Diamond mower brush cutter. How to Choose the Right Boom Mower for Your Company

How to Choose the Right Boom Mower for Your Company

When taking on municipal works projects like roadside cleaning or contract work for highway maintenance, having the right tools on hand will give you a leg up above your competitors.

Diamond Mowers are Amaco’s top pick for mowers and mowing attachments thanks to their durability, optimized efficiency, and variety of options.

Diamond Mowers offers properly fitted solutions for boom mowers, excavators and skid-steer attachments, with options perfectly matched to your use. There are a variety of sizes and models of mowers to fit many popular machines, letting you maximize your equipment use with the right cutting tools.

By picking a Diamond Mower, you can tackle heavy-duty projects with ease.

What Makes Diamond Mowers Great?

Diamond Mowers offer a multitude of options and features that set them apart from other manufacturers.

Optimized Purpose and Durability

All Diamond Mowers shells are constructed of 100,000 PSI steel housing that is nearly three times stronger than standard A36 steel. This means your equipment withstands more and is less likely to get damaged.

The boom mowers also offer hydraulic actuators with breakaway protection in both forward and reverse motion, offering a larger range of motion than a traditional swing cylinder while using fewer moving parts for easy maintenance. This large range of motion means that a Diamond Mowers boom is far less likely to be damaged during use than swing-cylinder-driven solutions.

Attachment Versatility

Boom mowers can be attached to front end loaders, and tractors as mid-mount fixed or rear three-point hitch attachment booms, meaning you can find a solution given your available machine carrier model.

Mid-mount booms should be selected when the application calls for full-time use. The combination of operator ergonomics and robust design make this the product of choice for most municipalities and contractors.

The 3-point hitch boom is the preferred solution when a customer needs to use the tractor for many different jobs because the boom system can easily be removed from the tractor. The trade-off for this versatility is ergonomics – the cutter head is always positioned behind the operator, so this solution is not recommended for full-time use.

The wheel loader boom offers fleet managers the opportunity to put their wheel loaders to work in the summer, when many loaders are idled in northern climates. This product offers the best of both worlds, with class-leading operator visibility and increased asset utilization.

Diamond Mowers offer boom lengths up to 30’ that provide superior visibility due to an elevated operator position.

Skid-steer attachments from Diamond Mowers can be enhanced with a command coupler that improves attachment performance and reduces downtime. The coupler eliminates the need for hydraulic coupler replacements, eliminates brinelling, helps resists the pushing and pulling of hydraulic lines, and can connect under pressure to increase equipment safety and optimize uptime.

Operator Benefits

Operators enjoy the clear, easy-to-read gauge indicators on Diamond Mowers machines. These indicators keep operators informed of all facets of the machine quickly and provide clear information about problems before they arise.

Operators can also use the ergonomically-designed 45 function proportional control joystick that improves reaction time.

How Can I Customize My Mower?

Diamond Mowers offers several mowers in different sizes, allowing you to pick the right options for the work that you’re doing. Different projects require different sized tools, and this is no exception.

By offering boom mower attachments for both tractors and wheel loaders as well as skid-steer and excavator attachments, you can personalize your fleet – never worry about whether you have the right equipment.

Wheel loader boom mowers by Diamond Mowers can be either loader powered or self-contained, allowing you to purchase and use a boom mower even if you don’t have the power in your current equipment to make it run.

Skid-steer attachments can connect with both standard flow and high-flow hydraulic machines, so you have options that best suit your current available equipment.

Diamond Mowers offers several different attachments that let you customize your tools for the projects you work on. Clean ditches, clean and mulch dense vegetation from roadsides, or create a finished, manicured look while mowing on an angle with the available tools.

What Types of Mowers Can I Choose From?

The mower you choose depends on the type of project you’re working on. Consider different mower attachments to decide which best fits the work your business completes on a regular basis.

Boom Mowers

Rotary Mowers

Rotary mowers are best used for clearing overgrown brush, grass, and trees. They use large, heavy blades designed for power over precision. Diamond Mowers have an exclusive Tri-Hex disc that offers greater durability in tough conditions.

Flail Mowers

Flail mowers are best used for mowing grass of various heights. They use small knives that spin around a long shaft, cutting down and shredding material, leaving a finished look in its path. These are the mowers of choice when mowing along busy roads and next to more populated areas.

Forestry Disc Mulcher

Forestry disc mulchers are made for breaking down and mulching overgrown brush and trees. The mulcher is 10 times faster than a rotary mower at breaking down trees and vegetation. Diamond Mowers disc mulchers are made of hardened steel and use replaceable teeth.

