KingKutter Rotary Mower

thcri · Aug 24, 2003

Tractor Supply has all of their King Kutter Products on sale right now. Partly because they are overstocked, season is over and our Tractor Supply is moving. They have the 5' Rotary Mower on sale right now for $495.00. Not sure if that is a good price or not for sure.

What I am really looking for is some advice from the people that have the KingKutter Product. I am some what leary as I have a neighbor that has a 4' that I really don't like. It just seems like it reallly works my tractor (TC29D) compared to my other neighbors Woods 5'. The woods I like because it seems so much smoother and does not pull my tractor down so much. The KingKutter recomends a 40hp for theirs not sure what Woods recomends. We really don't have anyone that sells Woods around here. I also like the Woods because the back wheel is always on the ground. (I am sure the KingKutter does that also in the 5ft??)

Is there really any difference in these two products or is it just my imagination the Woods 5ft is much better than the KingKutter 4ft?

Also if someone wants to throw landpride in here we do have a John Deere Dealer that sells Landpride also.

murph

DK35vince · Aug 24, 2003

( The KingKutter recomends a 40hp for theirs not sure what Woods recomends. )

The 40 HP gearbox on the King Kutter is recommended maximum HP.
I have a 6' KK brush mower I use with my DK 35 that seems to work quite well.I added a slip clutch from TSC for an extra $95.
I did do some minor cutting and drilling to get the cutter set up the way I wanted it.(Drilled the lift pin holes down 5" lower,I also cut the U link for the top link so it would pivot better)
I have had good luck with all my King Kutter attachments.
KK 6' brush hog w/slip clutch
KK 6' RMM
KK 5' II tiller
KK 7' rear blade
KK 6' box blade
KK 6' rake
KK subsoiler
KK middle buster

LuvMy670 · Aug 24, 2003

Hi, I am thinking of getting a used KK mower.. it looks like it is in good condition, although it has some issues. Might need a new PTO shaft and new blades. Other than that, seemed Ok.

Did you have to "fit" your RMM to your tractor like you did with the rotary cutter?

I am still undecided about rear discharge vs side, though. I will be mowing my pasture which has some pretty thick and heavy grass/weeds.

Ah, so many choices!!!! /forums/images/graemlins/smile.gif

DK35vince · Aug 24, 2003

No.
I've had my rear mount mower a few years now, but I don't think I had to change anything on it to work .
I added oil to the gearbox, moved the shims on the wheels to adjust your cutting hieght and mowed.

DK35vince · Aug 24, 2003

One other thing I did on my King Kutter brush mower was to set the tail wheel hieght there is a strap with 5 holes in it.
I found the one hole set the rear of the cutter to low, but the next hole set the rear of the cutter to high.
I took off the strap and drilled a new hole between these 2 holes.
Now the rear of the cutter is just right. /forums/images/graemlins/laugh.gif

Henro · Aug 25, 2003

Murph,

Last month I got a woods BB60cw rotary cutter. That is the 5' with slip clutch and chain guards. I paid $1,175 and that was when the dealer matched another dealer's price. He originally wanted $1,250.

It would probably cost you an additional $250 to add chain guards and a slip clutch to the KK rotary cutter.

So buying the KK will save you about $500. The woods is a nicer fit and finish from what I can see...but there are a lot of KK rotary cutters out there and people here often speak well of them.

I have a KK box blade which I think is quite good, but a little light. The KK rear blade I have has some hot glue welds that I have to repair. I guess the only reason I did not go with a KK rotary is because looking at the poor paint, fit and finish on some KK stuff on the ground at TSC, I became uncertain of thier quality control capability and, right or wrong, have decided for things that have moving parts I will go with someone that makes something that shows some pride in the workmanship.

I can't imagine that the KK and Woods units that you tried should be so different. Maybe there is something wrong with the KK of you neighbors...lived a hard life perhaps... /forums/images/graemlins/smile.gif

thcri · Aug 25, 2003

Henro,

That is what I was afraid of. The nieghbors King Kutter has only been used about six times and it is only a 4ft versus the other neighbors that is about 5 years old and has been used extensively. I always worry about products that are alot less expensive than others. When using the two different units my tractor just seemed to handle the 5 ft Woods unit so much nicer than the 4ft King Kutter??

I think I am going to wait a bit on this one.

murph

mgrick · Aug 25, 2003

My 2 cents...

