Opinions on this Bush Hog

[sjm1580]

Would like to hear opinions on this craigslist Bush Hog. Seems like a decent price.


Bush Hog 306hd


Thanks for the help...

 

[skylarkguy]

Seems kind of expensive to me. But it does look robust.

 

[LD1]

Its a good solid unit. I have one. But I think some of his facts are wrong. The 306 has a 7ga deck (3/16). Not 1/4.

And all the ones I have seen are cat 1/2 hookup, not cat3. And it has a 90 HP gearbox. So don't believe him about the 150hp crap.

I'd say its worth a look though. Being refurbished and grease in the gearbox are my main concerns. Nothing wrong with reverb if it was done right and not just a wore out pos with a coat of paint. And nothing wrong with grease either but is an indication that seals may have leaked in the past, and damage could already have been done.

Again, worth a look. If the gearbos is smooth and tight and everything else looks sound...

 

[RickB]

That A frame will actually accommodate category II and III lower lift arm spacing and pin diameter with the pins shipped with the cutter. May be a fair price if in very, very good shape. Not sure a box full of grease fits that description. The 2 disc slipclutch will not transmit 150 HP unless it is seized tight. These machines had an optional 4 disc clutch not present here.
L

 

[Gary Fowler]

I am not sure that slip clutch with 3 bolts is good for 90HP nor the PTO shaft. It looks a bit small for that amount of HP. I would check his paint job to see if you just painted over the rust pits or if it was sandblasted, primed and top coated.
What close ups there is show some significant pitting on top so I would expect the bottom to be worse. If plate is not to rusted out and gear box is sound, it might be worth the price though as it looks like a very sturdily built piece of equipment.
Have him run it up to full throttle RPM and check for vibration when running and when slowing down. Excessive vibration is not good and at full throttle it should be relatively smooth if the blades are balanced and nothing is bent.

 

[2458n]

Agree with the above no way the drive shaft,clutch is not heavy enough- Slip on drive shaft. The gear box is not for 150 hp unit. Gear boxes use oil. Corn head grease is used to stop seals from leaking. So far his discription is only correct in that he painted it and sharpened the blades. Buy your pig without lipstick and you will know what you are getting.

 

[Happy Gilmore]

Buy your pig without lipstick and you will know what you are getting.

Well said :laughing:

 

[LD1]

One other thing I forgot to add...and not sure if it would make a difference to you or not....

The early cutters had a 1:1 gearbox, and blade tip speed of around 11000 fpm. The newer ones went to 1:1.47 and ran the blades over 15000.

My question is what are your intended uses? If you plan on land clearing and mowing down 3 and 4" trees, there aren't many cutters that are better. But if you are simply mowing pasture grass, its a bit overkill and for the price you can likely get a lot nicer and newer medium duty unit that will work just as good.

 

[BethelHntr]

Looking at the pictures there seems to be some major pitting on the deck, I wouldn't touch it. Even if you spend a couple more bills for a better one you would be better off imo.

 

[LD1]

I don't see a huge deal about the pitting. It's far from the thin sheet metal on a tsc light duty cutter. And the top is likely worse than the underside. Since the way it is made, it holds debris and water. Its 3/16,material.

The pitting wouldn't be a deal breaker for me. Mine is probably worse. (And looked far worse prior to cleaning and painting).

Sorry if this comes across wrong, bit it seems like you guys would complain about paint wore of the edge of a rear blade, or rust on tiller tines. Its likely a 15 or 20 year old unit. A be one built that heavy would be 3500 bucks