Rotary Cutter Bush Hog

[Ronbo]

My bush hog is worn out. the whole deck is rusted through, the sides are hitting the blades and the blades are worn out. I think it would be about as cost effective to purchase a new 5 ft hog as it would be to fix this one.

I am south of Houston, tx. Anybody know the current prices and who has them?

Ron

 

[Glowplug]

Dude-We need a little more information to make informed rotary cutter recommendations. Are you going to use this on a Jimna 254? I am unfamiliar with it. How much horsepower does it have? What is the 3ph lift capacity? Are you talking about only cutting 3 1/2 acres? What is the type of material you are cutting and how often? Need to know whether to recommend light-, medium-, or heavy-duty. Also the brands are very different in price. You could get a King Cutter much cheaper than a Bush Hog brand or Woods rotary cutter.

 

[Ronbo]

Jimna 254 4X4, 25 hp. Don't know lifting capacity, I have never seen it in the specs. 2 acres in pasture. If the front yard (1 acre) gets too overgrown, I help the wife by hogging it. The pasture has some small chinese tallows pop up now and then, no greater than 2 inches. I will only be using it 9 years total as I plan to retire and sail away for 15 years sometime between 6 and 9 years from now.

does that help?

Ron

 

[Glowplug]

That helps a lot. You could probably use light-duty cutter. But a "standard duty" one would be even better. You could get a "cheap" one like a King Cutter or Howse at Tractor Supply Company. Either one of those in a 5-ft model would be around $700-$750. I hear the King Cutters are often hit or miss. Some are pretty good and some are not so good. If you want a "real" cutter you should go for one of the big names like Bush Hog, Woods, or Rhino. With any of these you would have better longevity and better resale value. If it were me I'd get a Bush Hog brand Squealer SQ60 (light-duty) or SQ160 (standard duty) rotary cutter. A local equipment dealer here has the SQ60 for $1300. It would be a really good piece of machinery that would last forever if taken care of. But if you only want one to use and dispose of you may not be interested in that. Although I don't know too much about it the Bush Hog brand Razorback RZ60R may be perfect for you. The website says "perfect for small acreage or light brush". It weighs only 450 lbs. and is rated for tractors with PTO hp 18-35. I don't know how much it costs but if I had to make a guess I'd say around $1,000 or less. You could also look at Rhino brand for a high-quality well-respected brand. You could get something like the Rhino 160 rotary cutter. The other big name is Woods. With any of these big three you could check their websites for a dealer near you.

Hope that gives you a good starting point. I am by no means an expert on this subject. But I have done plenty of research for well over a year. Hopefully some of the guys on here that have a lot of experience will chime in. I am actually quite surprised no one has yet.

 

[Bob_Young]

Got a recent quote for a Woods BB60 with slip clutch, no chains: $1350

The deck and upper structure of my 30 yr. old Woods M5 Dixiecutter has cracked, been rewelded & braced, and cracked again....but the danged old thing just keeps goin. The cracking started about 8 years ago. It's seen lots of abuse on 1"-2" Sumac and other woody trash.

Starting to do a little work for the neighbors and find the (std. duty??) 5 foot Dixiecutter is ideal for trailering with the L4300 and no FEL. Still I don't want it to come apart in the middle of a job; hence the quote.

The gearbox/driveline of the Dixiecutter seems good as ever; but metal fatigue is destroying the deck. Based on my experience, Woods B-hogs are pretty tough. Also parts are readily available and the blades are easy to remove for sharpening/replacement.
Bob

 

[Glowplug]

Woods Brush Bulls are really good. For a very long time I considered getting a BB840 (~$3200) as tops on my wish list. Now I'm thinking more along the lines of a Bush Hog 297 (~$2800). I remember a couple of people talking about how their Woods BB cutters kicked the clippings forward. I think it was something about the baffling. Could have been fixed though on new models though. They sure are good-looking cutters.

 

[RoyJackson]

If the deck starts cracking, it's wise to stop drill at the ends of the crack before welding. Otherwise, the crack may continue propagating or reopen (as has apparently happened in Bob Young's case.

 

[Ronbo]

I have decide to rebuild mine. It is only 4 ft. The structure is solid. I have purchased the steel for the deck and 6 in channel for the sides. I am going to rebuild it to 5 ft. I needs new blades so I may as well replace them now. I am going to get rid of the single rear wheel and go with one on each side to follow the terrain better.

What are the ideas here on converting to a pull type with four wheels? Just a thought.

Ron

 

[Glowplug]

I have decide to rebuild mine. It is only 4 ft. The structure is solid. I have purchased the steel for the deck and 6 in channel for the sides. I am going to rebuild it to 5 ft. I needs new blades so I may as well replace them now. I am going to get rid of the single rear wheel and go with one on each side to follow the terrain better.

What are the ideas here on converting to a pull type with four wheels? Just a thought.

Ron

Did the prices influence your decision?
For a pull-type are you talking about putting 4 wheels along the back and hooking it up to hydraulics to raise and lower the deck? I have no experience with this type of thing but sounds like a huge hassle to me. Why don't you post your progess in the "Projects" thread?

 

[Ronbo]

I will take lots of pictures and post them as requested. The price was a big factor, and the fact that the main thing wrong with mine was sheetmetal.

Ron