I'm sorry to keep starting new threads but I don't find answers to these questions. Now that I finally decided on what machine and got it delivered the search for a brush cutter starts. Would it be a waste to put a standard flow cutter on it since it has high flow available? I'm liking what I see and read about the Blue Diamond brush cutter which only requires 16gpm. It would cut probably anything I need and it is very reasonably priced compared especially to high flow units. I'm open to opinions, thanks. Here is a link to the cutter I'm considering. http://www.bluediamondattachments.com/open-front-brush-cutter/
Pressure times flow equals horsepower, if you think it will do the job, go for it. What is your standard and high flow GPM specs, at what pressures? I don't see a pressure spec for the cutter....
I'd go with the high flow unless you have a good reason not to. If I remember right, 1 GPM @ 1500 PSI takes 1 HP. High flow makes sense.
Close enough depending on pump efficiency... but you also gotta leave some ponies to move the machine which depends on the soil underfoot and the slopes you're working and also work the boom and tilt functions . The OP has not as yet elucidated us (at least in this thread, I did not go looking for others) as to what make and model machine he has and what flows and pressures might be available at the aux lines. All things being equal including price, if the machine has the horsepower to handle it and the motor is upsized for more torque to power through material, then yeah a high flow unit does make sense. Blue diamond says they have high flow units available and I doubt there's much difference in price, or there shouldn't be. On the other hand, if you don't need absolute maximum productivity the low flow unit may work just fine and put less strain on the system and let everything run cooler. Might be a good idea to just make a call to BD and ask their engineers for an opinion. :my2c
Thank you all. I plan on calling Blue Diamond and asking, it was just too late yesterday. Oh and whatever I get will be going on a Kubota SVL95-2
I quoted my own post because I couldn't figure out how to edit it. I hadn't had my coffee this morning and was totally thinking about the other company I was going to call today or Monday (Ammbusher). I actually have already called Blue Diamond and talked to them and they recommended just going with standard flow over high flow because their standard flow cutters work so well. It also saves around 1k or more. I dont' have the figures in front of me. If the standard flow will do everything i need and keep everything running cooler it seems like sometime to think about. Plus their price is good.
CC, as I mentioned before I've heard good things about brush cutters from CID. http://cidattachments.com/products/brush-cutters They have quite a few options including piston motors. I know that everyone wants the biggest and baddest, but even a good low flow cutter will do a nice job if it's matched to the machine's flow. I've done a lot of cutting with both the low flow (cheap) Brush Buster and much more expensive Bradco. Both are rentals, so they're subjected to a lot of abuse. They both cut about the same and even thicker material than advertised, but the use of thinner steel on the Brush Buster showed up quick. Lots of welding and bracing to keep it going. It's still in service and still works, but it looks like it fell off of Fred Sanford's truck.
Thanks I'll check them out.
Personally, from what I've seen Diamond (not blue diamond) makes the best brush mower. I bought one a little over a month ago and have nothi g but good things to say about it after I fixed an issue with the motor coming lose. Diamond was easy to work with. They are just much better built and engineered than any kf the others I looked into. The Diamond excels at productivity and the finished product over other mowers I tried and they are built to last. The Bradco units look pretty nice as well but I couldn't work out a demo. I also have a CID mower and I think they are the best by far at their price point. It has done me well with no real issues other than a few repairs on the deck.
Are you using high flow or standard?
Hi flow, 30 GPM @ 3500 psi on a 75 hp machine. After running a mower of mulcher on a hi flo machine you will never want to be without it.
Of course it depends on what you're cutting, but a good quality brand mower will typically serve ones needs just fine with a low flow unit, especially if the unit has a good motor on it. Most good brand mowers will have some form of either gearoller or piston motor which delivers plenty of torque to do the job with a low flow machine. But if you're cutting really thick tall grass, or cutting a lot of trees, the high flow unit will do a better job of chewing through it without slowing down, and if it does slow down, the recovery time will be quicker when you back off. It really has as much to do with what you're cutting as does anything in design and build.
Thank you. I see you have blue diamond linked in your sig. Do you work for them? The two times I've spoken to them on the phone they've been very nice and helpful.
