Better Than A Brush Hog? Speed Vs Cut Quality

[@bwillan]

For the tractor and brush hog, you could adjust your turning technique. Instead of doing the 180 degree turn to get the next row beside where you just cut, turn such then you move over 4 to 5 widths of your brush hog and drive back, and then do the same turn. Essentially, you would be turning in big circles. This is how the large farm tractors mow a field with a bigger cutter.

[@Deutschehordenelite]

Agree, like farmers do it. Turning 180 is fine for a zero turn, but there are more efficient ways for the compact tractor.

[@chrisjudge31]

I call it Zamboni style . Really the answer is right tool for right situation.

[@dothagedm]

Was thinking the same thing. Of course a ZT Mower would be quicker going down and back. This test was an apples to oranges comparison.

[@markknister6272]

Zamboni turns, wind-row, and bale.

[@buttonmonkey6845]

That’s the way to do it, quicker and easier on the tractor but no good for a “striped” finish. Horses for courses.

[@jimmccullough1051]

Nice comparison. I use a tractor with finish mower on most of our 12 acres, I use the circle method as others mentioned so don't do a lot of backing. I start at the outside and use the NASCAR model, drive, turn left, drive, turn left, drive, turn left, and repeat.

[@bigbuck2720]

Zero turn not made for field cutting, I cut 4 acres at farm, and when done looks like I cut it with lawn mower. I also don't let it get that tall . Show me a zero turn that will run over a fence post and spit it out in pieces and keep going. Boils down to right tool for right job

[@bryanbutler1238]

I had the same issue.. I went and bought HIGHLIFT blades for the zero turn made a big difference on the quality of cut in the thick stuff..

[@TheLuke1184]

Was glad to see this video as I recently pulled the trigger on a Husqavarna zero turn for our homestead of 30 acres, but only about 1/3 is pasture and lawn around the house...the rest is all woods. I had agonized over forking out the dough for a tractor and then mowing with that but I ultimately decided that if I paid someone to brush hog the pastures in the fall and then I stayed on top of them this spring I could get close to something that resembled meadow fields vs. straight up jungle by summer. So far, so good and I am happy with the speed and cutting performance of the zero turn. One thing I did not account for is how much lower to the ground the zero turn is and I busted a cast iron spindle on a low-lying locust stump I have always driven right over in my old lawn tractor. The dealer said "it's impossible to break one of these spindles"...so I brought mine in and he said "yeah, that's busted." Husqavarna covered it on warranty, I was impressed. I'm going to mow with the zero turn for the foreseeable future and, once I have the cash saved, probably go with a Kioti CK2610 for working in the woods and property maintenance.

[@marcdipaolo5142]

I'm in the same situation...thanks for the very useful (to me) comment

[@great0789]

I have been mowing my 8AC with a 60” Toro Titan. You are correct about grass height. Anything above 8” I will have to slow down drastically. Fuel consumption climbs rapidly. When mowing thigh height… I have to creep along… do a triple pass… and burn about 10gal of gas for one 3.5AC pasture. It will look like a golf course at that point. That is great for a yard but horrible for a pasture grass management. I recently got an old John Deere 870 with 72” brush hog. I set the blade to cut at 8” tall. Did a pasture at thigh height… and it took about 1/4 of the amount of time…. And the gas gauge didn’t budge hardly!!! That direct injected, liquid cooled, Diesel engine, turning blades at a much slower speed much higher off of the ground… was so much more efficient. AND my grass is already thanking me by continuing to grow and not get shocked into dormancy. Which is important. Also, shorter grass has more sugar in it… which is horrible for horse.

[@tkimball861]

A couple weeks ago I used my zero turn to mow down our fields. It’s a 50” cut cub cadet. I mowed around 18-20 acres and it did good. Grass was about 1.5 feet tall. I did it all in two days. I mowed longer the second day and did notice and the very end with 3-4 passes left that the hydraulics we’re getting sluggish because of the heat. Had the deck set at 4” high. Wasn’t the best way to do it but it worked well. Fields look fantastic now.

[@buttonmonkey6845]

Sounds like an epic job, the brush hog would have been great for that, but hey you got to “run wot ya brung” 😄

[@TheLuke1184]

18 acres on a 50" zero-turn???....did you go attempt a moon landing in a Datsun after, just for kicks? That's impressive, hats off.

