Another Which Brush Cutter

[Sockwell]

I've been looking for a medium duty 6' brush cutter. The question has to do with the Bush Hog 296 versus the BH 26. I can get either new, with the older 296 costing about $200 more. Is it worth it, or are they so nearly equal that I should save the money? Thanks guys.

 

[HEC]

Much depends on what you are going to cut with it . I have the old bush hog 6 ft. med. duty squeeler and that has done me very well over the last 10 years . I cut old hay fields and some light brush with it . If I were going to be cutting 1 inch or more stuff with it on regular basis I would go with the heavier one . The 296 is 1100 lbs. , I'm not sure of the weight of the 26 .

 

[Piston]

I believe the BH 26 is just the updated model of the 296? The 296 is not QH compatible whereas the BH26 is. I believe both of them have chinese gearboxes (as do almost every other manufacturer now) so that is a wash.

 

[Texasmark]

I have used new and used over the years from several mfgrs including JD, Mohawk, and Kodiak. Some had the 40 hp gearbox and others the 65 (medium duty). Other than sizing the box to the PTO hp, and deciding whether you want chains up front or not, I can't tell the difference in cutting ability...course the blades need to be sharp.

Mark

 

[Piston]

I have used new and used over the years from several mfgrs including JD, Mohawk, and Kodiak. Some had the 40 hp gearbox and others the 65 (medium duty). Other than sizing the box to the PTO hp, and deciding whether you want chains up front or not, I can't tell the difference in cutting ability...course the blades need to be sharp.

Mark

The BH26/296 is in a different league than those mowers with a 40hp gear box. This is a true medium duty mower, which is actually pretty darn heavy duty. These don't compare to light duty mowers like the Deere MX6 and others.

The main difference is that they are built to take some serious abuse. They can cut thicker diameter brush, and also stand up to the occasional (which seems to happen too often) hit from hidden cinder blocks, old tire rims, and certainly larger hidden rocks.

I had a light duty mower, a Woods BB 72, and I tore that thing up rather quickly. It would be fine if I was using it for what it was designed as, simple overgrown grass and really light brush mowing, under 1" diameter material (and even that rattled it's cage a bit) but I needed something for harder use. The Woods BB720 would be what I needed if I stuck with Woods brand, that is a nice mower as well.