 3000psi max. The Virnig cutter looks great, very stout. I am very impressed by the industrial model. I am intrigued by your home made cutter. Unfortunately I was not able to view your video. youtube (google) was trying to force me to open an account with them and I would rather not. I have an old 5' busy bee cutter that might be a candidate for conversion to skid loader use. What are the specs for the motor that you used? Do you have any pictures that you could post? I called my local rental place this afternoon to see if they have one I could rent as I have a small brush clearing job to do. It's just a small area with grass and only light brush but it is kind of tight to maneuver in. It will give me a chance to see if I really want to purchase one of these. The rental is about $100/day. Thanks for your thoughts. Tim

 

[Bobcatdan]

The reason for foaming the tires is to prevent stubble from poking up through the tracks and puncturing the tires. I have a set of Mclaren tracks for my L170 and have had trouble with this problem before. I have not ever used one of these cutters before but it seems to me that they would tend to leave quite a bit of short sharp stubble. I could be wrong about the tire foaming, wouldn't be the first time My Skid does not have hi-flow, the spec says 21gpm 3000psi max. The Virnig cutter looks great, very stout. I am very impressed by the industrial model. I am intrigued by your home made cutter. Unfortunately I was not able to view your video. youtube (google) was trying to force me to open an account with them and I would rather not. I have an old 5' busy bee cutter that might be a candidate for conversion to skid loader use. What are the specs for the motor that you used? Do you have any pictures that you could post? I called my local rental place this afternoon to see if they have one I could rent as I have a small brush clearing job to do. It's just a small area with grass and only light brush but it is kind of tight to maneuver in. It will give me a chance to see if I really want to purchase one of these. The rental is about $100/day. Thanks for your thoughts. Tim

I do not feel hi flow is nessasry for a brush cutter. Hi flow equal speed, not power. The feed rate would be faster, but what you can cut should be the same. One feature I would look for is a pressure gauge. On a bobcat brushcat, there is a gauge you can see from the cab that gives you an operating range to work with and will woan you when you are apporching a stall. After saying all that, if you do have a hi flow machine, buy the hi flow attachment.

 

[skidsteer.ca]

I do not feel hi flow is nessasry for a brush cutter. Hi flow equal speed, not power. The feed rate would be faster, but what you can cut should be the same. One feature I would look for is a pressure gauge. On a bobcat brushcat, there is a gauge you can see from the cab that gives you an operating range to work with and will woan you when you are apporching a stall. After saying all that, if you do have a hi flow machine, buy the hi flow attachment.

The home one works ok and parts are cheap for it. The problem is it has needed a lot of reinforcing. I inherited it with my first skid, to bad they did not start with something more then the cheapest 60" king cutter. There are some pictures and info in a thread here someplace.
I used a 6.2 ci charlynn motor but you would need to go up one or two sizes in CI to get 540 rpm with 21 gpm flow.
On the high flow I agree to a point Dan, but the motor should be resized, to give you more torque if you have more pump flow and that helps reduce stalling.
Here is a link to some pics of mine and more discussion on the topic.
http://www.skidsteerforum.com/DesktopDefault.aspx?tabid=54&frmView=ShowPost&PostID=27183
The virnig one is extremly stout where the spindle is fastened to the more deck and the blade carrier is mounted like a wheel on a hub with a ring of bolts. As well as the deck being heavy.
I have had stuff penetrate the side of my home made one 1/8" deck and it is severly dented on the LF and RR corners.
The open front one is sweet looking to but is for high flow (If I remember correctly) and in 10k instead of 5 to 6k
You should consider registering with U tube, there are other home build ones on there.
The bigest thing most people miss is you need a cross over relief valve or bypass loop in the hoses because the valve for your front couplers in not a motor spool valve (which connects the supply and return together in the neutral position, no good for cylinders like a grapple but what a motor likes) and when you shut the flow off to the cutter it forces the cutter to stop instantly and could easily break a large number of things.
As for tires peharps I have been luck but have never punctured one. The tracks plus tracks are better for mowing though because they have a much less open shoe and cover the tire more.
The bad things about foam is it adds weight ( alway muddy where I mow it seems) and if you get a large stick inside the track it won't give like a air filled tire does. A rental customer broke the part that holds the axel on to the side of the frame on my 160 with foam tires, not mowing though, rock inside the tracks..
Might be better if the tires goes boom, but on the other hand less likely to happen with the owner in the seat.
Ken

 

[tmc31]