[@pamelamehl5668]

What hp? Model? Thanks!

[@CliffsideStables]

When I bush hog I don’t turn around at the end of each row; instead I just turn and mow the next side until I’m back to the start. This cuts the length and width on each pass.

[@nunyabizness3890]

We have a Toro Zero Turn (not sure what specs, sorry), and it takes me just over two hours to mow 2.24 acres. My husband could do it faster, but he's reckless. :) I love my Toro.

[@44place85]

The tractor probably rides better and better on fuel

[@medjoolmaker]

Yes, zero turn will be useless in winter. One tool many attachments on tractor. You should buy a finish grooming attachment for the tractor and retest. Not brush hog

[@sharkman8810]

Adam you generated a good discussion on this subject. I have a friend who has a "large" yard (2-3 acres) and he got many comments on how to mow it. He got anything from zero turn to tractor with belly mower, to a brush hog. Currently he pays someone to do it. He is a new homeowner and chose not to lay out an investment yet for equipment.

[@wardvanderberg1403]

I agree that "the right tool for the job" is the deciding factor. Having both available would seem to be ideal. I think the tractor looked more comfortable than the zero turn. jThat would save wear and tear on your body. Plus a loop pattern with the tractor would save a bit of time.

[@tanneradams20]

Would be interesting to see if the traditional way of bush hogging would be faster than both. Like leaving strips so you don’t have to back up. I think it’s called grid mowing. That way the tractor stays moving forward the entire time

[@mrkevinjmiller]

Circles. Cut the grass in circles rather than straight rows, even with a zero turn. They can be large circles starting at the outside edge and working in (technically a spiral), or interrupted row circles as has already been mentioned, but circles are more efficient than back-n-forth rows.

[@PurpleCollarLife]

Nice experiment. Love those lawn stripes in the upper lawn!

[@weaverkevin5462]

I still don't understand why people cut grass 2times I was always taught to blow the grass away from you. It's harder on the mower cutting it twice.

[@zackstump5425]

Same here

[@BAMFWOODS]

Do you believe the time savings is worth the beat down the body gets in zero turn. Would it even be considered?

[@richardpintor3888]

This is exacly what im trying to figure out . Thanks

[@piercem56]

Great comparison I literally was debating the Kioti and a Ztr on 3.5 acre section I will be mowing. This helped tremendously.

[@nealtubbs9608]

The tractor did a much better job mowing and would be much more comfortable to drive. Luckily for me I don't need to worry about a few seconds. :)

[@jamesh2215]

So now you just gotta cut the front lip of the deck on the zero turn with an angle grinder and you’ll be golden!

[@kipcudd7253]

72" or 84" rear discharge finish mower on the Kioti will cover a lot of ground and you might check out a 72" flail mower also if you can talk a dealer into it.

[@TacoCrisma]

That kioti is a 20-30 hp right? Think it could run that?

[@wendymorrison5803]

I grew up using the pto driven tractor brush hog. Cutting reed, bracken fern, brush. Tough, woody and stringy stuff. Can't imagine getting the result with anything other.

[@brianvanloocke572]

Comparing these two units for this job makes no sense at all. And that zero turn won't last long bouncing around in that field.

[@MrStubat]

And how much more fuel does the zero turn use, and how long is it going to last compared to the tractor.

[@07negative56]

Why not use livestock to mow instead? Chickens, turkeys, Kune Kune pigs, a few sheep. Freezer is full.

[@nunyabizness3890]

Dorper sheep

[@07negative56]

I’m a fan of the St. Croix breed. And to be really specific. They have to be from Greg Judy in Missouri. But I do agree that both our breed suggestions are solid. From a fiscal & time perspective. I hate. I repeat, I hate mowing. The cost in equipment and the time to said task. I’d rather move animals on a rotational grazing practice. Equipment costs so much. The maintenance, the initial purchase, the theft (which varies from place to place). I personally lean towards animals that will graduate to freezer camp. It’s all perspective & ones values for certain.

[@markm8188]

@@07negative56 why greg judy?

[@dennishutchins]

Some Kavli blades on the zero turn will get you a good first pass cut on the tall stuff. There are quite a few videos showing how well they work.