If I had a TSC in my area selling KK brush hogs for 495.00 I'd buy one.For what I had to pay for my Woods BB60 I could have bought 2 KK's.As I have found out the hard way there isn't anything about my Woods other than there looks to justify there high price. /forums/images/graemlins/confused.gif

Gary_in_Indiana · Aug 25, 2003

For $495, the KK is a true bargain. That's about what I gave from mine and I'm happy with it at that price. I've had a couple of minor things I needed to re-fit and adjust, but I could well have had the same issues with a mower costing twice as much. Honestly, the biggest 'complaint' I or anyone else seems to have about KK is the poor paint jobs on their implements. For the difference in price I could take mine and have it powdercoated to match my tractor (but I'd rather buy another implement instead). /forums/images/graemlins/smile.gif

shady1701 · Aug 25, 2003

Just buy 2 of them and a slip clutch and when you bang one apart swap to the other for that price. Normaly everyone else is in the $1200 + range

homer · Jun 26, 2004

Have you ever had to sharpen the blades. I just got a 5' kk rotary cutter the blades are dull as possible. Looks like you need a giant socket to remove them,has anyone ever done this? I'm wondering what socket to buy.

hockeyhead · Jun 26, 2004

I'm relatively new to this also but I've had a kk 5' rotary cutter for a year now. I believe the blade are suppose to be dull to cut brush. People sharpen them to improve the finish cut appearence on pasture and lawns. I got a 1/2 drive socket set from 1" to 1 1/2" , box wrenches also, to even assemble mine. I believe you are looking for an 1 1/4" without going to the barn and checking. Some people just lift it up on the 3pt, block it up and use a air or electric grinder to sharpen them.

KiotiJohn · Jun 26, 2004

( I believe the blade are suppose to be dull to cut brush. )
Not dull, but not overly sharp is best. Dull blades just cause a lot more stress when blades confront larger, harder brush and saplings, and uneven cuts of tougher grasses. Overly sharp can lead to too much nicking and possible breaks in the blade. John

OkieG · Jun 27, 2004

Ditto on what KiotiJohn said. Some will disagree, but it just makes sense that reasonable blade sharpness is easier on equipment and makes a better cut, in my opinion.

By the way, my cutter is a BushHog brand. The blade nuts take a 1 11/16" socket. Some brands may use other sizes, but I think 1 11/16" is fairly common. If your nut is that size, a 1/2" impact wrench may not budge it.

OkieG

Ole_Hickory · Jun 27, 2004

They need some sharpness to them.

Bird · Jun 27, 2004

( They need some sharpness to them )

Actually, I think you'll find the manufacturers recommend a 1/8" flat or blunt edge for cutting brush. A sharp edge gets too many nicks in it too quickly. However, if you know you're only going to be cutting grass and weeds, not going to be hitting any rocks, etc., then you can sharpen them to whatever degree works best for you.

Ole_Hickory · Jun 27, 2004

My situation,I have pasture/high grass,brush. If I do not sharpen them some,the grass will look like it is just mashed down and before you are done mowing you will have clumps of grass starting to stand back up and it looks like a very rough uneven cut. I know what you mean by the bluntness on the blades. As heavy as the brush hog blades are I still manage to knick them some.
I put an edge on them occasionally with an orbiting grinder,it has never hurt them in the longrun.I will sharpen them for a somewhat manicured look when mowing grass/hay then I will go to the woods and mow saplings/brush the nicks never mattered to me.I sharpen them some regardless.
The dull blades take more power and waste energy when cutting grass/hay.Some people keep 2 sets of blades,one for cutting grass/hay and another for cutting brush(you probably already new that though).

Bird · Jun 27, 2004

I sharpened mine a bit, too. My own pasture had no brush except for several little mesquite trees that would try to get started, but I kept them mowed and never let them got more than about a half inch in diameter.

BB_TX · Jun 28, 2004

Homer - Rather than raise my rotary cutter, block it up, and crawl under and remove the blades, here is what I do. I pull my tractor up to one side of the rotary cutter with the FEL extending across to the other side of the cutter. I securely attach a chain to that opposite side of the cutter and to the FEL. Then I slowly raise the cutter as I slowly back up the tractor, standing the cutter up on it's side. I raise and back until the cutter is leaning slightly past vertical back toward the tractor. That way I can easily and safely get to the full underside of the cutter and sharpen the blades with an angle grinder. I never take them off, but it would be much easier with it standing up like that.

Soundguy · Jun 28, 2004

( Looks like you need a giant socket to remove them,has anyone ever done this )

That's the hard way to do it. Most of us raise the cutter.. block it securely.. and then use a hand held angle grinder to put whatever level of sharpening we are looking for.

Takes about 15 minutes.. and no grunting with a cheater pipe and breaker bar... and no wondering if the blades are tight enough and will swing off the first time it spins up...

Soundguy