Rotary Cutter Bush Hog 297 or Landpride 2784 and front weights

[xring100]

I'm looking at a Bush Hog 297 or Landpride 2784 need some advice.
seriously considering the dual tail wheel models as they are 8" or so shorter and i think they will probably be less likely to scalp over uneven terrain.

Leaning towards the Bush hog looks like the rear dual tail wheel structure is probably more robust to accidental lateral input than the landpride due to it having a very large gusset. However on the single rear wheel model i'd pick the landpride construction is otherwise similar. I Don't find much negative feedback on either model. Bush hog is $350 - $400 cheaper ~10% I believe both use USA made components but its hard to be sure.

Both look to be well made. Might be a tad overkill for my normal use but ive seen what my neighbors King cutter looks like after 10 years of use (its not pretty).
id rather have 3" capacity and generally only need 1" or less.

I'm assuming At 1350 lbs hanging a total length of 10' i will probably need front weights added if i remove my loader. Anyone have an idea on how much i will need i do not currently have a weight bracket or weights. The king cutter i used was 1/2 the weight and didn't even phase my tractor without the loader it was also shorter.

Any comments would be appreciated

 

[Zebrafive]

I assume the cutter will be used on the Kubota M8540, not the small one pictured with it. I do not think any front weights will be needed when the loader is off.
I think dual tail wheels is a good idea for that wide of a cutter. I bought a used Bush Hog 297. It came with the single tail wheel and front and rear chains. Had I bought new I would have got the dual tail wheels.

 

[Piston]

I second dual tail wheels, I would like them on my 6' cutter and would order a 7' with them.


During, have you looked at the Brown 417 and compared to Bush Hog? I have the older model of the 416 (the 472) and am VERY impressed by it. If I ever buy another cutter it's going to be another Brown. Very heavy duty, well built, and incredibly good people to deal with. They have a great reputation and build some insanely strong cutters, the 400 series is their "lightest duty" cutter, and is still heavier duty than the Bush Hog if I remember correctly.

 

[xring100]

Thanks Zebrafive,
Yes it will be used on the M8540 Not my Neighbor B2400. Thanks for the feedback on the dual tail wheels I think i will definitely go that route on what ever i end up with.

I assume the cutter will be used on the Kubota M8540, not the small one pictured with it. I do not think any front weights will be needed when the loader is off.
I think dual tail wheels is a good idea for that wide of a cutter. I bought a used Bush Hog 297. It came with the single tail wheel and front and rear chains. Had I bought new I would have got the dual tail wheels.

 

[xring100]

Piston, Thanks for the recommendation on the Dual Wheels. I called Brown , got a distributor and found a few dealers i have requested quotes. I like the setup for the top link better on the Brown 417 it looks to be rated at 2" capacity rather than 3" due to the entire deck being made out of 7 gauge metal including the skirts. The landpride and bush hog both use 10 gauge deck and 1/4" side skirts. You are correct that the Brown is built heavier than the other two but i'm concerned that its heavier all around but as heavy where its most needed. The Rear wheels also seem to have a pretty sturdy attachment with gussets on the vertical tabs.

Thanks for turning me onto them the Brown 684 looks like a real monster if I had $7500 to spend i a rotary cutter i would get that one for sure

I second dual tail wheels, I would like them on my 6' cutter and would order a 7' with them.


During, have you looked at the Brown 417 and compared to Bush Hog? I have the older model of the 416 (the 472) and am VERY impressed by it. If I ever buy another cutter it's going to be another Brown. Very heavy duty, well built, and incredibly good people to deal with. They have a great reputation and build some insanely strong cutters, the 400 series is their "lightest duty" cutter, and is still heavier duty than the Bush Hog if I remember correctly.

 

[xring100]

Thanks TripleR,
I mow some areas that are not a whole lot wider than my tractor I looked at a used RCR2596 for a descent deal but the its 8'10" long making it 1'3" narrower than the Dual wheel 7 footer but i think i'm going to run into width issues if i go any wider than the 7 foot. The other concern is that the 2596 is only 1" capacity. I'm not sure i really want to step down to a 6' cutter if i had a M7040 instead i'd buy a 6 footer for sure, like the RCR2672.
What would your thoughts be on putting a 6 footer on your M8540 I have 18.4" R30's and the overall width is about 81"-82"?

The 6 footers run about $1000 cheaper than the 7's Thanks for the comment about the weights too.

Not what you are looking for, but this works well for us. I have found little to no use for a 7' cutter as it is too big, in my opinion for a single spindle, lot of load on PTO and kind of awkward, but would go with dual tail wheels if I had to have one. If I "needed a 7', I would just go on up to a dual spindle 8'. The dual spindle mounted won't stick back as far as a 7' single spindle.

Land Pride makes a couple of nice models which should work on your 8540.

