BUSH HOG or RHINO?

[Travis_R]

Looking at the Bush Hog Squealer SQ172, and the Rhino 172 rotary cutters. Anyone own one of these? Which is the better buy/cutter? WHAT ARE THE PRICES BETWEEN THE TWO?

I had a Bush Hog SQ600 Squealer cutter for about 2 years. I bought it new. I was well pleased with it, except I found the tail wheel frame to be cheap made (had a couple problems), and I had a input shaft seal leak on the gearbox one time, right before I traded it off.

Thanks

Travis R

 

[IslandTractor]

The Squealer 172 is a new model and is I think supposed to be a new middle grade unit between the Squealer 720 and the 286. I have not seen any posts on the 172 yet but it should certainly perform at least as well at the 720. The 286 is near legendary and given the weight differences the 172 cannot be quite as strong but should still be an excellent cutter. I have a SQ480 which has been flawless.

I have never used a Rhino rotary cutter but did own a Rhino finish mower. Excellent.

Rhino and Bush Hog are two of the top brands so I don't think you could go wrong either way.

 

[Big Daddy]

I have owned both brands of cutters in the past. I, too, had problems with my squealer tail wheel, but it did a great job of mowing. The Bush Hog brand will be less costly; but the Rhino will be built noticably stronger. If you will only be in grass and weeds the Bush Hog will do the job well. But, if your going to be in heavier material, the Rhino will hold up much better over the long haul.

George

 

[LoneCowboy]

We field mow commercially
we have over 8000 dollars in Rhino mowers

BUY THE BUSH HOG

 

[TNhobbyfarmer]

I have owned both and find both to be excellent if maintianed properly; however, I think the Rhino is more heavy duty and will give you longer more trouble free service.

 

[DaddyRabbit]

Listen to the voice of experience. I love my Bush Hog cutter.

We field mow commercially
we have over 8000 dollars in Rhino mowers

BUY THE BUSH HOG

 

[GA WTDeer]

Looking at the Bush Hog Squealer SQ172, and the Rhino 172 rotary cutters. Anyone own one of these? Which is the better buy/cutter? WHAT ARE THE PRICES BETWEEN THE TWO?

I had a Bush Hog SQ600 Squealer cutter for about 2 years. I bought it new. I was well pleased with it, except I found the tail wheel frame to be cheap made (had a couple problems), and I had a input shaft seal leak on the gearbox one time, right before I traded it off.

Thanks

Travis R

Travis, I have an SQ160, it's been great so far. It's only six months old, but I liked that it has 1/2X4" blades which will cut 1" to 2" stuff. The 290's are nice, but for the money the SQ's are hard to beat. PS The SQ1xx three point linkage is heavy, it's hard to see that, unless you see one in the flesh. CLay

 

[Farmwithjunk]

If you're going to be doing a lot of commercial mowing, light duty mowers won't hold up over the long haul. Sustained commercial mowing will take the life out of medium duty mowers in due time. The new BUsh Hog SQ172 is what BH rates as "standard duty". (In between light and medium) For the price difference, I'd lean towards the 296 (new model replacing old 286)

Around here, Bush Hog has more dealers. That translates to more competition. That means a better price usually. I own 2 Bush Hog mowers now (286 and 2615 Legend), and 1 more on the way. I was able to buy a Bush Hog medium duty 2 years ago (286) for the same price as a Rhino light duty mower. I've got a 307 Bush Hog on the way. (heavy duty) It priced out quite a bit less than comparable Rhino mowers. The 307 will replace a Woods BB840 that's going away. Eventually, a new 306 will replace my other Woods, an MD172 that's been nothing but trouble since day one.

When you get on into heavy duty and extreme heavy duty mowers, Rhino quality takes a back seat to NO ONE.

After using Bush Hog medium duty mowers along side of Woods medium duty mowers, no contest. Woods isn't on my list anymore. They look nice and the blades are easy to change. After 500 hours of mowing none of them are pretty any longer. I very seldom ever take blades off the mowers. They don't hold up nearly as well as Bush Hog in hard everyday use (gearbox troubles) . So the "advantages" of Woods are a wash.