[@garybenedict8513]

Adam what is the difference in fuel consumption?

[@andrewwilliams4982]

Trouble with mowing up and back on long grass is it throws it back onto the uncut run which drains hp and effectively your cutting the grass twice !

[@grandpaslakehouse-homestea6113]

I want both of them and I don't even have enough property to even use them to mow.

[@SimonAmazingClarke]

If you could cut with the tractor in circles it would be, more or less, the same speed as the zero turn. Excellent examples and great video.

[@andykrew336]

I have a smooth yard and many acres of pasture. I use a 60" zero turn for the yard and to keep the field edges trimmed. I have a tractor and a 72" finish mower for the pastures. The tractor is just far more comfortable for riding over the bumps in a pasture. Zero-turns rarely have much of a suspension to them (except for the $$$$ ones) and they beat me up unless it's a smooth lawn.

[@jean-clementsallee729]

You have a really beautiful property...and also awesome drone'view ! But I have a question have you a project to these field of grass ? Planting trees to lumber, that made 50years but you are young...

[@ocho27hd]

Both are heat machines but the other factor would be fuel consumption. I’m assuming the zero turn is gasoline.

[@dougmcdonald5518]

Good stuff as always. Man you have a nice piece of property. Love the drone views. Have a great Memorial Day weekend !! Doug at North Star

[@toddamcewen3774]

Just a thought , "T" posts and barbed wire fence (5 stran). I know expensive initial out lay , but great resale and you can lease out pasture for a few months each year and recoup your investment in a few years.

[@Seedavis397]

I have a kioti ck4010 with a 6’ brush hog as well as a scag 61” commercial zero turn and the scag seems to cut faster but the brush hog is wider.....if it’s just grass and nothing major I would go with the zero turn for sure

[@wayupnort6271]

TREES Adam, plant that field to TREES you’re a wood man! 👍🏻👍🏻👍🏻

[@rushedscheduledfun3963]

Ask Ferris for a mower. Great suspension on them. That is the reason I purchased mine.

[@peterpanini7877]

We have really overgrown fields to clear. I'd like to get rid of an old ingersoll and get a zero turn but does it need to be brush cut before a zero turn can be used vs the brush mower?

[@DanKlein_1]

Neat comparison. I have used our zero turn from another manufacturer to do similar work. My comparison is not as equal as I have a JD 10' brush hog and a JD 75hp tractor. My time savings was the amount of time and effort it takes me to grease and hook up the brush hog to the tractor. I was surprised with your finish results though. Really expected the kioti tires to push down the grass and leave high spots. It did a nice job.

[@alan2112drums]

Would it be more efficient to cut the field like a Zamboni resurfaces an ice rink? No stopping and reduce the hard turns?

[@Zeke-yv3nw]

Looked like the tractor is a better ride on the rough ground. To save time on turns with the bush hog start on one side and when making your first turn go over about half way to come back. Good video!

[@xzavior21]

Seriously Googled this yesterday with lame results. Glad I'm subscribed!

[@WoolysWorld]

Great job , I'd be happy with either machine

[@HometownAcres]

Thanks Wooly!

[@crookedrowfarm6100]

This comparison is ok at best. Sure, most of us know that the zero turn will do the job quicker but the zero turn will not last very long doing so. The tractor is built to do jobs such as this and not built for speed.

[@olddawgdreaming5715]

Good luck with your tests.👍👍

[@elasgardenvegetables]

Interesting video. I have both machines as well and to see the time difference is not that great over rough terrain proves your point - two tools for two different jobs...I use my brush hog for my long passes on my property I only cut once a month and the zero turn for the general yard that I’m cutting weekly in the summer. One thing you didn’t mention was comfort doing the job...I can ride all day on my tractor with my brush hog vs the 2-3 hours bagging to get off my zero turn. That makes a big difference and the reason I have both

[@farmerbob728]

Thank you for your excellent video.. Alot of great information.

[@person86422]

I promise I'm not an expert so forgive me if I'm wrong and I definitely appreciate the video, but I don't quite understand your analysis. The zero turn would have to mow it twice to make it look as good as the brush hog, so isn't the brush hog faster? Or if you increased the tractor speed by 35%, the cut quality would look the same as the zero turn, but the tractor would have finished first. And lastly, it doesn't have to be striped, if you drive in a circular motion, the turn around time is not relevant. Very interesting comparison though.

