Rotary Cutter Trying to decide on brush cutter.

[J.Wal]

I am comparing the Bad Boy 5’ cutter the Everything Attachment 5” cutter for my 04 L3130 shuttle shift. ( 31HP, 25HP at the PTO)

I will be using it in wooded areas and will need as heavy duty as I can get for a 5’. Both are very similar. The bad boy comes with a higher Hp gear box ( 50 vs 45) and a slip clutch PTO shaft. Seems the Bad Boy has some extra thickness around the gear box and a little more sturdy built through the design.

I believe I can get either around the same price as the other. I have a Bad Boy dealer that said about $1,350. The Everything Attachment one is $1,300 and I am within the free shipping area.

Just looking for any feedback on the Bad Boy brand cutter. I love the color scheme on the Bad Boy. That has nothing to do with cutting, and not a selling point... but a nice perk of it.

Anyone happen to have a Bad Boy cutter? Thoughts on the two?

 

[Z-Michigan]

I am comparing the Bad Boy 5 cutter the Everything Attachment 5 cutter for my 04 L3130 shuttle shift. ( 31HP, 25HP at the PTO)

I will be using it in wooded areas and will need as heavy duty as I can get for a 5? Both are very similar. The bad boy comes with a higher Hp gear box ( 50 vs 45) and a slip clutch PTO shaft. Seems the Bad Boy has some extra thickness around the gear box and a little more sturdy built through the design.

No experience with either one, but a few comments on those differences:
-the gearbox HP probably doesn't matter for your tractor
-a slip clutch PTO shaft is, for rough mowing, very nice to have and would be a huge selling point over what I assume is shear bolt on the EA. Be aware that the slip clutch will require minor maintenance (loosen, rotate, tighten) one or two times a year to keep it functional.
-extra sturdiness is very worthwhile on a RC

That said, I bought a EA post hole digger two months ago and was very pleased with the quality when it arrived. No bad surprises and I feel I got a good value.

 

[J.Wal]

I have looked up the slip clutch maintenance and it won’t be too hard to maintain. I do need the best for catching objects and stuff like that, so that’s a huge plus! Thanks for the feedback!

 

[J.Wal]

Bad Boy on top, E.A. On bottom

 

[Z-Michigan]

The picture is very helpful!

I think the EA actually has a much better deck design. Three-sided tubing vs. just simple strips/plates. The EA design will be stronger and stiffer due to the more effective reinforcement. The Bad Boy design will probably collect all the grass clippings, weed heads etc. You can either brush them off daily or they will rot in place and eventually cause rust. The EA design will still need a broom but be easier to get clean.

The EA also has a clevis style draft link attachment, which is much stronger than the one-sided pins on the Bad Boy.

However, you will probably want the slip clutch and front/rear shields, and that would add $300 to the EA:
60 Inch XTreme Duty Rotary Brush Cutter

You should also look at the Kodiak brand, which is sold by AgriSupply and others. Both standard duty and medium duty models:

5' Mower With 4 HP Gearbox | Kodiak 47675

Kodiak MD6, Rotary Cutter, Lift Type Rotary Cutter | Kodiak 8263

 

[J.Wal]

No Kodiak dealers near me (Memphis TN)

I plan to clean both top and under side after each use to prevent rust and buildup like that.

Good points on the construction of the units.

 

[Z-Michigan]

No Kodiak dealers near me (Memphis TN)

ASC ships a lot of implements and for the short distance from NC to Memphis it might not be too expensive. I'd suggest calling to find out. You could also drive to an ASC and back in a day.

 

[nybirdman]

I have a Bush-Hog branded 5ft.cutter that has been used on three different tractors and has about 1,000 hours(shear pin) that has been great.Replaced the blades one time.

 

[ericm979]

I prefer a solid tube mount for the rear wheel when backing into brush or under trees. The strap A frames can bend if you bash the mower into a solid object. I try not to do that but sometimes mistakes are made. The other thing I look for is a floating link with a lot of travel. Both the Bad boy and EA have a short travel link. I mow on uneven terrain and sometimes back the mower up on parts steeper than I can drive.

