How many acres can a 6 foot bush hog cut per hour? A 6 foot bush hog cuts 2.18 acres per hour at 4 miles per hour and 75 percent efficiency. At 4.5 miles per hour and the same efficiency it cuts 2.45 acres per hour, and at 3 miles per hour it cuts 1.64 acres per hour.
Table of Contents
The Formula for a 6 Foot Cutter
Acres per hour equals width in feet times speed in miles per hour times efficiency, divided by 8.25. Efficiency is written as a decimal in the formula, so 75 percent is 0.75 and 65 percent is 0.65. The constant 8.25 comes from 43560 divided by 5280. That is the number of square feet in an acre divided by the number of feet in a mile.
For a 6 foot cutter, the width is fixed at 6, so the rate depends only on speed and efficiency. Multiply 6 by speed, multiply by efficiency as a decimal, and divide by 8.25. The guide on how to calculate acres per hour gives the same formula in full, and the Acres Per Hour Calculator on the homepage uses the same formula.
To get time from a rate, divide acres by acres per hour. That gives hours. Multiply the part after the decimal point by 60 to turn it into minutes. For example, 4.58 hours is 4 hours plus 0.58 times 60 minutes, which is about 4 hours and 35 minutes. Keep the rate beside the time when you write the plan down, so you can see which speed and efficiency produced which time.
The Main Rate Worked Out Step by Step
Take a 6 foot cutter at 4 miles per hour and 75 percent efficiency. This is the worked example on the bush hog calculator page, and it is the main rate in this guide. Work it out step by step so you can check it by hand.
First multiply width by speed. 6 times 4 equals 24. Then multiply by efficiency as a decimal. 24 times 0.75 equals 18. Then divide by 8.25. 18 divided by 8.25 equals 2.18 acres per hour after rounding. The full result before rounding is 2.1818 acres per hour.
Now take the same cutter at 4.5 miles per hour and 75 percent efficiency. This is the homepage example, and it uses a faster speed, so keep it separate from the first example. First multiply width by speed. 6 times 4.5 equals 27. Then multiply by efficiency. 27 times 0.75 equals 20.25. Then divide by 8.25. 20.25 divided by 8.25 equals 2.45 acres per hour after rounding. The full result before rounding is 2.4545 acres per hour.
The difference between the two rates is 2.45 minus 2.18, which equals 0.27 acres per hour. That is the gain from raising speed by 0.5 miles per hour while holding efficiency at 75 percent. It is a real gain only if 4.5 miles per hour is a cutting speed you can hold on that ground. If thick growth or rough ground forces you back to 4 miles per hour, the rate goes back to 2.18 acres per hour.
How Many Acres Can a 6 Foot Bush Hog Cut Per Hour by Speed and Efficiency
The table below holds cutter width fixed at 6 foot and changes speed and efficiency. Read across a row for your speed, then down a column for your efficiency. Every cell was recalculated from the formula in this task. Times in this guide use the unrounded rate, and only the final value is rounded.
| Speed in miles per hour | Rate at 65 percent efficiency | Rate at 75 percent efficiency | Rate at 85 percent efficiency |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2 | 0.95 acres per hour | 1.09 acres per hour | 1.24 acres per hour |
| 3 | 1.42 acres per hour | 1.64 acres per hour | 1.85 acres per hour |
| 4 | 1.89 acres per hour | 2.18 acres per hour | 2.47 acres per hour |
| 4.5 | 2.13 acres per hour | 2.45 acres per hour | 2.78 acres per hour |
| 5 | 2.36 acres per hour | 2.73 acres per hour | 3.09 acres per hour |
| 6 | 2.84 acres per hour | 3.27 acres per hour | 3.71 acres per hour |
Check one cell by hand. At 3 miles per hour and 65 percent efficiency, 6 times 3 equals 18, 18 times 0.65 equals 11.7, and 11.7 divided by 8.25 equals 1.42 acres per hour after rounding. At 5 miles per hour and 85 percent efficiency, 6 times 5 equals 30, 30 times 0.85 equals 25.5, and 25.5 divided by 8.25 equals 3.09 acres per hour after rounding.
How Long a 6 Foot Cutter Takes for 5, 10, and 20 Acres
Use the main rate first. At 2.18 acres per hour, 5 acres takes 5 divided by 2.18, which equals 2.29 hours, or about 2 hours and 17 minutes. Ten acres takes 10 divided by 2.18, which equals 4.58 hours, or about 4 hours and 35 minutes. Twenty acres takes 20 divided by 2.18, which equals 9.17 hours, so about 9.2 hours. Those are cutting times only. They do not include travel, fuel stops, or time spent clearing debris.
Use the faster homepage rate next. At 2.45 acres per hour, 5 acres takes 5 divided by 2.45, which equals 2.04 hours, or about 2 hours and 2 minutes. Ten acres takes 10 divided by 2.45, which equals 4.07 hours, or about 4 hours and 4 minutes. Twenty acres takes 20 divided by 2.45, which equals 8.15 hours, so about 8.2 hours. The saving on 20 acres is 9.17 hours minus 8.15 hours, which equals 1.02 hours, so about 1 hour saved by raising speed from 4 to 4.5 miles per hour.
