Rotary cutter prices

[Mryan]

Hi all,

I ordered the 48" box blade the other day, and while I was there, I saw a Woods 48" rotary cutter. The dealer quoted me $950 including the slip clutch. Is this reasonable? What about costs from other manufacturers like landpride or bush hog for the same 48" cutter. I mention those because they are readily available from local distributors. Thanks for the help.....

Mike.

 

[W5FL]

Most rotary cutters come in three modesl. Light, Medium, and Heavy duty.
That is too much for the light cutters that are normally sold. What is the model number of the cutter and I would question getting a slip clutch on this small of a mower. It costs more and probably does NOT protect you as well as a shear bolt unless you do the proper maintenance to the slip clutch regularly. Many mowers of this size are under $500. That said, I got a good price on a 6 ft Bush Hog Medium duty rotary cutter with chain guards and slip clutch for $1850. It is a really nice unit with 1/4 inch thick sides that a blade will not go through if it comes loose! It also weighs nearly 1000#. In general the heavier duty of the cutter, the heavier the weight is also.

 

[gerard]

Just bought a light duty bush hog 5ft (Squealer model) and paid $750. 40hp gearbox, 3/8 blades, 500lbs. Will cut up to 1 inch thick brush. No slip clutch which seems to be about $100. I've done a fair amount of cutting so far and haven't gone through a shear bolt yet. Depends on what your going to be cutting.

 

[Bird]

The other guys have pretty well answered this one for you, but 4.5 years ago, I gave $695 for a 4' Bush Hog Squealer with shear pin (as has already been mentioned, a slip clutch is usually about $100 more). Last year I gave $495 for a new 5' Howse 500. They are both considered light duty models. I looked at one 5' heavy duty green one (wouldn't want to mention a brand, but they sell green tractors, too)/w3tcompact/icons/wink.gif that the dealer wanted $1,495 for. And I agree that I don't want a slip clutch. They may be better, but I'm too lazy to want to do the proper maintenance on them, and I've yet to shear a pin (although I do keep some spares on hand since it's bound to happen sooner or later)./w3tcompact/icons/smile.gif

Bird

 

[PaulB]

Bird - how is that Howse holding up? That is a heck of a good price, and all I need to cut is pasture - not even a twig in it - so I do not need a heavy duty unit. The horses like the grass long, but once it is a foot or so my garden tractor has a rough time getting through it unless I go REAL slow.

 

[Bird]

PaulB, It really hasn't been used a great deal yet. I mowed a 30 acre pasture last Fall; nearly all tall weeds and grass with just a little mesquite brush, and then last week, I mowed the borrow ditch across the road that had a little brush getting started; nothing over an inch or inch and a half, and I certainly think it's all I need. Ought to work great for what you say you have. The price I paid did not include chain guards (or any kind of guards; I make my own). My Kubota dealer wanted $795 for a 5' Bush Hog Squealer, so for $300 difference, I like the Howse. I have a neighbor who has a 7' Howse that I know has seen some rough service for 10 or 15 years and he's happy with it.

Bird

 

[Bird]

PaulB, by the way, you talked about going real slow in foot high grass. That 30 acre pasture I mowed was one that sold during the previous winter and the new owner had done nothing to it all year, so it was grown up 2 to 3 feet high and I mowed most of the time as fast as the tractor would run in mid-range.

Bird

 

[PaulB]

WOW! when I say slow, I mean 2 hours for 2 acres when it is grown a foot high. Sounds like I need to ante up 500 bucks or so and get the rotary cutter. Still reeling a little from 2 grand on the new manure spreader, but heck thats what money is for.

 

[Bird]

Yeah, Paul, I think I'd rather mow my yard with the brush hog than mow the pasture with a finish mower. And compared to other PTO powered implements, the brush hogs are relatively cheap and usually last many years.

Bird

 

[JimBinMI]

Mryan,

Don't know if this will help but the New Holland dealer that I bought my TC18 from is also a Woods dealer. I got a quote from him of $550 for a 4' Woods Rotary cutter in the package with my tractor last summer. Didn't buy it but he said he would sell it to me later at the same price. Based on some of the other prices listed it must have been light duty. Didn't get a model number.

Good Luck, JimBinMI