Batwing cutter 15 foot--Whoos best?

[jgh]

20060323

Need something to clean up brambles, broom sage, etc, on around 40-50 acres. I ran my 7 foot 1287 Bush Hog to death last fall, and did not nearly finish. Gotta give the hay a break.

And my farm mgr BIL says a Batwing like his JD 1518 (older version of the HX-15) will really follow the contours of our interesting but difficult terrain, very nicely.

I'm looking at:

Woods RM180
(the 3180 is nice & heavier, too, but pricey!)
No used ones in sight so far.
Leinbach has new RM180 for $8900, but no options
[biggest Woods dealer on E Coast, I hear]
Local Case-IH/Kubota dealer offers new one at $10,700, fully optioned with chains, extra wheels, special tires, hydr lift, the good stuff, etc--and he may finance with a new tractor for me at 0% for sev yrs

But it seems lighter than the BH 2615L below (less HP on the gearbox, etc)

Woods' "Dare to Compare" brochure points out many advantages--like easy to remove blades (no huge extension on your wrench as with most), sloped deck for water shedding (JD has also), etc.

BUT...Woods is mostly or totally unhelpful when I call or write. In fact they routinely ignore email.

Woods info (and see "dare to compare" click)

Dare to Compare (easy access here) for BW180

Bush Hog 2615L (missed one at auct, went $6200, c.10 yrs old; dealer has 5 yr old one for c.$8K but with the former lighter gearboxes, & new one $12+)
Bush Hog 3615 (older, heavier model, again with lighter gearbx, used one 5 yrs old 9K, with short warranty by dealer)
Bush Hog 3715 (replaced 3615, no used seen so far & new ones pricey, at least over $14?)

AND--Bush Hog is TOTALLY helpful when I call or write them--those guys are AWESOME in their attitude and support. They answer emails PROMPTLY and helpfully, every time in my experience.

Bush Hog

JD HX-15 (at least one used one for just under 10K, 2 yrs old; new one around $13+ from the same dealer as for BH, but it seems light for that price; there is a CX, but the price is breathtaking.
Not sure about JD corp support (only own an old Gator, nothing else green) but the dealer is good.

John Deere (re the HX-15)

I'd love to know who on here has what in the big cutter line and what they think! And what size tractors do you run them with?

Many thanks!

J

 

[Farmwithjunk]

HAd a Woods batwing once. Most unpleasant experience, I'll assure you. Nothing but troubles. Gearbox failure(s), driveshaft failures, and hitch failures. And that was with-in year #1. It wasn't just bad luck. It was a weak nower.

I replaced it with a Bush Hog brand mower. MUCH better luck with it. I sold it too, after 3 years use. (No longer own enough ground to justify owning)

I liked what I saw of Rhino/Servis/Schulte/ect. They make commercial grade equipment for the most part. They don't sell cheap, but will outlast their competition by leaps and bounds.

NEver had much experience with Deere batwings. I figure there must be some reason why they don't sell nearly as well as some other brands.

My vote? Bush Hog or Rhino. (Initial purchase price is almost a minor consideration with something so "service intensive". I'd opt for quality over "bargain price".)

 

[Gatorboy]

I have to agree that the Rhino and Bush Hog are your best bets. Stay away from the Woods' flex-wing mowers.

 

[zjohnson]

My friend/neighbor and myself both bought BW180's last year. Thank GOD we haven't had Farmwithjunks's experience. Both cutters have been flawless. We shopped just about every brand and went with the Woods due to features(like the SMOOTH deck/blade replacement), price, and a VERY dependable local dealer. I would place a high value on buying from someone trustworthy - at some point you will need repair/parts for a cutter. Would have strongly considered a Rhino/bushhog if the same dealer carried that brand. So far each has cut around 200ac(they are still new /forums/images/graemlins/smile.gif) of pasture/crop retirement land. We will get them broke in this year. Dudly pulls his with a 80 pto NH or a 100 hp older JD. I pull mine with a MF 491 or a 1130. About 80 pto is a good general hp and the 120hp of the 1130 is handy in thick stuff. The weight of the tractor is important if you are working slopes. My 491 weighs in arount 10k and is not "bossed around" by the cutter.

 

[Gatorboy]

I've posted this in the past, but there have been many new members, so some may find this of use. My dad's business mows 400-600 acres PER DAY down in Cape Coral, Florida. He has tried most of the mowers out there. Several years ago Bush Hog gave him a mower to use for a season to get his feedback on what the company could do to improve their mowers. Two years ago Rhino did the same. These companies love to get input from my dad to see how their mowers fair with such extended use.

I'm sorry if I offend the Woods believers, but of all of all the mowers he has used, Woods is by far the worst. He was constantly having to repair the darn things. Even the wheels would fall off for Pete's sake! To be fair, he tested the Woods' mowers over 15 years ago, so perhaps the quality has improved since then.

