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

 

[wolftree]

MitchellB,

Lots of luck with it.

 

[joshuabardwell]

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.

You may already know this, but in case you don't: bush-hog blades are not supposed to be sharp like lawnmower blades. Even new, they will have about a 1/8" or so dull edge. The intent of this is to shatter saplings and other woody plants instead of slicing them cleanly off.

If you're willing to fix up the tail-wheel and grind off the rust and paint it, you probably can get your money back out of it. Most folks, IMO, pay way more attention to the paint job than to any other part of the cutter, whether they realize it or not.

 

[MitchellB]

I ran across a thread somewhere that said the model 105 weights 480lbs new, so I think that will be OK for my little 8N. Not sure how old this Bush Hog is, but there is very little info on the net about that model. I been pricing new blades and I may just keep what I got for a while and see how it cuts. The guy had a new 8N adapter shaft over-run clutches he sold me for $45 OTD and that was the cheapest I’ve seen anywhere so I went ahead and got it. I’ve got the sway bars already here for the tractor, but should l use limiter chains on an 8N bush hog setup too, or will the sway bars be enough?

 

[kebo]

I think that will make a very serviceable BH for what you will have in it. It should do fine with corn grease in it too, if you don't want to bother with replacing the seal. Remember, you're only cutting 3/4 acre, that's about 30-40 minutes at most. It shouldn't even get too warm running for that short of time. As mentioned, BH's are usually run with dull blades because with much use, they won't stay sharp for very long anyway!!

I think you should add the sway (check) chains to keep the deck from having too much side to side movement. You can bend the sway bars if not careful, because there's not really much adjustment with them. With the right chains, and the proper adjustment linkage, you can adjust the sway to a very minimal amount.

 

[Soundguy]

that's about a 150$ mower.. max..

if you can get it near that.. go for it and scab a tail wheel on it.. and DO use the ORC..

ditto on sway prevention. I like the bars from the under axle mounts myself..

 

[DT86]

I've got one just like it, never knew what brand it was. Mine looks worse than that, the 3pt frame is so bent it trails "slightly" to one side but cuts like a new one. I too add grease instead of replacing the bottom seal.

It gets used to mow down small trees on the farm and the grass in the ditches along the road.

 

[RickB]

For $100-$150 if the gearbox turned smothly and I needed a R/C, I'd be all over it to maintain 3/4 acre with an 8N.
Not sure how you could go wrong.

 

[MitchellB]

Has anyone ever used a pump up tire and wheel for a tail wheel before? I know it may not be the best choice, but looks like "Horror" Freight has some on sale for about $6. I'd only have to build the assembly to hold it. I also noticed they had some 8" 450lb. solid caster wheels for about $15 bucks that I'd just have to weld a pipe or round stock axle to the top of it to fit in my Bush Hog swivel that might work for a quick fix for a while.

 

[Soundguy]

i'd use that solid rubber HF one. not much difference inthat and a laminated wheel for weight bearing.

lamintate wheel will wear better.. but with a mower in that shape.. who cares.

 

[Soundguy]

i'd use that solid rubber HF one. not much difference inthat and a laminated wheel for weight bearing.

lamintate wheel will wear better.. but with a mower in that shape.. who cares.