I was looking for a heavy-duty cutter to manage weeds and brush along the creek, pond, and borders of our 16 acre place. I considered a rotary cutter ("bush hogs"), but decided instead on a flail mower when I read they were safer to use (no throwing rocks), did not leave windrows, and left a better finish.

I chose the 60" NH 918H because it was about $1000 cheaper than the competing Loftness model and about $500 cheaper than the Rhino (the only other models I seriously considered). It is the lightest of the 3. I also liked the fact that it could operate in an offset position, which the Rhino apparently cannot. However, this proved to be more trouble than it's worth. Offset mowing did not give me enough advantage to outweigh the fact that I couldn't easily get the rig into my garage with the extra width. Plus, my NH TC33 really is not big and heavy enough to manage the unbalanced weight in the offset position. The 33 HP is plenty to drive the shaft, though.

This mower makes short work of thick, high grass and weeds, muliflora rose, honeysuckle, and small saplings. The first couple days, I ground through an area of dense undergrowth about 12 feet high. The mower just grinds it into mulch, leaving a fairly even mat where the jungle used to be. Plus, you can use it as a rough finish mower on grass paths, though you probably would not want to use it as your regular lawn mower.

The mower is not very easily adjustable. Changing the cutting height or the offset position involves adjusting quite a few bolts. The paint finish has some drips, runs, and other imperfections including small areas of rust. You cannot adjust height or offset without damaging the finish on painted-over areas.

However, I'm very pleased with the cutting power. The thing seems to be very solidly built. I'm not too concerned with the issue of maintaining the knives, either. There are a lot of them to unbolt and replace, but I don't expect to do that for a long time because they are so heavy and do not need to be kept sharp.

Date Purchased: 6/2005
Purchased: New
Price Paid: US$3500
Pros: excellent at cutting and mulching weeds and brush
Cons: high price; mediocre finish (paint) quality; difficult to adjust settings
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