Rotary Cutter Woods Brush Bull Rotary Cutters

[markcg2000]

2 points:

1. I don't shut down when a car goes by, but I do when a pedestrian is on the road. Of course, the kids are required to stay out of the fields.

2. Maybe it's the image, but it looks to me like the lower two pins on your cutter are slightly bent up... what's up with that? And how much did buying the chain guards after the first purchase cost you? I've got a chain guard on the front, but the back is a solid continuation of the sides.

mark

 

[Harv]

<font color=blue>it looks to me like the lower two pins on your cutter are slightly bent up</font color=blue>

I see what you're talking about, but I believe it's an optical delusion /w3tcompact/icons/wink.gif. Check this attachment and see what you think.

<font color=blue>how much did buying the chain guards after the first purchase cost you?</font color=blue>

Front and rear together was $195. I didn't shop around -- just ordered them through the dealer. I'm not sure how much shopping around you can do for something like this anyway. That's almost a third the cost of the mower itself ($653), but I really didn't like the thought of mowing without them. /w3tcompact/icons/crazy.gif

 

[markcg2000]

Hmmm, still see it. Oh, well.

When I got my 5' cutter, the price was ~$900 (not looking at the invoice right now) with the chains and the slip-clutch. I knew the clutch was an extra 'cause the dealer told me so and that he strongly recommended it since I would be cutting fields that hadn't been cleared in years. I didn't know the safety chains were an option until I read that on this board. I was stunned that such an item could be optional /w3tcompact/icons/crazy.gif... to me it's just like having a kill switch for when the PTO is engaged and the driver gets off the tractor - sure, they never used to have them, but we also used to insulate our homes with asbestos /w3tcompact/icons/tongue.gif.

mark

 

[DFB]

John,

The wife's stepdad has the Woods MR1O5 heavy duty cutter. Slip clutch came standard. No chains though. Runs it with the Ford 3930 (45 pto hp). Pricey unit. Better than $2K. I asked him what he thought of it, "indestructable" was the word he used to describe it. Then proceeded to tell me how it sliced thru a 12" fieldstone. He's very impressed with it.

I've got the JD 413. 4' Light Duty Rotary Cutter with slip clutch, stump jumper pan, and chains. That lil' pup ran over $800.

DFB

 

[Bird]

Harv, one of the first times I used my little brush hog a few years ago, I ran over a stick, or small limb, and launched a piece about the size of my arm straight forward, under the tractor and between the wheels and it hit the ground a good 50 or 60' or more in front of me. I got to thinking about what that would have done if it had hit a tire, and made some guards, front and rear from heavy belting material. Those things didn't last long enough to mow 5 acres, so then I made chain guards and don't think I'd be without them again. Like you, I don't allow anyone anywhere close when I'm mowing, and when I'm mowing alongside the road, I don't disengage the PTO when a car comes by, but I do stop the tractor and wait on the car to pass. Another reason for my rear view mirror.

Bird

 

[john_bud]

Wow, 14 posts overnight! And all full of quality information. Thanks!

I am strongly looking at the new Woods "BrushBull" line of cutters, but while re-reading the owners manual for the tractor, I noticed that Kubota limits the weight of the cutter to 770 pounds. The Medium duty 60" brushbull is a tad over 1000 pounds. The standard duty 60" is about 600 pounds. I like to buy a tool once, and keep it for ever, so the medium duty unit looks indestructably good, but not if it causes my tractor harm! Can anyone tell me why they have a weight limit for a cutter? Is it to keep you from fliping over backwards? This is giving me a bad case of the dreaded, "I want to buy a quality tool, but I'm such a newbee-osis I don't know which way to jump".

I really do think that I will quickly mangle a light duty cutter. The trails I cut seem to grow rocks nearly as fast as the trees sprout! {Dang those glaciers.} And the trees and weeds and blowdowns don't help either. I had to buy a high wheel string trimmer to keep the main trails open due to damage to the old JD riding mower I was using. That's a main reason for the tractor, along with culverts and skidding logs and making dams for duck ponds and ...........

I also will now positively include a chain guard for both the front and rear. That sounds like a good place to drop money. Thanks for that bit of advice. It could get real ugly if a tire went down while trail cutting as the nearest road is about 2 miles from the edge of the property.

Thanks again,
John Bud

 

[Bird]

John, of course there are limits to the amount of weight your 3-point hitch can lift, and rotary cutters hang pretty far out the back, which gives them a lot of leverage. You wouldn't have any problem with the heavier mower while you're mowing because you'd have the rear wheel on the ground supporting part of the weight. The problem is when you lift the mower with the 3-point, if it's too heavy it might lift the front wheels on the tractor. That tendency can, of course, be compensated for by adding weight on the front of the tractor. I'm not recommending the heavier mower, just saying that it is an option and can be safely used if you're careful and know what you're doing.

Bird

 

[GrantMO]

John,

I can't speak to the Woods rotary mower but if they're anything like their finish mowers I would recommend buying one if you have the money. I had an old 84 inch Woods finish mower made of really thick metal with easy to sharpen blades. That thing was tough, probably 25+years old and I still got a good price out of it when I sold it last fall on Ebay. They seem to hold up well. If you've got the money available, get it. They'll last.

 

[john_bud]

Grant,
Your endorsement of the Woods is music to my ears! I like a tool that lasts 25 years and is still valuable! I need to get a price from the dealer and check the funds in the account. I think this may be a good time to dicker here. The dealer has about 50 new mowers, probably 8-10 BX-2200's and a whole bunch of other tractors up to the 4610 cab on his lot and we are still getting snow.

Bird,
I am planning on using the cutter and leaving the FEL on the tractor 95+% of the time. Do you suppose that would keep me orange side up, or should I be more concerned? This is very new to me, and making a mistake can be more than just spendy, it could sure leave a mark!

Thanks,
John Bud

 

[Bird]

John, a lot of people leave the loader on the tractor most, or all, of the time. Of course, when I had a B7100, it was not a quick attach, so it was never removed. And of course, if necessary, you can even put some weight in the bucket, although I doubt that you would need to do that. Now that I have the B2710, which has a quick attach loader, I probably leave it off 75-80% of the time. Incidentally, my manual recommends a 4' brush hog, which is what I had with the B7100, but now use a 5' one. I also have a 5' finish mower and when I pick either of them up, I can tell the front end's a little lighter than normal, but certainly not light enough to matter. One reason I prefer mowing without the loader is that it's a smoother ride in most of the pastures around here. The weight of the loader sticking out in front causes the front end to bounce more on rough terrain. So, I'd suggest you just go slow and try it both ways and see which way feels best to you.

Bird