Anyone use a Wheelhorse in very tall thick grass?

[ebinmaine 67,422]

My local Jill of all trades/BBT  has mentioned a couple different times about using some sort of equipment to keep the really heavy tall grass out in the area around the Frog Pond and Garden down to a minimum this year.

 

This is a particularly rough area to drive around on. As we find rocks or sticks we relocate them but that will be a constant for the next several years at least if not forever.

There are dry areas, swampy places which will be addressed, highs and lows, etc. 

 

 

 

I have a couple of old thin somewhat rotted mowing decks from tractors we've picked up over the years. 42 or 48. SD 

 

Given a set of blades I didn't care about would one of those be usable as a very rough surface mower at very slow speeds?

 

 

What do I need to think about or consider or prepare myself for?

 

 

 

[ri702bill 8,316]

Perhaps a cut and recut process. First pass is a crawl in low-low with the deck raised and WOT. Look over the terrain prior to second cut to remove obstructions. Second cut is with the deck lowered - but - set to a tall cut. Start on the left so as to rechop the clippings on progressive passes.... AND watch out for SD projectiles!! 

Edited March 28 by ri702bill

[ebinmaine 67,422]

Just now, ri702bill said:

Perhaps a cut and recut process. First pass is a crawl in low-low with the deck raised and WOT. Look over the terrain prior to second cut to remove obstructions. Second cut is with the deck lowered - but - set to a tall cut. Start on the left so as to rechop the clippings on progressive passes.... AND watch out for SD projectiles!! 

 

 

This is kind of the procedure I was thinking about.

 

 

We could certainly make it so no one is around as far as projectiles but is it possible to put a downward pointed shield/deflector of some sort on the end of the deck or anything like that?

 

I've seen folks do this for rear discharge decks to keep some of the clippings off the transmission fins.....

[pfrederi 17,725]

I have a patch that used to be overgrown with some miultiflora rose and very tall (5-6') goldenrod and misc. weeds.  Used a bush hog a couple falls ago then in the next spring used my front mount with a 42" SD.  Found a lot of rocks and surface roots but it is getting better.   3rd low is as fast as i dare go.  some is 1 low.

[peter lena 8,609]

@ebinmaine  like  3rd gear / low range , would also consider , dropping the deck , for a look see after word , to verify no wet grass moisture / coverage , packed in place , kill off the grunge ,  deck standing sunburn , will get deck hot / dry , opportunity , for a lubrication , rust killer , pete 

[buckeyes 213]

When I was a kid we would mow our front pasture (under half an acre) to keep it down so the steers could keep up with it (grazing). We would usually do it twice a summer. We used the C160 with a 48 inch side discharge deck in low range. I remember it taking a long time as a kid! I'm guessing our grass was 12-20 inches high, maybe a bit higher in places.

[SylvanLakeWH 25,535]

Yes...

Many times...

1st gear

No problem 

Sometimes reverse worked better, but didn't bog at all...

C-105 10 hp.

 

 

[lynnmor 7,305]

The Wheel Horse decks will not mow very high so you would mow in the highest position to avoid the rocks and other debris.  The deflector that came with the decks should be adequate for safety, trouble is that most are discarded.  If the weeds are going to be thick you will need sharp blades to keep the horsepower requirements down, so those rocks need to be removed for that reason as well.  Now would be a good time to treat the BBT to a nice new rake.

[Stepney 2,325]

Ground clearance will be your main issue.. and they really don't like working in anything over 8-12" high. Max working height of the deck still only gets you about 6" off the ground, and it's easy to wreck a spindle like that. Tried working my Raider in the new field when the 9n was down, far more tame situation than I remember your lower area being, and it sounded like a war zone as I constantly whacked into rocks.. I do wonder how some of your oversized tire machines may fare, but the deck may hit the oversized tread diameter before you even get that far. 
This is what the sickle mowers were best at, keep the machine 4-5' further out of a wet area, worst case you bust a knife.. but finding a SMS to use is another problem. 
I had a Jari 26" walking sickle bar mower we used for many years. It would cut anything from grass to a 1" sapling and not blink an eye, go right through mud or rocks. If you could find one of those it's a really safe alternative compared to a rotary mower. 

Edited March 28 by Stepney

[rick 233]

I have a DR All Terrain Mower for that kind of work.

