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jdemaris
01-02-2004 18:27:19
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Re: Recommendation on brush-hogs in reply to Kerry Brunner, 12-31-2003 18:37:57
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I've been using "Brush Hogs" for years, over a lot of rough ground and hillsides. Also use them for cutting down what's left of standing corn in the spring before plowing. In the past, I've been using older units, usally actually built by Bush Hog Company, and never gave much thought to "what to look for" in a new one. After all, a simple machine, right? Well, I learned a few things. I was hired to keep 50 acres cut for somebody, and they agreed to buy a new unit for the purpose (their cutter, my tractor and time). Called a local tractor dealer and he wanted $1400 for a 6 foot Bush Hog. So, went down to the Tractor Supply Store and bought a new King Kutter for somewhere around $600, thinking "how different can it be?" What a PIECE OF JUNK! Made me think of things I'd taken for granted before. First, we I got two flat tires in one day. That, because the cutter has no metal or guard to stop drebis from being shot towards the tractor as I mowed. One day, two chunks of barbed wire, two flats. All the old junkers I use DO have guards. Called the place where we got it, and they said they have the guard for an extra $200. Wound up making my own. Then more problems. Like it kept breaking the top link pin when we hit bumps because of bad engineering. The old cutters never did this, they have a built in release. Finally had to stop using the top-link and put a chain on instead. Then more problems, found our this thing will plow dirt on uneven ground instead of riding over it when backing up - because it has no skids built onto it (like all my older cutters). So, the point to my story is . . . there really is a difference in brands and price ranges. I think most of the older machines were built better and engineered well, but now there's a lot out there that's been cheapened, or targetted for the homeowner a light use. On your 8N, I think having an over-riding PTO attachment is a must - since you don't have an independent or live PTO. You can buy one for around $40. As for the rest - like the problems I mentioned, depends how you're going to use it, I guess. I've found that paying the extra dollars for a slip-clutch instead of a shear-bolt is also a big plus. A friend of mine, thought he was being smart by buying a new Bush Hog from the Bush Hog dealer, but he got their cheaper version called the "Squealer." It uses a shear-bolt instead of a slip clutch. He spent a day with it cutting brush and broke over half a dozen shear bolts. Now he's pissed, and wishes he's spent the extra bucks for next better model. Neither of us are inexperiencd with equipment; I was a John Deere mechanic most of my life, and my friend who bought the squealer is a retired dairy and crop farmer. I guess, sometimes we take good engineering for granted - until we use something bad.
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