Brush Hogging 101 – Everything You Need to Know

Maintaining quality pastures and hay fields, as well as “grubbing” wooded survival homesteads to create more grazing and gardening space requires diligent tending to the land.

Brush hogging is a method of landscaping that rids woodlots of heavy bush that inhibit grass growth, to clear it using a rotary cutter for various agricultural uses, or for land development.

What Is Brush Hogging, and What’s a Brush Hog?

A brush hog is a rotary mower attached to a tractor that is used to cut small brush and heavy weeds and clear land to create a pasture, hay field, home location spot, or garden spot, or to tend to established pastures and hay fields.

In a pinch, I have known a homesteader or two that have used a brush hog to cut hay and it works decently enough, but I dare not say it works well.

This type of mower is driven by the power take-off (PTO) that is positioned perpendicularly to the slope. Rotary cutters are basically a heavy-duty type of mowing deck.

The generic brush hog term is used when referencing any type of mowing deck that is not a finish mower – that is not a Bush Hog brand mower. This brand was created in Selma, Alabama in 1947 by the same man who also invented tractor-powered rotary cutters, “Fat” Lawrence.

A brush hog cuts in a pattern that is both efficient and will help save both fuel and time. The alternative to tending to a field properly would be using a regular riding mower and a weed eater – a vastly more time-consuming proposition.

Not only would using a more residential style of grass and weed cutting in a field or clearing land take a whole lot more time, but such equipment also would not be able to cut down dense brush without clogging or breaking blades.

When purchasing a farm tractor, keep in mind there are two ways to attach a bush hog, either by using a 3-point hitch or by using a drawbar.

What’s the Difference Between Brush Hog and Bush Hog?

Before we go any further, we need to clear up the confusion between the terms brush hog and bush hog. While the terms are often used interchangeably (and that is fine) Bush Hog is actually a brand name for one type of manufactured equipment used to brush hog.

Depending upon where you live it is likely you hear folks refer to pasture cutting or land clearing by saying they are either going to “bush hog” or “brush hog” the area.

Use whatever phrase best suits you or is common where you live. But if the need for a repair or rental of equipment arises, it is good to know that a supplier or mechanic will think your bush hogging problem relates to a Bush hog brand farm implement.

You will catch me using both terms in this article because one is more common in my area of Appalachia, so folks who are familiar with only the other term can also find this piece when searching, and be able to learn from it too…

Why Should You Bush Hog a Pasture?

Sure, goats and other animals can graze pastures with weeds and bushes, but good quality grass can only be obtained if you brush the pasture. You want to maximize grass yield.

Plus, it’s also possible that your pasture will see trees growing on it, a young forest starting to develop. Then it’s even harder to clear it…

A plethora of wild edibles often grow in pastures, so forage away, then set the mowing deck to a medium to high level, and cut down only the undesirable growth.

By brush hogging the land you prevent unwanted growth from sucking up all the nutrients you need to go towards quality grass development.

Brush hog once or twice a year to maintain an established field is required when developing a pasture or hay field.

By bush hogging in the middle to late fall, depending upon your climate, a blanket of cut growth serves as a natural blanket that will increase microbial activity by warming the surface area.

What Exactly Can a Bush Hog Cut?

Though you don’t want to routinely cut all of these if you want to keep your equipment sharp, a brush hog can cut through bushes, tall weeds, meadows, softwood saplings, and even small trees.

What Does a Finishing Mower Do?

A finishing mower is never used to brush hog. It is a yard tractor or standard riding mower with blades that reach far lower to the ground than those on a rotary mowing deck.

If you are bush hogging to clear land for building a home or to enlarge a back yard, a finishing mower would only be used after removing unwanted vegetation. A finishing mower will give a finer more landscaped cut after the tall grass and weeds have been chopped down by a bush hog.

How Much Does It Cost To Bush Hog A Field?

The amount of money it will take to hire someone to brush hog a field or rent equipment to do so varies greatly by location.

On average, expect to spend $25 to $41 per hour to clear land or tend to a field if you do not own your own equipment, and have to rent it or the services of someone else to complete the chore.

How Long Does It Take to Brush Hog a Field?

The answer to this question will depend on the terrain being cleared and the skill of the person doing the job. If the area has been cleared of stumps, overhanging limbs, dense thickets, and checked for debris, and is somewhat level and dry, you should be able to cut approximately two and a half acres per hour.

In terms of speed, you can expect to go at around 4 or 5 miles per hour, or 6 to 8 kilometers / hour, depending on the terrain.

When Are the Best Times To Brush Hog?

Most homesteaders bush hog during the middle to the late weeks of summer when weeds begin to appear in pastures and fields. The quality of land being worked, climate, and seasonal weather may require two or even three brush hogging sessions – or as few as one.

However, depending on your purpose, you can brush hog any time of the year, ideally not while it’s raining and when the grass is dry…

Brush Hog Setup

Before you can start cutting a livestock pasture or clearing land, the brush hog mowing deck must be properly attached to the tractor, though you can also use an ATV or UTV (so long as you can attach it to them).

