Howse brush hog

[ChemEng]

I have a coworker that wants to sell his 4 ft. Howse brush hog that he bought new earlier this year because he wants a bigger one. Anybody able to speak about the quality of this particular brand of brush hogs?

 

[Bird]

The Howse is one of the cheaper brands, but they do make several different models from the very light duty to heavy duty. But because of price, my last brush hog was a light duty 5' Howse and it was quite adequate for what I wanted to do; mostly just mowing grass and weeds and small shrubs. Certainly nothing wrong with the brand if the price is right, but it isn't the quality of several of the other more expensive brands; i.e., you get what you pay for? /forums/images/graemlins/wink.gif

 

[JohnMiller3]

</font><font color="blue" class="small">( wants to sell his 4 ft. Howse brush hog )</font>

What kind of price is he asking?

Remember, you can buy a Brand New unit (with warranty!) from TSC & other places ... ~~ $500... /forums/images/graemlins/smile.gif

 

[shady1701]

I've heard bad things about howse products not specificaly thr bush hogs but other products.. if it's over 500$ or i'd go down to TSC and buy a new one. parts would be cheaper to replace..

 

[Soundguy]

Ditto what everyone else said... the howse is a light duty model ( generally).. similar to king kutter. You can get a KK for somewhere inthe 500 range like the others said.

So unless he is making a decent deal( 400? ).. get new.

Soundguy

 

[sweettractors]

Dont go more than $250 for it--If you do buy it, and need repair parts in the future?--I have a few parts left over for Howse cutters that I sold when I first started in the business many years ago--Ken Sweet
Sweet Farm Equipment Co *Inexpensive shipping*

 

[BB_TX]

As the others said, if the price is right go for it. Check and see what you can get a new one of the same size for. Check Tractor Supply to see what their price is for a 4' King Kutter. KK is one of the lower priced models, but probably a little better quality than Howse light duty. Howse does make 4 models, light, medium, medium-heavy, and heavy duty. It is probably the light duty.
As far a Howse, I have a 6' light duty one that I have no complaint about. I have had it 3 years, mowing pasture, ditches, and some pretty rough stuff clearing along my creek. Does a good job with no problems.

 

[crown]

As all the others have said Howse has a bad rap, however I have owned a 4 foot hog for 2 years now and it has performed very well mostly on tall weeds thick grass and small brush.

 

[rtimgray]

I've got two Howse bushhogs, a 4' that we have had since 1999 (using in conjunction with my Yanmar F16D) and a 6' that I've had for about a year (used with my Kioti DK45). I've had no problems with either one of them. The 4' model has been a very good machine and has received a couple hundred hours of usage, both for cutting grass and pretty rough cutting (about as rough as you want to get with a little tractor, anyway). Sadly, the bushhogs set outside most of the time, even through winter, and the neither has shown any sign of deterioration. The 4', even at over 4 years old now, could be washed off and touched up and would look almost new, with the exception of several dents and dings. The Howse line in general is probably not the best product in the world, but it is (in my experience) a great product for the money.

Still, since a new Howse in that size can be had for $400-$500, I wouldn't go over $200-$250, depending upon condition. After all, it is used and you don't know it's history. Good luck.

 

[mountain_man]

I also have a 5' Howse (model 500) brush hog. It came used with my used JD790. It has worked well for heavy tall grass (weeds) and light brush (small bushes) cutting. I've also hit my share of hidden rocks (it is the ROCKY mountains...) with no ill effects.

One caution about dealing with Howse. I ordered chain guards for $118 + shipping. I asked them to call me with a shipping quote prior to shipment. They didn't call, shipped it anyway and charged me $46.35 (MS-->CO). However the chain guards are well built and fit on easily.