Good brands to watch for in a Bush Hog (rotary cutter)

Hey all - looking for some wisdom, as I'm pretty new to all things tractor.

I've got a Massey 135 (perkins gas), and recently brought it up to working order. We don't yet have a bush hog, and it's one of the implements we know we need. The tractor has a 6' wheel width, and I'm a bit torn between a 6' bush hog to cover the tracks, or a 5' bush hog that I know my 135 won't have any trouble running.

And as the post suggests, I'm also interested in hearing whether there are brands that are known for their durability, brands to avoid, etc.

Any advice appreciated! Thanks in advance,

Doskei

I have always used a WOODS 5 foot bush hog and never with any trouble.I make a point to go around stones or lift hog to go over them. Still on the original set of blades with carefull sharpening. The Woods might cost more in the beginning, but it has never let me down.

Both sizes will work, the difference being the 6' is heavier and I am not sure if that will make the front end light on your tractor as configured. Keep in mind the weight of the mower, relative to the front axle, a tractor may handle a larger or heavier duty model, but you may need front weight or get one that is better suited to the tractor you plan to use it on. Performance, you will have more power available to the 5' size and it will likely shred better, but that depends on what you are cutting. I've used a 6' model on a similar tractor for 13 years or so, and even going up hill, tall thick hay like grasses, will be all the tractor wants to deal with, but it will cut it quite well, at a reasonable height, lower you go, the more power you will need, same with the width you are cutting, take less of a bite and you will notice the difference. If you are maintaining pasture or areas that are not left to grow wild requiring clearing, the 6' size and that tractor will work fine, its the heavy thick grasses/weeds or vegetation that will bog you down, and that is where the 5' model will likely do a better job. The drawback is the tractor width, what you run over will won't cut as cleanly.

There are many manufacturers of these, I like Rhino myself, (see link below), but Bush Hog, Woods, Howse, King Kutter and how many others out there offer a good medium duty, mounted, (3pt) rotary cutter, you'll have to compare, check pricing and dealer support.

Bush Hog and Woods have a good reputation, we sold the previous a long time ago, both Bush Hog and Servis-Rhino has been building these a long time, so has Woods.

I have a Rhino dealer nearby, when I upgrade to a new one someday, it will likely be a Rhino. I've run an older Rhino SE-6 that has seen a some acres before I got it, they are durable and this one is not heavy duty. I like the new deck design, preferably all implements are to be kept under a roof, but if not, this one, if cleaned after useage, will shed water off the deck. Gear boxes are stout and they just seem to be a well built rotary mower. I'd still look at the others, its nice to compare and see whats what and be comfortable with what you buy no matter what manufacturer.

Keep in mind, for best performance, the mower needs to be properly adjusted to the tractor, and new or sharp blades maintained. Be cognizant of field conditions and obstacles. I don't like areas I don't know, so I'll walk them to look for hazards and or cut with the deck up high.

I would advise getting safety guards if they do not come standard with the mower, these things have the potential to launch things out, though the one I run has been great about that, the trajectory is evident, mine has no guards so I keep rpms down and cutting height up when in areas that I know will toss stalks or rocks. With recent discussion of guards on this site and the fact that I saw a softball size round rock come out the front of a bush hog brand cutter with no guards in May of '82 as I recall. It sent it up over a hedge row into an old pasture, they are necessary. That rock would have killed a person instantly, hit like a home run, out of the park! Guards will dampen the projectile or stop it, protecting both the operator and the tractor, especially the rear tires.
Rhino

Bush Hog

Woods

Howse

King Kutter

If you get a 6 footer make sure it has an adjustable tail wheel you can set that so there is less weight behind you.

Excellent advice so far! Very much appreciated.

With these replies, I'm leaning more toward 5'. I know I can bring the wheels in a bit if I find that not covering my own tracks bothers me, and we are definitely going to be trying to tame some wilds, so I think I'd rather have the implement power than an extra foot of width.

There's a used 5' Woods available a couple hours away from me, for a decent price ($500). Based on these responses, I'm considering this more than I was before - I'd basically written it off and planned to wait for something closer.

Fair distance to travel, I'd want to know it was in good shape to go that far to look at one. These do see more abuse than most implements, people don't necessarily take good care of them, good clear photos may help you see if its worth even making the trip, that is if the seller will even provide them.