This is usually the most difficult part of bush hogging there is to learn for most beginners. If you do this part wrong, the brush hogging implement could be damaged, cause harm, fall off, or simply not cut at all.

Also, be sure to adjust its hydraulics so the cutting deck is set to the right height.

One note – if you’re using modern tractor implements, you’ll find that these are pretty easy to hook up to the back of a farm tractor – after you’ve attached the cutter, just make sure the stabilizer chains don’t have too much slack, or this will cause the cutter to swing loosely.

If your tractor doesn’t have a hydraulic system and PTO shaft, consider a 3-point conversion kit or a new tractor to make the setup process a bit easier.

How to Connect the Brush Hog PTO Shaft and Start a Brush Hog Mower

See our video below on how to connect the PTO shaft:

How to Adjust a Brush Hog and Drive the Machinery

How Do You Engage the PTO?

How to Brush Hog Step by Step

Step 1 – Rough Mow the Perimeter

Mow along the perimeter of the pasture, field, or area to be cleared in a roughly rectangular shape. Make a few passes with the bush hog to clearly define the boundaries of the cutting area. This is especially useful if rugged terrain, a fence, boundary line, or waterways border the bush hogging area.

Going back through after the first swath and before moving on to the next row will increase your mowing time but will also let you do a much more thorough job.

This also gives you a chance to go slow and take one final look for potentially hazardous debris, large holes, tree limbs, and other obstructions. Do not forget to be mindful of snakes both on the ground and lounging in the trees, as well as ground hornets and bee hives.

Step 2 – Brush Hog the Field

Start at one side of the interior of the boundary area and rough mow straight along one side. Make a defined turn, and then mow another strip down alongside the first. Repeat this step until the interior area has been completely cut.

Step 3 – Due Diligence

1. Slightly overlap the parallel rows you create to avoid any weeds being missed in between the rows.
2. Periodically look back at the brush hog mower deck so it’s not cutting too deep, too high, or getting clogged with debris.
3. Occasionally check for dirt and debris build up on the bush hog blades. This happens most often if the field is wet or the blades are cutting too low into the ground. Blade issues of this type most frequently occur when bush hogging on uneven terrain where multiple deck height adjustments will be necessary.
4. Brush hogs often extend out on either side wider than the tractor that is towing the implement. Remember that fact, and watch the space keenly when cutting close to trees and a fence line.

Safety Tips

• Drive the brush hog slowly until you have become more accomplished at running the tractor with a rough mower attached. Operating the machinery in low range on a gear driven tractor is the safest route to go when first learning how to brush hog or when cutting in either unfamiliar or rugged terrain.
• Remove the bucket on your tractor before bush hogging. It will be of no use to you with this homesteading chore and can easily hit fence posts and trees when you are forced to make tight turns when cutting.
• Keep an eye out for obstacles such as rocks or holes.
• Pay attention to how the roll bar is moving while brush hogging. Low lying tree limbs or utility wires can become tangled in the roll bar when driving a large farm tractor.
• Unless absolutely necessary, do not engage the PTO until you are actually bush hogging – not while driving the tractor to the desired spot. This simply saves wear and tear on the mechanism, and makes the ride to the rough mowing area far easier on the lower back – even if you are blessed with a really comfortable tractor seat.
• Always check the temperature gauge on the tractor while bush hogging. Weeds and small bits of branches can get sucked into the fan, and cause the radiator to overheat. If the tractor is getting too hot, stop brush hogging and allow it to cool down enough to remove the clogging debris.
• Don’t let your dogs tag along on this farm chore. The rugged blades on the brush hog can throw debris a great distance and at a high speed. Even a tiny rock thrown free from the blades could cause serious injury (or worse!) to a dog, livestock, children, or farm helpers who are standing in the vicinity of the rotary cutters.
• Never brush hog any ground that you have not walked on first, or into dense growth you cannot see through. Walking the area to be bush hogged before starting the homesteading chore cannot be recommended highly enough.
• The rear of the brush hog will swing out a lot quicker than you might think when making a turn. Pay special attention to going around corners or near trees and fencing to avoid the cutting deck from being damaged or becoming wrapped around a corner post.

Land Clearing Steps and Tools

This has to be done before bush hogging…

1. Cut down unwanted trees – turn them into firewood or building material.
2. Remove tree stumps using farm machinery, or by drilling holes in them and pouring Borax in the holes so they can easily be pulled out or burnt.
3. Remove any tall or dense bush as well.
4. Now you’re ready to start bush hogging!

The height the mowing deck that should be set will depend on the amount and thickness of brush, as well as the terrain. Unless you are bush hogging an entirely level field, expect to have to adjust the height of the deck at least once to adapt to dips, valleys, and rocks that become unearthed during the cutting process.

Manual labor and the use of either manual or gas-powered farm tools may be necessary to clear away tall and dense obstacles before brush hogging the space.

Always look above your head when riding on the tractor, some low lying tree branches could knock you right off the seat or at least be a cause for getting stitches, if you drive into them.

