5' Rotary Cutter Options

[WADFL]

Well throwing location In I can certainly understand the decision.

I was under the assumption that all of these were located similar and reasonable distances from you. Cause if that was the case, $200 more for a BH215 would have been a better play. But not so much if you had to drive another few hundred miles just to get it

Yes, for $2000 the BushHog 215 would have been the correct decision, even driving up to SC to pick it up. Unfortunately they were sold out and only had the lighter version (185?) in stock for $1900 so it wasn't a choice.

 

[Williy]

If you have trouble lifting it or attaching it
put it on a put wheels on a pallet put cutter
on pallet then just roll it up to your hitch/3pt
This will eliminate the problem of trying to
back up to hook it up straining your neck

willy

 

[LD1]

Quick hitches are wonderful

 

[MESSMAKER]

I bought the BadBoy…$1800 all in. Found it at a Tractor Supply over on the coast. It had just arrived.
I had a couple extra straps on the unit and it traveled home just fine. Was able to use the pallet forks to pull it off the trailer, using my box blade as counterweight.

This is a heavy tool and I’m struggling to get it on the 3ph.

For the money, this was the best product.

To address the auction comments, rotary cutters just don't seem to be resold often here in FL. I went to a couple equipment auctions up in GA this past summer - and watched a Frontier, Land Pride, and CountyLine go for 75% of the new prices. There's just not value in buying used right now for this equipment in my location.

Finding dealers with them in stock is harder. Of my original list of 5, two were in Georgia, one was in South Carolina, and I lucked upon the one I bought here 35 miles away from home.

I like the looks of the Bad Boy. It has lift pins instead of shackles for the lift arms. Nothing wrong with them, but they will need attention from time to time. If they get loose, they mess up the threads and must be replaced. Not a big deal, not expensive, but can be a bit aggravating. Good luck with your new cutter.

 

[kenmac]

Weight of unit and thickness of steel used would probably give you an idea of how heavily constructed the cutter is. Find out how much power the gearbox is supposed to take. That may give an idea how sturdy the unit is, too. I've not done any cutter shopping, I've had my King Kutter for over fifteen years and it's still cutting fine.

that's why the LMC cutters hold up pretty well, The side and rear skirt is channel, not just sheet steel. I have seen some of these land prides with the skirts bent all up from people hitting stuff. I have backed into trees and about anything else, and nothing has bent.

I have had my LMC cutter for probably 12 years, and nothing is bent. I cut small trees, brush and grass, it has held up very well behind my MX5100 with only a 40 HP gear box. Only thing I have replaced are the blades

 

[cathy liebchen]

Best you can buy is a matter of opinion.

If you are gonna compare a 415 brown to a list of light duty cutters, yes it is a better cutter. And twice the weight as some of the ones in the list

But to be fair, you would have to compare it to similar cutters from the competition. Brown only makes a heavy duty cutter. The other manufacture make light, medium, and heavy duty. Comparing light and medium duty offerings to the brown is just silly.

Only buy a heavy duty cutter

 

[LD1]

Only buy a heavy duty cutter

Thats like saying we should all only buy big tractors. If its not needed its a waste of money and potentially unusable

 

[RickB]

I like the looks of the Bad Boy. It has lift pins instead of shackles for the lift arms. Nothing wrong with them, but they will need attention from time to time. If they get loose, they mess up the threads and must be replaced. Not a big deal, not expensive, but can be a bit aggravating. Good luck with your new cutter.

Take the nuts off the lift pins and pitch the lock washers in the trash. Put red Loctite on the threads and tighten the nuts as tight as you can get them. Put a long punch or tapered bar in the lynch pin hole to keep the pin from turning and use something on the nut with at least 18" of leverage. There's no shame in using a 24" pipe wrench.

 

[wirlybird]

View attachment 715246

Looks like a Big bee.
I bought a used Big Bee Agri 5 for $150. Busted stump jumper.
Replaced the stump jumper with a heavy duty one and blades from Tractor supply.
$400 total in the thing and it just doesn't quit.
Needs some reinforcing in a few places for the 3 point but otherwise it has done a great job.
If you're under 20-25 PTO HP this is a good option since it is lighter and doesn't suck much HP.

 

[wirlybird]

Please keep us posted on the Bad Boy. I am considering one in the group of cutters I am looking at.

 

[Rock Crawler]

Dont forget the USA made Titan Implements.

The heavy duty smooth top 300 series, model 305 is a 100HPO box, 10G steel, 1/2" stump jumper and is a heavy built and thick walled machine. I like mine a lot, but mine is a 72".

300 Series Cutter | Titan Implement, LLC

These 300 Series smooth-top cutters are designed for medium/heavy-duty applications such as weeds, grass, and brush up to 2” diameter. These cutters are designed to work with 32 to 90 horsepower tractors, and are available in 60” and 72” widths.

www.titanimplement.com

 

[kenmac]

Looks like a Big bee.
I bought a used Big Bee Agri 5 for $150. Busted stump jumper.
Replaced the stump jumper with a heavy duty one and blades from Tractor supply.
$400 total in the thing and it just doesn't quit.
Needs some reinforcing in a few places for the 3 point but otherwise it has done a great job.
If you're under 20-25 PTO HP this is a good option since it is lighter and doesn't suck much HP.

