Bush hog 307 pull behind advice

[Piston]

Not sure if this should be under "attachments" or buying...but here goes.

A friend of mine in Tampa is looking at this Bush Hog model 307 tow behind bush hog. He found this one on craigslist and wants to go look at it, he asked me if it sounded like a good deal and but I don't know anything about them, so I said I'd post here.

The asking price is 1,000 dollars but I imagine he could get it for a bit less. Supposedly it's in working condition but hasn't been used in a couple years. It could use some welding on some of the steel but the owner said it is fine around the gear box and mounting areas, so I'm not sure what that really means.

Anyway, I see a lot of people like these mowers, do you think this seems like a decent deal.

What should he look at when he goes to look at it? I'm no where near there so I can't help him, even if I did know what to look for :laughing:

 

[Farmwithjunk]

Not a bad deal, just not an extreme bargain. (assuming "mechanicals" are all in good working order) Compared to NEW price, not bad at all. Ready to take to the field, with no issues, a used 307 pull type Bush Hog mower would bag around $1500 to $1800 here.

 

[Gary Fowler]

Other than the obvious rust thru on the deck, he should check the gear box for oil rather than grease. Many times when the oil seals got bad they would remove the oil and fill it with heavy grease so it wouldnt leak. Check the slack in the gear box to see if there is excess wear. If possible have it hooked to a tractor and try it out checking for cut and vibration. Look at the blades to see how much wear and make sure they are the right sized blades. The 7 foot wide ones just have longer blades from the 6 foot and may have been replaced at one time with the smaller blades. I think that model had 3/16 top deck with 1/4" sides so rust thru shouldnt be a problem. I have one and the only issue is water stands around the gear box if it is left in the rain so it needs some drain holes which may have been added to prevent this.

 

[cjfling]

I bought the same exact model from a friend two years ago and paid around $600 for it. I probably got a good price. It's visually in pretty much the same condition. It's got some rust holes on the deck where the sheet metal connects to the frame. The ratchet that raises and lowers the deck is bent on mine, but operational. It can be replaced, but on mine I plan to put a hydraulic cylinder in it's place so it can be operated from the tractor seat. Make sure he has plenty of tractor (hp) to operate it. I have an old 90 hp tractor (thats probably lost some power over the years) and in heavy grass the tractor has all it can handle. Keep all the linkage greased and there is supposed to be some adjustments made to the slip clutch periodically to make sure it operates properly if needed. Make sure the slip clutch isn't stuck from rust. Another good this is it has a stump jumper. Something else to watch is to keep the top of the deck clear of grass after use to help prevent rusting, but that's with all shredders. As far as the oil/grease thing, a service man told me to only use tube grease in the gear box. It's just better all around and not just in the case of the seals going out. The manual calls for 90 weight oil I believe.

 

[Hollow]

That sounds like an ok deal, he won't be "hitting it out of the park"so to speak if he pays that price. Use the welding and the fact that it needs paint to your advantage and offer them $800.