Rotary Cutter Need advice on 6' rotary cutter

[Tscott9330]

Hey guys,
It's time to get a mower. Locally there are a few options for purchasing one. Nearby is a TSC a Northern Tool and the local Branson dealer. The local dealer sells Howse and Bush Hog, and the others sell the typical other brands King Kutter and Nortrac.

Currently what needs to be mowed is about 8 acres of grass seed with a lot of soft stem weeds, and the random stick that i will no doubt run over. The rest of the property is heavily wooded and will need to be cleared with a grapple. There is really no way to get a mower into the wooded section, so the cutter will not be cutting saplings or anything like that.

I want a reliable piece of equipment for the conditions I have. I am not sure it will ever see the type of abuse that would warrant a Bush Hog brand cutter, but I don't want the thing to shake apart as I use it. I would like to stay under $1000 if I can but if I need to increase budget I may if it is the only way to get a reliable piece of equipment.

The choices at the dealer are:

Howse 606S 6' CUTTER 75HP GEARBOX 618LBS. $785.00

Howse 606HT-R 6' CUTTER 100HP S/C CHANNEL SIDES $925.00

Bush Hog SQ-600-S 5'-65HP 539 LBS $1,175.00

Bush Hog SQ-720-S 6'-65HP 660 LBS $1,475.00


And of course the TSC and Northern tool stores have the typical. For my application, which would be the best choice for balancing quality with cost?

Tom

 

[case685]

Tom First off, how big is your tractor. If its at all under-sized for a 6' rotary cutter you won't be doing it any favours. If your sure its mostly grass and some weeds you will be cutting you might be better off with a heavy duty finish mower. If your tractor is big enough and you think its possible you could use the mower under heavier conditions and you intend to keep the machine for a long time get the Bush Hog brand. You get what you pay for and the cheaper brands tend to skimp on fit and finish which tends to show up fairly quickly( and hurts resale value ). Gerry

 

[Farmwithjunk]

Resale isn't tops on my list. I want a long life and great performance FIRST. I've got that with Bush Hog cutters. One of the big differences is the quality of finished cut you get. With Bush Hog, you can get high lift blades that leave a cleaner cut. The deck designs are among the best in the industry for flow of cut material. The material and workmanship is top shelf. Long and short, they just do a GREAT job and hold up better than any mowers I've ever owned. Not to mention parts availability and a great warranty should you need that someday.

But if that over-used term "re-sale value" IS important to you, there isn't a brand out there with a better reputation than Bush Hog

 

[Tscott9330]

The tractor is a 42 HP Branson, 6' would seem resonable for a tractor that size, No? 5 HP for ever foot of cut would be 30 HP.

I do not care about resale value because I will probably use whatever I get until it is sofar gone that even I can't fix it, and I can fix anything.

Tom

 

[Soundguy]

Howse or king kutter.. whatever is cheape ris what i would get for yuor light duty chores.

soundguy

 

[Z-Michigan]

The tractor is a 42 HP Branson, 6' would seem resonable for a tractor that size, No? 5 HP for ever foot of cut would be 30 HP.
Tom

6' should be just fine, as long as you aren't mowing ironwood trees on a 100% slope with a headwind. I run a 6' with 47 PTO hp and never go past 1/2 throttle, rarely past 1/3 throttle.

 

[Tscott9330]

Howse or king kutter.. whatever is cheape ris what i would get for yuor light duty chores.

soundguy

Where in Central Florida are you located Soundguy?

Tom

 

[Killer_B]

I just bought this 5' unit from TSC for $614.79 out the door. That included a $50.00 off coupon that came in the mail. I think the 6' was about $50.00 more. It works just fine.

 

[Soundguy]

Not sure how familiar you are with florida, but marion county.

soundguy

 

[Soundguy]

6' should be just fine, as long as you aren't mowing ironwood trees on a 100% slope with a headwind. I run a 6' with 47 PTO hp and never go past 1/2 throttle, rarely past 1/3 throttle.

1/3 throttle? what's that.. about 250 rpm on the pto?

soundguy