Rotary Cutter Can you buy a HD Rotary Cutter for under $1000????

[EagleEye]

Re: Can you buy a HD Rotary Cutter for under $1000

Jonathan, Thanks for the advice... That's a great idea pursuing an unassembled version... I'm happy to put it together myself. I am looking at the Carver site right now!

 

[Buster57]

Can some one please define light duty, medium, and heavy duty for me? I really do not know the difference?

I would functionally define them as "5 hours a week=light duty, 40 hours a week = medium duty, 40 hours plus jungle or “normal” municipal work where the cost of down time=cost of implement.

Am I wrong?

I have a LP 1560 that I can not imagine being “light duty” unless some one was to use it every day all year. Even if it were to be used 40 hours a week, it is still matched for the HP of the system. Normal wear would set in, but at a predictable rate. The cost of buying a heavier unit would probably, in my estimation, have a extraordinarily long payback period.

If you own a business and people are sucking down $25 per hour or more then it may make sense, but for a non-commercial or non-governmental user, this does not make sense to me?

Other than “it is cool” (always acceptable excuse to me…)What am I missing?

 

[SageBrush]

Standard Duty = 1" capacity, Medium Duty = 2" capacity, Heavy Duty = 4" capacity for most manufactures.

So, a medium Duty should be able to cut 2" trees, branches etc.. without harming it more than usual and the gear boxes will have higher hp ratings, 50 or so standard, 110 + for medium and then 150 or so. Not to mention the metal deck guages...

 

[glennmac]

As you go from standard to medium to heavy duty, five things get heavier and stronger on the cutter.

1. The gearbox guts get stronger and get a higher hp rating, so the gears don't break when the blades smash into a Stegasaurus skull.

2. The top deck gets thicker (in gauge), to prevent the deck from denting and cracking when bigger and bigger rocks, logs, and skull fragments are recirculating around at 18,000 fps under the deck.

3. The side skirts get thicker, for the same reason.

4. The blades get wider and thicker (but not longer).

5. The bracing structure on the top of the deck gets heavier duty.

These increases in thickness and strength are what allow a medium to cut a 2" stem, for example, instead of a 1". Actually, you can probably cut the 2" stem with the standard duty cutter, but if you do so frequently, the decks, skirts, blades and/or gearbox will give out a lot sooner than on the medium duty.

The problem is, there is not an industry standard as to what dimensions and thickness and strength of structure constitute standard, medium and heavy duty. One manufacturer's standard duty may be as strong in all five categories as another manufacturers so-called medium duty. That is very common. For example, the Midwest medium duty cutter linked above seems to have about the same thicknesses as the Woods standard duty (just going from memory).

Therefore, you must carefully compare the spec sheets of the cutters you are considering. Then there is build quality. Some cutters have thick decks and side skirts, but they are held together by cheap spot welds.

You get what you pay for. There is no free lunch.