Rotary Cutter Farm Force Rotary Cutter

[Ronster]

A new TSC just opened up in my town. This store stocks a 48" rotary cutter made by Farm Force (Tartar Gate Mfg.). Has anyone heard of this brand? I'm wondering if it is any better than the KK brand. The sales person said it has a better quality paint job than KK. It looks pretty close identical to the King Kutter.

 

[Soundguy]

Better quality paint job? That would be the very last item on my qualification list when considdering between 2 implements.

Look at the welds, fit of the panels at the welds, fasteners, tail wheel setup.. size of gearbox.. etc.

Soundguy

 

[Ronster]

The assembly looks ok. I measured the blades and was surprised the cut is only about 45". The 60" cutter has about 58" from blade tip to tip. At 460 lbs, I'm considering getting the 60" mower for my JD 2520.

 

[Soundguy]

Yep.. besides the bladed tip to tip measurement not being same as side panel width.. which is probably what is advertised at.. Do plan on making small overlaps.. say.. in the 6" range.. etc. Figure that in for mowing time estimates..

Soundguy

 

[Ronster]

My JD 2520 has 20 PTO hp, I use a Woods 72" RFM that weighs 550 lbs. I think I can get away with the 60" rotary cutter at 460 lbs. It's mostly light brush. My Cub 2374 had 20 PTO hp and came with a 60" King Kutter that always seemed to work fine. If they only made a 4.5' cutter.

 

[firebug085]

I just called today for replacement blades for my Farm Force 4 foot sub compact rotarty cutter. The only place that sells the blades is Tractor Supply and they want 94.00 plus shipping. This is a rip off. The blades for a 4 foot KK cutter are 29.00 each. I called Tarter the parent company and they told me I have to go thru Tractor supply. Oh yeah I forgot, they don't stock them they have to order them. What seems like a good deal turns out to bite you in the butt down the road. As far as the cutter I've had good luck with it until now. Stay with a brand name which you can get parts for for a decent price.

 

[JoeinTX]

Rotary cutter sizes are like buying lumber at the local hardware store. The size isn't exactly as advertised. The average 60" cutter will actually cut around 55" or so well.....likewise up, down, left, and right.


As for the blade thing..........visit the KK or Howse website. These are the two leading "economy" sellers of 3pt implements today. You can deal directly with them each on everything from buying complete implements down to basic parts. And I have with success on more than one occasion with Howse. Good experience and I'd recommend dealing with either directly as opposed to waiting on TSC or the local retailer to get things done. As for FF/Tartar? I don't see the option to deal with them directly on their site. Seeing as how bearings, blades, bolts, and fittings today are more universal........you might check and see if the KK blades will not just fit right on your FF rig with little/no trouble and get on with things.

 

[JoeinTX]

And, I'll just add for the heck of it, when I do move up above the 5' shredder size I will deal first and seriously with Howse or KK. What you see on the TSC or Northern Tool lots today is not their top-end......far from it. They both build higher-end and more robust types at a cheaper price than the more common brands and you can deal with directly on everything from sale price and delivery to buying a part for it.

Doubt it?

My last replacement part experience with Howse involved an email to their support department, a CC number to pay for it, and three days later it was on my porch via UPS as needed and described. Bloody flippin' awesome and I never had to visit a dealer or try to converse in English or common sense with a CS person over the phone. Done and paid for.

Won my loyalty in a way the local TSC or corporate John Deere dealer couldn't even dream of.......

 

[bjr]

I had a good experience with Agri-Supply. When I talked to them they knew machinery or got the person on the phone that knew what they had and then shipped at reasonabe costs. There are sellers out there that do try to help the customer, Just gettin' harder to find. TSC just doesn't seem to care about support after the sale. bjr