bush hog help

[MitchellB]

I'm going to look at an old 5 foot bush hog to use with my 49 8N Ford. The seller says he was told it is a Bush Hog brand, but the pictures look more like a Hardee by comparing what I can few pictures I can find online. It has a square deck which I though unusual. Most that I have seen are rounded in the rear or have angled corners.
The guy says it works fine with good blades, but the rear wheel is missing and it has a seal leak. It also has something under it he called a stump jumper? He also has a new overrun clutch and adpter I can buy pretty cheap too that I know the 8Ns need. I'm not mowing but about 3/4 of an acre with it and do not want or need anything new or fancy, just something that will work and I can get parts to repair when neccessary. I've never owned or operated a rear bush hog before (just belly mowers) so any thing y'all can tell me about this will be appreated. Does it look OK or should I stay away from this?

 

[wolftree]

With 3/4 of an acre, do you really need a bush hog? Is the 3/4 acre so rough that you cannot mow it with your finish mower?

It sounds like you will have a couple of hundred dollars in parts to make this truly usable. If you can get it cheap enough, it may be ok. Many use the word "Bush Hog" generically to describe a rotary cutter. Bush Hog practically invented the Rotary Cutter as we know it

 

[sam5570]

that is a very old unit, i would inspect it well and as Wolftree said i would be careful with what i paid for smething this old. as far as the stump jumper thats a good thing. old is sometimes a good thing but a bush hog takes so much punishment that age is a bad thing in my book.

 

[murphy1244]

That is scrap

 

[Turbys_1700]

If the gear box is good you could add a tail wheel assembly to the back and have a serviceable unit...
We've got one just like it on the farm and it is still useable...
That seal is not hard to replace...
What can you buy it for?

 

[MitchellB]

The guy only wants $150 for it and is willing to hook it up to his tractor first to demostate it to make sure it does not vibrate and will turn OK. He says it is pretty heavy, so I'm not sure if my 8N can handle it. Thanks for the responses. I'm on the way out the door to check it out.

 

[joshuabardwell]

Around here, you can get a used 5' rotary cutter in serviceable condition for between $300-$450, depending on condition. At $450, it's going to be in very good condition, with little or no rust. At $300, it's going to have some surface rust, and maybe a few small rusted out areas, but probably not be totally covered in rust. You can find a complete tail-wheel assembly for about $75 on eBay, plus shipping--and shipping won't be cheap because that's a heavy unit, so let's say $100. So now you're at $250. Then you fix the seal. Assuming nothing else is wrong with it, you're still a bit cheaper than if you just bought a working unit for $300-$350, assuming your labor/time is free. But if anything else turns out to be wrong with it, you don't have much buffer before you're in a hole.

Personally, I would keep looking. Or offer the guy $100, and even then I'd have my fingers crossed.

 

[Turbys_1700]

I would offer $100...
Not a dime more...
My personal opinion is that he will take it...

 

[MitchellB]

Well I took it home. It is a Bush Hog brand model 105. The tag is still on it. I know this isn’t pretty, but I think I can make a serviceable unit out of it for very little money or work. The deck could use a little welding here and there, but the metal is thick and not rusted out, just surface rust. I used to be a welder so I got the equipment to fix it with. I’m not going to worry about a new seal yet, just pack it full of grease and mow. Blades are worn, but useable. No more than I need to bush hog, I think I can use it and turn around and sell it to get my money back out of it and maybe a little more if I clean it up and paint it. Heck I might even keep it if it to use a few times a year around here. I haven’t seen any used bush hogs around here for under $400 since I’ve been looking, and new ones are about double that. My labor is free, and I think I know where I can buy a used wheel for cheap or maybe fabricate a steel wheel for it. Thanks for all the quick advice.

 

[Cowpaddy52]

It is a GENUINE Bushhog cutter, but it's of the lighter line that they produce. It should work fine on your 8N. Be sure to buy the overrun clutch so that you don't get pushed through a fence. The stump-jumper is a plus, but you'll need the rear wheel. The seal will cost you about $5.00 but if it's the lower one you have to remove the stump-jumper to replace it and that could get costly unless you can do it yourself. Hope this helps Tom