Good points here. But another if you cut some grasses too short all at once it kills it out. Also consider the ground nesting birds that use those places. quail and turkey numbers are way down and it's likely due in some areas to ranchers and farmers bailing grasses for hay that in years past they let grow and just grazed it. Can't blame them for needing hay but often just a few weeks or even days makes a difference in some turkey poults needing grasshoppers or quail the size of your thumbnail needing that bare ground between plants to move and feed.the very worst habitat for them is a field that looks like a lawn.
OSU has an entire site dedicated to forage and pasture management. Forage and Pasture Management - Oklahoma State University
Only advice I’d give is to slow your roll.
It’s easy to get in a hurry, wanting to get the job done fast, but if you gear down and keep your PTO speed up, you’ll get a better cut.
And like was mentioned previously, 6” height is much better than running the skids on the ground. If you scalp the grass off, it opens it up for more weed growth.
It’s easy to get in a hurry, wanting to get the job done fast, but if you gear down and keep your PTO speed up, you’ll get a better cut.
And like was mentioned previously, 6” height is much better than running the skids on the ground. If you scalp the grass off, it opens it up for more weed growth.
Tractors and Heavy Equipment all my life was Therapeutic to me. Never rush a brush hog. Get a Canopy, tie some tea to the fender in an ice chest. Enjoy life!
I recently ran across Tractor Mike's YouTube channel, and while I can't say if his advice is 100% perfect, I can say that it pretty well lines up with my experience and what I was taught. This video seems kind of relevant to this topic.
Ive been working on a briar patch that has grown around a few vehicles and a combine. So I connected an old 5 foot brush hog to one of the larger tractors. Lets just say it was too much power. NOW I must clear out a 15 foot batwing deck and learn how to run that. without screwing something up..
I have been trying to get my dad to understand this for years he is a high gear low rpm mower he lays the grass over more than he cuts it, he thinks he is saving fuel and prolonging the life of the engine by doing it that way.
My dad was the same way. He would not run a tractor at PTO speed. Said there was no reason to have the engine revving like that.
It just depends. My in-laws were approached once by a rancher during an especially dry summer if he could cut and bale their 2.5 acre "side yard" because he needed the hay.
