Rotary Cutter Howse vs King Kutter rotary mower?

[yanmar1610d]

Looking to purchase a new 5' or 6' medium duty rotary mower. Been looking at Howse and King kutter brands. I used a 4' King Kutter on a 20hp tractor for over 16 years and it always did a fairly good job. Will be using the new mower on a Montana 3840 4x4 tractor. I am wondering how the Howse compares to the King Kutter? Which is made better these days?

 

[Bigfoot62]

I'm thinking that the Howse may be a little better, but probably not much difference.
For one thing, the weight of the cutter will tell you something about the build. The specs on the King says 700#. The Howse medium duty is 800#.

I would also suggest looking at a Modern Highway Special. It's been years since I've been in the market, but the Modern HS was one of the best. This would be a cutter that you could use for your lifetime and pass on to your kids. I have one that my dad bought more than 35 years ago. BTW, a 6' Modern HS weighs over 1100#.

 

[MESSMAKER]

Both look OK. I can't argue about buying by weight. A 800 lb cutter has more steel than a 700lb cutter.

 

[kebo]

Have never owned either rotary cutter, but have been around one of each (at a former hunt club) and the KK seemed to hold up better, imo. Check the gauge or thickness of the deck steel if you can, that may tell you something. Good luck with whichever one you choose!

 

[Texasmark]

Looking to purchase a new 5' or 6' medium duty rotary mower. Been looking at Howse and King kutter brands. I used a 4' King Kutter on a 20hp tractor for over 16 years and it always did a fairly good job. Will be using the new mower on a Montana 3840 4x4 tractor. I am wondering how the Howse compares to the King Kutter? Which is made better these days?

Have any Kodiac dealers around. I have a Branson 6'MD made by Kodiac and it does all I expect since 2007 when I bought it new. Do recommend front chains (however you get them) to keep debris from lodging in your rear tires if you cut nasty or unknown fields.

 

[LRover]

I have a 5' KingKutter and it has given me very good service. I would like to move to a 6' model but the dealer that I bought the one I have now no longer carries that brand so I will have to find one somewhere else and hopefully won't have to pay shipping. What I like about the KingKutter is the toplink float for uneven ground and it never seems to clog even in heavy cutting

 

[chriswheeler]

I have a 5' Howse that I've had in service for the last 10 years, works well, have only had to sharpen the blades once. Unlike some, my mowing is just to maintain defendable space for wildfire control. I mow on the average of 30 acres a year with it, total for ten years is about 300 acres of mowing service so far, still in perfect shape. I'm on my third tractor and still pulling the original mower. Only thing to keep a eye on with all of them is the lube in the gearbox. Having hit a few rocks over the years, I have a few dents in the edges of the deck, but amazing little damage considering. This one has the slot for the top link to float as well.
Chris

 

[RSKY]

I have the Howse 5' because it was lighter and cheaper. My home tractor is only 22-hp and that is why I wanted the lighter model. There have been no problems with it that I did not cause. I have used it for five years and mowed down and chopped up anything the little Kioti could push over.

I always tell people shopping for a bushhog type mower that wider and slower is better than narrower and faster when mowing. Your back and kidneys will appreciate your mowing a gear or two slower if on a rough field.

RSKY

 

[Turbys_1700]

Both are comparable. Heavier is better. I consider them both to be on the lighter side of medium duty. I look at overall weight which equates to deck and stump jumper thickness, gearbox rating, and blade width and thickness. We ran a Howse 10' medium cutter here on the farm for a lot of years. It has a 150 HP center and two 75 HP outer gear boxes and weighs in at 1800#. It was a good unit but I did have to re-weld the rear mounting bracket for the tail wheels. The bottom seal went out and I need to repair it. I purchased a used 6' Brown and the Brown is a step above the Howse weighing in at 1100#. The gear box Brown rates at 120HP is bigger and heavier than the Howse 150 HP rated gearbox. Physically their is no comparison. The Brown weighs 1100#.

I like Howse products. Lots of folk talk bad about them. They make a decent cutter if you get the heavier units. King Kutter is OK too. I would not hesitate to get either one if they met my needs.

 

[tmdupre]

I have a Howse 6' and it is a beast. The plate where the gearbox mounts is very thick. I tore up a lighter weight cutter before by it bending the mount where the gearbox is and the blades started to hit under the deck. That won't happen with this howse. The deck is also very thick. Should last me a lifetime.