Rotary Cutter buying tips - some of the things to look at...

[scott_vt]

Good Afternoon Sysop,
Very informative thread and video... glad that KYDan got his unit functioning properly, that alone made your thread worthwhile !

 

[Sysop]

Good Afternoon Sysop,
Very informative thread and video... glad that KYDan got his unit functioning properly, that alone made your thread worthwhile !

I couldn't be happier that my waste of time surfing youtube proved to be productive

 

[TomSeller]

Good thread. Light to medium duty cutters are just fine at light to medium mowing. I have a standard duty 6' that I use the heck out of trimming cattle pastures and overgrown grass and light brush. These areas get mowed every year so there is never any "discovery" mowing. I have a heavier 5' mower that I use if I need to mow something for a neighbor or friend and I don't know what is under the brush and/or have small trees to cut. If you stay on top of your mowing, you might just see more use for a standard duty and can use a lower fuel usage smaller tractor.

 

[KYDan]

I agree, KYDan's cutter is made same as the standard duty in the video. Why they would market the same design for standard and medium or heavy makes no sense unless they're just using thicker metals (based on his damage photos it doesn't appear to be the case). Although if you look at that area on the other brands in the video, I don't know that the Kodiak design is much worse off than any of the others, but perhaps it could be a softer grade of steel.

I still think the video gives a lot of first time shoppers some things to look at and consider. I know I've ran at least a dozen different cutters in my life, but never had to buy one and when it came time to buy one they all looked pretty-much the same. Hitch designs are just one of the things it points at to be looked at. (for better or worse)

With a tractor that size, and a stump of 4", I'd have to wonder what wouldn't have bent in the exact same circumstances before calling a design bad. Perhaps it was just a bad choice for the tractor and terrain as both that tractor and the 4" stump are a bit much for any standard duty design. They shouldn't be marketing the same stuff for various duty levels...

The roundback version which is the one I have utilizes the 90 HP gearbox as well. I don't know how else if differs from the standard duty cutter. I have some rough terrain that I use it on is why I bought it. I was originally looking at Landpride, Bushhog, and a few others when I stumbled across this one. At 815lbs. it does have a lot of metal in it. I mowed with it for about 4 hours yesterday trying to mow some of the weeds down before they went to seed. I now understand the flex hitch design now and how it works. When this one dies as all equipment does eventually I will probably go for one of the premium heavy duty cutters.

 

[SPYDERLK]

When this one dies as all equipment does eventually I will probably go for one of the premium heavy duty cutters.

Could you describe the severity of the incident that crinkled the 815# cutter. Were you in 4wd ... do you have a loader on? Thanks,
larry

 

[KYDan]

Could you describe the severity of the incident that crinkled the 815# cutter. Were you in 4wd ... do you have a loader on? Thanks,
larry

I was mowing in a small copse of trees and it was tight quarters. I leave the loader on for weight when I mow, but no loader attachment was on. I was in 2WD. It barely made a place in the skirt.

 

[freewookie]

Good thread. Light to medium duty cutters are just fine at light to medium mowing. I have a standard duty 6' that I use the heck out of trimming cattle pastures and overgrown grass and light brush. These areas get mowed every year so there is never any "discovery" mowing. I have a heavier 5' mower that I use if I need to mow something for a neighbor or friend and I don't know what is under the brush and/or have small trees to cut. If you stay on top of your mowing, you might just see more use for a standard duty and can use a lower fuel usage smaller tractor.

Was told basically the same thing from a dealer last week. Get the Mahindra if it's mainly tall weeds and grass. If you have lots of brush and trees go with the Rhino. I have a ratchet rake to clear brush so I'm going with the Mahindra.