Need Rotary Cutter advice

[alligatorob]

I am in the market for a rotary cutter and would appreciate some advice.

I am looking for something at least medium duty, most of my cutting will be grass and brush but I do hit the occasional stump, rock or log. And some of the ground is uneven. I have 5 acres total, about half open field, and half peach orchard.

My tractor is a 40 hp New Holland Boomer.

Locally (northern Utah) I can find a Tractor Supply CountyLine 6 ft for $1,800, and a 6 ft Mahindra for $3,000 and a 5 ft LS at the Ford dealer, no price posted. I don't have to buy locally, but it would sure be easier. I have been scanning the want ads, but have not found anything used I like.

Do y'all have any brand comments or recommendations. I'd like to pay as little as possible, but don't want poor quality, I will pay more for a more reliable tool.

Also I have assumed 6 ft would be best, most of my other implements are 6 ft, that is approximately the tractor tire width. And the 6 ft ones do not seem that much more expensive than smaller. Any reason not to go with the 6 ft?

 

[Roadworthy]

There is no reason not to go six foot. The rule of thumb is five horsepower per foot of cut. That would put you needing thirty horsepower for that cutter. You have power to spare.

 

[2manyrocks]

6' is the way I'd go at 40 hp.

As for brand, I'd probably lean towards the TSC unit at those prices unless you can find something used at auction or FB marketplace. I own two J-Bar rotary cutters which have been fine for me.

 

[aesanders]

The County line cutter is more of a light duty model.

Bush hog and Woods are two that I would look out for. They make excellent medium and heavy duty models.

That rule of thumb for hp per foot is really PTO horse power. I would assume your boomer has plenty to run a 6 foot cutter.

 

[deserteagle71]

Only thing I can add is to make sure whatever you buy has an actual "stump-jumper" under it that the blades attach to. The stump jumper is shaped like a huge dish, with upturned edges that let it slide over obstructions. I've seen some models of rotary cutters that didn't use a stump jumper and they would have major problems when hitting obstructions such as you say you have.

I have been mowing my (virgin) desert acres with a 6' rotary cutter for 25 years now...nothing special, just a clone of a Rhino SE-6 mower. Not heavy duty at all and it has survived multiple rock strikes and badger mounds. Keep it serviced, keep the blades trued up, and it should work just fine and last for years.

 

[2manyrocks]

Also consider parts availability, like seals, blades and blade bolts. I don't know who actually makes the cutter for TSC, but that's what you'd want to look into for parts availability.

 

[tmcj]

Unless something has changed since I bought mine Mahindra doesn't actually make it. It used to be Kodiak, which split and one branch became Titan Implements, which is what mine is. Titan has since rebranded as IronCraft. You'll likely pay more for the Mahindra name for the same cutter compared to being under one of the other names.

Be aware that there is also a Chinese knock off named Titan something or other.

 

[ericm979]

I got a Mahindra branded Kodiak with my Branson. Its price from the dealer was about the same as ordering a Kodiak and having it shipped. It's been a good implement. But $3k seems like a lot. I'd check out the IronCraft units. First price I found from a dealer for the 1206 was $2200. A local dealer should be able to order one.

 

[Sawyer Rob]

IF you really want a medium duty rotary cutter, I'd stay away from all of the farm store brands.

My choice was, and still is, Woods brand cutter, just the way the blades are held on makes it a better cutter, also the triple lip seal they now have in their gear box is better than the others I've seen.

Yeaa do they cost more, but they are worth more too!

SR

 

[oosik]

I've been "looking" for a long time also. I'm seriously considering the Rhino cutters. Either the TW20 or TW30 series.

I would be mowing heavy grass and light brush. But we all know how that story goes. Hidden objects - not picked up on a field survey.

