Rotary Cutter Drive Shaft Sheared!

[Gunpowder]

No changes since these posts. My MX7 lower shaft broke last fall. You can get parts, they say matching shafts BUT... local JD experience says they won't fit the Chinese gear boxes due to variances in production. They said I had to buy a new gearbox. I have quotes from Woods.

 

[kco]

Hawkline 5 ft Brush Hog $895, shearpin protected or $995 with slip clutch. I bet the Deere repair bill will be more that the price of a new cutter? Ken Sweet

That looks a lot like the IM500 (Chinese International Machinery I believe) I bought years ago from a dealer in Salmon Arm who is a "satellite" office for the main Kubota dealer. He mentioned a couple of more expensive, fancier-looking ones they sold(I think it was Landpride) but said this was a good a mower. He said they are ugly but very rugged. I used it for many years until I changed to a flail mower. It's great to have dealers who consider what some of us hobby users need.

That's not a dig at any other dealers in my area. I have got the same impression from the few others here when considering my few equipment purchases.

 

[Sawyer Rob]

From what I keep reading, I wouldn't even consider a deere MX5...

Waaaay to many of them breaking!

SR

 

[Gunpowder]

MX7's are as well. Mine has the bolt that screws into the bottom of the shaft

 

[Sawyer Rob]

MX7's are as well. Mine has the bolt that screws into the bottom of the shaft

That's why I just bought one that I KNOW is good!

SR

 

[bilrus61]

That's why I just bought one that I KNOW is good!

SR

Hey Sawer, what are you going to spin that with? I've been looking at a local Woods 720 for my GL3540 Kubota but the dealer thinks I'm crazy. My Kubota had plenty of lift and has a loader on it. It's the gear version and has 29.5 PTO HP. Oh and I mow slooow. Dealer thinks I should stick with a 72 or go 5ft. That is a pretty cutter!

 

[Sawyer Rob]

Hey Sawer, what are you going to spin that with? I've been looking at a local Woods 720 for my GL3540 Kubota but the dealer thinks I'm crazy. My Kubota had plenty of lift and has a loader on it. It's the gear version and has 29.5 PTO HP. Oh and I mow slooow. Dealer thinks I should stick with a 72 or go 5ft. That is a pretty cutter!

99% of the time in the past, with my old Woods 6' cutter, I rotary cut with a 45 pto hp AGCO farm tractor. I'll be doing the same with this new one...

I use to use a 30 PTO hp farm tractor but in heavy going it's a full load, although it did handle it. I'm just more comfortable with one size bigger tractor as I some times take jobs with it and I need to be able to mow what ever they want mowed and keep my speed up.

I put that same 6' cutter on a 30 pto hp Kubota one time, and in heavy grass it was too much work for that compact tractor and started to over heat it, I wasn't impressed at all and went back to a 30 pto hp FARM tractor that did the same job without a whimper. (I bought the 45hp tractor after that)

Going slow and not taking full cuts in heavy grass, you should be able to run a 6' cutter with your tractor but you will have to be careful when running it...

SR