Bush hog squealer 840?

[Anonymous Poster]

I'm looking for a new, bigger bushhog. I currently have a bushhog squealer 600. I'v e had it for 2 years and been real pleased with it. I had this on a Ferguson 35 and recently bought a Kubota M4900( 45pto HP). Ive been looking at the squealer 840 model( 7 footer). I mostly mow grass and light brush throught the hills and logging roads of southeast Ohio. Any opinions on the 840? Any better suggestions? Ive looked into the bushhog 287 line but it's lots more expensive (nearly 3k) weighs more ( 1200 vs. 900#) and for what I do I dont' think i need that much cutter. Thanks.

[Molerj]

Welcome GreatBig, I can't help you on the bushhog, but I sure know about those hills &
logging roads in southeast Ohio!

[Anonymous Poster]

We sell several lines of new rotary cutters and the rule of thumb is "big price jump" from 6ft to 7 ft cut, no matter the brand. The manufacturers usually figure the 7 ft is going on a 60-80 hp class tractor and builds with that in mind. Always keep safety in mind on those hills. --Ken Sweet

[HayDR]

Greatbig,

Any MFG's 7' cutter is much harder to pull HP wise because of the large blade radius. I'm not sure you have the HP in thick grass to run one. The next think is that the 7' cutter puts allot of weight away from the tractor causing safety problems with small tractors if you have to raise it up while going up hill. You might want to look a 8' three point or pull type machine. A 8' machine pulls with 25% less HP than a single gearbox 7' machine. If you look at the 8' 3 point unit all the weight is much closer to the tractor, which gives you better balance. A 8' machine will have a higher blade speed and do a better cutting job. Another thing is of all the broken blades I've seen in last 25 years most were the long 7' unit blades. A 8' unit is just safer all way around. The negative is the 8' cutter will cost more but given your application I would not recommend a 7' unit for that tractor.

[TxSam]

You may want to look into the SQ84T. There has been some discussion about it in the past. Do a search on it and see if you get some useful info. Try this <A target="_blank" HREF=http://www.tractorbynet.com/cgi-bin/compact/showthreaded.pl?Cat=&amp;Board=implement&amp;Numbe r=54298&amp;page=&amp;view=&amp;sb=&amp;o=&amp;vc= 1#Post54298>thread</A>, it has a pic and some specs.

[RickB]

We have sold several SQ84t's and by and large they are NOT satisfactory. After several years and a couple 'improved' designs, Bush Hog has not yet found an A frame that will stand up to the cutter's offset weight. I promote Bush Hog products as a personal favorite over Woods and Landpride, but do not recommend the 84T.

[TxSam]

I bought mine used so it was a little beat up and some of the A-frame deformity may be as you said. I, however, have not seen a problem with its performance as a cutter. I still think for a 7 ft. light-duty cutter it gets the job done. Of course this may come down to personal preference. From your experience, should I expect some catastrophic failure because of this A-frame 'weakness'?

[Anonymous Poster]

The blade tip speed of most 7 ft cutters is usually not as fast as a 6 ft or double gearbox 8 ft or even 10 ft--We have had customers that have voiced concern about the 7 ft cutters not cutting cleanly at the edges when cutting higher (6-8 inches)--Basically only getting a good clean cut when cutting low to the ground--Ken Sweet