Need over running clutch???

[Arkie]

I'll soon be looking to purchase my first rotary cutter(bush hog). I'll be using it to cut about 5 acres of newly cleared land that has a mixture, now, of grass to 1" stick ups. There are plenty of stumps the dozer operator said he couldn't get out(??? said he didn't want to hurt his dozer).Anyway, I have a TC33D4 and am wondering if i should buy and use an over running clutch on the PTO since i'm new at this and i'm sure i'll hit somthing i shouldn't with the cutter.What do ya'll think?

[Bird]

Nope, Arkie, an overrunning clutch won't help that situation; it's to allow the blades on the cutter to keep turning without turning the PTO. They were only needed on the older tractors like the old Fords. I won't try for the technical description, but what it amounted to was that the centrifugal force of the blades turning turned the PTO even when you got on the clutch and the PTO turned your wheels, and it could push you through a fence, barn wall, etc. What you need with either a slip clutch or a shear pin (or shear bolt) on the PTO driveshaft to the implement. As far as I know, they all come with one or the other; the slip clutch usually costs about $100 more than the shear pin models.

Bird

[Arkie]

Ah! so that's what it is for. I thought it somehow protected the PTO or trany. Thanks for the info Bird. Any suggestions on what "cheaper" brand to buy? I just bought new tractor and don't have the cash right now to buy more expensive brand such as Bush Hog brand.

Arkie

[Bird]

Arkie, when I had the B7100, I had a Bush Hog Squealer (48"). When I traded up to the B2710, I traded it in on a 5' Howse 500 ($495 vs. $795 for a 5' Bush Hog). I like Bush Hog products; also have a Bush Hog tiller and Bush Hog finish mower, but for my use the cheaper Howse works just fine (used it a couple of hours this evening and figure on about 5 or 6 more hours tomorrow). If you hit a lot of bad stuff, a slip clutch may be worth $100, but they require periodic maintenance or they won't work right. I don't use them; just shear pins on all my implements, and in spite of hitting hidden lumber, bricks, concrete block, etc. that I didn't see, I've never even sheared a pin or done any damage. In fact the only shear pin I've ever had shear was on a neighbor's hay baler when the bale starter didn't fall back into place after I dumped a bale, hay wrapped around the roller, and that 85hp Oliver sheared the pin on the baler.

Bird

[dieselpwr]

Arkie

I know a couple people with King Kutter brush cutters who seem to like them pretty well. They put them through everything from stumps to rocks & they keep on working.

Troy

[jinman]

Arkie, like Bird, I purchased a Howse 5' new and it was really a good investment, but the sheet metal is a little thin and they do take a beating. I have lots of brush and small saplings that I have cut with that thing and I've broken the shear pin two or three times with my Ford Jubilee. Finally, the spline on the inside of the stump-jumper wore out and I bought a "red" King Kutter from Tractor Suppy. I've been pretty happy with the TSC King Kutter, but one of the blade bolts came loose and I had to replace it. If you get any brand, be sure and check and recheck the tightness of all parts before the first time you use it and at regular intervals thereafter. I just found out that I can get replacement parts for the Howse, so I will probably get it fixed and keep it for the "abuse" jobs since it seems to like them so well.[img]/w3tcompact/icons/wink.gif[/img] My neighbor refers to his mower as a rock cutter. [img]/w3tcompact/icons/shocked.gif[/img]


JimI