Aldeer.com Forums Alabama Deer Talk Aldeer General Forum How to Get By with No Tractor?

I am about to enter a lease in Shelby County. I am trying to calculate some of my future costs in order to make a budget. Going to plant around 3 acres of fields come fall and have some roads that will probably need mowed. Depending on what the soil test says, I may end up mowing the fields soon in order to be able to spread lime. I have a four wheeler. I will probably buy a disc to pull behind it for plowing. But, I am trying to figure out the mowing part. Do any of you ever rent a bushhog that you can pull behind a four wheeler? If so, where and what is the cost? Or, anyone with a tractor up for making a little money by mowing 3 acres? If so, what would you charge? Other marvelous ideas besides by a tractor?

I've used ATV, 42" pull behind mower/bushhog, and disc for 5 years now. It's annoying, and takes forever, but works

In tractor market now

Have you considered spraying in place of mowing? I have friends that never mow their plots....just spray them.

IF all you're doing is hunting related, it will be cheaper to hire it done or renting the equipment. As far as mowing, I have about gotten away from that. Buy a sprayer for the 4 wheeler with reach ( boom or boom less) and spray roads and plots. Gly is cheap. Disc behind 4 wheeler in my area want scratch the surface and is bad on the 4 wheeler.

I guess that I could spray. It would be a lot of gly. This stuff is waste deep now. Should I kill it now so that it isn't head high by fall. How long will it take for the grass to vanish? I hate the idea of having to spray now and then again later.

If it's got turkeys you could lease the rights to someone like me to pay for your bushogging.

Nice move!

IMO this is your best option if a bushhog is out of the question and you have access to water. You can get a sprayer that will fit the back rack of your wheeler with a spray boom on it for relatively cheap. I'd spray it now if it's waste high and burn it down hard (heavy concentrate) and then spray it again 2-3 weeks or so before you disc. If it's good and dry, for a couple weeks after you kill it, it will basically just vaporize when the disc hits it. If was planning to disc with was a 4 wheeler, I'd much rather spray it than try to disc it bushhogged.

I think my buddies spray end of July first of August.....then once it's dead if you could burn it so much the better.

I have used a pull behind bush hog and disk for 5 years now. It is a hassle and trying to keep my bush hog running is just about impossible. But it has worked. I looked this year into hiring it but so far the best I've been able to find for a full day is around $400. I can work on my equipment a lot for that price each year.

I did spray last year and that seemed to work really well. No need for the bush hog that way...

I have planted a lot of plots in years past with roundup and a garden tiller...I don't miss using that tiller at all.

I'd spray gly now with it tall. Wait about 3 weeks and spot spray what you missed. Gly is cheap at 4oz/gal. Comes to about .50/gallon excluding the water cost. Bushogging has its place but for me spray last longer, is much ,easier, and cheap enough.

I don't hunt turkeys. I let a guy hunt my lease for cutting up my plots summer and fall. I spread and covered with my four wheeler. Worked out great for ten years.

I never spray my roads. They will turn to slop in winter if I don't leave the grass to die on it's on. YMMV

Maybe I need to get into the bush hog business. Where is it in Shelby county?

Get you a couple of young'ns/labor finders, a few sling blades; and start slave drivin.

I'd hate to have to try to get by without a tractor, I'm way too old to even think about it.

Spray the hell out of it now and then again bout 3 weeks before you disk.

A couple Mexicans with weedeaters.