Howse Rotary Cutters....POS?

   / Howse Rotary Cutters....POS? #1  

agford4x4

Silver Member
Joined
Mar 7, 2007
Messages
150
Location
Hempstead, TX
Tractor
Case DX55
Or not?

Ive been looking high and low for shredders in 5' or 6' and teh Howse brand shows similar if not identical specs as the major brands like bush hog, rhino, etc, except its priced as though it was not made out of 24k plated gold.

I have been told by howse that they are great reliable mowers (duh) and ive been told by a place that USED to sell them that they are cheap junk with chinese made gearboxes.

I mean, to me, a shredder is a shredder, it has blades, a gearbox and something to hook it to the tractor. Its hard to screw that up, but the major brands seem to have a bunch of gimmicks and specs that play into the pricing. I mean, they arent exactly complicated pieces of equipment.

So, whats the deal with them, are Howse Cutters as good as the major expensive brands?

Thanks!
 
   / Howse Rotary Cutters....POS? #2  
I have a 6' Howse I bought in 2000. I paid something like $500 for it. I mow mostly pasture (about 6-7 acres) several times a year. I have also cut down a lot of brush along the creek and fencerows cutting sapplings and some cedars 4' - 5' tall. Also hit chunks of stuff floated up out of the creek. Sheared a lot of pins but has never given me a problem.
There are many on here who have been pleased with them. There are also some who have bashed them for being cheap. But I am not sure how many of the bashers actually owned one. For myself, I can see no reason for spending $1200 - $1500 or more for a "name" brand.
 
   / Howse Rotary Cutters....POS? #3  
are Howse Cutters as good as the major expensive brands?

There is really no simple "yes or no" answer. Howse, as well as the other major brands, makes light, medium, and heavy duty models. So when you are comparing rotary cutters, you want to be sure you're comparing light duty to light duty, medium duty to medium duty, etc. instead of a light duty of one brand to a heavy duty of another.

Personally, I've owned a light duty 4' Bush Hog Squealer and a light duty 5' Howse 500. The Bush Hog was rated for 1" brush while the Howse 500 was only rated for grass and weeds. The fact is that either of them could cut inch and a half to two inch stuff occasionally without showing any problems. In my opinion, the Bush Hog was better quality than the Howse. It was designed better if you wanted to remove the blades and/or the stump jumper, I liked the shape and size of the blades a little better, etc. However, either one was more than adequate for the work I wanted to do, so the cheaper Howse was a better deal for me at the time I bought it.

I can only suggest that you first consider what you'll be cutting with the rotary cutter, big heavy brush, grass, weeds, large or small saplings, etc., and maybe what percentage of the time you'll be cutting the different materials. Then of course, you consider the PTO horsepower of the tractor you'll be using. The different rotary cutters have gearboxes rated for different horsepower. The ratings are not absolute, but of course if you buy a rotary cutter with a gearbox rated for 40 hp and then tear it up, using it on a 100 hp tractor, you'll probably have a problem with the warranty. So be sure the gearbox is rated for as much, or more, horsepower than your tractor. Than compare specs for things such as thickness or gauge of the deck, solid vs. laminated rear wheel, ease of removing or sharpening blades, size (width and thickness) of blades, stump jumper or not, slip clutch vs. shear bolt, etc.

Now with all that long winded answer, I'll say that the expensive brands are probably better, or stronger, or longer lasting machines than the cheaper brands, but only you can determine whether they are worth the extra cost.
 
   / Howse Rotary Cutters....POS?
  • Thread Starter
#4  
If it helps, im looking at the medium-heavy MH5 or MH6.
 
   / Howse Rotary Cutters....POS? #5  
agford4x4 said:
So, whats the deal with them, are Howse Cutters as good as the major expensive brands?

Thanks!

In a word, NO.....But they sure aren't JUNK either. Howse builds a decent medium to light duty mower that will meet the needs of most end users. Bush Hog, Rhino, Woods, and the rest of the "big names" builds medium and heavy duty mowers that are by far better for HEAVY use. The "big names" light duty mowers aren't much different than a Howse mower other than they come from a company with more parts and service "support". Unless you're going to be continuously mowing heavy weeds, brush, and working in rocky, trashed up conditions, a Howse mower would PROBABLY serve the purpose just as well as ANY mower on the market.

6 years ago, I bought a KK 6' mower, thinking I could "get by" with a light duty mower. Well, It's history now and I'm back to using Bush Hog and Woods products now. The light duty "off brands" are ok for the occasional user, or they guy who's cleaning up a few acres. Get serious and start mowing quite a bit, and these light duty mowers are "throw-aways" after a few seasons. The cheaper mowers end up costing far more in the long run. A couple years on a $750 "cheapie" with broken parts along the way, or buy a heavy duty, high quality mower and get many years. Take a long look at what you're doing with it and judge how heavy of a mower you need.
 
Last edited:
   / Howse Rotary Cutters....POS? #6  
My dad currenlty uses a 10' Howse cutter with his AC 8050. The unit is used to mow pastures and see's very little brush. I would consider it medium duty when compared to a Bush Hog or Woods brand. It has been trouble free for over 8 years and was purchased used. If I was in the market for a bush hog I would get a medium duty rated unit at the least from whomever. I've been currently running a 5' BUsh Hog Squeeler and it has been fine for my needs. It I were to purchase new though I would get a heavier duty unit.
 
   / Howse Rotary Cutters....POS? #7  
I wouldn't want to make any recommendation to buy or not buy any particular machine, but both of those show to have 100 hp gearboxes. I don't know where the gearboxes are made now or in the past. But a neighbor had an old 7' Howse that he bought used many years before, and he used it for a lot of years behind an old Farmall M and then later behind an 85 hp Oliver. He said his only regret was that he hadn't found a 10' model.:D
 
   / Howse Rotary Cutters....POS? #8  
I think Bird makes some very valid points. A rotary cutter can take on some pretty heavy abuse. I have a KK 72" and it is a tank. Cuts any tree I can get under it, and has taken on some basketball sized rocks by accident. It does have a few dents now, and is rusting faster than the better brands due to their poor paint prep. If I had to do it over I would probably get another KK or Howse though. I want to use it hard sometimes and not worry about dents and scrapes. I can buy 2 of these for the price of one of the better brands.
Now, if I only mowed grass and could take it easy on a cutter, I would consider all the brands knowing it could last a long time.
 
   / Howse Rotary Cutters....POS? #9  
I've got a HD 4' from Howse. It has digested everything I can run over. Tough as nails, never broken once.
 
   / Howse Rotary Cutters....POS? #10  
Looking at the Howse web site it appears that my dad's 10' unit is considered heavy duty by Howse. It has a 150 HP center gear box tied to 2-100 HP gearboxes. This unit weighs over 2200#. I guess you need those big gear boxes when hooked up to his AC 8050. Poor little thing only has 150 HP at the PTO.
 
 
 
Top