Rotary Cutter Which of these 3 brush cutters?

[canucklehead]

I'm looking for a used brush cutter/rotary cutter. There are at least 3 Frontier RC 1060s for sale, all say new or used once. All different sellers. Makes me worry a bit that they're being sold so soon after purchase. The sellers all say they got them from John Deere dealer, but i don't think it's JD brand. $900-1,000

#2 is used Mohawk, looks clean in pic, but probably the most use. Asking $750.

#3 Is a brand new JBar, made in the USA. $800

I believe all 3 are 5' decks. So which of these is the best deal/best value/best make?

THANKS!!!!!!!!!!

 

[Gale Hawkins]

I would just go with the one that looked the best to meet my needs.

There is a drive shaft, gear box, spindle and blades so no rocket science.

 

[KennyV]

This is the time of year around here that farm auctions are very common... If they have them up there, check around and go to a few. You should come across great deals on well maintained used equipment.

If you end up not finding exactly what you are looking for you will be able to find what to look for in good cutters.... KennyV

 

[Mark @ Everlast]

Go with Mohawk.
JBar is generally very light duty.

 

[canucklehead]

thanks for the quick replies. i recently went to a local auction and like every auction i go to, someone is always willing to get into a bidding war and pay more than the item is worth. These used prices for practically new stuff are a better deal than what I've seen at auctions. Cutters that look bashed, thrashed, worn out and old seem to fetch $500. So for a couple hundred more, I'd be okay with a like-new unit.

GH, I was thinking the same thing for the basic operation. I'm wondering if there's much difference in quality of construction, quality of steel, design, etc...?

 

[Gale Hawkins]

I have never seen any bush hog type mower that failed until after many years or massive abuse like putting a harden bolt for a shear pin (lowest grade possible should be used).

Seals going bad and the gear boxes being ran dry seems to be a main cause of death. I have seen leaking gear boxes last for 20 more years IF they are topped of before each use.

Like you I had rather have new if used is much over 50% of new price.

 

[clemsonfor]

those beat up ones are probly really heavy duty so thats not that bad. The Jbar is light unless they make a pro model or something. My 4 fter ( i know how tough should a 4 fter bee) has dents from cutting like 2 '' trees and some dings that look like bullet marks and i have bent the rear support twice and welded some angle to it to toughen it up, the second time was my fault for not doing the angle the entire length and i think the heat affected it so it bent the second time right above where the angle ended. i would go for a heavier duty than the jbar esp for that money. Mine also got vines aroung the shaft like the second time i used it that cut the seal and i could not get them all off and just kep using it and this last time i used it i think almost allthe oil has leaked out after about a week so i either need to top it off everythime pull the gear box or put that corn husker head greese people talk about putting in leaky gearboxes. Dont get me wrong the leak is in no way a fault of the manufacturer it could have happened to bush hog brand kingkutter or anyone stuff on a shaft will tear up a seal no matter the manufacturer. I should have been persistant like i did after the last time with scredrivers and things till i got them all off the shaft.

-nate

 

[KennyV]

nate...
I have to agree with you, If you go back several decades, farm equipment was built to last many generations, that is not the case with a lot of the attachments available today.

Things were built much better using a far better quality steel.
Many times old used equipment is worth MORE than new replacement stuff... KennyV

 

[sweettractors]

We sell Hawkline. Even the economy model is heavier than most. Ken Sweet

 

[canucklehead]

hey ALL, thanks very much for the excellent feedback. Last night I went and bought the 5' Mohawk. I think you guys make some good points: the older steel is heavier/thicker. The spec on the JBar is 12 ga for the 5' model. This one had been painted and you could see lots of "bullet" marks and spots where the paint covered light rust. I was really surprised how good the underside was, with no eaten-through rust spots, virtually no light rust, quite clean and solid. Blades looked good. I paid $550. It looks fairly well used and I hoped to pay $500, but for an extra $50 it was still worth it. Still cheaper than spending $900 on the like-new Frontier RC 1060s. The one thing i liked about those Frontiers is that they have a nice chain guard.

The only issue I had was crossing the border and doing the paperwork. These people couldn't be less helpful and more militant if they tried. Nice to know you pay their wage so they can flex their power and treat you like dirt.