Brush mowers

[TxMN]

Anyone using the DR XD-30 commercial brush mower, 18.5 HP Kawasaki, independent hydrostatic wheel drive, electric start. Also considering a Billy Goat BC 2601HHC Outback, with Honda engine and similar hydro drive system. If BCS had a dealer anywhere close to me I would consider a few of their models with brush cutter and sickle bar options. No severe terrain for my needs, just keep some wooded areas underbrush down maybe once a year and other property Maintenance needs. None of rental yards near me have anything comparable or I would consider occasional rental vs purchase, although sure is nice to have what I need on site and ready instead of checking availability and running up and down the road transporting and hope it it will start and run when I get it home, needless to say my equipment rental experiences have not always be good.

 

[2manyrocks]

I own a Bachtold brush mower ($400 used) and a Gravely with the 30 inch brush mower $1,000 used). Generally speaking, walk behind brush mowers are a lot of work, especially if they don't have a power reverse like the Bachtold. Also, I get stuck on tall briars. They have their place for cutting smaller areas, but IMO, the new ones are pretty pricey. You're getting into the price range of zero turns to buy a new walk behind brush cutter.

If it's a really small area, I'd rather use a brush blade on a gas trimmer.

 

[jeepcoma]

Haven't used the DR but I have a G110D with 34" flail mower, 28" brush mower, and 72" dual-action cutter bar. I use them all for regular lawn mowing, once-a-year type paddock maintenance, and clearing new trails. Here are some thoughts on each implement.

• Flail mower: hands down the BEST cutting device I have. It does everything my other cutting implements do. And, unlike most tools that do a lot of things but nothing particularly well, the flail mower is excellent at everything. It mows and mulches grass great, and because of the roller drum that it rides on, it does excellent striping and leaves a nice cut. It's good at clearing overgrowth, and dissolves Knotweed, ferns, tall grasses, and woody stalks. It works well as a brush mower too, anything it can bend over it'll demolish (and being heavy it'll bend quite a bit). Unlike a brush mower, it'll chop up the pieces too and does a much better job of not leaving a cleanup job behind. I'm always impressed at the amount of destruction this tool brings
  • Cons - it's more expensive to buy and run. YMMV depending on how you abuse it, but it takes the most engine HP to run (more fuel cost). If you're clearing land with it, you'll hit rocks and other surprises. Sharpening flails takes a long time, and replacing them gets expensive. Running over electrical cords, metal dog tethers, and things you didn't know were buried really ruins your day - anything that gets wrapped around the horizontal shafts is a not a fun project to remove.
• Brush mower.
  • This is probably the same/similar construction to the DR, with a big metal disk that spins and has blades attached at opposite points that fling out from rotational force. It's basically a rotary axe. I got this to tackle dedicated trail blazing and take some of the abuse off my flail mower, and leaving that to handle the now-routine mowing and mulching duties. It does a pretty good job knocking down undergrowth and small-ish trees. I've probably tackled up to 4" diameter soft wood with it - with the diff locked for extra traction, you can ram it into trees which makes the cutter climb up the tree while at the same time bending the tree down, and once you can get the edge of the blade to kiss the bark, it's all over from that point. It can tackle some surprisingly big trees if you're aggressive with it. Because it's cheaper than the flail and has only two blades to replace, it's easy to be aggressive with it.
  • Cons - smaller width add significant time to jobs compared to flail mower. Leaves a huge cleanup job in its wake since it only cuts the material at the base. You have to deal with removing the cut material AND dealing with stumps left behind. Have not tried mowing with it but I imagine it's OK for tall woody stuff, but terrible for lawn-type grass, and time consuming.
• Cutter bar. I got the big one because I thought it would make quick work of large areas, but I really don't like it. It does terrible on the lawn. It doesn't do well with tougher undergrowth that has a full year to recover and thicken. Speed control is a challenge with finding the right combination of gear, throttle, and land speed. It's not durable. Hitting metal T-posts sucks. If your ground is bumpy the outside most teeth can lift off the ground a surprising height and cut electric fences faster than you can blink. Sharpening teeth sucks. Breaking teeth sucks more. Dirt and sand splashed up on soil (whether from rains or flooding) dulls the teeth quickly.
  • Pros - if you're going to use it for hay making, it's the right tool for the job. Sounds cool when it's cutting. Use very little HP.

The DR looks like a nice machine but you are paying a lot for features that may not be that valuable for a "once a year" operation. The engine HP is high but a lot of that is going to be lost to the hydro. The hydro would be great for lawn mowing, but in my experience attacking the tough stuff is typically a 1st gear operation (and sometimes even that is too fast!), so you might not benefit much from it. You could buy a Grillo and a small flail mower or brush cutter for it for less than the DR, and have the added benefit of easily adding attachments over time as property maintenance needs arise. Just some food for thought!

 

[2manyrocks]

Did some brush mowing with the tractor about two weeks ago. Saw a snake and tried to raise the brush cutter to not kill it. Going back over the same area today, I saw the skeleton. Walk behind machines might not be the best choice in areas where you have lots of rattlesnakes.

 

[CloverKnollFarms]

I’ve used a walk behind brush cutter once, and never again. That was torture. Bought a pull behind and never looked back

 

[two_bit_score]

hope it it will start and run when I get it home, needless to say my equipment rental experiences have not always be good.

I rented a Billy Goat mower one time. I'l never waste money like that again.

 

[2manyrocks]

Over the years, I've noticed lightly used walk behind brush cutters go up for sale. I think people buy them and after finding out how much work they really are, decide to sell them.

Same thing with small gas wood chippers.

 

[cmyoung2]

I'll second jeepcoma. I have a BCS 850 with a 30" flail, 40" Zanon finish mower, and have had the BCS combo bushhog, and a cutter bar. I now also have a Kubota BX2230 and L3600 that I can use a 50"flail. I love the flail, mulches about anything. Now that I have the bigger tractors I only use the BCS where they can't go and for mowing the yard. I have some very steep land. If I was clearing trails where I didn't want to take a bigger machine, the BCS is great. If you really want a workout to stay in shape, the BCS is great. I could not use mine without the steering brakes and diff lock. The cutter bar is ok for tall grass or tall grassy or stemmy weeds, not much else. I have a BCS, my son has one, we share equipment(sometimes it gets back home when I need it) and I use EarthTools as my dealer. The Honda engine is simple and reliable, all the other parts are about a week away. THe main parts I have had to replace are the brake and throttle cables and that is my fault, the machine stays outside most of the time. SO don't let no dealer be an issue. Also, most of my machines were bought used, which with a BCS takes a lot of searching, about half of my implements were new from EarthTools.

 

[leonz]

Anyone using the DR XD-30 commercial brush mower, 18.5 HP Kawasaki, independent hydrostatic wheel drive, electric start. Also considering a Billy Goat BC 2601HHC Outback, with Honda engine and similar hydro drive system. If BCS had a dealer anywhere close to me I would consider a few of their models with brush cutter and sickle bar options. No severe terrain for my needs, just keep some wooded areas underbrush down maybe once a year and other property Maintenance needs. None of rental yards near me have anything comparable or I would consider occasional rental vs purchase, although sure is nice to have what I need on site and ready instead of checking availability and running up and down the road transporting and hope it it will start and run when I get it home, needless to say my equipment rental experiences have not always be good.

Talk to Joel at earth tools, you really need his advice.
Renting a bobcat from a bobcat dealer and one of their
hydraulic flail mowers would be a better option for only
yearly mowing.