6 Foot Howse, Is It Worth it?!

[RoyJackson]

Just cut 4 feet wide,, rather than the full 6 feet,,

I used to do that with an old tractor I had,, and a 6.5 foot wide mower.

Done the same...only "problem" is the first pass which meant the entire width of the cutter...then, if the engine bogs, just slow down
Decades ago, I ran a 5" cutter behind a Deere 670 (19 HP, 16 or 17 PTO HP). over a powerline right of way that bordered my property. (power company, even after complaints, did little to maintain the property
Anyway, the 5' cutter did a pretty good job...for such a small tractor

 

[CADplans]

My JD 650 came with a 60 inch mower,, a Woods RM59.
since the tractor had a "dead" pto,,, if you got into too heavy of a stand of grass,, the pto shaft would shear the shear pin.

That was tough when making the first pass, like you said, you were forced to take a full width cut.

 

[ruffdog]

Neighbor has an old 5' Howse and it has been a good cutter with no problems.

 

[Rockbadchild]

at $500 id say you can’t go wrong but yeah it had some used you can see the circle of the blade through the sheet metal … id have a look at the blade also … id say offer him $400 … a new one is what $1500 ??

 

[RoyJackson]

at $500 id say you can’t go wrong but yeah it had some used you can see the circle of the blade through the sheet metal … id have a look at the blade also … id say offer him $400 … a new one is what $1500 ??

Add about $1200
Copied from Howse website:
6' Economy Cutter With Chain Guards
$2,715.00

6' Economy Cutter With Chain Guards

6' Economy Cutter With Chain Guards **Due to high demand, please call for availability and shipping quote

www.howseimplement.com

If you don't want the chain guards, knock off about $400

 

[big bubba]

probably a good deal. believe it's a finish cutter, just to keep in mind for use. neighbors on either side of me have 5' finish mowers. the mt has beat them up a lot, but they're still operable. probable worth your 2nd hand deal, but i'd never consider investing in a new finish mower for my application. regards,

 

[dodge man]

Sounds like a good deal and it sure seems like you have enough tractor for it. I thought the rule was 5 hp per foot of mower.

 

[RoyJackson]

probably a good deal. believe it's a finish cutter, just to keep in mind for use. neighbors on either side of me have 5' finish mowers. the mt has beat them up a lot, but they're still operable. probable worth your 2nd hand deal, but i'd never consider investing in a new finish mower for my application. regards,

Nah, that's a rotary cutter (aka brush cutter)

 

[big bubba]

Nah, that's a rotary cutter (aka brush cutter)

ok i stand corrected, the deck height looked narrow. just a comment on finish mowers on rough terrain. my neighbor's finish 5' Howse has been a thorn on my side as i do his mechanic work cheers

 

[wirlybird]

According to TractorData.com, your Kubota has 32.5 PTO HP
That's probably more then the OP's 3032E and 3038E has...a 5' cutter would likely be a better fit. That said, for $500, he should consider buying it and seeing how it works out for him. Might just do a great job, if just field grass...

My Deere's have 25 and 30 PTO hp. I am most interested to see if the 6 foot vs. my 5 foot brush hog makes any real time savings on certain areas I mow. The areas are a bit rough so travel speed is limited. So if you can't mow faster, mow wider!
The Frontier RC2072 has a minimum PTO rating of 25HP so it is my choice if I can justify it!
So before I spend a bunch on a good 2072 I'd like to get a feel for how the tractors handle a 6 footer in general.
This Howse seems like a lighter duty one so I think it won't sap too much power from the tractor.

No one has really screamed "stay away" from the Howse so it may be a good one for the price point if it is in decent mechanical condition.

We'll see in a couple days when the snow melts.