12' Batwing cutter. Pros and cons of diff. brands.

rutwad · May 2, 2014

I see that Landpride, Bush Hog, and Rhino now all make a 12' batwing rotary cutter. Any owners has any special points or dislikes about their brand? Or is this more of a Ford/ Chevy/ Dodge debate. To each his own

Rustyiron · May 2, 2014

I never heard if a 12' b/w. I had a Woods 15' that I got at an auction, it was county owned so it definetly saw some use but it didn't show it. It was a fine mower. Like any mower, good (hp) gearboxes, heavy decks and construction in general. I like the laminated tires also.

bilrus61 · May 2, 2014

Dealer has lots of 12 foot b-wings on his lot. Bushhog and Rhino are both the same company so I would imagine they have much in common. Early Rhino's 12 foorwea had issues with the hinge on the wings but they corrected that. Landprides stuff I've had and examined has been well made and thought out. Apparently Landpride actually has a engineer that designs their stuff!

minner · May 19, 2014

I have been looking at 12' batwings for a while. Currently there are only three major players in the 12' batwing world, and nearly everyone makes single fold 10 footer. All three brands are way too light for anything more than clipping short grass. The Bush hog 2212 appears to be very close to the Rhino but is at least $2k more than the Rhino, and the Rhino comes with aircraft tires. The Landpride appears to be the lightest of the three. I have talked to Rhino and Bush Hog about making a heavier 12' batwing but appear to be no interest at the time.

One brand not on the radar is Lowery Manufacturing in Boaz, Alabama. They have started producing a medium duty cutter in both 12 and 15 foot units. I have seen the 15 foot unit up close (actually have pics) and it looks very nice for its price. I was told the 12' is the same build just smaller. Like all LMC stuff it appears to be rough cosmetically but I have several of their attachments and they are all holding up very well.
FWIW the price on their 12' batwing cutter was $6500 at the first of the year.

rutwad · May 20, 2014

The Lowery sounds attractive at that price. I did notice the bush hog uses 4" blades vs. 3" for the others. Landpride has the fastest blade tip speed. But the LP recommends 50 minimum HP, while Rhino recommends 35-50.

EddieWalker · Sep 27, 2014

Did you get a 12 foot cutter? I'm still years away from doing this, but think that it's makes the most sense for the money. Less HP needed and you get plenty of width for cutting closer to stuff out past the width of the tractor tires.

Eddie