Rotary Cutter rocks and rotary cutter ?

[soarkrebel]

I just got a woods 60c. i was mowing today and hit some rocks , there is no way to avoid the things,when i got done i looked it over and saw a few good dings in the side. one is decent.
does anyone bang these back in? i guess you would have to hit it with a sledge to budge it.
Just makes you sick to have a new toy and watch it get used looking.
I am going to have a rock concert this winter with my boys. we are going to pick up rocks!

 

[njrqs]

Wow I doubt you could blow a hole in the side of my cutter with an armour piercing shell !!

No really, it is an older cutter (slasher) but is so strong I don't think you could ever dent it.

Does yours have sheetmetal sides?

 

[RobS]

Ah yes, I remember my first experience with my brand new rotary cutter. Felt like the supreme ruler of the universe hacking down everything in it's path until... BANG. I had no idea what happened. Shut down to inspect and I found what used to be a football sized rock in pieces and this hugeoutward facing dent in the side of my shiny new cutter. I was initially devastated but kept on cutting. Hit a few more rocks that day (hard to see them in 4 foot high weeds) but got a lot of work done. I checked out the damage again and decided it wasn't worth repairing as I was sure to hit more rocks eventually. We did have a family rock picking outing that fall and more have "grown" since. I think rock picking is going to be a routine for us when we move out there.

Bottom line, I wouldn't worry about the dents. I would however, take it as a safety lesson. If the rocks can dent steel like that imagine what they could do to someone standing too close while you are cutting! I keep everyone well away from me when I'm mowing /w3tcompact/icons/smile.gif

 

[jrlichina]

Man the same thing happened to me. One day I was out cutting with the old Ford 8N and "BOOM"! That cutter chucked a rock about 10" in diameter about 100 yards! These things are very dangerous in that respect. Put the chain guards on to help slow stuff down and keep anything you don't want damaged far away(people, pets, cars, etc.)

 

[gerard]

I have some dents in mine and don't bother banging them back in. Figure they add character!!! Comes with bushogging. All I do is cover the bare metal where the paint flakes off so it doesn't rust. I DO rehsharpen the blades when they get too out of whack but that's for practical reasons (cutting cleaner, balance etc), not for asthetics.

 

[Gatorboy]

Dents are like wrinkles -- you can't avoid them, they are going to happen whether you like it or not! /w3tcompact/icons/smile.gif

 

[crown]

You mean I not the only guy who owns land the grows rocks/w3tcompact/icons/laugh.gif Cutters do take a beaten, I just chalk it up as the nature of the beast.

 

[soarkrebel]

It's like a car you hope you can go awhile before you get a scratch or a star in the windshield. but with a brush hog as soon as you start cutting the new is over. i like the character thing. battle scars!!
it's the poor blades that took the battle wounds but they still are cutting. i'll sharpen them before i head to the deer camp for my long weekend of work.