Largest Rotary Cutter used with BX?

[BotaBound]

Thanks to all for the replies and info.

I do have a FEL that i would use when using the rotary cutter.

I didn't bother getting front weights. I plan on filling the tires and worse case loading some ballast in the FEL if i am still a little light when i use it.

 

[Highbeam]

There you go, 5-80 lb sacks of redimix concrete in the bucket will keep the nose down. I suppose a big scoop of wet sand would do it too.

 

[Av8r3400]

I hope you like your dealer, Botabound. I see a bunch of your money going to them soon to either fix your tractor or replace it.

 

[HomeBrew2]

I hope you like your dealer, Botabound. I see a bunch of your money going to them soon to either fix your tractor or replace it.

Any chance you could quantify or at least qualify the underlying premise of your comment? My curiousity stems from a long list of "things a BX can't do" from folks that don't [currently] own one but, an even longer list of BX owners that have actually done most of those things with many hundreds of hours and no probs. But, one never knows. I think this is new territory. Maybe you have info that could save us BX owners from future probs.

 

[Renob]

My .02.

I have a 60" Bush Hog Razerback light duty rotary cutter that I use with my BX24. and used previously with a BX2230 and an International 300 before that.

It is used to cut an old hay field that is approx. 6 acres. It is fairly smooth rolling land. The tractor does an outstanding job, never bogging in very thick, tall weeds/grasses/brush.

Blades sharp, loader on, no problems.

For this intended use this combo does a great job.

Can a larger, more powerful machine cut Faster, sure.... Would I reccomend this combo to clear rough land of small trees and heavy unknown brush?....Nope.

Can anyone destroy a tractor by being ignorant or foolish? You bet.

That's why this forum is so valuable. You can learn from others expeience.... as long as they actually have that experience.

 

[Av8r3400]

Homebrew - as an owner of a BX2230, I am confident in my statement.

I tried a 60" brush cutter on my tractor. Yes, it would spin. The lack of a clutch peddel to "feather" in the ingagement was a problem, which I believe would have lead to at least premature wear of the PTO mechanism if not failure. Anything larger than 12" high grass would bog the motor (from PTO speed - wide open) and cause much laboring of the tractor, traveling slowly in low range. I don't believe that any heavier material would have been cuttable. That was with 19 PTO hp. A BX18xx has 15 at the most.

Will it work at all? Sure. Will it last long? I doubt it. There is a huge difference between a 48" and a 60" brush cutter. The BX is a very capable little machine, I never said otherwise. This is asking too much of the unit in my opinion.

Similar to the statements like, "My 1/2 ton pickup will haul a 20,000 lb trailer." Sure it will, once or twice.

 

[Renob]

AV8R,

I would never discount your experience as untrue.

I must have a Super Bush Hog or Magnum BX because my experience is the opposite.

I usually wait until the field is "dog high"...which is when I can't see the Chesapeake Bay Retriever anymore, to cut. Always 3' plus. Sometime it is over my head. 6' plus. I certainly don't go fast by any means. Probably set the cruise at 2-3 mph. Never had a problem..

All I can guess.. and thats all that it is... perhaps the cutter you used had dull blades, wasn't set up properly (angle of cutter front to rear), in disrepair or a combination of two or all.

As for engagement of the PTO. I set the RPM at 16-1800, feather the lever and find engagement perhaps a bit more abrupt than the MMM. Never so violent that damage may be done to the tractor.

I don't experience any stress on the machine and would not compare use of this cutter to your "My 1/2 ton pickup will haul a 20,000 lb trailer." analogy.