Bush Hog Acres Per Hour Calculator

Last reviewed: October 2026 Reviewed by Michael Steve

By Michael Steve, reviewed by Michael Steve Formulas checked against worked examples Free, no sign-up

This bush hog calculator answers the two questions that come up before every cutting job: how many acres per hour your cutter covers, and how long your field will take. Enter the cutter width, ground speed and efficiency for your tractor, and add your fuel burn to see fuel cost per acre. It works for any brand of rotary cutter, brush hog or batwing mower.

How many acres per hour can you bush hog?

A bush hog (rotary cutter or “brush hog”) typically covers between about 0.5 and 3 acres per hour with a 5–7 ft cutter, depending far more on vegetation than on the tractor. Mowing maintained pasture you can run 5 mph; grinding through saplings you may crawl at 1–2 mph.

Acres per hour at typical speeds (5, 4, 3 and 1.5 mph) and efficiencies (85, 80, 75 and 65%).
Cutter width	Maintained grass / pasture	Tall weeds / overgrown pasture	Light brush	Heavy brush / saplings
4 ft	2.1	1.6	1.1	0.5
5 ft	2.6	1.9	1.4	0.6
6 ft	3.1	2.3	1.6	0.7
7 ft	3.6	2.7	1.9	0.8
8 ft	4.1	3.1	2.2	0.9
10 ft	5.2	3.9	2.7	1.2
15 ft	7.7	5.8	4.1	1.8

Bush hog acres per hour formula

Acres per hour = (Cutter width in ft × Speed in mph × Efficiency) ÷ 8.25

Example: a 6-ft cutter at 4 mph with 80% efficiency does (6 × 4 × 0.80) ÷ 8.25 = 2.33 acres per hour. A 10-acre field takes about 4 h 18 min.

Choosing speed and efficiency

Speed. Run at a ground speed that lets the cutter hold its rated PTO speed and leave a clean cut without bogging down or bouncing. Go slower for dense growth, rough ground or sapling-sized stems.
Efficiency. Use 80–85% for open, regular fields; 65–75% for fields with stumps, rocks, fence lines and wet spots.
Overlap. Overlap passes by a few inches to avoid strips of uncut vegetation. This reduces effective width.
Cutter height and blades. Sharp, correctly installed blades let you keep speed. Dull ones make you slow down.

Safety first

Rotary cutters can throw objects at high speed and are dangerous around people, animals and roads. Follow the operator’s manual, keep all shields, chains and guards in place, use a ROPS-equipped tractor and walk the field first to remove or mark hazards.

Fuel use and cost per acre

Add your tractor’s hourly fuel use to see fuel per acre: fuel per acre = gallons per hour ÷ acres per hour. At 4.5 gal/hr and 2.33 ac/hr that is about 1.9 gallons per acre. Multiply by fuel price for your cash cost. For the full picture (labor, wear and hiring vs. renting), see the cost to bush hog per acre calculator.

Acres per hour by cutter width: 5, 10 and 15 foot

Width is the single biggest lever on the rate. Using the 4 mph, 80% efficiency settings from the table above (tall weeds), a 5-ft cutter covers about 1.94 acres per hour, a 10-ft cutter about 3.88 (roughly 31 acres in an 8-hour day), and a 15-ft cutter about 5.82. Cutters that wide are usually batwing models: a hinged deck with folding wings, pulled behind the tractor rather than mounted on the 3-point, built for large, open pasture. The formula is the same at any width: width × speed × efficiency ÷ 8.25. Enter your own cutter width above for an exact number.

Matching the cutter to the job

Maintained pasture and hay ground: a wider cutter at higher speed for the best coverage rate.
Overgrown fields and fence lines: a mid-size cutter with more ground clearance and weight.
Brush and saplings: a heavy-duty cutter with sufficient tractor power. Check the manufacturer’s tractor horsepower and PTO requirements on the specification plate and use no more than the maximum they specify.

Cutting a lawn rather than a pasture? The mowing acres per hour calculator has deck presets for push, riding and zero-turn mowers. When the vegetation has turned into trees, move on to the land clearing cost calculator. Measure your field first with the acreage calculator, and see the general method in the acres per hour calculator.

For all other equipment, see the farm equipment acres per hour calculator.

Frequently asked questions

How many acres can you bush hog in a day?

With a 6-ft cutter at 4 mph and 80% efficiency you cover about 2.3 acres per hour, or roughly 19 acres in an 8-hour day. Dense brush or rough ground can cut that by half or more.

How long does it take to bush hog 10 acres?

At 2.33 acres per hour (6-ft cutter, 4 mph, 80%), 10 acres takes about 4 h 18 min. Use the calculator to match your own cutter and conditions.

How fast should I bush hog?

Grass and light weeds usually allow 4–5 mph. In heavy brush slow to 1–3 mph so the cutter can process the material without stalling or leaving stems. Adjust for terrain and visibility.

Is a bush hog the same as a brush hog?

Both terms are commonly used for a tractor-mounted rotary cutter. “Bush Hog” is also a registered trademark of Bush Hog, LLC, and this calculator works for any brand of rotary cutter.

What size bush hog do I need?

Choose based on your tractor’s PTO horsepower, the terrain and the vegetation. Wider cutters cover more ground but need more power. Always follow the manufacturer’s horsepower range on the specification plate.

How do I calculate fuel per acre?

Divide your tractor’s fuel burn (gallons per hour) by the acres per hour. Then multiply by fuel price for cost per acre.

How many acres per hour does a 10-foot bush hog cut?

At 4 mph and 80% efficiency, a 10-ft cutter mows about 3.9 acres per hour. In lighter grass at 5 mph and 85% efficiency it reaches about 5.2.

Does this work for batwing cutters?

Yes. Enter a batwing width (commonly 10 to 20 ft) as the cutter width; a 15-ft batwing at 4 mph and 80% efficiency mows about 5.8 acres per hour.

Sources and further reading

The formulas on this page are standard and can be checked against these references. Where a figure is a planning range rather than a measurement, the page says so.