Rotary Cutter Rotary Cutter

stubblefield · Feb 14, 2002

It will be worth your trip. I bought a much used KingKutter a couple years ago from a subdivision developer who I think used it to level trees and hills and let it sit outside 12 months of the year. I gave it a coat of paint and have used it many hours and it is as tough and dependable as the Bushhog rotary mower I sold after buying my current smaller tractor. My point - I am very impressed with KingKutter.

webbmeister · Feb 14, 2002

I don't know, Mike. Aside from reimbursing him his cost on the materials and the time it takes his outfit to spread the lime, I'd just keep on doing whatever it is you're doing to make the guy think so highly of you. There's another thread around here somewhere about what to ask in return for grading a neighbor's drive. The consensus there, and it seems prevalent in the spirit of the TBN community, is that when it comes to your time (within reason) it ought to be part of the grease that makes relations with neighbors run smoothly. Judging by your friend's actions, I'd say he might see it that way too. -Jim

rancar · Feb 14, 2002

Thank John, Rich, Rubintrofen -- I'm going back now to do more research on these things. I'll let you guys know where I'm going.

MikePA · Feb 16, 2002

I'm in the market for a 48" rotary cutter for use with my TC25D and collected the following information from the company web sites. Which attributes are more important?

<pre>
Model Cutting Weight Gearbox Deck Blade
KK L-48-40-P 1 - 8 420 40 hp 12 ga .5 x 3
Landpride RCR-1548 1.75-11.5 475 30 hp 12 ga .5 x 3
Woods 1 - 9 456 50 hp 12 ga 3/8 x 3"
Bush Hog SQ480 2 - 12 431 45 hp 11 ga 3/8 x 3"

</pre>

Anonymous Poster · Feb 16, 2002

Cutting height doesn't matter much. You probably want to cut most fields 4"-8" high.

The overall weight can be an indicator of the amount of metal in the unit. But these weights may only be approximate (ship weight, or field ready? With chain guards, or without?) so a 20 pound difference doesn't matter. As long as your tractor can comfortably lift it.

The gearbox should be able to withstand a greater load than your tractor can provide, i.e. the HP rating of the hog should exceed your tractor's.

A thicker deck (lower gauge number) helps keep the hog from being battered to death from the inside by flying brush parts.

A heavier blade batters the brush better.

Anonymous Poster · Feb 16, 2002

Mike,

Have you checked the prices of them...?/w3tcompact/icons/blush.gif

Using a 20 PTO hp tractor... you're not going to hurt any gearbox... At this hp/entry level I would go for best price and it appears the KingKutter leads the pack selected...

Cosmetically the other three are nicest... but the 1" brush doesn't care who is prettiest..

One spec you left out is "blade speed"... the higher the better for shredding purposes, but with a smaller hp unit, you'd have to spend more time on the debris and in turn go slower with the "brush stuff or high out-of-control grass"...

Anonymous Poster · Feb 16, 2002

I almost forgot. One of the most important attributes is width.

The width does the work. A 5' hog cuts light stuff 25% faster than a 4' hog, if your tractor can handle it. It's nice to have an implement that covers your tracks, but sometimes that just isn't practical.

Did you decide on a 4' hog because of the manufacturer's recommendation, or for some other reason? I've used a 5' hog on a tractor with 23 PTO HP with few problems.

MikePA · Feb 17, 2002

JMIII - Nope, have checked prices yet, although I know the KK will be the least expensive. /w3tcompact/icons/smile.gif

Rubintropfen - I decided on a 4' model because I wont be using it all that much and wanted the lowest entry price.

Anonymous Poster · Feb 17, 2002

<font color=blue>...I decided on a 4' model because I wont be using it all that much and wanted the lowest entry price...</font color=blue>

With KingKutter... the price differential between a 4' to 5' rotary cutter only ranges about $5- 10. ... the other manufacturers put a "premium" price tag on the 4' that usually ends up costing more than the 5'.../w3tcompact/icons/shocked.gif

For 20 PTO hp, I think the 4' is ideal for this marriage of hp... as I've said before the 5' would be too much implement unless it was only grass/very light duty stuff...

The best way I can explain it other than to try it out for yourself and see... Using Lawn Mowers as an example: imagine a brand new 5 hp B/S engine mounted on a 22" mower deck... and then a 5 hp B/S lawn mower engine mounted on a 33" mower deck... they both work good with 2" high grass... but with 3-4" or higher grass... the 22" deck still works good with some bogging down... however the 33" deck is constantly choking and now you're going extra slow so the engine doesn't stall out...

The rotary cutter and plow are two implements where matching the width of your tractor doesn't usually work with that "as wide as the tractor unwritten formula..."

MikePA · Feb 17, 2002

Thanks, John, et. al. My sister has a 4' Bush Hog that she uses with her 2410 and she's very happy with it.

I find it interesting, and not a little ironic, that many people buy a larger implement, ostensibly to complete a task in less time. However, if the implement is too much for the tractor and conditions, they have to slow down, thus defeating the reason for the larger implement.