Time to lay out the $

[PaulB]

Opinions please. Based primarily on advice offered through this board, I am going to get a rotary cutter this weekend, and I now need to decide how much and which one. To recap, I have a B1700, and I will be cutting 4 acres of strictly horse pasture, with grass only. The machine will never have to cut anything bigger around than a pencil, but with the rain we have had the grass is now 18 inches high. I want to spend as little as possible, but still get a tool that will do the job and not break down. I have looked at :
1) Bushhog squeeler 48 inch. Looks like my best bet, but at $850 is the most expensive. One dealer has a slightly used one (paint still scratch-free, blade still sharp) taken on trade for a 5 footer, at $750. If I buy used, no warrantee though.
2) TSC brand 48 inch. Somebody said it is a King Kutter under the red paint, but I don't know. Actually 50 pounds heavier than the Bushhog, but based on my experiences (had a mower fail catastrophically after 1 year, replaced under warrantee) and Birds experiences (2 rear box blades, both broke at welds) am reluctant to go with TSC brand. Cost is attractive - $519 - and maybe enough machine to do grass without breaking? What about parts in the future?
3) Same dealer with used bushhog has used Woods RM400 48 inch finish mower. This is a 2 rear wheel affair, and according to the dealer is therefore not a great finish mower, but a passable combo finish/roughcut mower. Asking $750, would likely go down a bit. Looks used but not abused.
What do you guys think??? any advice appreciated.

 

[Bird]

PaulB, I think the 4' Bush Hog squealer would be the best quality, but the price sure seems high to me. Nearly 5 years ago, I paid $650 for one. And last Fall my dealer wanted $795 for the 5' one. I don't know whether it's a difference in location or whether prices are going up fast. And of course, you're talking about very light duty needs, so one of the cheaper brands or models should work fine. I paid $495 for the 5' Howse 500 I have now.

Bird

 

[Muhammad]

For reference, Central Tractor now does sell King Cutter implements - I am not sure but the price was either the same or close. I think they listed the cutters as Howse/King Cutter, but last time I drove by there they had the King Cutters out. I'm not sure if they have a CT near you but there is one in Oneonta and one in Vestal, might be worth a call if you want to go with the King Cutter brand.

 

[tjsutton]

Tipton International in Central TX is still quoting $795 for the 5' Bush Hog Squealer.

 

[Thomas]

Paul.
Have you check out to see what Kubota has to offer?
Maybe I got lucky when I bought my 48" mower to fit behind my B7100,for the unit was about $125.oo cheaper from Kubota.
But like everything else prices go up.
Take care and have fun.

 

[W5FL]

$500 is about right for a good quality 4 ft cutter. I can sure buy several brands here for that. With the 4 ft mower you will have more time on your tractor for 10 acres. Look at all the fun you will have. /w3tcompact/icons/smile.gif /w3tcompact/icons/smile.gif /w3tcompact/icons/smile.gif

4 ft 6 hrs
5 ft 5 hrs
6 ft 4 hrs

Approximates from http://www.kubotatractor.com and then select hours per acre.

I wouldn't be too concerned about warranty, but I would not buy a really used ones. Some dealers will not take a used mower in period, because they are subject to very hard wear and mis-use. If you break it, it probably will not be covered by the warranty anyway. Warranty does not cover hitting tires, rocks, etc., or driving it with too much HP (no danger though). /w3tcompact/icons/wink.gif

 

[JimBinMI]

PaulB,

My NH dealer also sells Woods, I bought my 5' 3 pt. finish mower from him. I have recently priced a 4' Woods rotary cutter for $595. This is what I will buy when I get one. The quality on my finish mower is amazingly superior to the TSC. I looked at their rotarys and the quality just is not there! Oh, by the way, my dealer says that the list on the Woods 4' rotary is around $850! /w3tcompact/icons/smile.gif

Good Luck, JimBinMI

 

[PaulB]

Jim - you say tomato, I say tomato, you say potato, I say potato, you like Blue, I like Orange ...and I looked at the TSC rotary cutter today and thought it was GREAT! Much heavier construction than the Bushhog, though not as nice polish and finish. I am indeed going to get one. The manufacturer is Wallace, www.wallacemfg.com in case anyone wants to see pictures. Now another question. I was hell bent on going with the 4 footer, but the 5 footer looks like a nice size. My decision will be based entirely on SAFETY. The 4 footer is listed at 460 pounds, 5 footer at 575. My manual lists the maximum sustained carrying capacity (not lift capacity, which is much greater) of the 3 point at 660 pounds, but then goes on to say max rotary cutter weight should not exceed 300 pounds. Obviously something is lost in the translation, because NOBODY makes a rotary cutter that light. So, which is safer, the heavier 5 footer because it adds ballst low to the ground, and therefore will help with slope stability, or the lighter one because it will unweight the front end less? That will be my deciding factor, so anybody who knows I would appreciate your input. Remember, this thing is for cutting grass only, so having enough horsepower to spin the 5 footer shouldn't be an issue - I just want whatever is safer on my hilly land.

 

[Bird]

PaulB, when you're comparing the weights of the rotary cutter to what the manual says, keep in mind that the rotary cutter sticks out pretty far behind the tractor which provides some leverage that is different from having that weight just 24" behind the 3-point. So, if you pick the thing completely up with the 3-point, you may not have enough weight left on the front wheels for steering. Of course, when you are mowing, the back of the cutter rides on the rear wheel, so the 3-point is not holding all the weight, and if you're never going to be leaving your property, trying to loader tractor, cutter, and all on a trailer, etc. you might just always try to keep the cutter's rear wheel on the ground and, since you say your only going to be cutting grass, the 5' one might never be a problem. From a safety standpoint, I don't think there'll be any noticeable difference while you're mowing, but the smaller, lighter one would be safer if you're transporting it in the air on the 3-point.

Bird

 

[Bird]

PaulB, I guess I should have mentioned that you can counteract the light front end steering problem I mentioned by using the rotary cutter with the front end loader on the tractor and put additional weight in the bucket, if necessary, and your ground may be smooth enough for that to be a viable option. Pastures around here are generally rough enough that I really hate to mow with the front end loader on the tractor. That weight out in front just causes the front end to bounce more and make the ride that much rougher.

Bird