Saw blades are used to cut down trees and other forestry, and leave a clean, finished cut behind. Diamond Mowers blades can cut materials up to 10” thick.

If you’re working in municipal works and looking for an efficient way to clean ditches and side roads to avoid flooding and improve cleanliness, the ditcher is the right tool for you. The Diamond Mowers ditcher uses three 3/8” thick replaceable knives to break up material and features a hydraulic chute to direct material out and away from the mower.

Skid-Steer Attachments

• Available in drum and disc mulcher options
• Drums available in 60” and 72” width; Disc available in 48” and 60” width

Drum and disc mulchers are ideal for grinding down trees and brush into mulch while clearing land and managing vegetation. Depending on the model, mulchers can grind trees up to 9” in diameter and cut up to 14” diameter trees.

Brush Cutter

Brush cutters are a versatile tool for breaking down small materials like thick grass and brush. The Diamond Mowers brush cutter can effectively cut material up to 10” in diameter.

Stump Grinder

Stump grinders are ideal for clearing any stumps below ground level. Diamond Mowers stump grinders feature cutting teeth on both sides of the grinding wheel and can grind stumps of any size.

For more information on each of the attachments, check out this boom mower spec sheet or visit the Diamond Mower’s website for information about skid-steer attachments. If you need assistance in finding the right mower attachment or deciding which mower is best for you, contact us for expert advice.

Jeff MacDonald is the General Manager of Amaco CEI, and has been in the heavy equipment industry in a variety of sales and management roles since 1987. He holds a P.Eng designation, and has a Masters of Applied Science Degree from the University of Toronto. If you have any questions, contact us at Amaco CEI.

Important Things to Look For When Choosing an Open Front Brush Cutter

A skid steer brush cutter with an open front is a great choice for clearing heavy undergrowth, saplings, dense grass, and weeds.

There are many different brush cutters that make quick work of clearing overgrown brush. Skid steer brush cutters are better suited to tackle large areas of extremely tough and dense brush with minimal impact on the property. They offer superior maneuverability compared to dozers, walk-behind cutters, and pull-behind mowers.

Choosing the best brush cutter for you depends on a number of factors, which we’ll cover below. These include understanding the application, having experience, knowing the terrain, and finding a quality cutter that matches your skid steer’s flow rate.

Skid Steer Brush Cutter vs. Skid Steer Brush Hog vs. Skid Steer Brush Mower

When it comes to tools for taking on overgrown brush, it’s easy to get swept up in a bit of confusion over what things are called. Are you looking for a brush cutter, brush hog, or brush mower? For some, these terms are used interchangeably. For others, they have different meanings. It can all depend on who you’re talking with.

A skid steer brush hog is a rotary mower attachment, and they come in all different sizes. A skid steer brush cutter is also a rotary mower attachment. And a skid steer brush mower? You guessed it. It’s a rotary mower attachment.

Here at Virnig Manufacturing, we’ve named our rotary mower attachments brush cutters, but people often refer to them as brush hogs or brush mowers. We only care that you’re able to get your hands on the right tool for the job and operate it safely and efficiently.

Considerations for Matching a Cutter to Your Skid Steer

Effective mowing always requires a suitable machine. With so many options to choose from, it’s important to match the brush cutter to the overall skid steer width, the flow rate capabilities of your skid steer’s hydraulic system, and your overall operating capacity.

Cutter Width

A common question is: What attachment width should I purchase? We always tell people to purchase a brush cutter with a cut width that is wider than the tires or tracks of your skid steer. If the cut width does not cover the tracks, then you increase the risk of running over uncut debris; debris that could damage your skid steer tires.

Bigger is not always better. Selecting a brush cutter attachment that is too wide will:

• Increase weight
• Increase overall cutting surface area
• Require more power to run it effectively

And each of these factors directly impacts performance.

Skid Steer Flow Rate

You must know the flow rate of your skid steer and the minimum and maximum flow rate of the brush cutter’s motor. Flow rate is typically listed in gallons per minute (GPM).

IMPORTANT TIP: To achieve optimal performance, the brush cutter’s flow rate should fall within the min/max range of the brush cutter motor.

• If you use a Standard Flow brush mower motor in High Flow, the motor will be over-stressed. It may not fail immediately, but irreparable damage has likely occurred and will eventually cause the motor to fail.
• If you use a High Flow brush mower on a Standard Flow skid steer, you won’t get the performance you desire.