We used mounted and pull type cutters over the years and to get the cutting capacity, coverage we need, we went with a Woods DS1260 10'6" cut as it is easy to pull on hills and can be easily pulled with FEL or front weights. We still have a mounted Woods 121, but its cutting capacity is only about 1 1/2".

As to weight, I pull a Land Pride RCR2672 with my L5740 and on level ground without a FEL or weights, so by extrapolation, I see no problem pulling a 7' on your 8540 without weights.

I spent a little time researching, but I am sure you will find more checking all the various brands, I like Woods, Land Pride and Bush Hog, no experience with other brands so I can't really say.

 

[xring100]

Just noticed that the 7' dual tail wheel Bush Hog 297 is actually shorter than the RCR2672 you pull behind the L 121" versus 126"
Not sure if Bush Hog is including tail wheel length or not

 

[TripleR]

Thanks TripleR,
I mow some areas that are not a whole lot wider than my tractor I looked at a used RCR2596 for a descent deal but the its 8'10" long making it 1'3" narrower than the Dual wheel 7 footer but i think i'm going to run into width issues if i go any wider than the 7 foot. The other concern is that the 2596 is only 1" capacity. I'm not sure i really want to step down to a 6' cutter if i had a M7040 instead i'd buy a 6 footer for sure, like the RCR2672.
What would your thoughts be on putting a 6 footer on your M8540 I have 18.4" R30's and the overall width is about 81"-82"?

The 6 footers run about $1000 cheaper than the 7's Thanks for the comment about the weights too.

No, I wouldn't want to go down to a 6' on our M8540 either and it seems like for your needs a 7' may be the best way to go and I definitely would go with a dual tail wheel. My 6' cutter will even occasionally dig into the ground on a turn on uneven ground if I am cutting very low.

I can sure identify mowing where your tractor barely fits, why we own several tractors. In some places a 10' won't fit and if we only use a 6'-7' we will spend WAY too much time mowing. We also got tired of running equipment between farms so much, no way out totally, but cut it down quite a bit.

Good luck.

 

[TripleR]

Just noticed that the 7' dual tail wheel Bush Hog 297 is actually shorter than the RCR2672 you pull behind the L 121" versus 126"

Yep, on another thread I mentioned how long a single vs dual tail wheel stuck out in the back, but turns easier in tight woods if you are just weaving around. In a turn those wheels sticking out to the side catch on stuff easier than the trailing single wheel, I guess there is no such thing as a free lunch. The Woods 6' single tail wheel cutters are shorter than LP, as LP really sticks out there.

The Woods BB720X is only 116".

 

[Piston]

Dave,
I believe any of the manufacturers mentioned would serve you very well, and I'm sure you'll be happy with whichever one you get. I can only give you good experience with Brown as that is what I have experience with. About the only thing I do NOT do with it is field mowing, although I've done a few small ones and been really happy with the results. Most of what I "mow" is small saplings and undergrowth between trees. I routinely bang into trees/stumps mow over rocks, and occasionally do some light grading with the rotary cutter, not on purpose :laughing:

Don't worry too much about the ratings that Brown gives. I looked into that quite a bit when I started searching for a HD cutter, and found that they are very "under rated". They are certainly every bit as capable as the other two your looking into. The friend I bought my 472 from also has a Bush Hog 287, he sold the Brown because he bought a bigger tractor and the Brown didn't cover his wheelbase anymore. He said he liked the Brown better and if he was buying new, he'd go with the 7' Brown over the BH, but when I asked him "why" he liked it better, he couldn't really give a convincing argument.

If I were buying brand new, I'd go with Brown because I've had great experience with them. I also really like their customer service, not that I've needed it for problems, but I've called numerous times with questions and they've been overly helpful. I would probably be just as happy if I had another manufactures heavy duty cutter, and would recommend it just as much. Brown is certainly "up there" as an option with the big names.

Here are a couple threads I started regarding them.
http://www.tractorbynet.com/forums/attachments/258488-brown-472-brush-cutter-max.html
http://www.tractorbynet.com/forums/attachments/282786-brown-manufacturing-rotary-cutter-heavy.html A couple pics in this one..
Rotary Cutter Heavy Duty Rotary Mower options on the used market???

I'm sure you've read many posts by "farmwithjunk" when he was an active poster, and he would always recommend Bush Hog cutters as he had great experience with them (although stay away from the lighter duty Squealer models as you know). The only other manufacturer he recommended was Brown, and even stated that for the most part, they are more heavy duty than you really need.

I think the most important thing is that your going with a heavy duty mower, rather than the manufacturer.

Triple R has a really good point about the single tail wheel, although it sticks out further behind, it often makes turning in the woods easier, because the dual tail wheel isn't sticking out to the side. This is the one disadvantage I could see with the dual tail wheel, although I would still go dual with a 7' cutter, but this is certainly something to consider.