I ended up with a Kodiak. I'd have gotten it from ASC but the expensive shipping to California made it cost close to what my dealer was asking for a Mahindra branded Kodiak and it was easier to get it with the tractor. So far it's been good, though I hit a big rock that put a dent on the skirt from the inside and made one blade hang up on the other but it was easy to pull it free.

 

[DieselBound]

x2 on a good floating top link. And a chain skirt is a must-have if really going through rough stuff: wish that my Landpride 1860 had one; my Bush Hog BH46 does.

I had a very light duty Rankin 5' RC and that thing held up surprisingly well. I think that you really have to beat these things to cause any damage to them. If you're going to be busting rocks then make sure you get as thick of decking as you can find: it's the deck that's most likely to give way first (holes punched through it, rusting out).

 

[Black Sheep]

If you're serious about brush cutting. Get a Black Sheep Mowers!

 

[bcp]

First tire drive mower I've seen in years. I didn't know any were still made.

Bruce

 

[Black Sheep]

We've made a few.

 

[oosik]

J Wal If I were looking for a truly heavy duty rear cutter - I'd be looking at Brown Mfg or Bush Hog. From what I've read on multiple threads - with proper maintenance the Brown 4 series or the Bush Hog BH20 series should last a lifetime. Your tractor is not big enough for the Brown 6 or Bush Hog 320 series.

 

[Cord]

Look at the deck and side metal thickness and use that as your deciding factor.

 

[coobie]

As mentioned brown brush cutters are VERY stout but expensive.I ended up purchasing a brush hog 20 series about 4 years ago,very happy so far.

 

[RyeThomas]

Whatever you decide spring for the front/rear shields. I ran one cutter with no shields, it’s amazing how far they can throw things out the rear and no matter how low you make the front it will cover the rear of your machine with material and can also throw stuff that direction. It’s amazing how hard it can be to find them after the fact. Good luck.

 

[CCWKen]

Why do they put such flimsy tail wheel bracket on them now days? I've got an old Ford cutter that has a lot of iron back there and I'm glad of it. It could serve as a truck bumper. I'll occasionally break off a 2-3" Mesquite branch backing up under them to mow. Those little angle iron brackets wouldn't last five minutes.

Go with a slip clutch. Shear pins on brush cutter will be nothing but aggravation.

 

[DieselBound]

I got a VERY used Bush Hog BH286 and I'm fairly happy with it. Around here it's impossible to find anything like it, used. 6-footer. Was [ab]used in a business; previous owner had to weld 1/4" plate steel on it as the top of the deck has started to get pretty well beat. It's an older unit and even at that the tail wheel wasn't all that robust; I ended up breaking the bracket and having it welded (I don't have a welder) and reinforced so it's vastly better than stock. $800 purchase price, $150 weld job and $300 for a new PTO shaft (with slip clutch) and it works as good as a $3k cutter.

Side and deck thickness and gearbox rating pretty much govern the duty level. In general, the heavier the unit the heavier duty it is: the weight, of course, is a direct correlation to steel thickness. My BH286 was about 960 lbs, but with the extra plate steel it's well over 1k lbs. Gearbox is rated 110hp. And they only rated it at 2" cutting capacity!

I really appreciate having a cab when I'm running this cutter through some heavy brush. I've opened up a window to find out that the noise is really intense. Heavier duty cutter means you can make a LOT more noise!

 

[wngsprd]

I have the same tractor as the OP and have been running a Woods 6 ft slip clutch with great success since buying it new in 2004. I mostly use if for fields, sometimes tall and thick grass and weeds, with no more than 1 inch brush and saplings...and it is wide enough to cover my tracks, never bogs down. If I had to replace it, I'd look at Woods again first, and compare EA and Bush Hog.