Rotary Cutters ??

   / Rotary Cutters ?? #1  

sunnyside360

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Priced out two new 5' rotary cutters at the JD dealer today -- $1250 for an LX5 and $1250 for Frontier RC1060. Which one is best for the money and is the price good? Thanks for your help. John
 
   / Rotary Cutters ?? #2  
The LX series is discontinued. They are (were) actually made by Deere, while Frontier is outsourced somewhere. I have an LX6, and I think it's among the best light duty brush cutters on the market. I would get the LX5 over the Frontier, personally. The price on the LX5 sounds quite good, not sure if the RC1060 price is anything special.
 
   / Rotary Cutters ?? #3  
Does the Frontier brand cutter have a slip clutch or does it have sheer bolts like the LX5?

I'd go for the one with the most features. :)
 
   / Rotary Cutters ?? #4  
Most dealers order an LX4 or LX5 with the slip clutch. Kinda surprised your dealer didn't. Slip clutch is standard on LX6, and I would definitely recommend it over a shear bolt system.

The RC1060 is not identical to the LX5; I think the LX5 is a better design. The LX series also had some super duper paint process for corrosion resistance.
 
   / Rotary Cutters ?? #5  
They are the exact same machines. The gear box on the RC1060 might be a little different but other than that they should be identical. Both should be equipped with a slip clutch also. I would go for the one that said John Deere on it :)
 
   / Rotary Cutters ??
  • Thread Starter
#6  
Z-Michigan said:
The LX series is discontinued. They are (were) actually made by Deere, while Frontier is outsourced somewhere. I have an LX6, and I think it's among the best light duty brush cutters on the market. I would get the LX5 over the Frontier, personally. The price on the LX5 sounds quite good, not sure if the RC1060 price is anything special.

Both units I looked at had shear pins (no clutch).
Did John Deere also discontinue the MX5??
 
   / Rotary Cutters ?? #7  
The MX series should still be in production and it quite a bit heavier than the LX or Frontier. I have a MX6 and it is built like a tank. It has the heavy duty gearbox, slip clutch, front and back chain guards and double top constructions that gives it a domed effect to repel water and to keep grass, weeds, dirt, etc, from sitting on top. If you store your mower outside, dirt, old grass and weeds on top will cause it to rust out quicker than anything.
 
   / Rotary Cutters ?? #8  
gamble77 said:
They are the exact same machines. The gear box on the RC1060 might be a little different but other than that they should be identical. Both should be equipped with a slip clutch also. I would go for the one that said John Deere on it :)

Greensouth, I realize you are a Deere dealer, but the brochures for the LX series and the RC10xx series show distinctly differently shaped cutters. I do not think that the RC1060 is simply an LX5 made by another manufacturer.

For the other poster, yes the MX series are still in production, and are nice heavy duty machines. The clean top deck should make a big difference for ease of cleanup and less rusting.
 
   / Rotary Cutters ??
  • Thread Starter
#9  
Z-Michigan said:
Greensouth, I realize you are a Deere dealer, but the brochures for the LX series and the RC10xx series show distinctly differently shaped cutters. I do not think that the RC1060 is simply an LX5 made by another manufacturer.

For the other poster, yes the MX series are still in production, and are nice heavy duty machines. The clean top deck should make a big difference for ease of cleanup and less rusting.
I looked at the JD LX5 along side of a Frontier RC1060 and they don't appear to be identical. The designs are a little different and the paint job on the LX5 is definitely much better than the RC1060. They are very close in weight. Looked at a Bush Hog SQ600 today and it looks to be very stout for $950. Might go look at Land Pride tomorrow. Anyone know how the Bush Hog and Land Pride stacks up against Deere LX5?
 
 
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