[@Chris72401]

Your tail wheel should be further down towards the ground. Proper setup is about 2 inches lower in the front than the rear, that way the clippings will exit the rear of the cutter. So if you want to cut at 4", you should set the gap between the front of the skids and the ground around 3" and your tail wheels should be set where the rear of the mower exit is about 5" above the ground. Lower in the front, higher in the rear, regardless.

[@michaeljackson7361]

Which did best on fuel

[@S_and_S_Farms]

Go in a circle when you are brush hogging. It will save you lots of time.

[@johncu7007]

Problem: If you go in a “Circle”, then you will Never have that nice (Visually Beautiful) “Stripping” that you have, on most Professional looking lawns (but, if you don’t care about the “Look” [aesthetics wise] the CIRCLE AWAY 😂👍)

[@S_and_S_Farms]

@@johncu7007 I stated brush hogging. I’ve never heard of striping with a brush hog while cutting a 2ft-3ft tall field. 😂 Cutting the a lawn is a different story. Striping is a must for a great looking lawn.

[@robertmcdonnold3038]

@@johncu7007 in my opinion, striping isn't visually appealing. To me , the lawn doesn't look healthy. But, like I said, "in my opinion".

[@medjoolmaker]

@@johncu7007 better than 3 feet high of weeds lol

[@jimconnor8274]

I'm with you on mowing the rough with a finish mower. It'll turn into a nice lawn finish. I've found that a Woods RM or RD 90" rear finish mower will cut your time but give you a nice finish cut. There is only 3 spindles to turn with 2 lite 13" blades. They are a heavy mower deck. You would have to keep front end loader on for ballast. My New Holland TC33 D compact runs mine fine! I mow my 15 acres every 2-3 weeks. Do some research on these decks. They are rear discharge so there's no clumps.

[@sureflamefirewood4174]

How is your firewood stands doing?..

[@masonlynch1793]

When using the brush hog, mow in circles around the area that you are mowing. You never need to turn around and it saves wear on the machine from picking up the brush hog.

[@p.davidcarlson7789]

Love your comparison! I also mow a larger field with a 60” brush hog. I have found that the hog cuts nearly as well in reverse. So forward and back is much quicker and has reduced my time to mow every other week. Would love to have a demo zero turn. I think a 72” finish mower is my next attachment.

[@brianhillis3701]

My zero turn cuts better in reverse also. But I don't do that much just some spots with blade resistant vegetation.

[@theburnhams2925]

You may be disappointed with the "finish mower." It has all the disadvantages of the fully-enclosed deck of a zero-turn mower with none of the speed or operating convenience and simplicity of the 0-turn. It is true that the finish mower doesn't hang off the back of the tractor as far, making turning away from fences less troublesome. But the finish mower has three spindles to maintain PLUS (and this is a large "negative") a long/large highly-loaded (EXPENSIVE) vee-belt. One aspect which I haven't seen addressed is tip velocity of rotary blades. A 60" finish mower will have three 20" blades spinning at very high r.p.m. A 60" rotary 3-point brush mower has ONE turning at (540X1.4= 756r.p.m.) meaning the finish mower blades would have to turn OVER 9 times faster (3X20"X3.14=Pi) to create the same tip velocity, which is the "name of the game" in rotary cutting. The longer "blade" yields a cleaner "cut" for any given degree of blade sharpness. I've sold my finish mower and bought a flail mower. And there's no "goin' back!" I keep a rotary "brush" mower for the real rough stuff (rated 2" softwoods and 1 1/2" hardwoods) use the flail on medium cutting and keep the zero-turns in the "house-yard" where they belong.... The finish mower was not a good choice for my uses. Three relatively light weight "lawnmower" blades spinning furiously means SIX edges to keep (very) sharp resulting in frequent blade removals/sharpenings for acceptable results not to mention replacement after rock or downed-wood strikes. The flail mower has a choice of "fine-cut" (for lawn grass) flails or "coarse-cut" hammers for brush (although changing 'em isn't quick OR easy) it does a great job of laying the material out all across its width, not piling it to one side like a rotary cutter invariably does. A rear-discharge finish mower does a better job of this than a side-discharge mower as it releases the material faster and more evenly and doesn't rob power passing cut material across three blades although there is some wind-rowing even with the rear-discharge machine. It's simply a fact of life with rotary mowers of any type. Happy trails (trials?) to you!

