Mowing PT 425 Brush Cutter opinions

[MossRoad]

Here’s a more recent one of me on my PT425 VS a honeysuckle bush...

You can see what happens if you raise the brush cutter to full height and slowly (I didn’t) lower it onto something.... absolutely destroys it. Quite dangerous...

 

[dcdtn]

Another word of warning with the brush cutter if you are a PT newbie like me... You will eventually hit something solid no matter how careful you are. It will make a VERY loud noise. When this happens don’t get startled and mash the reverse pedal all the way. I’ve gotten instinctively used to doing this on my lawnmower which has a very slow reverse speed. The PT reverse is very fast and I’ve had many near misses where I almost backed into a tree or out into the roadway.

 

[John Fitzgerald]

I have an older 26 inch DR all terrain mower and feel much safer with it in unknown situations where I don't know what's under there. After cutting once with the DR and knowing where any holes/stumps/rocks, etc are, then I feel comfortable using the tractor and rotary cutter. The DR will cut anything and maybe larger stuff than my CUT and rotary cutter will, just a smaller swath. $2k for the DR plus $50 for the heavy duty blade versus $14K for the tractor and RC. Once cut with the DR, the rotary cutter will make much faster work of subsequent mowings provided it's done 2-3 times a summer.

In the OP situation, I recommend the neighbor buys a DR. If he cannot run it, he could maybe hire the OP to do it.

 

[cqaigy2]

The brush cutter is probably my most used attachment and it takes a beating. I've had to repair it more then a few times. Tires and wheels can flatten and break, i've welded the deck a few times, replaced the blades, but for me, it is my most useful attachment and well worth the price.

I have one friend only, i would loan it to, he is super careful and responsible, but i'd not loan it to any family members or neighbors as id not want to set up a situation where the potential for strife would occur.

 

[woodlandfarms]

So mower safety... PT is not a great mower design, but all mowers are dangerous. I don't feel PT's design is any worse than any other and I could not live without the mower. You need one and should get one and while the DR is a great machine, it gets old super quick (my neighbor owns one, hates it but it is because I own the PT, not because the DR is bad). If mower safety is an issue to you then you can do a lot of safety things to it, one of the biggest is a chain mask hanging along the front. YOu and I live in the same hood and the reality of thrown objects is pretty slim due to the fact we are in thick wet brush. Like I said once in a while things get chucked out from under the mower, and it is not to be trifled with, but all mowers throw stuff. I have seen flail mowers throw distances as well. One thing that you saw with moss is one of the greatest things about the PT mower, you can lif it high and bring it down on things. You cannot do this with a normal tractor brush hog. As Moss noted, it is really a crazy dangerous thing to do, but I know I do it all the time. Only way to cut out blackberries and not fall into a ravine for me.

 

[CreativeGuy]

It definitely seems that most of you guys have love/hate relationship with your Brush Cutters.

 

[MossRoad]

I estimate 1 hour of repair for every 8 hours of brush cutter use. And that's no lie. I brush cut in about 2-3 hour increments. And at least every other time I perform about 30 minutes of repairs. From blade bolt tightening/replacement, grinding the blades, greasing, tire/wheel maintenance, stop bolt replacement, etc.... But I'd never give it up. It's still way more productive than my old IH2500b ever was.

 

[MossRoad]

There's not much room for a chain skirt on the 48" brush cutter. The blade comes within an inch and a half of the front of the deck.

 

[ponytug]

I have the 1445 brush cutter. I love it. 4" saplings get mowed. As others have mentioned, if you can push it over, it is mulch, on ridiculous slopes, and yes, you do need to keep people 100+ yards away from it. I mow wearing a chainsaw face mask, just in case. I have only had gravel hit it, but wearing glasses, that was scary enough. I try to mow with a spotter, but that's because my slopes are 20-30 degrees, and I can't always mow down slope. My fear is finding a badger burrow the hard way.

Having used a number of other brush cutters, I have to say that the Power-Trac brush cutter is way safer in my opinion. My opinion is somewhat colored by a run in with a low hanging branch that nearly pushed me off a Ford tractor into the path of its brush cutter. On the Power-Tracs, you sit behind the brush cutter, making it much safer in my opinion. Not only are you protected by the ROPS, but you get to cut the brush before you get to it, instead of after.

Yes, I would prefer a chain guard.
No, I haven't figured out how to mount it.

I'm considering a bar between the two front wheels to help push saplings over. Not high on my to do list.

I probably spend half an hour servicing it every six hours. (Put the mower on some steel sawhorses, sharpen the blades, grease the blade bushings and bolts, and tighten the bolts. With an impact wrench and an electric grinder, it goes very quickly. I do weigh my blades when I'm done sharpening just to make sure that they are balanced along the blade, and with each other.) This is pretty typical for any brush mower; you are always going to be hitting solid objects.

To the original poster's question, personally, I would consider buying the brush cutter and trade my neighbor for mowing services. YMMV...

Flail mowers are safer, but they take a lot of power, and they don't do as well on bigger scrub/trees.

All the best,

Peter