Well, yes and no, Blue Diamond and ATCO Equipment are two companies that share the same owner, so that would be the yes part, but since they're a separate part of a parent company, that would be the no part, I work on machines, don't have dealings with the attachments per se, but I have the link in my sig because ultimately they're a part of the company I work for. Does that make sense.
Slightly confused here, Blue Diamond and Diamond are two separate entities with two completely different products in terms of brush cutting/ mulching. What one are you considering to run CCW ? High flow cutting heads are always better, bigger RPM's and quicker recovery times on the attachment itself. both very important things to consider when running a mulcher. You Kubota 95 flows a a good amount of GPM, that's why you paid for high flow. I would always lean towards the high flow attachments if your machine is spec'ed to run it efficiently and effectively
I think I got it lol. Thank you. All good points. Thank you
Yes, Diamond and Blue Diamond are two separate companies. http://diamondmowers.com http://www.bluediamondattachments.com/attachment-category/skid-steer-brush-cutters/
I'd definitely look into diamondmowers.com I've been looking into thier stuff a while now and seems to be one of the best for brush mowers. High flow should def be considered....but the flip side is if your machine is down and need a rental....what's the availability of a rental having high flow, vs standard flow. And that might play a roll in what you decide, but if you can source a rental easily with high flow for the unlikely event of your machine in the shop, choose high flow.
This is just for personal use so I can go without it if need be. It would be inconvenient but I wouldn't be losing money or making a client mad. So here's a question for you all....say you have mower A and mower B which are identical mowers but the high flow is 1000 more or so. This is just for personal use and will be used for tall grass and weeds and occasional clearing. Would the extra money for the high flow be worth it? Or save the 1k and put it towards a grapple lol?
I have one of these and it has been amazing. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4a4YI8w1nXM
I think I'd still go for high flow because it would prob do better on the resale end too if you ever wanted/needed to sell it. Not to mention it'll just handle more things you throw at it.
I have a high flow Diamond mower. It is excellent, very heavy duty, leaves a great finished product.
KSSS, Would you happen to have a picture of what is left behind after the diamond goes through. They look like a serious cutter. How often do you have to replace the cutting bits on it. Thx Farmer
I'm interested in seeing pics of that too. When I need to purchase a cutter I'm going to get that brand. Hey pafarmer...you ever order a set of those trelleborgs? I'll do a review of mine when I can use them on dry ground, been wet or muddy for weeks now.
We demo'd a diamond and ran it on clearing around a pasture fence for 2 days and that thing is a beastly tree eating machine it bangs and vibrates around but it will grind and cut up trees! The diamond was supposed to be good up to a 7" tree! And then my boss went and bought a bradco and I went to a job and mowed off up to 5-6" trees with it and I didn't like it as well as the diamond but it is cheaper. If all you are mowing if grass and weeds I would think a bradco out such would be plenty I didn't look at the blue diamond. Sent from my XT1585 using Tapatalk
Overgrown pasture before with the diamomd mower After Here is a spot that had a good bit of wood in it afterwards When the ground is flat the diamond mower will really chop up everything left behind without getting into the dirt. As far as Hi/Low flow. I only run mine in Hiflo when doing heavier stuff, 3" and up or if it's very thick. For the lighter stuff and pasture it doesn't help much other than to burn more fuel. But when you get to the thicker wood it makes all the difference in the world.
That did a nice job! I'm going with the Blue Diamond standard flow I believe. I'm just using it personally and won't be clearing any large trees. I appreciate everyones help.
Yair . . . Todd v. Good illustrative pictures . . . I take it mowing of that pasture will be an ongoing job to keep the regrowth at bay so how much does it cot per acre and how often must it be done? I am finding that once a paddock is cleared such as you have done with the diamond mower by far the most economical way of maintaining control is with a small ZRT. Cheers.