 

[big bubba]

agree 6' is a good match. personally, i'd err to at least a medium duty. when looking at models, judge by weight. my Rhino 8' twin is excellent. in the long run, don't think you'd be satisfied with a light duty to save a few dollars. regards

 

[ssgp2]

You asked, so my opinion is BushHog and Rhino. Woods apparently makes a great machine also, but I don't have any experience with them.
My personal experience is:
BushHog is well made and parts are readily available.
Rhino is very well made, but parts are typically harder to come by locally(in my area) but are readily available online (German-Bliss)
Howse- never did any thing to it but abuse it and put grease in the gearbox when the output shaft seal started leaking. I was hard on it then gave it to my brother, but is still going good.
Titan (now Iron Craft) Great warranty but parts are through dealer only, and then they may not be the correct parts for your machine.

 

[2manyrocks]

Have you been looking on Facebook marketplace for used cutters and just not found any 6' cutters in your area?

 

[EastTexCowboy]

I agree with some of the comments on the TSC being light duty. Bite the bullet and go with a heavier duty one. Look at the deck thickness, the size of the gearbox, and the frame.

I've owned a couple of Boomers and found them both to be underpowered based on their stated ratings, but I still think your 40hp will handle a 6 ft. I have a 36 hp MF and it handles my 6 ft Modern with no problems, even in tall thick grass and light brush. You didn't mention Modern but if you can find a dealer somewhere reasonably close their galvanized cutters are great. I ran a 6 ft for ten years and it still looked like new. Sold it with one of the boomers because the buyer wanted it badly but I just went straight to the dealer and bought another one. I have to admit they cost a little more but well worth it. Especially if it's going to be stored outside. I've owned heavy duty Rhino, Bushhog, Woods and Modern. All the painted ones had rust problems on the deck. The Modern just keeps going. My two cents, for whatever it's worth.

 

[Lastkidpicked]

A 5 ft LS at the Ford dealer

@alligatorob do you mean a New Holland Dealer that still has the Ford-New Holland Signage?

I love seeing places that still have the old signage.

 

[Sawyer Rob]

Just in case you need to see what a "quality" rotary cutter looks like, lol

SR

 

[YLee Kioti]

TW20 here.
Rhino | TW20 Series
The 'hidden gems' will seem to jump and find your blades!
Such as railroad ties and then the blade bends into interesting shapes....lol....
Change oil each year. Take clutch apart and clean up on occasion.
Many tractor dealers carry them and will change blades for ya on the cheap.
Well my 4 cents worth...Happy shopping.

 

[Piston]

Be aware that although your tractor is advertised as 40hp, you actually only have 33hp at the PTO, assuming you have HST. In your case, I'd suggest a "truly" medium duty cutter of 5'.
Most brands have light, medium, and heavy duty. The only exception to this that I'm aware of is Brown Manufacturing, their lightest model is a seriously medium duty cutter.

I'd look into:
Brown Manufactuing model 415 Brown Manufacturing Corp | 800.633.8909
Landpride model RCF 2760 Land Pride
Woods model BB600 (NOT BB60). However, Woods changed their model designation and I do not know the current model numbers.
Bush Hog model 295 (they have also changed their model designations, stay away from anything that says "squealer" on it.

You can't go wrong with Brown, and that is my #1 choice. All the other brands have cheap, light duty mowers that are easy to tear up, however, as long as it's truly a medium duty cutter you can't go wrong with any big brands.
If you can buy it at Tractor Supply or other farm stores, stay away from it, it's likely junk on anything more than grass.

Thankfully, Everything Attachments is out of business so you don't have to worry about decoding their terrible naming conventions.

 

[oosik]

Piston. It appears that your Brown cutter has no chain/deflector on the front. Do you experience much "crap" being thrown back at you as you chomp thru that brush?

I'm STILL in the looking stage. Brown seems to be one of the better cutters. I'm also considering a Rhino. I wanted a Rhino TW35 - however at $7300 - they have priced themselves out of my market.

Certainly looks like you have taken on a major land reclamation project.

 

[SARG]

I also suggest the Woods BB72.
But also have a suggestion on what to AVOID .... which I learned the hard way.
I did have a TSC cutter with the angled rear end of the deck. THEY BEND EASILY. When the blades hit the bent corners you'll know it.