Rotary Cutter prices on Rotary Cutters, where?

[ohbehave]

I'm having some difficulty finding prices on Rotary cutters.

I'm willing to pay more for the local dealer, but would love to be able to compare his quotes to the outside world!

Specifically, my Kubota Dealer seems to push the Land Pride brand. I've got an L3200 and he recommends the 5' cutter. With chains, the Landpride 1860 is $2,200 and the 2660 is $2600.... both with the slip clutch.
So those are the prices that I'm getting. I am guessing that this is full retail!
He actually worries about the weight of the 2660 for my tractor (even with loader) with it weighing nearly 1,000 lbs with chains.

I'm wanting to cut myy forested 6 acres....the understory is full of honeysuckle and privet (Tennessee)... so I'm not just mowing the grassy stuff.

I'm not sure of the hierarchy of quality among these cutters, either. Is Landpride good stuff? medium grade? best? (is there a "best"?)
My farmer's coop sells levels of Kodiak cutters (which are made nearby).

Because I want to work through some heavier stuff, I want to avoid the very weakest stuff. I do believe that most of the brush is in the 2" range. There is thicker stuff, but I can just pull that out with the bucket.

 

[smstonypoint]

I will let others comment on the relative merits of Landpride versus Kodiak cutters. I would just advise that you should set aside funds for a sprayer. You will get regrowth of the privet (and lots of it) after mowing.

Steve

 

[Piston]

Not sure I can help on prices for new, but you will save money by spending more on the heavier duty model now, verse buying a light duty and upgrading/fixing it down the road.

I was looking for a heavy duty cutter for a while (used) and started a thread on it, which may or may not be helpful? http://www.tractorbynet.com/forums/attachments/241155-heavy-duty-rotary-mower-options.html

Regarding Landpride, I've never used their mowers per se, but have a couple Landpride implements, and they are very good quality and will last a long time. If you stuck with the medium duty mower (2660) it would serve you well and last you a long time.

Your Kubota is not "rated" to use a 1k lb rotary cuttery according to the manual from what I know, however, many people have done it and are happy they did. My Kubota is rated for a 900lb max weight rotary cutter, the one I have weighs 1200lbs (or 1100lbs I can't remember exactly) and I've had no ill effects.

The minimum cutter I would recommend for heavy duty mowing like your intending, is a good quality TRUE medium duty mower. Be aware that many manufacturers put the name "heavy duty" on their "not so heavy duty" mowers.

 

[TomSeller]

You may find these of value

http://www.tractorbynet.com/forums/showthread.php?t=289772

http://www.tractorbynet.com/forums/showthread.php?t=292147

http://www.tractorbynet.com/forums/showthread.php?t=289447

 

[jeff9366]

The Rotary Cutter premium brands are (random order) Land Pride, Bush Hog, Woods and King Kutter/Professional. Within these brands you pay pretty much by weight.

There is little variation in the design of Rotary Cutters: PTO shaft, frame, deck, gearbox, stump jumper, blade, tail wheel(s). Rotary Cutters have been around for sixty years. Founders of the Bush Hog Company invented the Rotary Cutter/'Hog.

When the Rotary Cutter is lifted, it is cantilevered weight back there and it can move your tractor. Rotary Cutters have injured lots of operators. Less dangerous than a chainsaw but not be a wide margin. Most dangerous operated on slopes and when the blade encounters a boulder or hidden stump.....stored energy in the deflected blade has to go in some direction....

Be prepared for vines to grab your FEL joystick. Be prepared to shut off the engine with the key when vines grab your HST pedal underneath the tractor.

Your L3200 has about the same specs as my B3300SU. You may be able to mow the occasional 2" sapling if it is soft wood, not Oak, but do not think you will be able to mow through thick growth. You will have to nibble at thick stands, less than 2", in reverse. If you had 50-hp I would not be so negative on slashing 2" growth.

Sixty inch is the correct width for your L3200.

 

[ohbehave]

The larger privits and honesuckle tend to be surprisingly easy to lift from the earth with the FEL..... so for the biggest, I'll probably do that.

To make it lighter, would it make sense to go with a true Heavy Duty cutter, but go with a 4 footer instead of the correct 5 footer?

Piston, your tractor is much bigger than mine. I believe my L3200 is rated at 900 lbs, too.

Jeff9366 says that you pretty much pay by weight. I'm wondering if I could find a "true medium duty" brand that still manages to stay within the 900 lb recommendation. I'll look into it.

SMStonypoint: I do have a Stihl backpack sprayer. It is somewhat inadequate for huge jobs, but once the privet / honeysuckle tree is dead from a couple sprays (usually one will do it), I have found that they are gone. Of course, the young seedlings start showing up, but they could be managed by a push mower (to say nothing of an actual rotary cutter). Anyway, I'm going to try to get away with a backpack sprayer.

Thanks very much for all the advise.

 

[bigbull338]

ive got nothing against landpride an the other brands mentioned.but if i was you id go with the bushhog brand shredder.because i know they will hold up to rough hard shredding.

 

[SoGeorgia]

The Rotary Cutter premium brands are (random order) Land Pride, Bush Hog, Woods and King Kutter/Professional. Within these brands you pay pretty much by weight.

To add.. Brown cutters are another top of the line premium brand but they are pricey.

www.brownmanufacturing.us/node/962

 

[ohbehave]

The Brown is nice, but it is nearly 1,000 lbs.... looks interesting. I'll call around. It does say that it will go as low as 30hp.

Of course, my PTO is 25.... so maybe it won't work. I don't see a lighter model of Brown, either.

 

[SoGeorgia]

The Brown is nice, but it is nearly 1,000 lbs.... looks interesting. I'll call around. It does say that it will go as low as 30hp.

Of course, my PTO is 25.... so maybe it won't work. I don't see a lighter model of Brown, either.

Yeah. And the one I linked to isn't even their heavy duty model!!!