Batwing Rotary mower - comparison of cut, quality, value? 80ac exclusively pasture

[Dadnatron]

I went out and looked at some batwings this morning.

Woods, Land Pride, a single Bush Hog.

Any thoughts on any of these would be appreciated. I won't be needing these for brush or trees. But for pasture only. I have no knowledge of Land Pride, I've heard of them, and this machine looked decent, but the spindle looked less beefy then the Woods.

One thing I noticed is differences in the underside. Both Land Pride and Woods have several struts, braces, etc "cluttering up" the underside. I think they are calling them baffles, but they are simply structural. The Bush Hog was essentially smooth, with only a single bend. What are your thoughts on cut quality and size of discharged material? I can think both ways and have no knowledge.



And Ken, I'm certainly not opposed to a used machine. I have some things going this week, but if I get a little more clarity, I might come down and take a look. Is it 540? What tires?

 

[sweettractors]

I went out and looked at some batwings this morning.

Woods, Land Pride, a single Bush Hog.

Any thoughts on any of these would be appreciated. I won't be needing these for brush or trees. But for pasture only. I have no knowledge of Land Pride, I've heard of them, and this machine looked decent, but the spindle looked less beefy then the Woods.

One thing I noticed is differences in the underside. Both Land Pride and Woods have several struts, braces, etc "cluttering up" the underside. I think they are calling them baffles, but they are simply structural. The Bush Hog was essentially smooth, with only a single bend. What are your thoughts on cut quality and size of discharged material? I can think both ways and have no knowledge.

View attachment 503402View attachment 503403

And Ken, I'm certainly not opposed to a used machine. I have some things going this week, but if I get a little more clarity, I might come down and take a look. Is it 540? What tires?

The Woods BW-180 is 540. It came off my neighbors farm. He has retired and sold his farm to Amish. His farm has always been well maintained and regarded by many, as that of "Magazine Cover" quality.
We own a Woods 121 10 ft and Woods BW-180 15 ft for our personal farming operation. I have been running tractors and rotary cutters for almost 60 yrs and for quality of cut, Woods out performs the rest. Ken Sweet

 

[weathda]

Thats some pretty country there.... must be Northern Alabama....doesn't look like the Wiregrass! Is that a 9540?

Stu

Thanks Stu. It's close to them there Tenn hills. It is a 9540 that my brother owns. We're in halves on all the cutting equipment. I use an 8' Woods and he uses the BW.

I went out and looked at some batwings this morning.

Woods, Land Pride, a single Bush Hog.

Any thoughts on any of these would be appreciated. I won't be needing these for brush or trees. But for pasture only. I have no knowledge of Land Pride, I've heard of them, and this machine looked decent, but the spindle looked less beefy then the Woods.

One thing I noticed is differences in the underside. Both Land Pride and Woods have several struts, braces, etc "cluttering up" the underside. I think they are calling them baffles, but they are simply structural. The Bush Hog was essentially smooth, with only a single bend. What are your thoughts on cut quality and size of discharged material? I can think both ways and have no knowledge.

We researched several and found some had a smooth deck on bottom while the structure was on top. Some were reversed like the Woods. Bear in mind, seeds and chaff will collect on top of the cutter too. The smooth top helps, but it still accumulates. It would be that much more if the pockets are on top. If you store outside, the structure pockets will collect water and the foilage will absorb it and keep it wet which leads to rust. We use a leaf blower to keep the top clean.

I would tend to think the smooth cutting deck would give a better cut, but I wouldn't know since I don't have one to compare with. Unless your cutting heavy damp stuff, you'll not have a problem. We've cut wet and while it does stick to the bottom braces some, it's not to the point where we have to stop because of accumulation. Good thing with a BW is you raise your wings and clean off.

 

[rustyshakelford]

I went out and looked at some batwings this morning.

Woods, Land Pride, a single Bush Hog.

Any thoughts on any of these would be appreciated. I won't be needing these for brush or trees. But for pasture only. I have no knowledge of Land Pride, I've heard of them, and this machine looked decent, but the spindle looked less beefy then the Woods.

One thing I noticed is differences in the underside. Both Land Pride and Woods have several struts, braces, etc "cluttering up" the underside. I think they are calling them baffles, but they are simply structural. The Bush Hog was essentially smooth, with only a single bend. What are your thoughts on cut quality and size of discharged material? I can think both ways and have no knowledge.

View attachment 503402View attachment 503403

And Ken, I'm certainly not opposed to a used machine. I have some things going this week, but if I get a little more clarity, I might come down and take a look. Is it 540? What tires?

Already ruled the Deere mx15 out?

Brett

 

[orangeandgreen]

I am also a fan of the Woods brand. Didn't need the batwing, but really like my DS 120. (10' twin spindle). Leaves a really nice cut

 

[Soundguy]

I have a JD 1517. 15' batwing. I'd guess you'd call it medium duty. Cuts good, no windrows. No stump jumpers, just blade carrier bars. Has a torque limiter on the driveline, star shafts, 540.

Find a used one, let someone else buy the new paint.

 

[Dadnatron]

Already ruled the Deere mx15 out?

Brett

No, but even at the local JD dealer, he had only 1 in stock, and that was a special order from a University. He said, they are heavier and tend to 'pull the guts out of your tractor'. (His words standing in his yard, full of GREEN tractors and equipment, and a line of Yellow and Tan mowers up against the fence.) In fact, both of my local JD dealers stock Woods but no JD mowers. Its interesting. 90% of the people around here use them primarily for pasture mowing, so I suspect that by default, those that excel at this job have risen to the top. Whether the JDs are overbuilt for the purpose, overpriced for the purpose, or simply not on par, something seems to be keeping Northern and Central KY from buying many JD mowers. And there are a HUGE number of JD tractors in the area.

 

[Dadnatron]

One thing which was mentioned by the JD dealer.

HE said that a 'big local custom mower' takes off the stump jumpers, given that its only mowing smooth pastures, and it significantly improves cut quality.

This is interesting, When I looked at the bottom of the wing, the stump jumper did indeed take up a large % of the bottom area. Apparently, he removed the stump jumper and Woods made/sold him a T-bar without it attached. It voids the warranty, but the mower knows his pastures are safe. Given I know everything about my pastures, as they are essentially bare at this point, that might be a route I take in the future. At least, I might try to track down the custom guy who is doing it and have a chat.

 

[Soundguy]

One thing which was mentioned by the JD dealer.

HE said that a 'big local custom mower' takes off the stump jumpers, given that its only mowing smooth pastures, and it significantly improves cut quality.

This is interesting, When I looked at the bottom of the wing, the stump jumper did indeed take up a large % of the bottom area. Apparently, he removed the stump jumper and Woods made/sold him a T-bar without it attached. It voids the warranty, but the mower knows his pastures are safe. Given I know everything about my pastures, as they are essentially bare at this point, that might be a route I take in the future. At least, I might try to track down the custom guy who is doing it and have a chat.

my jd1517 came with T bars. mowers that are light to med duty didn't get them.