Howse 15' batwing

   / Howse 15' batwing #1  

clee4020

Silver Member
Joined
Sep 27, 2010
Messages
174
Location
Mississippi
Tractor
Kubota M9540 HD 4x4
Howse has had a 15' batwing out for a few years. Anyone have any experience with one? Need one mostly for pasture clipping, not land clearing. Pros or Cons?
 
   / Howse 15' batwing
  • Thread Starter
#3  
Yea, $8k to $9k for a new one is tempting when BH, JD, and Rhino are at least$15k. There is a used one for around $5k close by, just have never seen one.
 
   / Howse 15' batwing #4  
Don't know, but I'd buy one in a heartbeat. I have a Howse 6' heavy duty shredder, and it's built like a tank.
 
   / Howse 15' batwing #5  
Agree. Cleo, Howse is known for light duty cutters. Their heavier rigs, designed and built so, are rather less well known.

Seriously, I would look at Howse as quick as I would anyone else. They are a clip less well finished and delivered, but, they work very well in the field. I own Howse, Dale Phillps, Bush Hog, and Rhino....and my next will be a Howse.
 
   / Howse 15' batwing #6  
They ALL work great when new. Just about all of 'em will do the job, just about all of 'em have parts availability when "current".

How about once you've used it a few seasons? What about 10 years from now....? 20...? Are you planning around the possibility of owning it for a while? Or is this a short term plan? Are you simply clipping pastures, or are you planning on putting the mower in to a life of heavy, hard use? Will you unfold it and mow until done? Or will you need to cycle the deck fold/unfold dozens of times per use?

There's a reason why Bush Hog, Rhino, Shulte, (Alamo Group) sells more bat wings than the rest of their competition COMBINED. They're a better built product, capable of standing up to much more use/abuse, and with parts support far beyond what anyone should reasonably expect.

Differences in high end vs lower cost bat wings can be found in deck hinge points, overall structural integrity, CV joints (v simple u-joints) driveline vibration (which is usually transmitted back to the tractor) not to mention performance and quality of cut.

And there's a reason why some minor brands are a BUNCH cheaper.....

You get what you pay for. Are you in a position to settle for "OK"? Is your intended use more of a "casual user", or will it be put to the litmus test?

A friend in the highway ROW mowing business tried a Howse bat wing, a Bushwhacker brand, a Woods, a Frontier (JD), a Bush Hog, and a Rhino, just to compare. He started off with one of each this spring. I talked with him last week. He was trying to find a rental to replace a few mowers that laid down on the job while we still have 2-1/2 months of season yet to go. The Bush Hog and Rhino mowers were still functioning just fine. He was giving up on the others. Too much down time, too many repairs, and too high of a parts bill.....The Bush Hog and Rhino were 3 and 5 years old prior to this season. The others were new. That speaks volumes.......

I've got one Bush Hog 2715L, that to the best guess, has logged over 7500 hours of hard use in conditions that would send most people running for their mommy. It's been dragged over concrete culvert head walls, hit car rims and tires, chewed up more than it's share of roadside junk, and still it soldiers on. And that's the LIGHTEST of the Bush Hog 15' batwings......! It's considered more of an agricultural model than a commercial model. (There's a distinct difference) The 3715L's are even more indestructible.....but at a cost.

IMHO, if you can find it in your budget to spend a bit more, you'll get quite a bit more in return. From there, it's just a matter of how much mower do you need....
 
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   / Howse 15' batwing
  • Thread Starter
#7  
It will be used as an pasture clipper only. We have had a woods 315 for about 30 years. It is in bad need of some TLC. Today I am picking up a used, but well taken care of and shed kept woods 320.
 
   / Howse 15' batwing #8  
It will be used as an pasture clipper only. We have had a woods 315 for about 30 years. It is in bad need of some TLC. Today I am picking up a used, but well taken care of and shed kept woods 320.

For that sort of use, you can use dang near any bat wing.
 
 
 
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