[@roadrunner3563]

The point should be that a tractor is a general purpose tool...you can plow, disk cultivate, mow, and dozens of other things. A mower is only a mower in most cases.

[@dennissouba1432]

What is more comfortable to ride on?

[@tkskagen]

Is therw a "Mulching Kit" available for the Brush Hog? Blade & Deflectors...

[@JAEUFM]

I would have thought the zero turn would have possibly bogged down on that tall grass.

[@Hfoutdoorsyt]

Good video

[@JM-sz4oi]

I would never cut parallel rows with a tractor/riding lawn mower. Okay if you choose to do it that way with a zero-turn mower but a serious waste of time with the aforementioned. Do the test again.

[@joemurray9131]

was wondering have you got your FAA DRONE LICENSE yet

[@mdfalse]

I mean a brush hog is for cutting 1" trees on nearly no maintained land as opposed to grandpas pretty yard he mows daily.

[@SemiReTired]

You need an Xmark 60", but either way that knee high should be brush hogged to a reasonable height for the zeroturn, that isnt designed for knee high grass. Although you did answer that during the Video

[@DocRaunchy]

Ever thought about a career change? Math Teacher comes to mind.

[@OneEyeCustoms]

Time for the next study. 15’ vs 5’ overlap cut will play a big factor. 🧐

[@HometownAcres]

Cant wait to do this one haha

[@henrymorgan3982]

If Speed is a factor, I would just get a wider brush hog. If quality of cut is a factor, I would use the zero turn. Good test comparison.

[@cornpop7805]

The technique used with the tractor wasn't how a any experienced person would do it. I won't try to describe exactly how it's done, but you don't cut a row right next to your last row. You work the turning radius into the pattern. You basically cut using overlapping ovals with a brush-hog. In open space, you'd never use reverse and you would constantly be cutting grass.

[@Omegadoomship]

If you wanted to mow tall grass with a zero turn, you will need high lift blades. It sucks the grass up in the deck to cut it, and then shoots it out of the deck quickly. It makes a world of a difference. You will need more horsepower to run it though.

[@alane.kurschner288]

Why cut it in the first place? Plant a beautiful native meadow/prairie, which is also incredibly low maintenance.

[@CynicalDad81]

You’d have to cut it twice with the ZT sooo brush hog for the win! Unless you maintain it more frequently!!! Good video!

[@will7its]

Is the tractor a diesel? and how much gas do they use??? $50 bucks to mow a lawn is a consideration today.

[@lot6129]

Can the toro attach a rotary hoe and other attachments, a easy win for the tractor, besides you can get a finish mower for a tractor too, nice clean cut

[@HomeWithTheBuffingtons]

How fast will that Toro Titan go? My Bad Boy Rebel will do 13 MPH so it would smoke my tractor.

[@HometownAcres]

The toro top speed is 9mph which honestly the field is too bumpy to mow that fast. You need a real smooth yard to mow that quickly

[@HomeWithTheBuffingtons]

@@HometownAcres makes sense

[@toocoolfortheroom380]

I suppose you have to keep the shoot on the ztr to maintain safety for this channel but I think you could at least drill a little hole in the end of it and bungee it up to a 30°± angle or so to let the clippings spread out better when mowing. I mow big tall areas like this with my ztr about once a month but I do go full open shoot. I start at the outside perimeter and work my way in ALWAYS blowing out. I do it at a descent ground speed as I know I'm coming back for a double-cut. On the double-cut I just go at a perpendicular angle which doesn't follow any of the previous paths and I just do this back and forth. So 2 full passes through the field and it's good and knocked down for another month. I also do enjoy a few beers while doing this in which it'd probably be frowned upon on this channel haha. Keep up the interesting content!

[@jimputnam2044]

A zero turn is great if you mow a lot of lawns, yard care service guys. For the average guy it is a one trick pony, you cut your grass and park it for a week and than mow again, you can't reely use it for any thing else. At lease with a ride on you can pull a garden wagon to haul stuff, like I said one trick pony and expensive for what you get.

