DR Power

[eeb]

We have one of the originals from the '80's, and it still works great. But not so great on slopes, where we'd use one person on the top of the hill with a rope to help keep it on the hill! So we purchased a DR commercial XD26, which has the zero turn independent hydro steering. Once you get the hang of it, it works fine across the slopes. It can be a handful, but totally doable and seems to do it fine. The Honda 10.2 engine is finel Expensive, but it seems to be good equipment and the only way for use to maintain that road bank. We are in upstate NY

 

[Ken45101]

We have a 1999 model with a 14.5 hp kawasaki fc420v and it is a beast. Weighs like 300lbs and I've cut down 2 inch saplings with it.

That is what I have. It will cut about anything, it even won a battle with a hidden concrete block!

It is a beast to handle on rough terrain! Years ,ago I took mine to work with a group on maintaining state forest horse trails. It was the first time we had anything better than weed whackers. It did a fantastic job but really worked the operator. One friend still complains about how it worked him!

Don't want to change topic but has anyone used DR pull behind mower. I have an area near a pond where my tractor will sometimes get stuck in softer ground. Was thinking the pull behind would be great since my 4-wheeler wouldn't get stuck as easily

I bought one many years ago. A complete disappointment compared to the walk behind. 4 wheeler couldn't pull it on mild, damp slopes.

Ken

 

[CloverKnollFarms]

I've used one of these rough cut walked behinds once, and swore I'd never do it again. Wrestling those things around in anything but grass on smooth ground, is terrible IMHO.

I gladly spent $5k on a 28hp tow behind cutter the next week. Weighs 700lbs, 28hp, it is a monster. We have some decent slopes and the ATV doesn't need 4wd to climb them.

 

[Trackerjoe]

Anyone buy a DR Power brush mower? Have lots of weeds, scrub along a creek. May take a Year to clear it but their mowers look interesting.

I like the self propelled models with electric start and power reverse.

https://www.drpower.com/Power-Equipment/Field-%26-Brush-Mowers-/Walk-Behind-Professional-Series-/DR-Field-and-Brush-Mower-/p/AT45230BEN

Any comments appreciated. We love our 30-in self-propelled electric start that we purchased five or six years ago. It's still going strong. Anything that it can push over it can cut through. It works great on skid trails that are more or less even. It's more of a challenge as you go over terrain that has never been mowed before. Sometimes the relatively small wheels will lose Traction in extremely rough Terrain and it takes a little effort to keep it moving forward. All in all and excellent machine.

 

[OldPaint]

My Swisher Predator 24 has been an absolute beast for almost 15 years. It’s a good machine at a decent price. Obviously some will say it’s not as good as the DR, but I’ll point out mine is 15 years old and I have not been easy on it.

If you have any musculoskeletal problems, I can almost guarantee you are going to aggravate them with a brush mower. The Predator 24 weighs in at 400 pounds and is like wrestling a 400 pound bear on rough terrain. Eventually, as you get the terrain flattened and get rid of all the stumps, it gets easier to use, but I wouldn’t say it gets easy. It is heavy and doesn’t need a big obstacle to make it get very violent with the operator. I learned the hard way to walk farther behind it so the handle bars can’t hit me in the ribs. That’s broken ribs waiting to happen. Pinching your hand between the handle and a tree is usually quite painful too. That easily happens if you catch a root with the drive wheels. Since the belt tensioner for the drive wheels is in one hand and the blade drive latch is in the other, there isn’t any removing a hand while passing a tree. Heavy leather gloves are highly recommended.

Im 66, and still cut about an acre with the Predator every year, a couple times per year. It’s too rough for my rider, and has hundreds of stumps and holes and rocks that would destroy the blades on the rider. The blade on the Predator is nearly a quarter inch thick and will send things flying at extremely high velocity out the front of the mower because it’s open and designed to push down brush and tall grass. Other than sweetgum burrs, hickory nuts and small splinters of pine knots, nothing comes out the back any more than a regular lawn mower. Wear long pants and high top (steel toe) boots, glasses, earplugs, gloves, you’ll be fine. Keep any pets, children, or adults that you like away from the area. My yard is 160 feet across and the Predator has thrown rocks and pine knots to the neighbors’ property on the opposite side from where I was mowing. They don’t mow that part of their yards, so don’t really care. I’ve taken the top off 3” stumps hidden by thick grass. That’s pretty violent for the Predator, but I haven’t broken it yet. I don’t have enough open property to justify a flail or rotary cutter for my LX and a belly mower won’t work on the SU frame. Make no mistake, a walk-behind mower is a dangerous and brutal machine.

 

[Dunno]

Buy a BillyGoat field mower! 13hp Honda engine, 24” cut, weighs 300 or so pounds, cuts incredible. Will take out 3” saplings like nothing, three forward and a reverse gears. Look them up in action, will do everything you want with it. Just looked them up, now have B&S engines, can’t say if better than Honda. If you can find used will save lots. Don’t get caster wheels, get what’s pictured.

 

[NibbanaFarm]

A 3" sapling isn't any sapling, that's a small tree. And that mower isn't going to bend a 3" tree over and cut it off.

 

[Dunno]

What do you know? Do you have one? Have you ever used one?

 

[CloverKnollFarms]

I have, and they are terrible to attempt to wrangle on uneven terrain, and they will not bend over a 3" tree... That's why we bought a 800lb pull behind with 28hp.

 

[Dunno]

We’ll,
I can handle the BillyGoat just fine, I’m not dainty. Any machine in rough terrain is going to throw you around, even my backhoe and skid steer bounce around. And I do use BCS for my landscaping business.