Rotary Cutter What brand of rotary cutter?

[Gary Fowler]

Bush hog seems to be the premier priced and standard to match brand however they match the price also. I bought a Howse light duty for $800 and have had no problems mechanically with it in 1 year of rough cutting. I pull it with a 45HP tractor and I can literally stall the engine on my tractor and so far no damage to the drive system. I have a lot of large rocks on my place and the love to hide in the tall grass, so I have a lot of dents and buldges in the sheet metal. I would love to have a heavier frame for just that reason. Howse does make 3 versions and to me it seems that they are lower priced than the other brands. The heavy duty model has 1/4" plate and well braced frame. Check them out.
For you folks around Houston Texas, there is a guy on Craigslist from New Caney that will make you a 6' deck for $500 of 1/4" plate if you furnish the old driveshaft, gear box, 3 point lift and tail wheel.from an old mower. He refurbishes all the parts, seals etc and paints them up to look like new. For someone that has access to an old rusted out deck with good parts, that is a cheap way to get a heavy duty mower.

 

[rbargeron]

A friend had a 6' Bush Hog Squealer that was ok but was not as rugged as the heavier Bush Hog 286, which is what I really wanted for reclaiming overgrown fields. Then I found a Brown 472 mower - nearly identical to the BH286 except the dealer had a sharper pencil. Brown's product page here. With the heavy construction of this unit I can drive over 3"+ thick field pines and grind them up with no worries. Maybe more than you want but maybe worth a look.

 

[have_blue]

I owned both, and both are excellent.

The Woods blades were harder, and didn't need sharpening near as much. But
other than that, I can't complain about either. The Bush hog blades seem dead soft.

 

[Chilly807]

I've had decent luck with the Land Pride, but it's early days yet.

Chilly

 

[Dave5264]

I have a 5' Grizzly, medium duty. Works like a charm. Had it for 1 year and have mowed about 15 Acres with it, cuts through 2" tag alders and brush with no problem at all.

I paid way below $2000 for it new, got it bundled in with the Tractor deal (paid a $1000 i think ??)

 

[bullsram]

I 've got a 6' Frontier that I have used for not quite a year and so far so good. I gave $1400 for it new and it hasnt let me down yet. The deck is not quite as heavy as a bush hog but I could'nt afford one of those so I bought the Frontier. I have both a Frontier dealer and Bush Hog dealer in my town.. Bull...

 

[Chilly807]

My Land Pride has seen about 25 acres pass under the deck so far. I recall it was around $1750 CDN, nearly the same specs as Bush Hog, and less money. If you have to split hairs on the comparison, for me it comes down to three things: My experiences with the dealer previously, the warranty available, and last but surely not least, where it's made. The Land Pride is built in Kansas as far as I know. I think the Frontiers may be Chinese? I'm not sure on that, but the ones I've seen here are made in China.

I'm not an isolationist by any stretch of the imagination, but I do like easy availability of parts and it's a good product that's still built in North America. That is worth something to me.

Chilly

 

[Ken45101]

I didn't think the Squeeler was a medium duty unit.

I've had a Woods MD72 (72" Medium Duty) for ten years. Very good unit.

Before you buy, price a set of replacement blades for each brand. That will help you decide. Woods parts are outrageous.

Replacement blades? In ten years and hundreds of acres mowed (including large saplings and more than a couple of rocks (mower wins, rocks lose), I've only sharpened the Woods blades twice. Brush mowers are not supposed to be "sharp" and don't need to be sharpened like finish mowers.

Ken

 

[Rickstir]

I have an 84" Bush Hog and it is a dream to run. I pull it with my Mahindra 4110. Maintenance is straight forward and easy access. Very happy

 

[Samandothers]

Sounds like you go with the one you get the best price on. I have a Bush Hog Squealer that I run behind my L4240 and it does a great job. I don't run it a great deal but it has done great job. I have to loosen the clutch bolts after it sits for a while to ensure the clutch is not rusted together.
I bought Bush Hog as when I bought my tractor so I could finance together from my dealer. Also like circular saws are know as 'Skill' saws shreaders or rotary cutters a lot of time are called bush hogs.....