My choice, all things being equal, Bush Hog. Just make certain you buy a model heavy enough for your intentions. If you go too light duty, brand won't make much difference. They all break if used too hard.

 

[Travis_R]

I really like the 290 series cutters made by Bush Hog. BUT... 1) What do they cost, and 2) My tractor is 38 hp at the engine and 34 hp at the PTO. The specs on the 296 says that it requires a minimum 45 hp tractor to run it. My tractor is no where near a 45 hp.

Travis R

 

[Farmwithjunk]

I really like the 290 series cutters made by Bush Hog. BUT... 1) What do they cost, and 2) My tractor is 38 hp at the engine and 34 hp at the PTO. The specs on the 296 says that it requires a minimum 45 hp tractor to run it. My tractor is no where near a 45 hp.

Travis R

The hp spec quoted is what Bush Hog suggests to mow the most extreme conditions that mower is capable of. A 6' cutter is a 6' cutter. The light duty cutters aren't recommended for use in brush more than 1" in dia. Cut that same brush with a 296 and it'll require no more power than the SQ172 or SQ720.

 

[Gizmo36]

Travis I have a bush hog 305 I run on my 3110 and it dose good. I did use it on a 80 hp john Deere sold the Deere . hook it up to see what it would do and it did grate.

 

[Travis_R]

Thanks FWJ, Gizmo and others. I didn't know you could run a cutter on a tractor that has less horse power than what the cutter is recommended for.

In my opinion, from the brochures I have, the Rhino rotary cutters look to be heavier built than the Bush Hog brand. I am looking at the Bush Hog models SQ172 (standard duty), and the 296 (medium duty). The Rhino models I am looking at are the 172 (standard duty), and the 272 (medium duty).

If my tractor can handle the Bush Hog 296, or the Rhino 272, then I'll probably "bite the bullet" and get one of those medium duty models. I just hope my 231 Massey Ferguson can handle them as far as lifting the cutter and turning without the rear wheels loosing traction ( I am one of those people who drags the front of the cutter on the ground so it will cut closer- whether its right or wrong!). Its a lot of money to pay for a cutter and have the tractor not like it, if you know what I mean.

From the information I've been gathering, more people says go with the Bush Hog brand than the Rhino. I AM WONDERING WHY? Looking at the specs and the pictures in my brochures, the Rhino looks like its better built. BUT I HAVEN'T GOT PRICES ON ANYTHING YET AND PRICE WILL BE A DECIDING FACTOR.

What are common "problems" on the Rhino cutters? Do they have gearbox troubles?

I've always been a Bush Hog fan, but after looking at the Rhino brand- its a tuff decision.

Thanks so much,
Travis R

 

[JoeinTX]

Travis, looking at the specs, they appear to be a hair's width of one another. The Rhino, in either model, is a little heavier.

But, for your tractor, the SQ172 or Rhino 172 are the most I would try in a mounted shredder......the medium duty models are 300-400 pounds heavier and just that much harder to handle. My dad uses an SQ160 with a Ford Jubilee/NAA and it is a good match.


I would stick with either makers -172s and just trust your own likes. I've always considerd Bush Hog a littler overrated and Rhino and little underappreciated, but, 6 in one and half a dozen in the other.

Neither are the end-all in rotary cutters........Dale Phillips and Brown will show each what a serious shredder is.....but they are very good.

 

[Builder]

Thanks FWJ, Gizmo and others. I didn't know you could run a cutter on a tractor that has less horse power than what the cutter is recommended for.

In my opinion, from the brochures I have, the Rhino rotary cutters look to be heavier built than the Bush Hog brand. I am looking at the Bush Hog models SQ172 (standard duty), and the 296 (medium duty). The Rhino models I am looking at are the 172 (standard duty), and the 272 (medium duty).

If my tractor can handle the Bush Hog 296, or the Rhino 272, then I'll probably "bite the bullet" and get one of those medium duty models. I just hope my 231 Massey Ferguson can handle them as far as lifting the cutter and turning without the rear wheels loosing traction ( I am one of those people who drags the front of the cutter on the ground so it will cut closer- whether its right or wrong!). Its a lot of money to pay for a cutter and have the tractor not like it, if you know what I mean.

