Rotary Cutter WHICH 5 FOOT ROTARY CUTTER TO BUY

[case245]

I LOOKING AT GETTING A ROTARY CUTTER 5 FOOT I GOT A 31 PTO HP TRACTOR I DONT WHAT name BRAND TO BUY im looking at USED THE MED DUTY CUTTERS NEW R OUTTA MY PRICE RANGE SO I DONT KNOW THAT MUCH ABOUT ROTARY CUTTERS i still dont know what name brand is the better one

[Bigfoot62]

Stick with the medium duty, or go to the heavy duty. Don't get an "economy" model. You'll be sorry.

Go for quality, rather than price. A little more money spent now will pay off in the long run.

Some things to look for:
Thickness of deck metal. (the thin metal on the cheap ones will bend easily)
General quality of construction. (quality of welds, fit and finish, etc)
Tail wheel assembly. (the heavier the better. if it looks cheap and flimsy, it is)
HP rating of the gearbox. (the higher the better)
"Stump Jumper" (yes, you want one, and the heavier the better)

I don't know if anyone sells them up there, but the Modern brand, "Highway Special" is a good cutter. That's just one example.

[TripleR]

What he said; go for quality if at all possible, even if you have to buy used, several makers have good cutters.

[Turbys_1700]

Personally, I would stick with Bush Hog, Land Pride, or Woods in medium or heavy duty...
I am sure many other manufacturers make quality equipment but we have had excellent results with those 3 brands...

[MESSMAKER]

Most people don't need a HD cutter. OVERKILL. Look on Craigslist, lots of good choices if you can deal with used.

[case245]

how can you tell if a used rotary cutter is a med duty or a light duty will it say hp rating on gear box housing on the 5 foot ones

[JasG]

I bought a hawkline which has since been bought out by Behlin country. It is a simple, made in america unit and mine was about what I would have paid for a used Bush Hog. Don't remeber who but it was recommended on this forum by another memeber. I'm happy with mine. It doesn't look as nice as some of the others, but it's a brush mower, don't care what it looks like as long as it works.

As far as knowing I look up models on the OEM websites so I know for sure what ones are medium and heavy duty. Otherwise it can be very hard to tell. If you stick with a name brand you should be able to find information very easy about used units.

[RoyJackson]

I LOOKING AT GETTING A ROTARY CUTTER 5 FOOT I GOT A 31 PTO HP TRACTOR I DONT WHAT name BRAND TO BUY im looking at USED THE MED DUTY CUTTERS NEW R OUTTA MY PRICE RANGE SO I DONT KNOW THAT MUCH ABOUT ROTARY CUTTERS i still dont know what name brand is the better one

My question is "what are you planning to mow?"
If just field grasses, you don't need a heavy duty cutter....medium will do fine...even a "standard" (i.e. light duty) unit will mow grasses.

I'm also a promoter of using Craigslist for used implements, as long as you have some knowledge of what you're looking at. I always suggest asking the seller to have the implement hooked up so I can see how it runs. One thing, if you look at an implement, be prepared to buy (meaning, have the cash in your pocket).

[LeadPoison]

Don't buy a heavy duty. The Woods is made to cut 4" material. Someone bought one in my area to mow his pastures and had to return it because it wouldn't cut grass all that well. Something to do with the blades designed for cutting small trees rather than grass.

Medium duty is the way to go!

Bush Hog and Woods are excellent choices.

[Turbys_1700]

My question is "what are you planning to mow?"
If just field grasses, you don't need a heavy duty cutter....medium will do fine...even a "standard" (i.e. light duty) unit will mow grasses.

I'm also a promoter of using Craigslist for used implements, as long as you have some knowledge of what you're looking at. I always suggest asking the seller to have the implement hooked up so I can see how it runs. One thing, if you look at an implement, be prepared to buy (meaning, have the cash in your pocket).

Roy is 100% spot on with the Craigslist comment...
I just purchased a very good 2 bottom plow and disc harrow from Craigslist...
You just need to be patient and find something within driving distance...
I got an absolute killer deal on both units and only had to travel 25 miles for the plow and 50 miles for the disc harrow...
Bought a 60 gallon air compressor also...