Buying Advice Power for pulling 450 pounds?

[matthewf13]

Hi guys,

I am going to get a new tow behind bush hog - which weighs 450 pounds dry (it holds 3 1/2 gallons of gas I believe). I have probably about 5 acres of pasture to cut with it. Can you suggest a mower for doing this? I specifically want a mower so that I do not need to have multiple vehicles just to mow since I have 2 pieces of property
My property also has small hills on it, but nothing major.

In terms of pricing, I would like to stay around 3k but since the actual bush hog is being paid for by my business I might go to 4-5k.

 

[KennyV]

Not sure what you are getting..?
Bush Hog is a brand name...
Some folks refer to any rough cut rotary mower, regardless of manufacturer, as a Bush Hog...

You say it has it's own fuel, so I'll guess that it is a self powered pull type mower, and has it's own engine.
Are you wanting to do any finish mowing? are you looking for a Lawn mower or a Garden Tractor, or a compact utility tractor? :smile:KennyV

 

[lawnman tx]

get a 4 wheel drive ATV it will work very well

 

[djdicetn]

get a 4 wheel drive ATV it will work very well

The OP specifically stated he was looking for a "mower" that would handle this....an ATV won't mow will it(and it WILL pull 400-500lbs???...that's amazing). IMHO, not knowing any more than I do, I would think it would be difficult if not impossible for a "mower" to pull 400-500lbs. I would think a "tractor" with a belly mower-deck would be the only option based upon what the OP wants. I reserve the right to be wrong:0)

 

[metz12]

I dont know if you are going to find a garden tractor thats going to pull 450lbs. why would you want a mower anyways if the bush hog is going to mow for you? i would get some kind of a tractor like a used farmall or something like that.

 

[Rivets]

I would recommend a Kubota in a B or BX series. Both will tow 500 lb. and have a excellent mid mount mower. Also, the BX series is going to be on sales by most dealers, as that line is going to be replaced next year.

 

[djdicetn]

I would recommend a Kubota in a B or BX series. Both will tow 500 lb. and have a excellent mid mount mower. Also, the BX series is going to be on sales by most dealers, as that line is going to be replaced next year.

Now that sounds like a solution the OP could run with!!!!
P.S.
Only problem would be most likely he would have to abandon the $3k(and maybe even the $4k-$5k) range. I have never priced the Kubota mentioned, but I know my father-in-law has a 72" Kubota diesel ZTR that's a $11k machine.

 

[mullins87]

Any garden tractor with a "ground engaging" transaxle will handle that load. I know a John Deere X500 series tractor will handle it, but even the base models will be a little over your $5k limit. Cub Cadet has their 2000 series tractors which I believe have ground engaging transaxles and should fit the budget. I know there are many others out there. These are new suggestions, however the field is wide open if you're interested in a used tractor. Then it all comes down to how much tractor do you want and how much do you want to work on it. In other words, you can buy a fairly new afforementioned John Deere X500 series for under $5k and not have to work on it for a little while, or you could buy a well used sub compact utility tractor with a belly mower for the same money but expect to have to do some work on it to keep it going.

Just remember, a "ground engaging" transaxle on a garden tractor means it is rated to pull ground engaging implements such as a disk or plow. A 3' disk or single bottom plow is going to put far more load on the transaxle than any 500lb rolling load, even on a hill.

BTW: I have a John Deere LA175, definitely an entry level, and it does not have a ground engaging transaxle. I built a 48" offset mower to pull behind it when I mow my back yard. I never have weighed it, but I'm guessing around 300-350 lbs. That LA175 handles it just fine, even on moderate slopes.

 

[ACDDURHAM]

Here is what I use to pull my Bush Hog. It's a 3 Pt Hook up run off the pto of a Futon 454 - 50 HP Tractor

 

[possum]

There are guys on here that pull 450 pounds and more often with their tractor mowers all the time. A small loaded trailer will hit 450 pounds in a hurry. Any good ATV will pull 450 pounds around like it is not even there. You are not dragging it after all it has wheels. That being said the tractors in the $5000 range will last alot longer pulling a mower than a $2500 one. I have seen a number of folks that use one of the Husqvarna tractors to pull such a unit offset to the tractor mower that cost in the $2500 range as well as the fairly common Troybilt 2450 or Cub Cadet look alike to it, both kind of borderline garden tractor yard tractor types. Do be aware that entry level garden tractors of this type wear out the hydrostats faster when towing a mower. So do the AtVs. However a good friend of mine has a two wheel drive Kawasaki ATV and pulls a sprayer over a good many acres every year as well as a homeade drag leveler. With that unit the saving grace is the slippage that prevents overloading to a point. You are going to want the heaviest hydro you can get on the tractor you can afford that is service friendly.