Who do I believe?

[Dalhan]

I own a Kubota 4330 Tractor and could really use a new 72" Rotary Cutter. I want to buy a Major brand Medium Duty one that can cut up to 2" in diameter. According to Kubota the 72" width is fine but the weight should not exceed 926 lbs. All the Major brands say that their Med. Cutters are fine for this and with a PTO rating at or way below mine. Woods, Rhino, and such weights are in the 1000-1100 range. What do you folks think?

 

[Tact]

I have a JD 4520 with a Woods BB72 cutter. My tractor is 53HP with a 50 HP PTO. The cutter has a 75 HP gearbox but they recommend it not cutting over 1 1/2" diameter brush on a regular basis. My tractor handles that cutter without any problem and it weighs 700 lbs. I'm sure it will cut a lot bigger saplings without any problems. If you're cutting large diameter brush on a regular basis you might want to look at the BB720 but I'm not sure about the weight. You can go to the Woods site to get what HP tractors their cutters are rated for.

 

[Bird]

Chuck, I try to never tell anyone to do anything different from what the manufacturer says to do, but just a few thoughts:

1) In my opinion, Kubota tends to be a bit conservative in their implement recommendations,
2) Do you think that weight limit of 926 pounds is
a) because more than that is too heavy for the 3-point; i.e., could damage a hydraulic cylinder,
or
b) because lifting something heavier would make the front end of the tractor too light for
steering?

If the answer is a) above, you could always keep the rear wheel(s) of the rotary cutter on the ground during transportation.

If the answer is b) above, you can add weight to the front end of the tractor, either with the front end loader or suitcase weights.

So I'd tell YOU to do what the manual says, but if it were ME, I'd go ahead and buy the rotary cutter you want.

 

[Z-Michigan]

1) In my opinion, Kubota tends to be a bit conservative in their implement recommendations,

+1

The manual for a Kubota M5040 indicates not to use a box blade larger than 72". Which is what many would say is fine for a 35hp CUT. I didn't find that very confidence inspiring.

I think you will be ok with the medium duty cutters if you have a FEL installed or are willing to consider adding a few suitcase weights on the front. No guarantees, of course!

 

[Dalhan]

I'm not really worried about the extra weight making the front end too light. My 4330 has a FEL. My real concern would be damaging the hitch cylinders with it.

 

[N80]

That would be my concern too. I'm not sure there is any way to know for sure how risky it is to exceed the hitch weight ratings.

You could consider a pull-type mower. They are a whole different animal but you could avoid potential risk to your tractor.

Having said that, I don't think I'd worry about exceeding the weight limit by 100 pounds or so. As Bird mentioned, just avoid heavy bounces with tail wheel off the ground.

 

[Z-Michigan]

Last time I checked an L4330 had a 3ph lift rating of around 2500lbs at 24" behind the balls. The cutter would have weight centered at maybe 36 to 40" behind the balls. I don't see how 1100lbs centered at that distance is going to exceed the lift rating or damage the lift cylinders. Again, I'm not guaranteeing it will work, but I personally wouldn't hesitate to try it. Most CUTs have far more rated 3ph lift than you could ever practically use.

 

[N80]

The Kubota manuals have a separate rating for the total weight of an attached implement.

 

[john_bud]

I own a Kubota 4330 Tractor and could really use a new 72" Rotary Cutter. I want to buy a Major brand Medium Duty one that can cut up to 2" in diameter. According to Kubota the 72" width is fine but the weight should not exceed 926 lbs. All the Major brands say that their Med. Cutters are fine for this and with a PTO rating at or way below mine. Woods, Rhino, and such weights are in the 1000-1100 range. What do you folks think?

I cut trails in the woods. That is hard work, so the tool of choice is a Woods BrushBull 600. The BB600 also has full front and rear chains - that's about 150+ pounds to the 1000# cutter. My tractor is a Kubota L3410 HST. It has been happily cutting 2" hardwoods and up to 4" softwoods on occasion. It is over the capacity listed, but the tractor with FEL handles it fine. No issues with steering, transport or running it. You should be fine with the BB720, or equivalent. Just keep the FEL on it, or the nose will be light.

jb

 

[hsvhobbit]

Not sure but I was told by my dealer that the concern on Kubota's part is a 'tail wagging the dog' effect. I've noticed the effect slightly with my 4630 and my 700+ lb Rhino 6 footer. If I'm going up a slight incline with the cutter raised up and then turn, the front end will skate a little. Some weights or a FEL would take care of that I believe.