[ebinmaine 67,422]

5 minutes ago, rick said:

I have a DR All Terrain Mower for that kind of work.

 

We've looked at those. I agree that would be more ideal. We would rather not spend the several hundred dollars or more.

It would be nice to use a machine we have on hand if possible but the investment might be a necessity. 

[kpinnc 12,005]

None of the Wheel Horse decks do great in deep grass. There just isn't enough adjustment in the cut height. I agree with @ri702bill, first pass with the deck lifted. The cut quality will not be good until you cut with it back down.

 

I also agree with @buckeyes, a 48 is your best bet. Use it with 14 or more horsepower. Mow slow!

 

The old 701 decks may actually be best suited best for deep stuff, with the open front. The grass gets cut before it's bent down. Just not sure how well 7 or 8 hp would handle it...

 

 

[DoctorHfuhruhurr 137]

I sickle bar mowers are handy for around ponds especially those with a slope and rocks like what you describe but they shake a lot on the smaller garden tractors. .  

Edited March 28 by DoctorHfuhruhurr

[pfrederi 17,725]

The front mount mower does better as the grass is not pressed down by the tractors front wheels.

 

 

[Lee1977 6,656]

If you have the HP and stall the deck you have about 3 seconds to get the PTO out of gear before it destroys the belts.

[davem1111 2,030]

22 minutes ago, pfrederi said:

The front mount mower does better as the grass is not pressed down by the tractors front wheels.

 

 

 

Is this just a frame that can be bought to mount an existing deck on, or is it custom-made?  I could use one of those....

[ebinmaine 67,422]

1 hour ago, kpinnc said:

cut quality

Quality is no issue. 

Only shorter green stuff. 

 

1 hour ago, kpinnc said:

48 is your best bet. Use it with 14 or more horsepower. Mow slow

 

My thought for this year was to use the very elevated Cinnamon Horse C160 to get the tall grass into submission. 

 

But.... as pointed out by @Stepney above .. The large diameter front tires might be a clearance problem for the deck shell.  

 

 

[ebinmaine 67,422]

3 minutes ago, davem1111 said:

 

Is this just a frame that can be bought to mount an existing deck on, or is it custom-made?  I could use one of those....

 

It's a Wheelhorse Implement. 

Not super common from what I understand.  

 

I'm thinking I'd be interested in having one here.  

[CCW 1,293]

One solution might be to mount the decks on some larger diameter wheels to raise the cut level that is either towed or mounted on the front.  Just spit balling here and not sure if this is practical solution.  

[lynnmor 7,305]

32 minutes ago, ebinmaine said:

 

It's a Wheelhorse Implement. 

Not super common from what I understand.  

 

I'm thinking I'd be interested in having one here.  

A_Z Tractor has one on a 312 for sale on eBay.  It's only money.

[ronwh 186]

Eric, I have a 417A with a 48" SD deck, 18" tires on front of tractor and 8" wheels on back of deck.  With this setup, I can get mower blades 5 1/2" off the ground. With the automatic transmission, I can run WOT and creep through grass taller than the hood on the tractor. Sharp blades help a lot. 

[ebinmaine 67,422]

1 minute ago, ronwh said:

Eric, I have a 417A with a 48" SD deck, 18" tires on front of tractor and 8" wheels on back of deck.  With this setup, I can get mower blades 5 1/2" off the ground. With the automatic transmission, I can run WOT and creep through grass taller than the hood on the tractor. Sharp blades help a lot. 

 

My C160-8 has 22" tires right now but I could pop 18s on it. 

[ebinmaine 67,422]

16 minutes ago, lynnmor said:

A_Z Tractor has one on a 312 for sale on eBay.  It's only money.

 

Have I ever mentioned how much of a cheapskate Trina is?

[ronwh 186]

22" tires should get you a couple more inches of ground clearance, which would be great. I like automatics for this type of work, because you can control your ground speed.  

[elcamino/wheelhorse 9,297]

I always like the 8 speeds , the low ratio will keep you from getting stuck . Low reverse is great for moving heavy weight tractor with fat *** operator. I have a low spot in the yard that is always damp ( yard in that area drops 1inch a foot ( about 2 1/2 inches of water on it now) . Saturday 310-8 will sling water and grass in 1st low without a problem.