From the information I've been gathering, more people says go with the Bush Hog brand than the Rhino. I AM WONDERING WHY? Looking at the specs and the pictures in my brochures, the Rhino looks like its better built. BUT I HAVEN'T GOT PRICES ON ANYTHING YET AND PRICE WILL BE A DECIDING FACTOR.

What are common "problems" on the Rhino cutters? Do they have gearbox troubles?

I've always been a Bush Hog fan, but after looking at the Rhino brand- its a tuff decision.

Thanks so much,
Travis R

Have you checked out the Squealer SQ84 twin blade? It's 7' wide and runs on much lower HP, like 30HP

 

[wolc123]

Each has its advantages. My last cutter was a 5 ft bush-hog squealer. It definitely made a cleaner cut than the rhino 6 footer I replaced it with but the light sheetmetal shell required a fair amount of repair over the years. I ended up welding angle-iron all the way around the outer edge and it held up well after that. The rhino is built heavier, no breakage after a couple years, but it does not cut as neatly as the bush-hog. It tends to leave some un-cut or partially cut streaks especially cutting tall dry grass. The bush-hog always cut even in any conditions. If I bought another one I would go with the brush-hog, but if I didnt have access to a welder and lots of scrap metal then it would be a toss-up between the two.

 

[Travis_R]

I've made my decision (from gathered information): Bush Hog. Should I go with the SQ172, or the 296? Thats the question I am facing now.

Thanks for all the replies,
Travis R

 

[IslandTractor]

I really like the 290 series cutters made by Bush Hog. BUT...

Travis...everyone likes the Bush Hog 290 series. What's not to like except the cost and weight. I would just point out that some guys like Farmwithjunk are mowing professionally and they can justify that sort of purchase. For the rest of us the Squealer light or standard duty probably make more sense. Cost of the 290 series is more than double the cost of the equivalent size Squealer and they are much heavier.

 

[JoeinTX]

Travis, for your tractor, the -172 is plenty enough mounted shredder. Unless you are looking to mangle through 2" growth on a routine basis, for which you really need a bigger tractor and mower, it will do the cutting your tractor can handle. If a spin-clutch is an option get it as well as chain guards.

I looked at BH and Rhino and Woods before I bought my cutter and my intent was to use it for pasture grass cutting with minimal brush cutting. Well, I looked and priced and ultimately went the cheapo route and bought a 5' Howse thinking I'd give it a try and if it didn't work out, oh well, I'd fork over the bucks for a big brand. Ironically, since I've had it I've used it more for brush cutting and pulverizing than grass cutting behind the little 8n. It's cut a lot 1" stuff and a fair amount of growth bigger and done so without a whimper....blades are good, haven't broken a shear pin, no bends or breaks, and all's well with it.

With either BH or Rhino you should get a heavier and more refined unit with more options so I think you'll be perfectly happy and fine with it.

 

[Farmwithjunk]

Cost of the 290 series is more than double the cost of the equivalent size Squealer and they are much heavier.

When I bought mine, cost difference was $445. (Not sure what list prices are now, but who pays list?) The medium duty mowers do weigh more, but are still well with-in the lift capacity of Travis' Massey.

The SQ172 will PROBABLY do what he has in mind. Mowing clean ground that you're familiar with isn't as tough on mowers. Mowing other peoples property, where you never know what hidden treasures you'll find next, no mower is "too heavy duty". Mowing in tough conditions, you don't size your equipment for the "best 90%", but for that 10% where conditions are the worst.

I'd suggest (at the very least) comparing "out the door" prices on both the SQ172 and the 296 models.

 

[IslandTractor]

When I bought mine, cost difference was $445. (Not sure what list prices are now, but who pays list?)

I agree that if that is the price difference then it would be a more realistic option economically. I believe I got quotes that were more like $800-$1000 more. As you point out though, unless he is doing commercial work it is unlikely he will be cutting things that really require the heft of the 296.