In praise of the MX-5 brush cutter

jeffinsgf · Apr 13, 2005

I've been shopping for a couple of weeks for a light to medium duty brush cutter. I have ten acres of Ozarks brush that has been over-grazed for the last 25 years, leaving a nice canopy of older hardwoods with nothing but scrub brush beneath it. The MO Conservation Dept. suggested that I start clearing the scrub and let the oak saplings develop and maybe plant a few more. I have been watching eBay closely for a good used cutter, looking at the new budget cutters there and elsewhere on the net, and checking into my local farm stores and implement dealers for both used and new options.

I could have purchased a good quality new cutter rated for 1 inch material for around $850 (Bush Hog Squealer 60 inch at Vestal Implement in Bolivar, MO) or purchased a Howse etc. for around 600, or purchased an unknown quantity in a used cutter on eBay.

Fate shined on me though, and the JD dealer that I bought my tractor from a few weeks ago (Larson Equipment, Rogersville, MO) had an extremely clean used MX-5 on the lot. I guess I am gloating here for getting a $2150.00 cutter for $1300 -- with not the first nick in the paint. But, my intent is to give those shopping a first hand account of the difference between a 1 inch rated cutter and a 2 inch rated cutter. The MX-5 doesn't even register the slightest change in RPM when backing over multiflora rose that is taller than the tractor. It takes a piece of deadfall that is well over its rated cutting capacity to even register a hint of effort on its part. It is quiet, powerful, stable and a joy to work with. The double hull is touted by JD as a means to creating a longer lasting machine, but I also think it greatly reduces the impact noise from contact with items larger and/or of a different compositon (rocks) than designed.

I don't think I would have allowed myself to spend over twice the price for the MX-5 when compared to other options. But, in retrospect, I am glad that I spent a little more and would encourage anyone that is planning any sort of timber restoration to seriously look at the heavier duty cutters -- JD's or any other maker -- before buying a light duty cutter that is going to struggle with serious saplings. I am becoming more and more of a JD groupie. The stuff works. You may pay a little more for it, but it works. No fiddling around. No extra trips to the supply store. Just getting the job done.

Cliff_Johns · Apr 13, 2005

Excellent review. It's not always obvious why sometimes things are worth the extra money.

Cliff

firtol88 · Apr 13, 2005

Thanks

That is where I was leaning and you just sealed it. /forums/images/graemlins/cool.gif

green4710 · Apr 14, 2005

Great review. I agree, I have a mx8, and that thing is awesome. Havent came across anything out here that it wont eat. Very good mower in my opinion.

Sadler · Apr 14, 2005

I must confess that the more I use my MX6, the larger and larger things I decide to use it for. The slip clutch has been in play a few times from an accidental stump or two, but for the most part whatever you run over comes out a 1000 times smaller, with hardly any acknowledgement from the cutter. Highly recommended. Now I've got to find a torque multiplier for the 700 ft-lb bolts to get my blades off for sharpening.

KennedyDiesel · Apr 14, 2005

I still have a notion to hook up a loader mount kit and pick up the MX5 from behind and run it hydraulically like a Rhino SM-5.

Skid mowers are neat, but so darn heavy. The MX 5 should be a bit less than the 1000#+ Rhino, and the paint shouldn't peel on the lot like the Rhinos do...

jeffinsgf · Apr 14, 2005

</font><font color="blue" class="small">( I still have a notion to hook up a loader mount kit and pick up the MX5 from behind and run it hydraulically ..... )</font>

If you had gone with a ePowerReverser model instead of eHydro, you could run the cutter in reverse easier and not have to completely re-engineer the whole thing! /forums/images/graemlins/shocked.gif Just kidding.

I did fall in love with my ePR even more when I was crashing through the brush. When working in reverse, I could turn around comfortably, with only my left hand occupied --- ready to flip the switch when I approached the end of my planned cut --- or one of my 80 year old oaks...whichever came first. I think it would have been much more awkward to be trying to feather a foot control and switching it when the time came. But then, I am "thinking" and that has bitten me in the posterior more than once!