A “bush hog” is a type of rotary mower used for “heavy” jobs such as cutting down brush, bushes, and capable of running over and through rocks and stones on the acreage without damage to the machinery. It is also referred to as a brush hog mower. The bush hog is one of the Keith’s tractor mowing equipment.
The bush hog usually attaches to the back of a farm tractor (becoming a tractor mower) using a hitch. Its blades are not rigidly attached to the mower drive like one would find on a lawnmower, but rather are on hinges so that if the blade hits a rock, it bounces backwards and inwards. Once this “reaction” occurs, centrifugal force makes the blades go outwards again.
One other difference with the brush hog is that its blades are not sharpened like a conventional mower blade. It was found early on in testing brush hogs that in trying to mow down brush, instead of cut grass, conventional blades would get stuck or were slowed down trying to cut the heavy undergrowth. Thus came the brush hog design of using a dull, heavy blade to whack down the brush rather than cutting it. Each blade is up to one inch in thickness, and the weight of it, combined with centrifugal force, allows it to knock down vegetation rather than cut and thus not get stuck in that vegetation. The blades are also made of heat-treated high carbon steel so they can withstand multiple hits against hard objects such as stones.
There are various models of brush hogs to choose from when purchasing one. The Bush Hog, the RhinoAg, the Bush-Whacker, the King Kutter, the Land Pride, and DR Power Equipment are all reliable brush hogs currently on the market, and of course John Deere also weighs in with their brush hog attachment.
The height of the cut with a brush mower is adjusted either by adjusting the height of the front of the mower using a hitch control lever, or for radical height adjustment the rear wheel of the brush hog can be adjusted. If a draw bar is used rather than a three-point hitch, then the height of the cut is determined using hydraulic rams on the mower itself, which requires hydraulics on the tractor.
Bush hogs can be adjusted to mow a width ranging from 3.3 feet to 22 feet.
The blades of a brush hog can reach speeds of 150 miles per hour, enabling them to knock down even small saplings, and there is a real danger of thrown objects such as rocks and roadside debris, so extreme caution is recommended when operating one.
How do you find a good bush hog operator for bush mowing services? Ask around! Your local grange can point you in the right direction. Local farmers are always a good resource to use. Your local feed store probably has a recommendation or two you can use.
In the Fort Worth area, there is only one name to consider among commercial mowers, Keith’s Tractor Mowing Services, serving a 75 mile radius around Fort Worth. If quality is a factor you care about, and friendly service is something you value, then Keith’s Tractor Mowing Services is the number you should have taped to your refrigerator.