Skid Steer Operating Capacity

Another factor to consider is the operating lift capacity of your skid steer loader. Brush cutters generally weigh about 1,000 – 2,000 pounds. Always check the attachment’s recommended loader capacity to make sure your skid steer has the necessary operating capacity to effectively handle the skid steer brush mower.

When and How to Use a Brush Cutter

Open front brush cutters are not like lawnmowers. They have powerful motors, thicker blades, and are primarily used to cut down thick brush, topple small trees, and make stumps disappear.

Brush cutting provides many benefits, which include:

• Limiting future regrowth
• Expanding usable property
• Reducing brush piles, if any
• Preventing wildfires
• Leaving landscapes looking great

Buying a machine that isn’t strong enough to tackle whatever you’re clearing will be a frustrating waste of money.

If you have several acres to clear, an open front cutter on a skid steer is probably suitable. After all, nobody wants to clear four acres of brush with a walk-behind mower.

USE AN Open front brush cutter TO:

• Maintain or create new trails in the woods or around a lake
• Clear large areas for future development
• Cut down many trees in a short amount of time
• Clear weeds along fence lines
• Quickly reclaim neglected backyards

What Can I Expect From a Virnig Cutter?

We give special attention to our brush cutters to ensure that they meet performance expectations, including enhanced safety features. You can be sure you’re getting a high-quality brush cutter when you get yours from Virnig.

Quality Spindle: The spindle is the most expensive and important performance part of a skid steer brush cutter attachment. Choosing a cutter with a thick, high-quality spindle is an absolute must when making a brush cutter purchase. All of Virnig’s open front brush cutter attachments are made with thick, high-quality USA-made spindles.

Hydraulic Pressure Relief Valves: Pressure relief valves protect the motor and the loader’s hydraulic system from pressure spikes. When the blades hit a large stump or rock, the relief valves open and relieve the pressure. This protects seals and other internal components from damage due to excessive pressure. Virnig’s premium drive components include Eaton® motors with relief valves to provide optimum performance and longevity.

Heavy-Duty Flywheel: A heavy-duty flywheel is needed for handling large debris. If it is too light, the brush cutter will bog down and hurt performance. A heavier flywheel will create more inertia and provide a cleaner, more precise cut. Depending on the model, your Virnig flywheel will be between 150 and 550 lbs with a rounded edge to prevent catching on debris and causing damage.

Safety Features: A skid steer brush cutter motor that features hydraulic dynamic braking will safely stop the flywheel in about ten seconds. Without braking the flywheel will keep spinning for several minutes. The brush cutter attachment should also have a safety feature that prevents the cutter’s deck from going above the cab door. This keeps the cutter close to the ground and limits flying debris, which helps protect the operator. All of Virnig’s attachments offer these crucial safety features.

Replaceable Blades: Replaceable blades minimize downtime. Rocks, dirt, and other obstructions will dramatically increase the dulling of the blades. They will eventually need to be replaced. Virnig’s attachments come with replaceable blades so you can easily extend the life of your cutter.

Replaceable Skid Shoes: Similar to the blades above, skid shoes need replacing from time to time as well. Skid shoes increase the mower deck’s wear life and add protection. Skid shoes help the skid steer mower glide over soft, uneven terrain instead of gouging into the ground. Virnig makes maintenance easy by ensuring that ordering and replacing your skid shoes is simple.

Reinforced, Tall Push Bar: If your cutter needs to go through a lot of small trees and thick debris, then a push bar is essential. Without a push bar, the steel on the front deck may quickly deform and affect the brush mower’s performance. Virnig’s open front attachments all come with push bars that will protect your cutter and extend its longevity.

Reinforced Mower Deck: Take a close look at the steel reinforcements on the top of and under the mower deck — it has to be reinforced since it is the support structure for the entire mower. The mower deck should be constructed with thick, high-grade steel and cross members running across the entire length.

Skid Steer Brush Cutter Reviews

Sometimes the best way to evaluate a brush cutter is to see it in action. Watch how one customer used our V50 Open Front Rotary Brush Cutter to clear cedar trees and brush to create new recreational park trails.