Things to be aware of, gear box to deck - make sure its not loose and wallowing the mount holes. Gearbox lube, whats in there, do either of the oil seals leak and has someone put their own concoction of grease and oil in there ? Blades and stump pan, what condition are they, any weld repairs needed to the stump pan, deck also ? Blades can be replaced, and the rest of the deck unless terribly rotted out, should not be problem, just steel and can be repaired. Thing is they get used and abused, and some used ones you may want to walk away from.

I would agree on the width, benefits being less rear weight, and more power to the business end of it, likely giving better performance in clearing. I ran a 5' wide rotary mower for years behind the same HP general purpose tractor as your M-F, it could have ran a 6' model, that being the maximum width though, the 5' width performed well, and was a bit less taxing on the tractor. I ran the 6' one on a 45HP tractor and in the heat, uphill, thick/tall grasses, that tractor was working hard taking a full depth and width cut.

I now have the mower on a more powerful tractor and it does not strain the tractor at all in what I have cut so far, and my ground speed is increased significantly when conditions allow. The biggest difference is that it does not bog down and shreds more effectively and efficiently. So its like I went back to a 5' model in a sense, though I could use a 7' or an 8' of a different configuration. When clearing thick brush, with wood like stalks, vines and large bushes of bramble or multiflora, with all the prickers, the 6' is a great match, I creep in reverse, at a lower RPM and it safely cuts the vegetation, starting up at full height, them lowering to get the stubs down to avoid the potential tire puncture and to gently work the mower into the material. The stalks always bend, but sooner or later you may get one that does not, so you have to use care in how you work. I'm not cutting fields of this brush either, just backing into perimeters or making paths for future reference, just some isolated clearing where needed. Its not fun work, cripes I hit a ground wasp nest yesterday, got out with only 2 stings LOL! That 6' mower really performs great for this work, and I am not getting pelted with flying debris, the torque/power to the blades at a low throttle really helps it perform in these conditions and not send out chards of sharp woody stalks.

Fantastic - I'm strongly tempted to take a day off to go look at, and quite possibly buy it. Here's the post:

https://bloomington.craigslist.org/grd/5214297473.html

I think when I looked at it, it was $475, though I might be thinking of another listing (I've been scouring them lately). The recent paint makes it look nice but I'll definitely give it a close inspection to see if I think that was done to cover extensive rust. I would not have known about most of the other factors to specifically look at, so I will give myself a little checklist and do some research before I go.

Also, I appreciate the description of how you use it, and the techniques you use (e.g. start high, drop it down) and why. I have a LOT to learn

I have a howse 5ft. Light duty machine, works fine for cutting grass weeds, small trees
brush,

Not so good for trees so large you have to push over and the tractor rides up on them.

Enough hard hits on rocks stumps and the light duty stump jumper will bend up at the
ends, this allows the tips of the blades to start touching the deck of the cutter.

Just depends on what you are going to be cutting.

My little TO35 handles it fine, does a good job for me.

I have a Howse 6 foot on a Ford 4610 Iv had it for
10 years now and use it 2-3 times a year to mow
about 8 acres of horse pasture, not one problem
with it. I were looking for something heavy duty,
than a Woods brush bull or bush hog squealer are 2
good units. 2 of my friends also have rhino units
which they both like.

Bush hog is a brand not generic name for rotary cutter cut with front lower to prevent cutting material twice.
As you said about bloomington just where are you? I am about 30 miles west of bloomington

(quoted from post at 13:49:24 09/27/15) Bush hog is a brand not generic name for rotary cutter cut with front lower to prevent cutting material twice.
As you said about bloomington just where are you? I am about 30 miles west of bloomington

Click to expand...

I'm about 15 mi in the other direction - near Helmsburg, north of Nashville.

And yeah - I found out while searching that "Bush Hog" is like "Frisbee" - used (at least in my experience) to describe a category when it's technically a brand. Live and learn.

I did end up buying the Woods 5' from Craigslist, and I'm very happy with it. The seller did a great job fixing it up before selling - the gearbox is in good shape, all the moving parts are greased up. It cuts nicely and is surprisingly quiet.

The only things I need to do to it are:
1) get a sway bar, so I can push it off to one side - which will allow me to cover at least one of my tracks / mow along a fence.
2) using a bracket provided by the seller, I need to install a lift arm so I can raise the whole cutter rather than just the front lip, the better to shred all my multiflora rose!

Thanks again all for the advice. Don't hesitate to add more, as I'm sure this could help other newbs down the road.