Rotary Cutter Need advice on 6' rotary cutter

[Tscott9330]

Gainesville Regional Utilities.21 years

I've been at Clay Electric for just over 2 years now. Good to know you.

Tom

 

[Lineman North Florida]

We are not all that far apart, good to know you as well.

 

[LoneCowboy]

My BushHog SQ60 (5', $700) has far far far outlasted (with many more hours) my rhino (spit) 172, (6', $2200)

 

[Farmwithjunk]

I'm just going to add - since I'm really mad at Deere right now - I looked up my records and my LX6 cost me $1820, new, one year ago. A Woods, which no longer sounds that great either, was around the same money. A KK would have been around $600-700, I think. I've had more trouble with the LX6 already than I would have expected to have if I had bought the cheapo KK. Now I'm not saying everyone should go cheap, I'm just echoing that it is quite possible to spend lots of money and still get something that isn't very good. I wish I had posted about cutter brands and gotten all this insight before I bought mine. I probably would have searched far and wide to get a Bush Hog if I had (they're not common at dealers in my area).

I hope no one get's the misconception I think Bush Hog is "across the board" better than everything else. Their light duty models aren't all that much different than everyone elses light duty mowers. What some brands try to pass off as medium, even sometimes as HEAVY duty, just ISN'T when push comes to shove. It may be THEIR heaviest duty rated piece, but stack 'em against the best in the business, and they come up woefully short in quality, design, function, and longevity. Manufacturers such as Deere, Bush Hog, Rhino, Woods, NH, ect, have watered down their quality and integrety with "cheap" lines of implements to compete with the "economy" brands.

I buy equipment to last. The first thoughts of resale value with me is if I'm NOT happy with any equipment. If it's a good piece, it stays for ages. To me, a bargain is the best item available at a good price, NOT the cheapest thing on the market that'll get by for now. I tried that logic years ago. Most of my early attempts at using "cheap" have been cut up and shipped to the smelter years ago.

 

[CDsdad]

Identify your needs, identify your cost and know for the average homeowner that a Howse will probably serve you as well as a Bushhog. But for heavier use, and it has been said on here before, there is a reason it is called bushhogging in the South.

 

[Soundguy]

Those JD batwings were actually built FOR Deere by someone else. (I THINK it was Woods at the time your model was built) Woods has a bad rep with their batwings in commercial use, Deere not a lot better. (Multitudes of problems with deck structural integrety) The only brands that seem to hold up to the rigors of everyday use in harsh conditions are Bush Hog, Alamo Group (Rhino, Shulte, Alamo) and Bushwhacker.

Yeah, mines an olde one.. built in 98. I've had to re-do the wing hinges and pins.. JD ( whoever made them for JD ) pretty much just used pipe segments welded to the wing and center menbers, adn then used 2 segmented long pins thru each side. I had to beef up the 'pipe' setions where they are welded to the deck members. the keeper methiod they used to retian many of the pins on the wings, and some of the linkage ont he deck was a tad inferior,. i welded new tab style keeper/locators all around... IMHO.. it's 'better' than when it left the factory.. etc

I'm just glad I didn't have to pay the Jd new price for it.

soundguy

 

[Soundguy]

Just curious, what problems did the lx6 have. ( I posted some of the problems my 1517 had. ). I know a guy with a mx10.. looks good, but I've never mowed with it..

soundguy

I'm just going to add - since I'm really mad at Deere right now - I looked up my records and my LX6 cost me $1820, new, one year ago. A Woods, which no longer sounds that great either, was around the same money. A KK would have been around $600-700, I think. I've had more trouble with the LX6 already than I would have expected to have if I had bought the cheapo KK. Now I'm not saying everyone should go cheap, I'm just echoing that it is quite possible to spend lots of money and still get something that isn't very good. I wish I had posted about cutter brands and gotten all this insight before I bought mine. I probably would have searched far and wide to get a Bush Hog if I had (they're not common at dealers in my area).

 

[barneyrb]

FWJ,
Gotta agree with you on Bush Hog...got a model 12 prob 30-40 years old. It has the old slant back gearbox and 1/4" plate on it (weighs about 500). I don't think you could tear this one up if you tried. Been a very good cutter for the last 10 years for me.

 

[Soundguy]

You brought up something I forgot.. NH / ford mowers. i had a ford 951 hog.. that thing was sure enough tough.. it was used, that one was made in 84, I saw the original sales reciept... when I got it, I asked the prev owner about it's service, and he said he'd never done anything to it .. gear oil was still full, and seals good.. I flushe dit and used it a few years and then got something bigger.. It was a 4' model , and at the time I used it behind a lil yanmar diesel...

soundguy

I hope no one get's the misconception I think Bush Hog is "across the board" better than everything else. Their light duty models aren't all that much different than everyone elses light duty mowers. What some brands try to pass off as medium, even sometimes as HEAVY duty, just ISN'T when push comes to shove. It may be THEIR heaviest duty rated piece, but stack 'em against the best in the business, and they come up woefully short in quality, design, function, and longevity. Manufacturers such as Deere, Bush Hog, Rhino, Woods, NH, ect, have watered down their quality and integrety with "cheap" lines of implements to compete with the "economy" brands.

I buy equipment to last. The first thoughts of resale value with me is if I'm NOT happy with any equipment. If it's a good piece, it stays for ages. To me, a bargain is the best item available at a good price, NOT the cheapest thing on the market that'll get by for now. I tried that logic years ago. Most of my early attempts at using "cheap" have been cut up and shipped to the smelter years ago.

 

[Farmwithjunk]

You brought up something I forgot.. NH / ford mowers. i had a ford 951 hog.. that thing was sure enough tough.. it was used, that one was made in 84, I saw the original sales reciept... when I got it, I asked the prev owner about it's service, and he said he'd never done anything to it .. gear oil was still full, and seals good.. I flushe dit and used it a few years and then got something bigger.. It was a 4' model , and at the time I used it behind a lil yanmar diesel...

soundguy

Not sure who built them for Ford. They actually built darn few implements of their own in those days.