Need to mow 8 acres

Just use a push mower...you will be fine.. don’t get a self propelled.. be a man.
 
BBD280 said:
Try a sheep and you'll never chase a goat again.
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200w.webp
 
Flashpoint said:
We want the biomass to decay in the field.
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Best way to do that is with animals. I second the recommendation to see if there is a local farmer who wants to graze the field.
 
Crazy Carl said:
:D

I dunno man. That stuff's pretty damned good. Man, the way the Lebanese cook that stuff up, on pita bread with fresh hummus & this kickass west African hot sauce was the bomb.

ETA- if you feel like putting in the effort, goats would keep the grass cut, introduce biomass into the soil & provide a pretty economical source of tasty meat. Or milk or cheese, if that was your thing.
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Area is not fenced.
 
eddie0225 said:
well I know I used to do our pastures with a riding mower and daughter bought me a tractor last year and what took me about 2 days mowing I can do in maybe 4 hours tops. It's so much fun doing it with the tractor and there are so many things you can use the tractor for. Gotta big old Ford 841 think that thing could turn the pasture over if I could hook up to it. Look inot a good used one you can find them on Craigslist all the time with bushhog for under $2000 This MF is a really nice one and same guy I got my tractor from https://winstonsalem.craigslist.org/grd/d/madison-ferguson-30/6889907122.html all you'd need is a cheap bushhog or borrow one from someone
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That does look promising, thanks.
 
dman24 said:
Depending on where it’s at I might could help you knock it down. I have a 37hp new holland with bush hog and am about three miles across the Chatham county line.
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I'm in Snow Camp. If you have the hankering let me know, we could possibly work something out.
 
I think mowing and leaving cuttings on a field is mot productive. Next is growth if weeds and trees. A good farmer would hit your land with clear pasture, nitrogen, Fertilizer. He gets all the hay, you get quality maintenance on the field. Place will look like crap if clumps of grass are left to kill the grass.
 
BlackGun said:
I think mowing and leaving cuttings on a field is mot productive. Next is growth if weeds and trees. A good farmer would hit your land with clear pasture, nitrogen, Fertilizer. He gets all the hay, you get quality maintenance on the field. Place will look like crap if clumps of grass are left to kill the grass.
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It's the GF's farm, everything organic and doesn't really care what grows there, just so it's kept pasture and we can eventually plant or graze on it if desired. It's been growing hay for decades, kinda want to break the cycle and give the soil something other than the once a year chicken dung spraying it got from the farmers.
 
Flashpoint said:
One of our riding mowers is a 50" Gravely zero turn, I like it but it's a finish mower, like everything else except the Swisher. I'm ashamed to admit we actually have a BCS but I've never used it. The GF bought it years ago for the intern(s) to use but it hasn't been used in a while. I just checked and the sickle bar attachment is only 30". :(
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I learned about BCS in a Sustainable Agriculture class I took one summer. The instructor had the Gravely, but recommended the BCS, specifically the rotary plow attachment which only Gravely and BCS had. I've wanted one since. It's a great machine for small farms. 8 acres might be pushing it for a walk behind though.
 
Flashpoint said:
It's the GF's farm, everything organic and doesn't really care what grows there, just so it's kept pasture and we can eventually plant or graze on it if desired. It's been growing hay for decades, kinda want to break the cycle and give the soil something other than the once a year chicken dung spraying it got from the farmers.
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If you mow the grass into clippings the sod will build but if you only mow when the grass has peaked the abundance will choke out the existing grass. Try shopping craigslist for a red belly 8N Ford with a finishing mower; the best money, somewhere around $3000, you will spend for the desired results.
 
Dale Flinchum said:
If you mow the grass into clippings the sod will build but if you only mow when the grass has peaked the abundance will choke out the existing grass. Try shopping craigslist for a red belly 8N Ford with a finishing mower; the best money, somewhere around $3000, you will spend for the desired results.
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I agree a couple thousand on a decent mower and bush hog and you'll be in business anybody can drive them not at all hard to learn how to use the implements
 
Another option besides mowing it and grinding it up is wait till stems are mature so they break easier and then pulling a drag or roller of some sort over it. Just needs to break the stems over. Fyi it does not leave as clean of job but actually grass recovers faster and helps not have the clippings smoother the new growth plus leaves more leaf area for it to start regrowing much sooner. You can find several cheap pasture drag ideas on youtube from tires or chainlink fence just depends what you have. If you do end up mowing it I would recommend staying in the 6” + height range. You get below that it stuns grass and takes longer to recover and allows more sunlight to the bare soil for weeds to pop up. The drag method you never expose bare soil and acts more like nature and the grass getting mashed/trampled back into the soil turns to nutrients and carbon aiding in amount of water that can be stored for dry weather times so it really starts helping for grass growth in summer months. Mowing hay is a required evil but one of the worst things you can do for pasture/ grass area, Your mowing it low and hauling those nutrients somewhere else.
 
Just wanted to post an update. Dman24 helped me out big time with his rig. Awesome dude willing to give of his time and resources and would take very little for it. Thank you so much Dusty!
 
I have never mowed 8 acres, but a couple Saturdays ago I did mow about 4, on a zero-turn. My best friend died 4 years ago from a brain tumor, his parents live between Tramway and Cameron, and we go down about 4 or 5 times a year to help them out. Those 4 acres kicked my tail. God bless you for taking on 8.
 
Chuckman said:
I have never mowed 8 acres, but a couple Saturdays ago I did mow about 4, on a zero-turn. My best friend died 4 years ago from a brain tumor, his parents live between Tramway and Cameron, and we go down about 4 or 5 times a year to help them out. Those 4 acres kicked my tail. God bless you for taking on 8.
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It was a two day job with my 5ft bush hog but we got it done. I think it turned out well for what they wanted and I’m always happy to lend a hand where I can.
 
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