Buying Advice rotary cutter

[Rebeldad1]

not sure why changing blades would be a issue...
the brush cutters are about all the same to service. Most of us are running older brush cutters and dont sharpen them. My cutting edge is quite rounded off but will still do a great job of grooming a entry road around the pasture. If you are looking for a consistant golf course type cut then maybe go with a flail mower.
To change the blades a strong battery or air impact makes it a one man job.
A used one around here in decent condition wpuld run around 500-800 dollars and up.

 

[gravelman]

well someone has to hold the bolt up so the nut can be started... and one mower i had the pan was included in holding things up..

 

[TBone]

hi folks..gravelman here..im thinking of buying a Kodiak 5' HD rotary cutter... any advice or info out there. I need an easy to change blade cutter...getting too old to be climbing under stuff. thanks

I've owned a bunch of rotary cutters and the older I get the harder it is to change the blades. My latest one is a Landpride RCR1860 and so far I have been very pleased with it. Slip clutch, decent gearbox, top access hole for blade bolts, and is very smooth. (Besides that the paint matches my Kubota) Probably not as HD as the Kodiak though. Good luck with the one you get.
PS: I'm too old to be climbing under stuff too.

 

[RichZ]

If you're not gonna use it that much (as you said) then you really don't have to worry too much about changing the blades. I have an old Bush Hog (very old) and I've been using it since I bought it used 6 years ago. I brush cut about 50 acres at least 4 times/year and I've never sharpened or changed the blades in that time and it still cuts just fine. Like Rebeldad1 said, most of us run older brush hogs without sharpening them, and for pasture work, they will cut just fine.

And from what I've heard, Kodiak makes a quality cutter.

 

[oosik]

It's not the climbing under - it's the getting back out and up.

 

[gravelman]

ahh that is the tough part...when i mentioned another pair of hands...it was to help me up !!!!!!!!!!!!!! The mowing you do must be free of rocks and debris...not so where i am.. you would not recognize the blades when it is time to sharpen... but i have most of the rocks rounded off now...

 

[sandman2234]

I like loading the tractor with brush mower on the trailer and sitting on a stool to sharpen the blades with a 4 inch grinder. I do make sure that it is well blocked if I need to raise it a little while on the trailer, and throw a chain to insure the tractor doesn't move. I leave the mower extending out past the end of the trailer.
For your blade removal, if your impact isn't strong enough to remove the bolts, a torque multiplier is a great investment. Usually pretty pricey, but occasionally a good deal can be found if you are diligent in your search.
David from jax

 

[gravelman]

That is a great idea...thank you. i use a breaker bar to start the nuts.. then an old fashioned socket..

 

[TBone]

I like loading the tractor with brush mower on the trailer and sitting on a stool to sharpen the blades with a 4 inch grinder. I do make sure that it is well blocked if I need to raise it a little while on the trailer, and throw a chain to insure the tractor doesn't move. I leave the mower extending out past the end of the trailer.
For your blade removal, if your impact isn't strong enough to remove the bolts, a torque multiplier is a great investment. Usually pretty pricey, but occasionally a good deal can be found if you are diligent in your search.
David from jax

That sounds like a plan. I'm gonna try that method next time. I used to have two bush hogs and a 50 hp tractor. My old one I only used to cut brush and small trees and I never sharpened it. The other one I kept the blades sharp and used it for smooth grass cutting. When I sold my big tractor and both 6' bush hogs I just have the one and use it 99% of the time to cut grass so I like to keep the blades sharp. I don't have rocks thank goodness.

 

[Slowpoke Slim]

Well I guess we know why they call you "gravelman" now. Lol.

I'm of the "Don't sharpen" camp. I've never had mine off or sharpened them (3 years), but I mostly mow pastures with no rocks. So I'm lucky there. I do have one large field I mow about once a year or two that has many hidden rocks in it, up to watermelon sized. I've hit a few for sure, but my blades still look fine. Makes a **** of a racket though, and puts some new dents in the deck, but it (so far) keeps cutting along. Hard to see them watermelon sized rocks when the grass is over your hood. But you sure know it when you find one.

:laughing:

 

[TBone]

It's not the climbing under - it's the getting back out and up.

Yeah, that's right. Gravity helps you down :thumbsup: but works against you getting up.:thumbdown:

 

[uphere]

I'm with Rich ... my cutter is a 30+yr old Howse and I still have the same blades. I bush hog about 15 acres 18 times a year with 5 of those not fit for hogging
Every two years or so I sharpen them with a grinder while on the machine ... flip it on its side with the loader. It is about done now but I more than got my money out of it.

 

[uphere]

Clarification: the "machine" here refers to the cutter BEFORE I have installed it on the tractor in the spring - I find the cutter does not blow snow that well

 

[K5lwq]

20 years and never had my blades off of my BushHog brand. I have a couple of times fixed some nicks in the blades as others by blocking and sitting on a bucket. I never crawl underneath to shape the blades.

 

[RalphVa]

hi folks..gravelman here..im thinking of buying a Kodiak 5' HD rotary cutter... any advice or info out there. I need an easy to change blade cutter...getting too old to be climbing under stuff. thanks

Kodiak, or any of them, do not require you to go underneath? How's it work?

The Frontier I have is MUCH better than the LX-4 was. The stump jumper stays in place. You access the nuts like on the LX-4: through a hole in the top after the tail wheel support is removed. Still gotta go underneath to put the bolts and blade back in place.

Torque on most of these is 450 ft lb. I just use a 6' piece of pipe over a 3/4" wrench handle and push as hard as I can. Figure it's pretty close to that, e.g. probably around 80 # on 6'.

Ralph

 

[kirkawilson]

Last time I sharpened my blades, I backed my tractor and rotary mower up to a chain hoist, unhooked the top link and pto connection, chained the hoist around the tail wheel, lifted the entire mowing deck to vertical position using the chain hoist, clamped one blade in horizontal position using the side of mower housing, used power hand grinder to sharpen edge, then repeated for second blade. Slight 'wobble' at slow rotating speed but seems to work fine. Rotary mower is at least 15 years old.