Brush hog

A brush hog [ [http://davesgarden.com/terms/go/1941/ Definition of brush hog] , Dave's Garden.] is a heavily built rotary mower. Typically these mowers attach to the back of a farm tractor using the three-point hitch and are driven via the Power Take Off (PTO). It has blades that are not rigidly attached to the drive like a lawnmower blade, but are on hinges so if the blade hits a rock or stump, it bounces backward and inward, and then centrifugal force makes it go outwards again.

The rotary blades are not sharpened in the same way as a conventional mower blade. They are usually quite dull so they whack through dense plant growth, where a sharp blade will get stuck or slowed down. The blades are very heavy, up to an inch thick, so the centrifugal force pulling out is stronger than the forces of the vegetation bouncing in. They are made of heat treated high carbon steel that can withstand strikes with hard objects such as rocks and stones.

Types of brush hog

The archetype of this type of mower is the Bush Hog which made by Bush Hog, LLC Selma, Alabama. The generic name for this type of implement is a rotary cutter or rotary mower.

Several other manufacturers make these types of mowers including:
*King Kutter [ [http://www.kingkutter.com King Kutter] .]
*Land Pride [ [http://www.landpride.com Land Pride] .]
*Servis-Rhino [ [http://www.servis-rhino.com Servis-Rhino] .]

There are two types of attachment for a rotary mower, either using the three-point hitch or via a draw bar. The height of the cut on models attached on the three-point hitch is adjusted using the hitch control lever. This adjusts the height of the front of mower. For more radical height adjustment the rear wheel can also be adjusted. Typically the mowers in this category range from 3.3ft to 6ft mowing widths.

A rotary mower that applies chemical while cutting was patented by Tom Burch of Boone, N.C and was later sold to Diamond Mowers Inc. of Sioux Falls, SD under the name Wet Blade [http://diamondmowers.com/Products/WetBlade.cfm] .

On draw bar models the height of the cut is determined using hydraulic rams on the mower itself; this requires remote hydraulics on the tractor. Again the mowers in this category range from 3.3ft to 6ft mowing width. Draw bar mowers which are able to mow larger widths up to 20ft are available. These are multi-spindle and hinged so that the side wings can move over varied terrain. Also these wings can be folded up into a vertical position to reduce width for transport on roadways.

afety

The blades on a rotary cutter can have tip speed of over 150 mph. Therefore the kinetic energy enables the blades to cut though saplings and small trees of several inches diameter. These mowers can be very dangerous as a consequence. Contact with the blades would cause severe bodily injury.

These cutters also pose a thrown object hazard. Objects such as rocks, stones and roadside debris can be thrown in excess of 300ft.

Example

In this photograph, [ [http://www.historylink101.com/lessons/farm-city/brush_hog.htm Photograph of a brush hog] .] the wheel is the back of the brush hog, and the end away from the viewer is the front of the hog, which attaches to the back of the farm tractor.

References