What Speed and Efficiency to Use for a 6 Foot Cutter
Start with 75 percent efficiency on average pasture, since that sits at the top of the average band of 70 to 75 percent. Drop to 65 percent when the field is small or irregular, when growth is thick, or when obstacles break the passes. Save 85 percent for a large rectangular field where passes run long and straight with little stopping. The ideal band of 85 to 90 percent belongs only to ideal fields with GPS guidance. Read the guide on understanding field efficiency for how turning and overlap pull efficiency down.
Plan on 4 miles per hour for average pasture, which is the speed in the page table and a speed most operators can hold while the cut stays clean. Plan on 3 miles per hour where growth is thick, tall, and woody, since that growth needs a slower pass. Go slower still on a first pass over ground you have not walked, until the hazards are known. Rocks, stumps, and ditches force detours and pull efficiency down, so walk the field first and mark what you find. On slopes, plan slower safer passes and never use the flat ground speed.
How a 6 Foot Cutter Compares With Other Widths
A wider cutter covers more ground at the same speed, so it is worth seeing what the step up buys on 10 acres. The short table below keeps only the 6 foot row, which is the rate this guide is about, and the prose beside it gives the 10 foot figure for comparison. Every cell was recalculated from the formula in this task.
| Cutter width | Acres per hour at 4 miles per hour and 75 percent efficiency | Hours for 10 acres |
|---|---|---|
| 6 foot | 2.18 | 4.58 |
On 10 acres, the 6 foot cutter needs 4.58 hours. A 4 foot cutter needs 6.88 hours on the same ground, and a 10 foot cutter needs 2.75 hours, so moving from 6 foot to 10 foot saves 1.83 hours, or about 1 hour and 50 minutes. The wider cutter only delivers that saving when the tractor holds 4 miles per hour with it, so check the speed you can actually hold before you count on the faster time.
Common Mistakes With a 6 Foot Rate
First, do not plan from width and speed alone and leave efficiency at 100 percent. That gives the highest rate on paper, not the rate the field will give. At 4 miles per hour, 100 percent efficiency gives 2.91 acres per hour, since 6 times 4 divided by 8.25 equals 2.91, while the field rate at 75 percent efficiency is 2.18. Always set efficiency below 100 percent.
Second, do not enter machine width where working width belongs. Measure the fresh cut strip after overlap and use that figure.
Third, do not enter top speed where average cutting speed belongs. Average cutting speed is the speed you hold while the deck cuts cleanly, counting slower ground, turns, and obstacles. Use that average.
Fourth, do not copy a rate from another site without reading its inputs. One competitor lists bush hog rates of 2 to 3.5 acres per hour only, and another lists a single row at 2.2 acres per hour. Those figures may suit a smaller cutter or a slower speed, but they do not describe a 6 foot cutter at 4 miles per hour and 75 percent efficiency unless the inputs match. Read the inputs beside any rate, then rerun the formula with your own.
Frequently Asked Questions
Q: How many acres can a 6 foot bush hog cut per hour?
A: A 6 foot bush hog cuts 2.18 acres per hour at 4 miles per hour and 75 percent efficiency. At 4.5 miles per hour it cuts 2.45 acres per hour, and at 3 miles per hour it cuts 1.64 acres per hour.
Q: How long does it take a 6 foot bush hog to cut 10 acres?
A: At 4 miles per hour and 75 percent efficiency, 10 acres takes 4.58 hours, or about 4 hours and 35 minutes. At 4.5 miles per hour it takes 4.07 hours.
Q: How long does it take a 6 foot bush hog to cut 20 acres?
A: At 4 miles per hour and 75 percent efficiency, 20 acres takes about 9.2 hours of cutting time. At 4.5 miles per hour and 75 percent efficiency, 20 acres takes about 8.2 hours.
Q: What efficiency should I use for a 6 foot bush hog?
A: Start at 75 percent for average pasture. Drop to 65 percent when the field is small or irregular, when growth is thick, or when obstacles break the passes. Keep 85 percent for a large rectangular field with long straight passes.
Q: Is a 10 foot bush hog much faster than a 6 foot bush hog?
A: Yes, at the same speed and efficiency. At 4 miles per hour and 75 percent efficiency, a 6 foot cutter gives 2.18 acres per hour and a 10 foot cutter gives 3.64, so the 10 foot cutter is 1.67 times as fast.
Q: Why is my 6 foot bush hog slower than 2.18 acres per hour?
A: The most likely causes are a lower working speed, a lower efficiency, or a smaller working width than the full 6 foot. Check the speed you actually held and the fresh cut width on each pass.
Plan From Your Speed and Efficiency
That is how many acres can a 6 foot bush hog cut per hour on your own ground: a result from speed and efficiency at a fixed width of 6 foot, not a single number. Start from 2.18 acres per hour at 4 miles per hour and 75 percent efficiency, use 2.45 at 4.5 miles per hour if you can hold that speed, and use 1.64 at 3 miles per hour for thick growth. Work out the time for your field size before you start, and run your own numbers through the Bush Hog Acres Per Hour Calculator before the next job. For cost planning, use the live bush hogging cost calculator. The bush hog rotary cutter productivity guide gives the general productivity view.
