Rotary cutter preference

[Hay Dude]

I’m not sure the OP could even run the HX-6 without a struggle and the MX would surely rattle bolts loose on his tractor.
If recommending Frontier you might as well tell him to get the exact same model built by the manufacture who makes them for Frontier (either Befco or Woods for their grooming and rotary mowers - depending on the year and model).

The MX‘s will run on a mere 20-25HP and may be more attractive in terms of the OP’s dealer location(s), or financing/pricing (if needed).
Frontier stuff is pretty solid.

I had a Deere MX-8 for 10 years cutting junk way above its’ specs and it was an outstanding mower.

 

[alpha&omega]

The MX‘s will run on a mere 20-25HP and may be more attractive in terms of the OP’s dealer location(s), or financing/pricing (if needed).
Frontier stuff is pretty solid.

I had a Deere MX-8 for 10 years cutting junk way above its’ specs and it was an outstanding mower.

How well is the cut if you’re running them at 20-25hp? Everyone I’ve talked to said they will rattle your teeth loose if you were to try running one on a tractor under 40hp (compact or sub-compact lawn mowers…I mean “tractors”).

 

[LD1]

How well is the cut if you’re running them at 20-25hp? Everyone I’ve talked to said they will rattle your teeth loose if you were to try running one on a tractor under 40hp (compact or sub-compact lawn mowers…I mean “tractors”).

Are you talking about a MX8 speifically? Or just the MX line in general. Like a MX5 or MX6?

You certainly dont need no 40hp+ to run a 5' or 6' cutter in the MX line

 

[Hay Dude]

 

[Hay Dude]

How well is the cut if you’re running them at 20-25hp? Everyone I’ve talked to said they will rattle your teeth loose if you were to try running one on a tractor under 40hp (compact or sub-compact lawn mowers…I mean “tractors”).

You talking Deere/Frontier or rotary cutters in general?
If its a 4-5 foot cutter, would assume cut would be just fine, since thats what the manufacturer suggests for HP.

Who’s “everyone”?

 

[ptsg]

View attachment 745860

Not gonna lie, I've put my brush cutter close to those angles before.

 

[JethroB]

I remember some brand that used a tire attached to the PTO shaft that spun the blades. I suppose that was to eliminate the need for a gear box? Probably no need for a shear pin either.

 

[gckshea]

My Bush Hog BH-6 has been good, though I got their "economy" model. It has pretty thin sheet steel on the deck, and the rubber flap guard on the front has torn free from the bolts that hold it. Also, I have replaced both the bottom shaft and horizontal input shaft seals already...they leaked very quickly. Easy enough to do, but.....

 

[Sawyer Rob]

I remember some brand that used a tire attached to the PTO shaft that spun the blades. I suppose that was to eliminate the need for a gear box? Probably no need for a shear pin either.

Brown

 

[mo1]

How well is the cut if you’re running them at 20-25hp? Everyone I’ve talked to said they will rattle your teeth loose if you were to try running one on a tractor under 40hp (compact or sub-compact lawn mowers…I mean “tractors”).

The cut would be fine. You would just bog down your tractor if you try to run too large of a cutter through too thick of material at too high of a speed. The other thing that can be an issue is these are full 3 point mount cutters and hanging a big heavy one off the back of a tractor may be too much for the tractor to handle safely as in it can still steer and not tip over on hills or when turning with the cutter raised. A cutter shouldn't "rattle your teeth loose" unless something is out of balance, in which case it needs corrected promptly. I am guesstimating that my MX6 takes about 25 PTO HP on average based on the fuel consumption of my tractor when running it. I will also tell you its slip clutch slips at 50 PTO HP or less as my tractor's engine doesn't even load up when the cutter gets plugged up with material, the slip clutch just slips.