How to Brush Hog (or Bush Hog) for the First Time...10 Tips That Make it Easier and Safer

Most people buying a tractor get some form of three point cutter with it and are a little intimidated the first time they use it. Usually it is a brush hog (or Bush Hog, but that's a brand name), or a "topper" if you're in the U.K. or a "slasher" if you're in Australia, regardless of what it's called, it's a rough cut rotary cutter to clip pastures. Today I'll show you how to operate a brush hog, and give ten tips to make that first run across the field a pleasant experience.

Before we start, let's make sure out tractor and cutter are field ready. On the brush hog, check the gearbox oil, grease it, level it and check the blade area to make sure there's nothing wrapped up around there. On the tractor, check the inflation of the back tires (so the cut is even), and make sure the radiator is clean and free of debris, because we're going to give the tractor a little bit of a workout when cutting.

To brush hog, all you do is engage the PTO, which can be button or lever activated; if fully independent; or, on certain tractors you may have to push the clutch down and move a lever, then gradually let up on the clutch. You want to be between 1200 and 1600 RPM's when turning the PTO on. Then all you do is drive!

There are ten practices I'd recommend to make your first trip across the field uneventful. These can also apply if you're an experienced operator.

First, if you have a quick attach bucket, take it off. Those things stick out and can hit posts, trees, etc. Drop it in the weeds and you don't have to worry about it.

Second, drive slow until you get comfortable. Low gear in hydro, low range on a gear-drive tractor. Take it easy until you get a feel for what you're doing.

Third, watch for obstructions. That can include objects hidden in the weeds, but also watch where your roll bar goes. Low limbs or utility wires can encounter the ROPs structure and create an extremely dangerous situation.

Fourth, start in low grass if you can. I never like to engage the PTO where it starts out cutting, so if you can kick in the PTO in an area you've already mowed and drive into the weeds, it's easier on the tractor, cutter, and you.

Five, watch the tractor temperature gauge. When brush hogging mature weeds, the seeds can shatter and your fan may suck them right into the radiator. If the gauge is moving toward the red area, stop and clean the radiator out.

Sixth, get sun protection. You can cook yourself pretty quickly in the sun on an open station tractor brush hogging for hours on end. I recommend the Rhinohide canopy (available here: https://asktractormike.com/products-f...) because it's really tough and you can take it off when you go back into the woods to cut a trail.

Seventh, keep people and pets away from where you're brush hogging. Blades on a cutter run up to 18,000 feet per minute and when they encounter something in the field, they can throw it an amazing distance in all directions. Don't let anyone around you when you're running a rotary cutter.

Eight, start mowing back and forth in the center of the field. Bush hogs generally stick out on both sides of the tractor and until you get a feel for that, don't try to move up next to trees and fences.

Nine, avoid draws, or valleys. Going through a dip in the field can put your equipment in a bind and mess up a PTO shaft (if you're lucky). It could also damage the cutter gear box or the tractor PTO housing. Those are all expensive fixes that you don't need.

Finally, watch your butt or the back of your cutter. When turning the rear of the brush hog will swing around really fast and you have to be real careful it doesn't contact anything. It sticks out more than you think it does when you're a new operator.

When you're done brush hogging it's tremendously satisfying to look back and see the newly-groomed field. Once you've done it a few times and are comfortable with the equipment and the process, it will be a less daunting task.

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