how much pto power for brush cutting

My other concern is center of gravity for cutting on side hills, and my 8N looks awfully good compared to what is out there now: the compacts don"t seem to have as much tread width adjustment, and the utility tractors generally seem too high off the ground. Any ideas?

Also, as Soundguy said, when going over the ground the first time, make sure that the blades are not sharp as dull blades are less likely to cut the saplings cleanly leaving sharp spears that can puncture your tires on the next round or cutting.

As to HP: HP is kind of like money and women: Some's good and more's better. I have cleared a lot of ground with a heavy 5 foot cutter and a 51 8N but the N has a combo Sherman which reduces both ground speed and PTO speed, multiplying torque in the process. I also use a 55 860 with 6 foot cutter. I can cut heavier brush with the 8N 5 footer in low underdrive than I can with the 860 6 footer even though the 860 has a very low first gear. Both cutters have slip clutches, which I highly recommend over shear bolts for ground clearing providing that they are properly adjusted for your tractor and not rust frozen. Even with the slip clutches I would never attempt to cut any hedge over about 3/4 inch.

Finally, as to stability, the early Fords are hard to beat due to their low center of gravity. I have seen some later model LCG tractors that would probably be better but they would also cost considereably more. The best set up that I have seen is a Friends 1979 JG 2440 Orchard. This 50 HP machine makes my 8N look like a high-crop. I have my eye on it and hope to talk him out of it someday as much of my ground is steep. He bought it new and it has less than 1000 hours on it.

Dean

It has 8 gears forward, 4 reverse and shuttle shifting between low range forward and reverse. The 6" stance is stable and if you opt for the MFWD model, it"s even more stable. I enjoy mine and they are available used at reasonable prices.

• JD 5005 Series Utility Tractors

Most mowers on the market will cut 1" and 2" stuff. 2" green .. 2" woody gets iffy depending on the mower and machine.

A 9/2/8 N will handle a 5' hog.. a Naa or hundred series will handle a 6' hog

The JD mowers are good and heavy duty.. just like the ford 95x series... i would put them in line with other first rate equipment like bushhog brand and woods. There are economy lines like kodiak, howse, and king cutter that end up doing pretty well, at about half to 3/4 the cost.. and less weight tan the other units. that less weight means they are only medium or light duty.. but they are also easier to tote on an older machine. I have used a 5' king kutter for a number of years now. Iv'e cut 2" woody material with it.. but don't make a practice of it. 1.5" woody is fine.. and green stuff is fine.

I can adjust the mower to cut about 1.5" to 2" from the ground.

Don't expect a brush mower to de-stump for you.. 1" woody stumps make sharp spears that can find tires.. though most cutters end up splintering wood, not cutting it clean.. that's why you don't want a razor sharp blade.. pluss rocks eat em up worse the sharper they are. A 3/32 flat on a blade cuts just fine.

N's do tend to stick to slopes better than others.. however any slope that is questionable should always be traversed up and down.. not sideways.

Also.. gearbox hp is the max hp you can feed it safely. A 40hp gearbox doesn't need 40hp to run it.. etc. For instance.. my 26 hp N runs the 40hp gearbox on my 5' cutter just fine.

Soundguy