Top 8 Pre-Brush Hogging Land Clearing Tools

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• Pole Saw – This type of saw has extremely long hands that contain the power portion of the saw at the end where your hand will rest. Pole saws make cutting down tree limbs a lot quicker and typically a lot safer than climbing a tree and cutting down a portion of it with a chainsaw.
• Hatchet or Axe – This durable and portable tool is excellent for chopping down trees that are no larger than 2 inches in diameter. Sure, a chainsaw would get the job done quickly, but it is a lot heavier to pack. Maneuvering a tractor pulling a brush hog around little trees is difficult, and trying to mow over them can cause significant damage to the mowing deck.
• Machete – A sharp machete is capable of cutting down small tree saplings and thick brambles. Toting a lightweight machete with you during an on-foot review before bush hogging or attaching it to your belt while on the tractor, will keep this useful tool always at the ready. When clearing a forest area or overgrown field, expect a snake or two to jump out when their domain is disturbed. A machete will take care of this problem, as well.
• Pruning Shears – If the tall and thick weeds cause the bush hog to become clogged or you need to cut away tall thickets that dangle over the tractor seat area, pruning shears will come in quite handy. Always refer to the user’s manual before cutting away a tangled mess from under the mowing deck. If the blades release suddenly, cutting off a hand is entirely likely.
• Weed Eater – Making a rough pathway to inspect the area to be bush hogged will help you unearth tree stumps, rocks, and debris that could harm the farm implement or overturn the tractor Blazing a trail clear enough to conduct an inspection of the space can be fairly easily accomplished with a weed eater.
• Scythe or Sickle – These low-tech versions of weed eaters can also accomplish the task noted above, and negate the need to purchase and tote fuel to help clear a rough path or cut down dense thickets the brush hog would struggle to traverse.
• Chainsaw – This power tool will cut down trees, and branches, and can slice on a tree stump to make it shorter and scored so Borax can work more efficiently to erode it.
• Stump Grinder – If you have a lot of tree stumps on the land being cleared, buying or renting a stump grinder will surely speed up the time it will take to turn neglected or wooded areas into usable homesteading space.

What are the best brush hogging manufacturers?

It depends on what you’re clearing (whether it’s heavy brush clearing, ditches, roadways, medians, or just pastures) since the ideal type of brush hog will vary depending on the type of job.

That said, you can’t go wrong choosing any of these:

• Land Pride
• Schafstall
• Bush-Whacker

Differences Between a Rough Mower and a Finishing Mower

Both are modern tractor implements that can make a big difference in your farming operations.

The primary difference between a finishing mower and a rough-cut mower is the brush-hogging implement boasts both a heavier and sturdier blade.

The durability of the blade on the rough cut mower permits it to slice through thicker material in a fairly easy manner. Typically, rough-cut mowers are manufactured out of far more heavy-duty materials than a finishing mower.

Can Brush Hog Blades Be Sharpened?

A dull brush hog blade can make clearing overgrowth a real chore—but thankfully, they can be easily sharpened at home with just a few inexpensive tools and some elbow grease.

Fortunately, with the right tools and a little bit of know-how, you can sharpen your brush hog blades at home.

The method below is one of the easiest methods I’ve found, but you can also take them to a dealer to be sharpened as well (which is ideal if you’re like me and just don’t have the time and interest to do this regularly!).

But if you want to save money and do it yourself, you’ll need a few things: a power drill, a grinding wheel attachment for the drill, gloves, safety glasses, and a file. You’ll also need access to a vice or some other way of securely attaching the blade to a work surface.

Once you have all your materials gathered, follow these steps to sharpen your brush hog blades:

1. Clamp the blade in the vice so that the cutting edge is facing up.
2. Put on your gloves and safety glasses.
3. Use the file to remove any nicks or burrs from the cutting edge of the blade.
4. Attach the grinding wheel to the power drill.
5. Hold the blade at a 10-15 degree angle to the grinding wheel and move it from side to side to evenly sharpen the entire cutting edge.
6. Repeat steps 3-5 on the other side of the blade.
7. Remove any metal shavings from the blade with a wire brush before unclamping it from the vice.
8. Test the sharpness of the blade by cutting through some grass or other light vegetation—if it’s still not as sharp as you’d like, repeat steps 3-7 until it is.

Differences Between a Drag Brush Hog and a Hydraulic Brush Hog

We show you and explain the differences in the video below:

Can You Brush Hog in the Rain?

You can typically successfully brush hog in damp grass, in the early morning when there is still dew on the ground, or in slightly wet grass.

You cannot, however, brush hog in truly wet grass without a tremendous amount of problems – chief among them being tearing up the land you are trying to improve.

Expect far more clogging of the rough mowing deck blades when attempting to cut on anything but dry ground. The brush hog mower will be forced to work harder to clear the land when the ground is wet.

Ready To Brush Hog?

Bush hogging is not a daunting task for someone who is experienced with running a farm tractor and switching out implements. A beginner who follows the brush hog user guide and safety protocols should also be able to master clearing land and maintaining pastures in a relatively short amount of time.

The two most important things to remember when brush hogging are to make sure the tractor and rough mowing deck being used are in good working order, and that the land being worked has been thoroughly inspected for hazards prior to cutting.

Brush Hogging FAQ