Woods bb600x rotary cutter for a 40hp tractor?

[WVH1977]

Hello, I am new to this website, as far as actually registering and posting a thread. I read the forums all the time and really appreciate all of the research I have been able to do on this site thus far. I just purchased 16 acres of land that was clearcut and replanted in pines 3 years ago. I am going to be clearing 2 to 3 acres out for a homesite and garden area. I am looking into buying a Woods BB600X for cutting the pine saplings, briars, broom straw, and future mowing/brush clearing. the majority of the pine saplings are in the 2 to 3 foot tall range with some over 8 feet. Am I going overkill with the heavy duty cutter? Would a BB72X accomplish the same task? I have a 2005 New Holland TC40 (35 PTO HP) with a 3 pt. lift capacity of 2400 lbs. with a FEL up front. The tractor width is 6 ft. so a 5 ft. would not cover the tire tracks, however I could get the heavier duty cutter in a 5ft width. I have talked with two dealers and through their research, have both said my tractor will handle the Woods BB600X. The BB72X weighs 804 lbs. vs the BB600X weight of 1068 lbs. How much difference will 200 lbs. make? Both cutters have a minimum rating of 30 hp, which my tractor meets. I just want to make sure I make the right decision on what to buy. Every time I buy a new implement it always seems to be a pain trying to figure out what is best for my needs and safe for my tractor. I hate the fact that these cutters are rated for a minimum 30 hp, yet the manufacturers and dealers tell you that they may be too much for your tractor. I am pretty sure through my own research that either one of these two cutters will work behind my tractor. Any advice/opinions on this subject would be appreciated.

One last note: I have a 6 ft. Land Pride tiller and Land Pride grapple bucket. Both implements have performed flawlessly for me. Should I consider a Land Pride cutter in my search?

Thanks in advance for any and all responses.

 

[Sysop]

Firstly: Welcome to TBN!

Now to business; You need to keep in mind, they are talking about a minimum 30 PTO HP. That is very near your limit. If you were to get into really heavy stuff, 30, or even 35HP may not be enough. If you have large hills to contend with, the minimum needs to be raised. Heavy stuff on large hills, 50 PTO HP might seem weak.

The brush and trees you described, it really doesn't matter how tall they are, the diameter of the material at the blade height of the cutter is what will determine if it is "too much". Anything "too tall" can be backed into with the cutter to push it over and under the deck. If that doesn't work, push it over with the loader. Many things like your pine saplings that are "too large" for the cutter will uproot when you push them over with the loader.

Covering your tracks is overrated. Yes you "can" get more done with a larger deck and your tires disturb less ground, there are a lot of good points to covering your tracks. But the end-all of it is, having a cutter your machine can handle on the terrain and material you have to deal with.

I too have a 40HP tractor. I also originally wanted a 6' cutter, but due to availability ended up with a 5' cutter. Looking back on it now, there are a lot of places I have been into and gotten cleaned up that I simply couldn't have done with a 6' cutter. You can fit and work with a 5' cutter in a lot more places than a 6' cutter. You can cut all the same things with a 5' and a 6' built to equal specs up to one point, the power of your tractor. The ability to be precise and fit more places was the primary driving force behind my choice in getting the narrowest grapple EA makes for a tractor our size. I'm now looking for a lighter duty 7' or 8' dual spindle cutter for my more open areas where the 5' actually slows me down.

As for are you going overkill, in my opinion yes. A standard duty would cut everything you mentioned (at least in the mental picture your description drew for me).

 

[WVH1977]

Thanks for the response. The majority if not all the of pine saplings I am looking to cut are not over 3 inches in diameter. I can hack through them with a machete easily. There are some bigger pines in the back of the property, but I am not concerned with them right now. I will be building more towards the front of the property. There is a rolling slope that goes down to the back of the property. It is probably about a 5 to 10 degree slope over a 400 foot stretch. The majority of the clearing I will be doing is on flat ground. I had a guy that lives near me quote $ 2,000.00 to bring a mulcher in for one day of work. He said he can usually do up to 2 acres in one day, completely cleared. I have thought about that option but I am going to need/and been wanting a cutter anyway so I would rather buy the cutter instead. Plus it will give me time to really look at the land while I clean it up. I will also be using the cutter on my hunt club land. What brand of 5' cutter did you go with?

 

[Sysop]

Mine is a Mahindra branded Kodiak cutter. Very well made cutters for the money.

 

[TBN Support]

:welcome: Welcome to the forum!

:tractor: I'm going to move your thread over to our attachments section.

 

[darmstrong2319]

I have a 4035 Mahindra sst gear and I use a 6 ft cutter. I had both a 5 and a 6 ft one, I sold the 5ft because of lack of use. I have no problem with the 6ft one in heavy stuff and if I did I would take smaller cuts.

 

[ericm979]

I got a 5' Mahindra branded Kodiak for my 3725 which is 70" wide at the tire sidewalls (with R4s and spacers). Most people would fit a 6' but my mowing is small areas bounded by roads, fences, brush and trees. I chose the 5' for manuverability. If I was mowing more wide open spaces I'd have gotten the 6'. When I have more brush cleared and larger areas to mow I plan to get a wider flail.