Opinions on Swisher pull behind mower

[SteveM]

Anyone have any experience with a pull behind brush mower (the type with a stand alone gas engine)?

I have a little bota B6000E with a 48" MMM. Wonderful little rig, but I need a larger brush hog to clear my endless meadows. The B6000 is only rated for a very small hog, and it would have to be CCW - so I am interested in these tow behind units.

Would love the feedback - pricing, etc. I have only looked at the Swisher models at TSC.

 

[jhburke]

I had a swisher 60" pull behind. It was a finish mower. It worked real good unless the grass got real tall. I sold it because I went to a 3 point rear mower and couldn't use it any more. It was around 1300.00 new. JIM

 

[Charlie_Iliff]

I talked to a professional landscaper who swears by Acrease pull behinds. I think they were pricier than the Swisher, but maybe worth a look. They have finish and rough versions.
<A target="_blank" HREF=http://www.kunzeng.com/>Link</A>

 

[Mosey]

I bought one about 3 years ago. It was a Swisher 44" cut finish mower. I tried it behind my Craftsman 42" cut 15.5HP lawn tractor hoping to cut my mowing time in half. It didn't. It was too hard to handle and didn't work well at all on uneven terrain. Due to the two wheeled design, whenever the rear of the tractor when down, so did the front of the mower and it would scalp. It was hard to make turns without leaving a strip of unmowed grass. Also, I was afraid it was too much weight for my Craftsman mower on my hilly back yard. Fortunately, I bought it where I could return it easily, which I did. It was shortly after that when I decided to bite the bullet and make payments on my new Boomer and a 6' mower, which has cut my mowing time to about 1/3 of what it was!

I'm not experienced with the self powered bush hogs, but I’d be skeptical. If you want to try one, make sure you buy it where they will take it back after a try out period. If it has four wheels, it might be OK in wide open areas.

 

[Thomas]

I look into them about year go,and after talking w/others it wasn't such a good idea for me,for I was planing to use the 5' deck model to mowe around trees plus my land somewhat hilly and tad rough in some places.
My understanding they work great behind a ATV 4 wheeler and flat ground etc..
Have you check on a Woods rear finish mower 4 footer?

 

[s1120]

Hmmmm, I have been looking into one of these also. I my case just becouse my tractor will not run a brush hog. Any like them?

 

[Thomas]

Paul,
There a dealer L.W. Greenwoods & Son that sell couple of models.
10hp,44"cut $1500.oo..12.5hp,50"cut,$2200.oo
They have sold lot but mostly for atv 4 wheelers.
I have notice the prices are starting to come down a tad and there great for flat mowing.

 

[SteveM]

Thanks for all your fast replies - this is a great site! I like the idea of spending $1500 or less, so the swisher may work fine. The note about the scalping is helpful - I am not concerned about my meadow, but it will make my expectations more realistic for use on the lawn.

Any other thoughts on best price or used outlets would be welcome!