Any experiences with "tow behind" mower?

5 posts

Member for

12 years 6 months
Last seen: 03/08/2018 - 21:05
Joined: 09/23/2011 - 16:27

Any experiences with "tow behind" mower?

Hello, I hope Easter was as beautiful for other folks as it was on our little farm at Elands, NSW. I'm prevailing on the knowledge of fellow small holders for information about solutions for mowing and slashing. I want to mow about an acre on the house yard and keep it nice and tidy. The grass grows at an astonishing rate in Elands. The outgoing owner uses a ride-on mower, which would be the simplest solution but maybe not the cheapest. I also want to slash the grass around a hazelnut grove - currently only about 3 acres abut I plan to increase it - a lot. We have a mid-sized quad bike and I'm considering a tow-behind slasher for both tasks. They are pretty expensive but if it works as a "two for one" solution it will be the cheaper overall. So my questions are (1) Are they neat enough to use as a mower for the house yard? (2) How effective are they with long, dense kaykuyu? (what horsepower?) The property is quite steep in places - not in the grove, but it would be even better if the solution could be used in the paddocks too, e.g. to clear out bracken fern. Not sure about the safety of such devices in hilly country. PS sheep would probably do both jobs nicely, but we have a feral dog threat. I'm only a part-timer so I can't take the risk of having the sheep attacked. cheers Colin
Last seen: 09/17/2019 - 18:07
Joined: 11/23/2011 - 09:38

Hi Colin,

Sorry I know nothing about pull along mowers. I have a ride on to do my 1.5 ac house yard and a slasher for the paddock.

I just wanted to say please don't allow sheep, cattle or goats to graze Bracken fern: Pteridium esculentum as it is toxic to them. Bracken as well as other ferns such as mulga fern or Nardoo can cause a condition known as Stargazing also known as Cerebrocortical necrosis, because they contain an enzyme called thiaminase which blocks the B1 (thiamine) in their brain and causes the thiamine to be replaced by a thiamine analogue which blocks the uptake of B1 in the brain. B1 is needed to process glucose. If not treated swiftly by injections of B1, then death is rapid due to the destruction of brain tissue by glucose starvation. The condition can also be caused if small ruminants such as sheep and goats are given access to large quantities of Molasses.  

Mulga fern is native to my area and is the first plant to emerge after prolonged drought, which we have just experienced in my area of S.E. Qld. I always keep a bottle of injectable B1 and suitable size needles and syringes on hand for emergencies.

I know this has nothing to do with your question, but it worried me that your stock might get stuck into the Bracken with some awful consequences.

Cheers,

Barb

Last seen: 12/26/2018 - 09:21
Joined: 05/31/2011 - 09:44

Hi Colin,

I have seen the tow behind mowers advertised, however have never used on myself. Hopefully somone else has used one so they can lend there opinion on them.

I recently purchased a cox ride on, 42 inch cut, twin disc, 4 blades on each disc, 19.5 horse power. I am happy with it however if I had my time over I think I would get one of the John Deere Eztrack. http://www.deere.com.au/wps/dcom/en_AU/products/equipment/zero_turn_mowers/z200_eztrak_series/z200_eztrak_series.page?

I was always of the opion that they were double the price of a normal ride on, and hence I didn't even look at them. A family member of mine recently purchased the 42 inch model, 20 horsepower for similar money to my cox ride on. For your situation with lots of trees the zero turn would make the job much faster. When I saw the John Deere Eztrack working it was mowing foot high kikuyu and doing a very nice job.

Charlie

 

 

Last seen: 03/08/2018 - 21:05
Joined: 09/23/2011 - 16:27

Hi Charlie,

Definitely the zero turn would be a huge time saver in the orchard. Currently I used a full-size tractor with slasher and all the three-point turns chew up so much time. And not good for the clutch either. It's not my tractor and I can't buy that and a dedicated mower.

The outgoing owner uses a Kubota 18 hp mower for the house yard. It's a beautiful mower for "lawn", but it really can't handle anything that has been let go. It just clogs up very quickly.

I'll do some window-shopping online and see what the JD fetches second-hand.

cheers

Colin

Last seen: 03/08/2018 - 21:05
Joined: 05/16/2014 - 11:55

Charlie, can I ask approximately how much the JD's retail for.  I can't find a price anywhere on the net.  Thanks.

 

Farsideb.

 

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