Rotary Cutter (easier to work on)??

[Bill Guenthner]

I have a Big-Bee Agri Five rotary cutter (60 inch) that has given good service and taken a lot of abuse for 6 years but... it is not a pleasure to work on. There are no holes in the deck to access the bolts that attach the blades to the stump jumper so when they loosen up it's tremendously difficult to tighten them. Also the bolts that hold the gear box to the deck work loose and are almost impossible to access to replace/tighten. I've pretty much beaten this one up so not looking to make modifications to it. I'd like to replace it with another cutter that is easier to keep running. What have some of you had good experiences with? Trying to stay in the $1,000 price range.

 

[TheMan419]

I love my county line (tsc) rotary cutter. Sure it is light duty but that is what I need. It was easy for this total newbie to set up. Also within your price range new.

 

[gwstang]

I have a Big-Bee Agri Five rotary cutter (60 inch) that has given good service and taken a lot of abuse for 6 years but... it is not a pleasure to work on. There are no holes in the deck to access the bolts that attach the blades to the stump jumper so when they loosen up it's tremendously difficult to tighten them. Also the bolts that hold the gear box to the deck work loose and are almost impossible to access to replace/tighten.

I picked up one of those in a 5' model used. You are so right about the bolts loosening. I used the thing for the first time and after about 4 hours a vibration started up. I stopped to check and one of the bolts was laying on the deck. Another was gone. I do have a large hole at the back of the deck to get to the nuts on top of the blade bolts. I'm going to pull the stump jumper and put new bolts and some of those lock nuts with the plastic inside to hold against any more falling off. I'll use some of that red locktite too.

 

[SPYDERLK]

TSC also has Gr5 and Gr8 bolts. If bolts are loosening it is because they are not tight enough to prevent the joint moving. That means wear. You dont want that. An upgrade to a stronger bolt and more tightening torque will serve you well.

 

[scdeerslayer]

I'd get grade 8 bolts with lock washers for the gear box. If it has loose nuts on the bottom I'd get them tight and weld them in place so you only have to deal with the bolt on top. If the bolts don't hold with lock washers use lock tite. Also use a hole saw a little bigger than the required impact socket to cut a hole in the deck to access the blade bolts.

 

[Rmart30]

Ive always cut access holes in those that didnt have them.
As far as brands I have had good results with land pride cutters. Bought both of mine used. A 2660 and a 2072. They are at least 7 yrs old each and no broke bolts, welds, loose bolts etc.
With patience I was able to find the 6 ftr for less than the cost of a new TSC light duty cutter.

 

[Texasmark]

I have a Big-Bee Agri Five rotary cutter (60 inch) that has given good service and taken a lot of abuse for 6 years but... it is not a pleasure to work on. There are no holes in the deck to access the bolts that attach the blades to the stump jumper so when they loosen up it's tremendously difficult to tighten them. Also the bolts that hold the gear box to the deck work loose and are almost impossible to access to replace/tighten. I've pretty much beaten this one up so not looking to make modifications to it. I'd like to replace it with another cutter that is easier to keep running. What have some of you had good experiences with? Trying to stay in the $1,000 price range.

You aren't going to get much in today's market for $1k.

 

[STx]

For $1,000 you're going to have to go used to get anything decent and you should probably figure another $500 in repairs to get it back in top shape. I bought a Rhino TW72 for $1,000 3 years ago, spent $500 to replace the stump jumper, balancing bars and tailwheel/fork and have used the heck out of it (honestly, I've abused it) to clear brush. To get a cutter the same quality as this old TW72 new, I'd be looking at $5,000+.

 

[LD1]

Agree, $1000 wont buy much in the way of a cutter designed to take abuse. The lighter ones like TSC sells are great cutters for the money if all you are doing is mowing pasture grasses / weeds. But there is a limit to the abuse they can take.

Shop used for a reputable brand and heavier model.

 

[DieselBound]

What are your needs/uses? If you're just cutting low grass then a light duty mower/cutter is fine.

I recently acquired a Landpride RCR1860 as a replacement for a Rankin 60" light duty cutter that I'd run for nearly six years: I was wanting something that was QH compatible as it's a hassle hooking up stuff to my B7800: I don't use a QH on it, but I find it a LOT easier to pin the lower link arms with QH compatible implements. I picked this up used, VERY used, for about $600 (I paid the guy $700, I think, because he delivered it). It needed new blades, BAD: I replaced them. If nothing else, make sure you get the floating top link on any cutter you get; this makes a HUGE difference- I always struggled with my old Rankin as my ground varies quite a bit; with the Landpride I find that I don't have to adjust the 3pt height much at all. I would have liked to get a 2000 series Landpride, but I recently got my NX5510 for doing heavy work (picked up a used Bush Hog 286 for use on it).

Use Loctite if you're having issues with things coming loose. Of course, make sure to torque things to spec (IF you can!).