The home one works ok and parts are cheap for it. The problem is it has needed a lot of reinforcing. I inherited it with my first skid, to bad they did not start with something more then the cheapest 60" king cutter. There are some pictures and info in a thread here someplace.
I used a 6.2 ci charlynn motor but you would need to go up one or two sizes in CI to get 540 rpm with 21 gpm flow.
On the high flow I agree to a point Dan, but the motor should be resized, to give you more torque if you have more pump flow and that helps reduce stalling.
Here is a link to some pics of mine and more discussion on the topic.
http://www.skidsteerforum.com/DesktopDefault.aspx?tabid=54&frmView=ShowPost&PostID=27183
The virnig one is extremly stout where the spindle is fastened to the more deck and the blade carrier is mounted like a wheel on a hub with a ring of bolts. As well as the deck being heavy.
I have had stuff penetrate the side of my home made one 1/8" deck and it is severly dented on the LF and RR corners.
The open front one is sweet looking to but is for high flow (If I remember correctly) and in 10k instead of 5 to 6k
You should consider registering with U tube, there are other home build ones on there.
The bigest thing most people miss is you need a cross over relief valve or bypass loop in the hoses because the valve for your front couplers in not a motor spool valve (which connects the supply and return together in the neutral position, no good for cylinders like a grapple but what a motor likes) and when you shut the flow off to the cutter it forces the cutter to stop instantly and could easily break a large number of things.
As for tires peharps I have been luck but have never punctured one. The tracks plus tracks are better for mowing though because they have a much less open shoe and cover the tire more.
The bad things about foam is it adds weight ( alway muddy where I mow it seems) and if you get a large stick inside the track it won't give like a air filled tire does. A rental customer broke the part that holds the axel on to the side of the frame on my 160 with foam tires, not mowing though, rock inside the tracks..
Might be better if the tires goes boom, but on the other hand less likely to happen with the owner in the seat.
Ken

Hey Guys, I rented a Rhino SM60 from my local equipment rental stores yesterday. This was mostly for a test, but I also had some paying work to do with it. I mounted it on the front of my NH L190 (low flow). I mowed about 2 acres at home that hadn't been mowed for a year. This machine was awesome. It took me a while to figure out how to get the best cut so the yard looked a little ragged but not too bad. The mower was excellent for getting under and around trees, I got underbrush that hadn't been cut in years. Then I took it over to my customers place. He had about 300' of drainage ditch that I was afraid to try with my tractor and shredder. I am not sure if this is more of a testament to the skid loader or the mower but the combination handled the slopes with ease. Overall I was pleased with the outcome. I think a wider mower would work better with my skid loader and I am intrigued by the cutters that are open front with part of the blade exposed. The open front cutters seem to be heavier built and would cut heavier brush. They are manufactured as low flow and as hi flow machines. Now I have to determine if there is a market for this type of work in my area or if I could develop a market here. My rental guy said he had had the machine for about a year and that it had only been out twice before I rented it. At $123.00/day including tax and LDW it is a toss up as to weather it it better to rent or own. All the best, Tim

 

[Bobcatdan]

Hey Guys, I rented a Rhino SM60 from my local equipment rental stores yesterday. This was mostly for a test, but I also had some paying work to do with it. I mounted it on the front of my NH L190 (low flow). I mowed about 2 acres at home that hadn't been mowed for a year. This machine was awesome. It took me a while to figure out how to get the best cut so the yard looked a little ragged but not too bad. The mower was excellent for getting under and around trees, I got underbrush that hadn't been cut in years. Then I took it over to my customers place. He had about 300' of drainage ditch that I was afraid to try with my tractor and shredder. I am not sure if this is more of a testament to the skid loader or the mower but the combination handled the slopes with ease. Overall I was pleased with the outcome. I think a wider mower would work better with my skid loader and I am intrigued by the cutters that are open front with part of the blade exposed. The open front cutters seem to be heavier built and would cut heavier brush. They are manufactured as low flow and as hi flow machines. Now I have to determine if there is a market for this type of work in my area or if I could develop a market here. My rental guy said he had had the machine for about a year and that it had only been out twice before I rented it. At $123.00/day including tax and LDW it is a toss up as to weather it it better to rent or own. All the best, Tim

I'm in Wisconsin and our brushcat is a very popular rental. I think if you have a good market for landclearing, it would would pay for itself pretty quick. When you shop for a cutter, find one rated for your hyd flow and you will be fine.