Buying Advice 4' Rotary Cutter Suggestions / Opinions

[Bill601]

I've got a Boomer 24 and am looking to buy a 4' rotary cutter for it. Anyone have suggestions for a good value? I just saw Tractor Supply has added the Bad Boy brand. It looks decent, but I'm not sure what to look for.

 

[jeff9366]

It is difficult to beat the King Kutter brand for VALUE in compact tractor Rotary Cutters.

king kutter brush hog

 

[Slowpoke Slim]

What kind of cutting are you going to do with it?

Just grass in your own fields? Mowing rough brush and fields (unknown) for hire?

I originally bought a light duty (they call it "medium duty", but it's not) Titan that I had intended to only use at my own place (for grass). Well, job creep, whatever you want to call it, and I started using it to mow for hire, unknown fields for unknown customers. Long story short, my deck has certainly taken a rough beating. It's taken it (so far), but it looks like it's been through the war. It still works, gear box, blades and stump jumper are fine, but it looks like 5 miles of bad road (cosmetically). If I had it to do over again, for mowing for hire, I would have selected a heavy duty unit. I've been looking at the EA one recently, and I may pull the trigger on that this summer (we'll see what kind of jobs I end up with).

 

[Bill601]

What features would you look for or avoid as far as going for a heavier duty unit?

One unit I saw was made from 10 GA steel and weighed nearly 200 lbs. more than another, but does that necessarily mean it's tougher?

 

[Sawyer Rob]

IF You want to buy a good 4' Woods brand rotary cutter with the drive line slip clutch, for a decent price, I have one I would sell.

It's been used very little, if you are interested, PM me.

SR

 

[jeff9366]

What features would you look for or avoid as far as going for a heavier duty unit?

LINK: 48" Rotary Cutter site:tractorbynet.com

1) Slip Clutch

2) chain debris guards/stops front and rear.

3) Very robust tail wheel mounting

4) floating connection point for the Top Link





It is difficult to beat the King Kutter brand for VALUE in compact tractor Rotary Cutters.




LINK: Rotary Cutter / Bush Hog Considerations for Compact Tractors

 

[Bill601]

LINK: 48" Rotary Cutter site:tractorbynet.com

1) Slip Clutch

2) chain debris guards/stops front and rear.

3) Very robust tail wheel mounting

4) floating connection point for the Top Link





It is difficult to beat the King Kutter brand for VALUE in compact tractor Rotary Cutters.




LINK: Rotary Cutter / Bush Hog Considerations for Compact Tractors

Thank you for the list! I will keep all those things in mind.

As for King Kutter, I won't dispute their value. Just looks like it's going to be hard to find one. The Blain's 40 miles away only has 5' and up. Good thing I'm not in a hurry.

 

[Slowpoke Slim]

What features would you look for or avoid as far as going for a heavier duty unit?

One unit I saw was made from 10 GA steel and weighed nearly 200 lbs. more than another, but does that necessarily mean it's tougher?

If you're looking for a 4' deck, I'd look at this one:

Everything Attachments Xtreme Duty Compact Brush Cutter

Get the safety chains add on. I also like the lift away "hood" that allows you easier access to the front of the gearbox. Looks like it makes replacing the shear pins much easier. Wish mine had that. Replacing my shear pins is a pain in the butt with that @#%&! plastic cover. Slip clutches sound cool, but if you don't keep them adjusted properly (and frequently) you're going to break stuff that's a whole lot more money than a mowing deck. Just my preference.

Still haven't seen where you're describing the kind of mowing you will be doing. Heck, you may actually want a finish mower instead, and we just don't know it yet. These rotary brush cutters are not going to leave a nice lawn type of cut behind when done. There will be small twigs and "stick ups" left over all over your mowed field. Is that going to be a concern? Are you looking for a groomed lawn, or park-like finish? It's ok if you are, but you need to be looking at "finish mowers", better visual cut lawn appearance, faster blade speed, also lighter blades and not intended for cutting down brush.

 

[Bill601]

Thanks for the recommendation. I saw that EA has a rotary cutter, but I'll look at it more closely.

I have almost 80 acres that's mostly wooded with paths through it and a few clearing. I like to keep the paths mowed down and want to cut down the berry bushes that have started to take over some of the clearings. The berry bushes are especially challenging because you never know when the mower is going to find a log underneath them. I've done as much as I can, maybe more than I should, with the belly mower I already have. So far I've been fortunate not to run over anything that could damage the belly mower. I want the rotary cutter so I can cut where I need to and not wreck the belly mower.

 

[Slowpoke Slim]

Gotcha. Makes sense to me. Are you able to get around to the various spots with your belly mower still on? I'm just curious if you have enough ground clearance, or if you have to take it off to make it in there? Not really related to what we're talking about, I'm just wondering what kind of clearance you have with the belly mower attached?