His company now ONLY mows with the Rhino 15' and 20' flex-wings (Super Heavy Duty Models). He does say the Bush Hog would be his second choice.

I am sure that for the average Joe out there any NEW mower would work fine, but if one is considering buying a USED mower, Woods would be a risk. I am just giving my 2 cents to those that may want to know how some mowers stack up when fully exercised.

Oh, for those wondering -- the tractors he uses are John Deere 7210's, and he has been in this business for over 19 years.

 

[tjkadar]

This would be my choice for a 15 foot batwing: T-180 BushWhacker Our experience with Bushhog has been pretty good, but the BushWhacker is a better mower for the same or less cost. To be absolutely fair, the Bushhog was a medium duty mower while the BushWhacker is a heavy duty cutter. But the price between the two came out in the Whacker's favor.

Take a look at the Whacker and see if it is something you want to try. If not, then I would go with the Bushhog or the Rhino. I think you'll be pretty happy with a cutter from any of those names.

 

[Soundguy]

If you are on a budget, and like a flex 15.. check with Howse. I heard that they are coming out with a 15' batwing mower.. rumor has it that it is a flex 15 copy.

Considering that howse HD mowers in the 10' range are 2500-2800$ or so.. then that looks real promising for the 15' units.

Soundguy

 

[jgh]

20060323

I really want to thank you folks for the helpful notes so far.

FWJ--was your Woods experience the basis for your TBN name /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif?
(sorry, just had'da do that)

Seems like the worst experiences were w/ older Woods, though I cannot say that anyone around here raves about them except the dealers. Their practice of wholesale pricing according to volume drives some of the dealers batty though. I wish the only good ref about them had more time in grade to it.

This may not have been clear in my post--the Woods dealer I am talking to is excellent, no problems there (except their labor rate is $75, about $20 more than the going Ag dealer rate around here). But the others are good, too.

For Rhino, a www search shows that James River Equipment, mostly Bobcat & JD, and Gilbert (JD, Bush Hog) are the main ones. I can honestly say I have never seen Rhino products at either dealer. Gilbert is reputed to be one of the largest Bush Hog dealers in the US, so that would overshadow any desire to push Rhino. Salesman there is showing me the used BH's. He puts down JD as more expensive for RCs but not worth the extra $$. There is the answer to one poster's question--that's why JD doesn't sell more cutters. Probably they mainly move when someone buys a tractor and wants only green behind it, tie in with financing, etc.

Alamo (the cantilever cutter folks) owns Rhino, now. Their www site is a bit obtuse (you have to use the site map to find actual product info), but good once you get there (editd here when I found the info). Manuals are on line as well, a commendable practice becoming more and more common (even JD has some on now).

I'll try to look at a Rhino but I'm leaning Bush Hog right now. The financing thing is a tough one to leave behind, though. If I buy the Woods when I trade my BX in, salesman says he thinks he can get the whole package financed with cheap money via Kubota. Buying BH will be cash even if I go JD, because that JD dealer does not have tractors below the 5000 series (another dealer in the same town does), so I could not buy the BX's replacement from him even if I go JD on the new tractor.

Taking my time, so please keep 'em coming.

Decisions, dontcha love em?

Thanks AGAIN for the very helpful comments!

J

BTW--I wish many more members would fill in their profiles a bit more. That way we can get a better sense of where folks are "coming from" (ie, what equip do you own, what kind of work, where do you live/farm, etc, etc) and even use your name when we write. I've been on here a long time and feel like I have friends on here over the years, not just correspondents. Heck, Mark Chalkley (the Earthforce fanatic) actually came to visit once to see my Spreader Grader. What a great resource for fun and knowledge, and an opportunity to help out!

BTW, when I searched on Batwing, I did not turn up much, and nothing by the poster who mentiond posting b4 (can't see his name while writing this, sorry /forums/images/graemlins/blush.gif).

 

[EastTexFrank]

I think you've had lots of good advice so far. I don't know what your situation is concerning gates and pastures, so the only thing that I would mention is that all the mowers have different transport widths so if your gates are on the small side, getting the mower through them comfortably may be a consideration. I know that when I was looking and trying to convince the family that we really needed one, Rhino had the narrowest transport width (our gates are pretty narrow). I never did convince them that a 15' flex-wing was necessary though. They don't mind me making three passes with a 6' mower when I could do it in one pass and be finished in 1/3 of the time. /forums/images/graemlins/smirk.gif /forums/images/graemlins/smirk.gif /forums/images/graemlins/smirk.gif

 

[Soundguy]

I got lucky.. My wife actually ok'd.. and even 'found' me a way to mow less.. I had a cut Nh and a 5' mower.. she let me upgrade to a more of a large UT/AG tractor and a 10' mower.. made for way less mowing time!!

Soundguy

</font><font color="blue" class="small">( They don't mind me making three passes with a 6' mower when I could do it in one pass and be finished in 1/3 of the time. )</font>