tow behind bush hog

[2012_taco]

Anyone have any experience with a gas powered tow behind brush hog? I could use 1 for small food plots and clearing lanes and don't have easy access to a tractor and pto brush hog. If I could rent 1 for a weekend would be ideal. I don't know how good they work, are they limited to the size of brush-small saplings they are able to get through. any info would help. I hate to buy something that really cannot perform. The last few years I rented a walk behind 30" brushhog but it really beats you up!! A four wheeler with a tow behind seems like the next best option. Hoping to try a little frost seeding this spring.

[Pygmy]

My fiance's son rented one last year to knock down some brushy stuff that was too much for me to handle with my pull behind PTO finish mower...

The machine worked well, but his 4 wheeler lacked the balls to pull it in a couple of xtra dense areas.

[Fishon]

I bought the tow behind Dr Brushmower last year and its the best thing i ever bought. I have some spots that are soupy and the quad wont sink like a tractor would. It will cut up to 2" saplings and mow grass that is 6' high. It never bogs down. Kinda pricey but its built really well and i think ill have it for a long time.

[G-Man]

Rule of thumb if you can drive over it it should be able to cut it...they will be able to out preform your quad. as for quads, nice toys not build for really doing food plots... used 8n tractor 3000 (in great shape rebuilt) bush hog used good shape 500. New atv 5000 plus brushhog $... if you haven't bought one yet think tractor, rather than beating up an underweight underpowered

ATV... just my opinion and experience. before everyone shows me their atv food plots pics...

[Lawdwaz]

just my opinion and experience. before everyone shows me their atv food plots pics...

LOL! I could just see someone posting up some pics of 10 acre food plots. "See what I can do with my 1985 Honda Big Red 3 wheeler?"

We did a couple plots at my uncles with a ATV and they came out OK but decided that salt blocks are easier and much cheaper. <grin>

[Gthphtm]

We did that walk behind deal for a few years at a friends place it does wear you down.As said a used tractor with a 3 point hitch is the way to go. 4 wheel drive one is even better.

[G-Man]

I especially like the ads on tv, showing and atv running a plotmaster or similar implement behind it showing perfectly worked ground. maybe if the ground has been worked up previously, and its sandy loam... we live in ny land of clay, roots n rocks... Atvs with spreader, great for planting /fertalizing spraying small fields.. other than that they are toys... used tractors cheaper last 100x longer and do more work. can't tell you number of people that tell me i need a atv they great for getting deer out of the woods.. i look at them and say show me one that can drag 2 cord of wood out at a time and i'll think about it... Plus i seem to be doing all the food plots for the camps up the road that bought atv's to do that and gave up years ago..and i make money off them so they are still paying for that nice s x s they paid 10 grand for..tractors paid in full and earning money... hmm.

[Gthphtm]

Also show me an ATV that can lay a 3" to 6" dia. tree down on its side and pull it's root ball out of the ground in the clay and rocky soil that we have.That's how I have been clearing my plots.No tree stumps and no roots.

[Single_shot]

This would do just fine....for a lot of things.hahaha What a beast!

http://syracuse.craigslist.org/grd/3608168630.html

[Lawdwaz]

This would do just fine....for a lot of things.hahaha What a beast!

http://syracuse.craigslist.org/grd/3608168630.html

An accident waiting to happen right there. I'd expect to see that as a movie sequel to the Texas Chainsaw Massacres. Scary stuff.....

[WNYBuckHunter]

Im tempted to go buy that, holy crap what a machine those are. I remember guys on the farm clearing out pasture area with one, goes through anything.

[nyslowhand]

If you're looking for a definitive "This is the one" piece of equipment, then the answer is - it depends... What works for other's situations, may not be ideal for yours. First of all it depends on what your resources are ($$), an investment or short term. Your property or a lease? A single plot or possible future plots? Size of the plots? Then you need to have some realistic expectations. Do you want your food plot to be picturesque with no stumps?