[@vdsgw52]

Yes change you tractor technique to 20' to 30' turns always turning to the right.

[@joshblick]

I don't know anyone with half a mind that would turn around on every row with a brush hog instead of just going around the entire thing.

[@ZR1Terror]

What’s the second songs name?

[@DaveofAllTrades75]

I don't know about time comparison but I can definitely tell the bush hog is a much cleaner cut the lawn mower seems to be pushing over alot of it instead of cutting it clean.

[@isaiahraimondo2476]

Gotta get some cattle on that land 😂

[@davidedwards3734]

I've used my zero turn except with a lot of wood and branches. Have a Safe Day

[@willieslawncareservice.8436]

How you doing if you put X blades combination with Gator blades on that mower it would do a better job than that tractor. Try it you won't regret it. 👍👍👍 And make a video of it.👊

[@robertmcdonnold3038]

When the camera was mounted on the zero turn, it looked like you were getting beat to death. A lot of bumps. It's like you said, use the right tool for the job. The seven minutes you saved was not very much. Interesting video Thanks Bob

[@philipblass6544]

just remember, you will be fighting to keep the zero turn on line once you start crossing the face of the hill.

[@timothymiller3565]

Just my opinion. I would rather cut a yard that size with a zero turn but if I was cutting that large of a field I'd use a 72inch or larger. I think hustler now has one over 100inchs

[@fredkennedy8435]

Are the decks the same width?

[@HometownAcres]

Yes both 60”

[@joeford7350]

You are right, they are made for 2 different things.

[@cornpop7805]

Obviously, a brush hog isn't just for large areas, it's also for areas that might have obstructions, such as fairly large branches. The bend-away blades on a brush-hog will keep going after hitting a 3-inch branch, whereas the Toro is going to need some repairs. He's intentionally mowing away from the treeline for this exact reason. The Toro (pretty much every zero-turn) are made for cutting grass, although they'll cut weeds too. They certainly aren't for cutting heavy brush, especially near large treelines, where they'll inevitably encounter wood. I've been known to slam into a 4 in rock with a brush-hog and still keep mowing. Yeah, the blade needs sharpened, but the machine will seldom break. Not true with a zero-turn!

[@nicholascooper1193]

beware of "work creep", you'll get so much work built up trying to maintain that property that it turns into a full time job. I ran into that on the acres around my house... You get used to the way it looks mowed, then you start mowing more and more and more... then you have to keep it mowed to be able to mow it... Or just bush hog it once or twice a year. plus, you're not driving the tractor "correctly", just swing out to what ever is a comfortable turning radius and head back the other way, making big lazy loops at the end.

[@rowestreefarm5721]

Circles with brush hog my friend. But then it all depends what you want to do.

[@tkskagen]

Be nice to have a Front Mounted Deck/Brush Hog Attatchment.

[@jasonbroom7147]

This was a very odd comparison, to me. If you'd compared the tractor, pulling a flail mower, that would have made a lot more sense. You basically confirmed what anyone with any common sense at all, or any familiarity with these two types of mowers, would know intuitively. One is meant for rough-cutting large areas, where turning a lot isn't usually an issue. The other is meant to produce a much nicer aesthetic. You probably could have run the tractor quite a bit faster, in-between turns, and still had the same net result. If you're doing a comparison between a framing hammer and a 5lb sledge, the outcome is going to be dependent on what job you're trying to accomplish. Throw some waist-high bushes and 1" saplings into your field and see which one of those mowers works best. It was always going to be apples-to-oranges.

[@dansaks8961]

I would get the 144 inch mower but who wants to drop 80 k on a mower. It's super expensive but for a lot that big it might be worth it to you.

[@kipcudd7253]

If you let it get that tall I'd get it bailed! Lol! Or fence it off and raise 2 or 3 calves for butchering and let chickens free range with the calves to scratch thru the manure piles to eat the fly larvae and gain better fertilizer for grazing area!

[@LSCentral5328]

Now put the 2 in a situation where everything is 2x taller then the tractor. We all know what would do better.

[@tracynewman5246]

Brush hog cut in big squares for that amount of grass less stress on the zero turn-in the hi grass situation

[@yoseflaurent3376]

You forgot to mention what is your brush hog ?