Not a big bee. They (LMC) make their own products Rotary cutters, Disk, and other ground engaging implements at their facility, about 50 miles from my home.
I have this cutter behind my MX5100 and have had no issues with it.
You can get them with ha higher HP gear box but I have seen no need to do so.
I have run this small unit behind my CX105 a time or two. It did great, just looks funny.

 

[LD1]

Not a big bee. They (LMC) make their own products Rotary cutters, Disk, and other ground engaging implements at their facility, about 50 miles from my home.
I have this cutter behind my MX5100 and have had no issues with it.
You can get them with ha higher HP gear box but I have seen no need to do so.
I have run this small unit behind my CX105 a time or two. It did great, just looks funny.

IS that a 5' cutter?

 

[kenmac]

IS that a 5' cutter?

the one in the pic for $1399.00 is a 6 ft cutter

 

[DieselBound]

People seem to make a big deal out of material cutting size. Sure, higher numbers is likely to mean a stouter unit, but very few people are actually going to be pushing that rating on a regular basis. No way would I be looking to chew through 2" material non-stop. The racket becomes unbearable: step it up to 3" if you really want to rattle your nerves. One is always just waiting for something to break!

And whatever you do, MAKE SURE YOU HAVE THE PROPER "FUSE" IN YOUR PTO SHAFT, be it a shear pin (low grade rating) or a slip clutch (properly adjusted). Chewing up bigger material means bigger impacts, impacts that can feed back and mess up your tractor's PTO.

I'd run a light duty 5' brush hog on my B7800 for many years, mowing a LOT of brush as well as grass: first brush hog; wasn't loaded with money at the time- bought a used (but nearly new) unit. Broke tail wheels but never anything else. Now have a Landpride RC1860 (bought heavily used; got it for the quick hitch and floating top link, things which my original unit didn't have) and it's amply capable of being worked hard- with a good 1,000 hrs of this kind of work (between the two tractors) I feel that I have a fair grasp of these things. The medium duty 6' Bush Hog (old 286) I got for my Kioti has introduced me to an exponential step up in nerve rattling as it makes a horrendous amount of racket as it thrashes large material; it has only helped in my appreciation for having a cabbed tractor (shields out a lot of noise).

NOTE: having an hydraulic top link means you can get into a bit more trouble by raising the rear of the cutter up and into and on stuff. Of course, this doesn't stop me (I do this a lot).

 

[LD1]

the one in the pic for $1399.00 is a 6 ft cutter

I was meaning the one that you have and use behind the MX

 

[IndyJay]

Dont forget the USA made Titan Implements.

The heavy duty smooth top 300 series, model 305 is a 100HPO box, 10G steel, 1/2" stump jumper and is a heavy built and thick walled machine. I like mine a lot, but mine is a 72".

300 Series Cutter | Titan Implement, LLC

These 300 Series smooth-top cutters are designed for medium/heavy-duty applications such as weeds, grass, and brush up to 2” diameter. These cutters are designed to work with 32 to 90 horsepower tractors, and are available in 60” and 72” widths.

www.titanimplement.com

RC, what is the difference between '306-1-TW' and '306-2-TW'?
Not seeing anything in the documentation. Thanks!

 

[RoyJackson]

Quick hitches are wonderful

As long as the cutter is compatible...

Had a Bush Bull 5' cutter a few years ago that hook up to a 3PH or Quick Hitch. IIRC, the difference between the 2 methods of hooking up was how much the cutter could float. It was a well used Craigslist purchase....and if this is your first rotary cutter, maybe used is a better choice.
I use a flail mower now...gave the cutter to a friend for his hunting camp. Really wish I'd kept the cutter since it is a better way to go with tall vegetation

 

[MESSMAKER]

Dont forget the USA made Titan Implements.

The heavy duty smooth top 300 series, model 305 is a 100HPO box, 10G steel, 1/2" stump jumper and is a heavy built and thick walled machine. I like mine a lot, but mine is a 72".

300 Series Cutter | Titan Implement, LLC

These 300 Series smooth-top cutters are designed for medium/heavy-duty applications such as weeds, grass, and brush up to 2” diameter. These cutters are designed to work with 32 to 90 horsepower tractors, and are available in 60” and 72” widths.

www.titanimplement.com

I understand that other people can have a different experience, but my Titan 72" cutter has bent every time it has had a chance. The specs look good but it looks twice as rough as my Brushbull even though is has been used less than 1/2 as much. I do contract mowing, so I subject it to more abuse,

 

[LD1]

RC, what is the difference between '306-1-TW' and '306-2-TW'?
Not seeing anything in the documentation. Thanks!

View attachment 716104

I would assume the difference is one has a shear pin and the other is slip clutch