Standard Flow Rotary Brush Cutter/Brush Mower | Brush Buster. Industrial Floating Brush Mower

Often imitated but never duplicated t he Brush Buster has been re-engineered adding a bottom deck re-enforcement ring. This keeps blades in line while increasing the overall strength of the deck. Our industry leading floating deck follows the contour’s of the ground and large rear roller gives you a smooth ride but aggressive cut. The top linkage bar allows for adjustments for each machine along with creating enough resistance to cut tree’s and brush which you can’t achieve with straps or the rear roller alone. The combination of rear roller, floating plate, and centered linkage gives the only truly floating deck design in the market. Built from 1/4 steel with 1/2 overlapping end plates ,making them some of the strongest brush mowers manufactured. This is the most versatile mower on the market today. Use it to cut trees, brush, and unwanted weeds and grass. Its unique automatic Float-n-Tilt system allows you to cut evenly on level surfaces, as well as the most rugged terrain.

• Unique automatic Float-n-Tilt™ system follows the contours of the ground
• Available 66, 72 and 78 cutting widths
• Pressure relief system/no shear pins here
• Cut, clear, and mulch unwanted brush, thickets, grass and trees
• Break new trails, clear ditches, construction, property sites, and other overgrown areas
• Best value: powerful, versatile, great price
• Dual-edge cutting blades can be operated in reverse for longer life
• Available with John Deere Euro Mount. ( May require Hydraulic power pack)

Testimonials

I bought this mower to take care of various dirt roads and drainage ditches that connect 157 acres of farm property in Western Oregon. The fig benefit is using the flat and tilt feature to cut weeds on the side of the drainage ditches, This has really reduced the requirement for spring weeds. Thus far, has been reliable and trouble free.

I have an older skid steer with lower hydraulic flow and was concerned about mower performance. Purchased the low-flow model and the mower works great. Tho floating deck also works very well.

I’ve had my brush mower a few months now and have used it a lot. I do weed Abatement hear in Hesperia California. Ive cut grass, sage, small trees and wild alfalfa. This mower eats it all up. I really love the float feature not really excited about the tilt stop so I disabled it. The quality of this mower is fantastic the only issues Ive had with it is it bolts coming loose due to lack of washers. lock nuts and or tread lock. I shared this feed back with them and they said theyd address this with manufacturing. Over all Im extremely happy with this mower and would but it again when the time comes.

Just got a new skid steer and Im looking for was to seeing how well it works. I used it on my old one, but it was not a problem with the brush cutter, it was more the skid steer.

I have been mowing 3ft sagebrush for two years, no problems, great service.

For the money this was the most efficient mower, I used a brush mower from another competitor and had to do a lot of adjusting and stopping, Cody at Quick Attach recommended the Brush Buster as it will “float” and shut off when you raise the deck. The 40 acres we have it sage brush, and and rock. The mower worked better than I imagined. I was able to increase my speed and work around rocky areas without stopping and starting.

I purchased this brush mower with optional wheel kit and push brace. Mower works excellent. Very heavy duty. Unbelievable what this mower will grind up. Little more expensive than other brands but well worth the extra money.

A quick note to thank you for all of the help with the brush buster skid steer mower. I was comparing different brush mower attachments for my skid steer and contacted quick attachments for a price quote. I was comparing fixed deck models because I though a floating deck model would be out of my budget. When I spoke with Paul and John and Quick Attach they produced me a quote for a floating deck mower that was within my budge. I used this mower to cut approximately 45 acres of dense vegetation at three different properties. The mower floated over the ground so well that I was able to increase my mowing speed and complete the projects quicker than expected. I would highly recommend this product to anyone in the market for a brush mower.

The wait was worth it. I just came back in from running the brush buster at our shop and I must say that I was impressed. To be honest I thought the claims were a bit exaggerated- I didnt think this thing would eat much brush but I was wrong. It sure does seem to be a fine piece of equipment and has no problems at all with handling heavy brush. It will be on the pipeline right of way tomorrow and I have no doubt that it will perform better than expected. Thanks, and I am sure we will be doing more business in the future.

A few thoughts on the Brush Buster mower that I purchased, As you know I was NOT planning to buy a mower at this time, but I ended up with one and Im glad I did. At first I was actually second guessing my purchase because the floating deck takes a little getting used to. After about an hour of operation I knew this might be the best purchase ever. This attachment can do things that none of my other equipment can do. It has made mowing my fence rows a breeze. (I can stick it right under the wire on some fences) It also works wonders on cleaning out over grown ditches as well as clearing out brush and saplings in wooded areas for food plots. The areas that I have cleared with this mower will HOPEFULLY give me the opportunity to see a Boone and Crocket Buck this Fall. Thanks for a phenomenal product and great purchasing experience.