I don't have any pasture that I maintain, I normally just hit them the first time so it can be mowed with a tractor/bushog. Much cheaper that way. I may do this one though because it's in a polo club and those folks don't seem to care what it costs, just that they get the service they expect. That pasture had been growing for a few years unkept and there was a lot of cleanup of smaller trees and low limbs and a 8' tall thicket that ran down the center where the water flowed. I made a lot of unhappy rabbits. Anyhow, 5 acres in 6.5 hours there. If it's mostly just thick grass and small scrub here and there I get about 2-3 acres an hour (6' mower). I charge $100/hr for mowing when I can but some people want a set price so I make sure I cover my guess on hours when I bid them. People around here seem to charge around $65/hr or $25/acre for conventional bushoging on maintained pasture. The diamond mower does a much nicer job than a conventional tractor/bushog when the pasture is overgrown because it spins lots faster (even running in std flow) and there's no corners where the material can hide and/or drop out. Less debris and grass piles.
Yair . . . Todd v. Thanks mate for reply, it's always interesting to see how other folks handle tasks. Cheers.
Thank you all again. This is a great place to ask questions and get answers. Not all boards are like that.
Todd, Cool depiction of a before and after mulching job...thanks for taking the time to share...
You're welcome. I thought I posted a before on that second one, guess not. Anyhow it looked like this. Ha
That's a heck of a difference. I can't wait to try mine.
You'll love that cutter. Here's a few photos showing the results of cutting with the inexpensive Brush Buster on a SVL75.
I got to play for just a bit tonight but so far so good. I had fun!
One more thing. How do you all hook your safety chain?
I'm liking the gaurd for the hydros on the machine. You mean to chain it down to transport? I use big transport chain, 4 chains in each corner of the machine, 2' long, with 1 big hook. Hook to the machine, and ratchet boomer on the trailer to the chain on the machine.
I'm sorry I meant the safety chain on the mower. I've never used one of these before.
I think you're referring to the safety chain on your new Blue Diamond brush cutter, that should be covered in the owners manual that came with it. The idea is to attach the safety chain to an anchor point on the front of the machine with just enough slack in the chain that when the operator raises the loader arms the chain will get taught before the cutter raises high enough to expose the operator to the cutter blades, to prevent the operator from being exposed to flying debris with cutter in a raised position. Welcome to our legal world where you can sue McDonalds because coffee is actually served hot (who knew?).
Oh sorry, I wouldn't know about that. Never had to use a brush cutter yet on my machine.
I don't have any great photos of the finished product, I should include that the website. I do have a video of it cutting down some serious grass/brush. If you go to my website and click on forestry you will see the video of the mower, lower left video I believe. That was a 22 acre piece in some places the material it was taller than the skid steer. Finished it in a day, the land owner had seen the finished product on another job and went with the Diamond mower (I bid it at $3500 sight unseen, although I had to mobilize 100 miles round trip to do it). I was concerned after seeing how thick it was, but the mower allowed me to make really good time. I have not had to replace any blades I have only sharpened them. I am probable getting close to having to buy a set. I have about 250 hours on it, combo light mulching and brush like shown in video.
I'm sure it is. My owners manual was ruined from getting wet when I got my cutter. Someone from Blue Diamond emailed me a new manual but I haven't printed it out yet to read it. Thank you for the answer though and you are dead on about the legal problem lol.
Thank you KSSS.....I really like the new website. Very well done. Captures everything you do in detail w/ video's. very professional. Thanks for taking the time to answer my question. I appreciate it....
I like to refer to that as a "lawyer chain" or "idiot chain". It's just the companies way of protecting themselves. I have no idea how to hook it up on your machine or do I know where or how to hook it up on my Bradco mower and amazingly I've used it without it and I'm still here to tell you about it....
You know what they say...there's a daredevil in every crowd.
My CID mower had a big D ring on the rear bottom of the deck. Never used the chain and have been meaning to cut the damn thing off because stuff gets jammed in there from time to time and it gets in the way when setting the mower down on the trailer deck. The Diamond doesn't come with any, it says loud and clear that the mower doesn't meet any safety standard, and it spins faster than any other mower i've used. A little scary till you learn to more or less trust it.
Well guys I'm gonna risk it without tonight. Hopefully I'm here to tell you about it later.
Thanks, it has been a work in progress.
I believe the safety chain is supposed to be attached to the operators nuts.....