I've seen inquiries over the past year on local Nextdoor threads and have also had a couple calls myself, searching for a resource for mowing down tall grass and weeds in large fields or meadows. It got me to thinking about the logistics and realities for providing such a service. Though, my big SCAG mowers can handle a somewhat overgrown field or pasture, very tall grass (over a foot), weeds and brush are just too much for any fine-finish mower. That is not what they are designed for.

Ideally, a dedicated heavy duty "brush hog" is the right choice. It's a powerful, purposely-designed, rough cut mower built for the rigors of clearing anything in its path, from 6-foot tall grass or weeds, and brush up to about 8 feet high, even including small saplings over 2" in diameter!

There are thousands of rural properties in Urbana and Ijamsville and their surrounding communities. Many of those property owners would like the opportunity to clear simple paths or complete fields on their land to reclaim it from useless overgrown oblivion. 

Most local mowing services focus on lawns and do not typically offer this type of service. And frankly, I can understand why. First off, many of these companies have a full roster of 40-50 weekly lawns, or more, to mow and trim each week, before the grass grows too much, creating even more work for them. Each week virtually hangs in the balance, when counting on weather conditions to cooperate, employees to be efficient and equipment to run properly with no breakdowns, in order to get all their lawns properly finished. Offering an outside service such as bush hogging and all the logistics that go along with it would just add more stress to that precarious balance and is probably just not worth it.

Furthermore, brush hogging can be tough, back-breaking work, even with a walk-behind self-driven field mower. It can also be risky and/or downright dangerous for the operator, depending on the type and steepness of the terrain to be cleared. Animals, reptiles and insects—some not so friendly—add more to the safety concerns...and potential hospital visits or workers' comp claims. And let's not forget the commercial-grade equipment necessary for these types of projects is by no means inexpensive. It's no wonder most professional mowing service providers don't offer brush hogging.

But, I'm different. I am not overloaded with scores of recurring customer properties to mow every week. That was, and still is, a purposeful part of my business plan—a handful or two of ideal recurring customers and a bunch of one-time projects as they materialize. That's all I need. I worked to live for 40 years. Deadline after deadline, no time to breathe, no time to relax. This time around it's different. I work to keep busy, to have a purpose, to challenge myself. And mostly because I get great satisfaction from a job well done. So there is always some freedom in my schedule to do other things. And that means there is room for a little brush hogging, too.   

So, for 2027, in addition to my primary service of mowing and trimming larger lawns, I am offering brush hogging of overgrown fields, pastures and the clearing of wide paths through dense brush. My equipment will include a 26" walk-behind, self-propelled brush mower to access overgrown areas not easily accessible to my large DR ProMax 52 (52-inch) tow-behind, 600-pound monster of a brush mower. It will be towed with, and controlled from, my 4WD side-by-side utility work vehicle (UTV).

Should you desire a closer trim around various obstacles in the field, out-buildings or anywhere else inaccessible to either of my powered units, I've got that covered, too. I'll have my Echo 30.5 cc professional-grade X-Series high-torque, brush cutter on hand, just in case.

Though, mowing larger lawns is and will continue to be my primary focus, brush hogging is now something different I look forward to tackling...on occasion. So, if you want to reclaim some of your otherwise perfectly good, usable land from the depths of tall grass, weed and brush despair, let's take a stroll through the area to see what might be possible.

I'll bring the tick spray.