# How much Disc Mower can a 55hp John Deere handle?



## Canderson012 (Jan 17, 2012)

I've recently bought my rake and tedder, still looking for a disc mower. My dealer only currently has an 8 disc Vermeer for his smallest. I have a John Deere 5310, with a loader on the front. So I wonder if that will help with all the weight on the drawbar. I'd like to get a 6 or 7 disc but I'm running low on time. Let me know your opinion on a midsize tractor handling that much weight on the rear.


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## wjkrostek (Jul 12, 2011)

I have a JD5310 that I use with a NH 462 which is a 6 disk and think is a 7 foot cut and it doesn't have enough power for mowing under all conditions. But it will work if I slow down. I can only cut about 3 acres an hour at best. So a 8 disk model will require more power and I would wait assuming the 8 disk is even bigger. mine will work for me because my biggest field is only 25 ac and other fields10 acres and smaller. This year I have a JD5525 which is 20 more HP to use with the mower and it should work better I hope. I wouldn't buy it if I was you, keep looking for a smaller one or get a bigger tractor. good luck


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## urednecku (Oct 18, 2010)

The only experience is with my Kubota M7040 rated @ 68hp, using an old JD MO-CO 926 with flail conditioner, 9'9" cut. My tractor pulls it, but it's all it wants. I did pretty good in 90 day old hermothia, but when I got to the lower places where the grass was old, (as in probably 8 or 9 months, due to being a wet summer & the ground was too wet for the hay to dry) I was down in 2nd, and a couple times 1st gear.
I'd suggest you check with the manufacturer of the mower for the HP they suggest.


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## darwood (Jun 7, 2010)

I have a NH 617 mower which is 9 foot something mounted on a kmc caddy. I can pull it through bermuda grass with a NH tn65 no problems. The key is to get the weight off the tractor. Plus the tractor is 2wd with no loader or cab. Granted, I mostly pull the mower with my larger tractor, but before I bought the bigger tractor I just used the smalled one.


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## blueriver (Oct 19, 2009)

I use the Frontier DM 1160 ... I believe its 7'10 cut and is rated for 40 hp. It is 6 disc, in thick conditions of Bermuda I have to shift down with 43hp ... when its one my 55 hp it handles it very well.


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## tnwalkingred (Jun 8, 2010)

I have a JD5210 which is rated at around 45hp. I own a Vicon CM2400 mower and use the 5210 to pull it. It works great and I have not had any trouble with it at all. It is a six disk mower and is over a 7' cut. When the mower is raised up on the three point hitch you knows its there but I wouldn't say it's un-safe. I'm sure a larger tractor would be better however it does everything I need it to do. I cut over 200 acres last year with the tractor and mower. I can't speak to how it would handle a different type of mower but I can say your tractor would handle my mower without any trouble at all. Since the Vicon has three blades on each disk instead of two it's possible it makes cutting a little easier. Just my two cents worth.

--Kyle


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## RockmartGA (Jun 29, 2011)

tnwalkingred said:


> Since the Vicon has three blades on each disk instead of two it's possible it makes cutting a little easier.
> --Kyle


I used to have a Vicon and always thought it allowed me grab an extra gear (or two...). Don't understand why other manufacturers haven't adopted that design.


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## kyfred (Dec 23, 2009)

We have a M5030SU 4WD Kubota. 50 hp. I run a Krone Easy Cut 243 S 7ft 10in cut. Most of our hayfields are steep. The tractor runs the mower as fast as I want to go. I have to watch raising the cutter bar when it is on the lower side of the tractor, would have to watch that even with a bigger tractor. It does a good job. As with any mowers a larger tractor will do better with a disc mower, but my little Kubota is paid for.


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## Hand&Hand Farms (Feb 5, 2011)

It should run a 6 disc just fine.


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## 2350 jd (Mar 19, 2012)

Been using a 2350 JD for years with cm2400 vicon now, cm 240 before, both 6 disc cutters 3 blade heads good match for the hp in coastal, running 4th, 5th gear another disc would be a little much when crop good in my opinion. 56 hp tractor.


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## rjmoses (Apr 4, 2010)

RockmartGA said:


> I used to have a Vicon and always thought it allowed me grab an extra gear (or two...). Don't understand why other manufacturers haven't adopted that design.


I used a Vicon for years and I always thought I got a nice, clean cut with the 3 blade design and used less HP. My thinking is that hay, like your yard, would suffer from ragged cuts where the plant is more torn or shredded that snipped cleanly. My understanding is that a ragged cut allows disease into the plant. That's also why I like nice, sharp blades on my disc mower.

Ralph


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## Richardin52 (Aug 14, 2011)

I am runing at New Holland TN 60A two wheel drive with no cab or loader. rated at 59 HP. My mower is a New Holland 6730 which has a cutter bar width of 6 ft. 8 in. Seams to be a pretty good match. I went with a shorter mower figuring if it pulled easier I could just go a little faster so I would be cutting the same amount of grass over the same amount of time.


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