Rotary Cutter rotary cutters (the good the bad and the junky?)

[agcomike]

I was wondering on the rotary cutters if there is any need of buying a 1200$ unit vs a $500 unit? I had my eye on the jd lx 5' er but i'm sure its up in price.. the midwest and king kutters are in the $500 range any real difference in value?

I plan on just doing some parts of my back yard i'm not willing to use my finishing mower (rocks, dips, etc..) and if i get lazy and don't mow for a 2-3 weeks in the back 40..

But the jd series seems like it has some neat features like the 2 deck plates and a very high blade speed at 17,800

 

[JohnMiller3]

<font color="blue">...I plan on just doing some parts of my back yard... (rocks, dips, etc..) ...</font>

Standard duty = Standard duty

The rest of the price difference usually/mostly amounts to "marketing"... (though always will be exceptions!)

The JD LX series is fairly new to the market as with the Midwest units... The KingKutter units have been out for a number of years and provide a lot of bang for the buck and basically "time tested"...

Now, Medium Duty/Heavy Duty rotary cutters are a different story... /forums/images/graemlins/wink.gif

 

[agcomike]

how about the medium cutters is there a real stand out there?
I may just spring for a little tougher unit if there's no real diffrences in the std duty one's..

 

[Moon]

I have a 5' international standard duty rotary cutter. I paid 550 for it. No previous roatry cutter experience to base this on, but I'm completely satisfied with this cutter. I've cleared paths and trails through 6' multiflora and knocked down and cut up 1 1/2 - 2" trees that were in the way. I thinking International is based somewhere in Ohio. Maybe you can find a dealer in TN that'll carry em.
Moon of Ohio

 

[19th_VA]

Re: rotary cutters (the good the bad and the junky

If you're in Eastern Tennessee, you should give Carter and Carter a call. They sell Midwest. I'm not an expert by any stretch but I have put my 30 series 5 footer to the test in my jungle, er, I mean land. Cuts 2-3" including locust with no problem. 4-5" pines no problem. Ground--ouch! Paid about a grand for it, including slip clutch and front and rear chain guards. Nary a scratch so far (except on the blades) /forums/images/graemlins/blush.gif. Oh yea, I did tear off the front chain guard which I think should be welded for what I am doing. It would have been fine for regular cutting but my land hasn't been touched for 25 years and is pretty bumpy and hilly. It's a lot clearer now though!

 

[kensfarm]

If your just going to be hitting the rough in the back yard.. I think a standard duy will do fine. If you decide to go to a medium duty.. check the specs of what your tractor can handle. I had a hand-me-down standard duty that worked fine until it launched a double football sized rock.. just this past Sat. I got a new Medium duty.. Woods BrushBull 600.. cost was $1285.. what a beast.. a little over a 1000 lbs.. 1/4 inch thick sides.. I couldn't believe the difference in the two units since both a 5 footers.. the delivery guy said.. "you just went from a 22 to a 44 Magnum".. I agreed. My TC35D is at the bottom end as far as HP for operating this unit.. but I plan on getting a bigger HP tractor in the future. I think a good standard duty would work just fine for your application.

 

[agcomike]

Re: rotary cutters (the good the bad and the junky

Thanks all looks like i'm going to have to go kick some tires now.. Good info from all..

 

[Pacesetter300]

Ken, can you keep us posted on how your tractor handles the Woods cutter? I have my eye on a slightly used BB60. The fellow used his on a B2910 and said it handled it fine. Woods site recommends 30 TRACTOR HP! Selling it because he sold the tractor.
Pacesetter

 

[kensfarm]

Pacesetter.. yes I will.. I intend to take pictures of the old and new cutter. The BB60 is Wood's standard cutter.. specs show 25-50 HP.. weight is 554 lbs. The unit I bought is the BB600 medium duty cutter.. specs show 30-120 HP.. weight is 1039 lbs. Right now I'm waiting for the dealer to bring me a new PTO shaft.. the one they delivered w/ the unit is warped.. looked new.. but it made the plastic safety cover start melting in one spot.. and I only ran it for 5 minutes through some tall grass. I can't wait to run it through some heavy brush.. if it ever dries up. Last friday the county had 2 out the 3 bridges you can cross to get to the farm closed due to flooding.. the dealer even called and said.. we can't get to your farm.. they ended up delivering on Sat. instead. I'll keep you posted.

 

[mopar]

we just got a king kutter 5' $595 at TSC and ran it this weekend,it has done a great job so far,the directions for putting together,so so,only 2 shear pins so far,and that is taking stuff that it's not supposed to take 2-3" stuff /forums/images/graemlins/laugh.gif,not a mark on it so far 3-4 acres cleared out,will be posting pictures later.this is not really thick stuff mostly 1" and less but i think as good if not better than a lx series deere at twice the money,dealer wanted to sell an older new 413,4' modle for more than this 5'king kutter /forums/images/graemlins/shocked.gif