Walk behind brush mowers

[marks]

I too was in your position last summer and launched a similar thread. After having rented two machines; the Billy Goat - which just man handles you, after several hours I was exhausted. The Bachtold hi-wheel mower, was completely inadequate for any type of slope mowing. After researching Swisher, I felt that their support would be entirely inadequate. For instance, I called Swisher and requested a list of dealers here in CA. After calling several dealers, none of them knew that they carried such a product! Hence I looked for a DR, on ebay. And just last week purchased a 15hp Kawasaki for $1450, including shipping from WY. Haven't had the chance to use it yet, but it starts well, and I'm optimistic about its performance.

 

[Wingman1]

For the last month I have been searching for a brush mower as well. I have narrowed it down to two brands.

The DR seems to be the mower of choice from all I have read. Being able to have other attachments is a plus. We have other DR equipment and never had a problem that did not get taken care of promptly.

I also like the looks of the Snapper. I think it's strong point is the hydrostatic drive. I also have a good Snapper dealer in the area that gave me a good price. I know if there is a problem it will be taken care of as well.

Has anyone had or still have a Snapper model?

 

[6or7dazeaweek]

John:

You might want to look into the BILLY GOAT brand of walk behind brush mowers. I bought one last year and according to the specs, they say you can reclaim up to three quarters of an acre per hour with it.

This has been a great machine for me. 3 speeds forward & 1 reverse and I think the cut is about 24" wide.

It has a 13hp Kawasaki gas engine, elec start as well as recoil start, and two cutting heights. This is NOT a string mower...has an actual blade and I've cut thru 1.5" stuff with it. It's not a finish mower but if you're looking to reclaim land, you should give it a good look.

The only problem area is the size of the gas tank. You need to keep the gas can close by if you're doing a lot of work with it.

Jon

 

[BrianSouthernMD]

Wingman1 and all,
For 2006, DR Power has added Lockable Differential and Electric Blade Clutch to its Field and Brush Mowers. /forums/images/graemlins/cool.gif This makes what I found to be the best walk-behind brush mower for heavy-duty use even better!

When you engage the differential you'll have have equal and maximum power at both wheels for added traction. Disengage the differential and the wheels turn independently, for easy turning and maneuverability.

There is now a Blade Control Knob on the control panel used to activate or deactivate the Electric Blade Clutch (which they say is now made by Ogura and is the same clutch that's been used on commercial salt spreaders).

Three problems I had with the Billy Goat Outback I rented (before buying a 17hp DR) were (1) awkwardness of engaging and disengaging the Billy Goat's clutch using your feet, (2) tendency of its rear discharge design to have tall, thick materials wrap around the the wheels/axle, and (3) its 24" cutting width not being as robust as units with 30" cutting widths.

I haven't seen many comments from owners of the Simplicity / Snapper / Ferris brush mower on TBN or anywhere. But since they are offered only with a 25" cutting width, they won't handle thick materials as well as the DR 17hp and 18hp models with 30" cutting widths.

 

[rox]

How big an area do you have to cut? We use these
http://www.stihl.us/trimmers/FS550.html

This is basically a skill saw blade attached at the end of a long turning pole. Everybody around here has one of these. We ahve to keep the land clear to prevent forest fires. And we dont' have grass around here, mostly brush type vegetation, and of course trees.

It gets into places no wheeled equipment could reach. So back to my question of how big an area to you need to clear?

 

[aesanders]

BCS makes a very heavy duty two wheel tractor. They are more heavily built than DR and Snapper brush cutters. More versatile as well with many attachments available, andsome models even have a diesel motor option. You can even get a wood spliters, wood chipper and even a hay balers for the larger variety. They are best known for their tiller attachment.
This is a Euro import where they still farm quite a few acres with this type machine. Goldoni is another Euro make that makes a similar two wheel tractor but they are not as readily available in the U.S.

They have brush cutters available up to 31 inches wide.

Here is a great website to read up on two wheel tractors and what they can do...

http://www.earthtoolsbcs.com/index.html

 

[Wingman1]

Brian & aesanders
Thanks for the updated information on the DR. That is/was the direction I was headed until ........... I saw the BCS website provided by aesanders. Although out of my league .... it did cause me to dream! I still may sharpen the pencil and see what the numbers amount to for the BCS equipment. Having the advantage of multiple attachments adds to it's use.

 

[Wingman1]

Rox,
We use those type tools as well. Once you cut the stuff down, then you have to do something with it (haul, burn, chip etc.). We live on 65 acres and we have machinery to take care of it. We have two smaller parcels that is near enough to haul what tool/machine is needed ( 20-30 miles).

We recently purchased 13 acres for a mountain get-away (300 miles away). Although I will probably haul the small tractor and bush hog (1720 ford) there to begin with, it will not stay. There are some areas a little to steep for tractor use, others near a stream that a tractor would do more harm than good.

With a walk behind we can be more selective in what gets cut down. It would also be used to create walking/atv paths where the height of the small tractor would not be feasible.

The more I search the more stuff I find to do the job. The problem is I would have to get a second job to afford all the stuff. I may have to stick to a axe and matches.

 

[NIXON]

Rx it's kind of hard to put down into area . But 1-2 acres would best cover it . I've got a decent weed eater,and a 5ft BH . Ijust need to find something that will do those jobs that are in between the two .
The DR is very attractive to me . But,at 3k .... I've got to think about it for a bit . The Snapper is also attractive at 1/3 less . But will ti hold up ? In a lot of ways, this is worse than buying a tractor /forums/images/graemlins/smile.gif John

 

[aesanders]

If you just want a good brush mower, I would probablyget the Dr. It will definately cost less than buying a BCS. The DR is a good unit. However, if you see yourself with two, three or more types of equipment, the BCS starts to make a lot of sense. Their tiller is second to none. Brush cutters are very good. Even the snowblowers (single stage) is quite powerful. It's a good all around machine. I have a model 830 which is no longer made (similar to the 852 but less powerful with a 9hp briggs vanguard). The BCS machines are all direct drive so they are more powerful than similar machines with the same hp rating.

The local BCS dealer near me ( a John Deere dealer) has been selling them for 20+ years and say they are the best thing since sliced bread. They use one for their snowremoval around the facility. Says they work better than the 2 stage Frontier snowblowers they sell. This dealer told me they sell most of their's to professional landscapers as tillers, and to local farmers who do tilling, brushremoval and snowblowing around the farm.