I have a tractor, a HD walk-behind brushhog, a very HD trimmer with a 10" saw blade and a 14.5hp tow behind brushhog. All have different purposes and applications. What are you trying to clear? Small saplings on a flat, stone-free overgrown field? Personally, found it a little un-nerving forging the ATV with brushhog in tow into a thicket. Never know exactaly what you'll encounter or any possible damage to ATV (undercarriage). Believe me, I've tore up my tow-behind this way on protruding rocks. Bought a used tractor, but found it difficult to get into areas I wanted to clear on my property. Older, used tractors come with the expectation of maintenance & repairs. My suggestion and what I've found to work best for my situation is to wrestle with the walk-behind brushhog after sawing off larger (1.5"+) sapling flush to the ground with a chainsaw. Yeah, the DR brand is the top of the line, but you can get something decent for ~1/2 the $$. Or just beat-up some else's rental.

You never mentioned what you'll be using to prepare the food plot once it has been cleared. This could influence your choice of brush clearing equipment!

[landtracdeerhunter]

This would do just fine....for a lot of things.hahaha What a beast!

http://syracuse.crai...3608168630.html

I hear scrap prices are up. Best place for this.

Drain the oil out before taking to the salvage yard.

Edited February 11, 2013 by landtracdeerhunter

[2012_taco]

Wow a lot of good advice. Here's the deal, I do not own the proprty I just have permission to hunt it, I can and do maintain several walking trails throughout the property and I would like to clear out some overgrown redbrush and put in some clover mix. It is somewhat flat and stays very wet in the spring so heavy tractors have to wait until june/july to really get in there. I thought a 4 wheeler could get in earlier. The areas I want to work on are less than 1 acre each. I'm curious and wondered where can I rent a tow behind? I'm not in the market to buy a tractor and I have no place on the property to store it, I agree that a small tractor w/pto is the best, but I have to be realistic.

[nyslowhand]

Just think about what might happen with an ATV towing a brushhog over the "very wet" terrain. Ruts from ATV, brushhog's wheels tracking ATV's or sinking in themselves, mower scalping the ground due to insufficient clearance and more than likely the mower stalling out with water/mud/etc. Sounds like more of a late spring project.

You need input from someone more familiar with clover plantings. Sounds like you're going to try and overseed onto the brushhogged, existing ground. Not too sure you'll get anything to show for your time, effort or $$. I tried that on a mowed ATV path & it didn't work out for me.

[ants]

Rule of thumb if you can drive over it it should be able to cut it...they will be able to out preform your quad. as for quads, nice toys not build for really doing food plots... used 8n tractor 3000 (in great shape rebuilt) bush hog used good shape 500. New atv 5000 plus brushhog $... if you haven't bought one yet think tractor, rather than beating up an underweight underpowered

ATV... just my opinion and experience. before everyone shows me their atv food plots pics...

I have to agree. My brother in law has a tow behind. It works well but his ATV is too underpowered to pull it through the thicker stuff so when he uses it he borrows my ATV which has way more power.

So I guess the thing to do is use a tractor or beat up on someone else's ATV??? LOL!

[2012_taco]

I do have access to a tractor, i'll just wait until it dries out some and give it a go then. Thanks,

[dbHunterNY]

i will say a tractor is where it's at. i can get any place with my Kubota B7200 4x4 that you can get with an ATV with brush cutter in tow. before i got that i had just bought a house with a little over 2 acres of grown up fields with sapling trees and thick weeds chest high. i used a Honda Foreman 450 with a tow behind Swisher. it worked the clutch a bit hard to go slow enough and the belt on the swisher would slip if i went any faster. if you keep on it when it's half that or preferably less that setup would work fine.

[Gthphtm]

This would do just fine....for a lot of things.hahaha What a beast!

http://syracuse.crai...3608168630.html

Actually that thing would do a great job on cutting tree stumps right down to the ground,even look as if it has a carbide tipped blade.you would have to use it before the ground softens up with the small wheels on it.The one thing you want to do if you are cutting down trees to put in a plot is to get that Stump as close to the Ground as you can.The ones that are sticking up 3" or more are going to tear up your mower decks and transmissions and knock the tines right off of the yorke rakes and the tines for them go for over $10.00 each.Renting a machine ( remember you pay for what you brake).