I'm contemplating getting a tow-behind rotary mower (brush hog) for my ATV. I want to establish and maintain paths through my woodlot, and it's just too dang rough for the tractor.

Any info you'd care to share on brands, sources and prices would be much appreciated.

 

polaris had one in their 2002 atv book.I don't know the brand or price but I'am sure a polaris dealer could help you

 

Check Northern Tools for a selection of mowers by Swisher (the manufacturer of the Polaris mowers). They have several different models for different uses. They even have one designed for fence lines.

Do a search on mowers and you'll find them.

 

Thanks, Kevin, I looked at those. I'm a tad depressed by the prices, but they seem in line with what I'm seeing elsewhere. At those weights, I suspect truck freight would add another $200 or so.

 

Greetings,

I looked into this a few years ago and bought a flail mower from Alamo Industrial. While it has some positive points, I don't recommend it but I have learned a few lessons from this, so here are some of them.

1. Make sure the hitch fits. I figured a "universal hitch" would be universal, but the whole lynch pin thing was never tight nor secure. I ended up replacing it with a regular hitch coupler which works much better.

2. Similarly, these things vibrate. I have had several hitch components and some braces come loose even using lock nuts. Aside from losing the parts, this has caused some nasty surprises such as the front dropping, then snagging, then rolling -- not good.

3. Look hard at your trails and consider if a brush hog is really suited (notice the pictures in Northern -- they look like they are mowing golf courses). Rocks, ruts and stumps are taller than they look in the backdrop of the wild. I ended up putting larger tires on my mower and it still catches on things (and again, can cause a roll over -- not good), and I just mow in fields. Make sure you can raise it as high as you need. I've seen a tow-behind mower on the Brush Hog company site that looks made for the tough stuff, but dealers are harder to find.

4. One of the trickier parts of mowing with an ATV is the throttle. Unlike a tractor, it doesn't hold a steady speed. This isn't an impossible problem, but you do have to work at it much more, especially if you have hills.

5. Another tricky part is watching ahead and behind at the same time. You wouldn't think this is much of a problem at 3 mph, but while you're checking the track of the mower, you can miss seeing that ditch in the grass ahead. One thing I highly recommend is to mount a pair of bike mirrors out on the front racks. Mounting them out on the front corners (not the handle bars) gives you a much better view of the machine behind.

6. For your use, you might consider a DR Field and Brush mower -- this I can recommend without reservation. I've never bought anything that so exceeded my expectations. It goes through anything including a one-inch sapling and is actually fun to use. I put on sound-deadening headphones connected to a Walkman (available at Gemplers, Harbor Frieght, Northern, etc.) and disappear into the weeds for hours. For real trail work or rough fields and fence rows, its terrific. While they sell a number of model levels, I'd recommend the more basic units simply because of their weight. The weight doesn't matter when strolling behind it in a field, but for turning or manuvering on a trail its nicer to have a lighter (200lbs) model.


That's what comes to mind at the moment, feel free to write if you have any other questions.

 

Thanks, Dr. Rod, you're the second person to recommend a DR.

My Son-in-Law has a Honda powered rotary for his ATV that he has cut some AWFUL stuff with, I may borrow that and try it before I make a decision. We're talking about a mile or more of trail here.

My ATV has a super-low function and .3 miles per hour would be a lot more likely than 3 mph [img]i/expressions/face-icon-small-happy.gif[/img] Also, I cut the original trail by hand, and I know every hump, bump and rock intimately. [img]i/expressions/face-icon-small-sad.gif[/img]

I agree with you on the Northern Tool machines, they look pretty flimsy. I've got a 5' Woods for my tractor, but like I said, too rough and too close for the tractor in the woodlot.

I'll check around on DR prices, but my experience is that they're pretty proud of their stuff.[img]i/expressions/face-icon-small-sad.gif[/img]

 

Here is the lin to Swisher Inc. the manufacturer of the mowers for Polaris and Northern Tools. I think they also make some of the mowers for Tractor Supply Co.

 

I would recomend the Swisher mover, I just tested the 44inch brush cutter. The unit worked well, no real problems. I went through one belt all summer, look for the product review on the ATVC comming in the next few weeks..

 

Hey guys I made the jump and plunked down the money for a 44 Rough Cut swisher trail mower. I just got it today but i ran a tank of gas through the sucker . I am pleased with the cutting ability. This model has the break away blades like a real bush hog type mower. It made short order of the small " pin oak " trees that seem to pop up all over our property.
But i didn't mow down anything over the recommended 1.5 inch diameter I don't think. These pesky little trees are like weeds in the sandy soil that i live on. If you saw one off 3 more sprout around the stump the next year. With this mower i will be able to keep a handle on em with out breaking my back.
Don't expect to get a finish cut with it because it's not designed to mow that low. I have to say that i thought it followed behind the quad well and i didn't have alot of crap thrown all over me either.
The rubicon was feeling pretty warm under me creeeping along at 5 miles an hour in low but the temp light never came on or anything. After using the mower on the " pasture " area I pulled it through a coupla short trails around a 5 acre plot of pines. As long as you don't have big protruding stumps it works good .
So far it looks to me like if a person applies a little common sense to what to and not to mow over it should work good. Rest assured if I have trouble with it I will post it. Because I had to look at the thing quite a few times before i talked myself into 1200.00 bucks.

 

I have the 44" finish cut Swisher. Had the same idea - wanted to mow some areas back on my rather rough farm, places I couldn't get a tractor into - and live to tell about it anyway.

It's an okay mower. Not great, but not bad. Using a quad to haul a mower... well, it's a better excuse to buy a quad than it is a good mowing setup. Not as good as a dedicated mower.

One problem I hit right away - while the quad has great ground clearance, the mower does not. And it can't be raised up very high. So while I could mow the flat areas, dragging the mower over those rough trails to get back to the spot that needed mowing turned out to be a real problem. I ended up loading the mower on to a firewood trailer, hauling that over the trails, and then using it.