Another MX6 Brush Hog Failure

[Sawyer Rob]

You can buy a lot of used cutters for $3000

What does down time cost you??

IF you are play farming maybe nothing, but I rotary cut for money and busting my cutter on a job cost me a lot more than the price of the parts!

I'd rather just buy a GOOD quality cutter in the first place...

SR

 

[JimR]

What does down time cost you??

IF you are play farming maybe nothing, but I rotary cut for money and busting my cutter on a job cost me a lot more than the price of the parts!

I'd rather just buy a GOOD quality cutter in the first place...

SR

The choices I think would be between the Landpride and a Woods unit. I'll have to do some research on them.

 

[Sawyer Rob]

Jim, all I can tell you is, my next cutter WILL be a med duty Woods Brush Bull!

I'm just waiting for the bigger Woods I have now to die, but it just won't croak so I can buy a new one! ha ha ha

SR

 

[JimR]

Jim, all I can tell you is, my next cutter WILL be a med duty Woods Brush Bull!

I'm just waiting for the bigger Woods I have now to die, but it just won't croak so I can buy a new one! ha ha ha

SR

The new Landpride looks like a tough unit also.

 

[Sawyer Rob]

The new Landpride looks like a tough unit also.

Jim, if EVERYTHING else was equal between the two, this http://www.tractorbynet.com/forums/...e-bush-hog-blades-cordless-3.html#post4570261 is the deciding factor!!

Make mine the Woods, pleeeeasee...

SR

 

[JimR]

"IF" it was me, I'd "gladly" pay the difference and chalk it up to a learning experience to get rid of a terd!!

SR

I see what you mean and the Woods appears to have easy to take off blade bolts unlike the Landpride and JD.

 

[brown40]

There are a bunch of well-built shredders--Rhino, Bush Hog, Woods, Land Pride all make a heavy, commercial quality mower... John Deere makes a pretty, innovative design, that doesn't take a licking, keep on ticking, or hold a bit of weight with the company after their "expiration date" (gearbox warranty). If you can't stand behind your product(s), don't bother selling them.

 

[JimR]

There are a bunch of well-built shredders--Rhino, Bush Hog, Woods, Land Pride all make a heavy, commercial quality mower... John Deere makes a pretty, innovative design, that doesn't take a licking, keep on ticking, or hold a bit of weight with the company after their "expiration date" (gearbox warranty). If you can't stand behind your product(s), don't bother selling them.

What really gets me with John Deere is that they have a 5 year gearbox warranty on a new deck's gearbox but only a one year on a new replacement box. That in itself tells you that there is a problem that they refuse to address. I guess the moral to the story today about John Deere GREEN is that you better dig deep if you want to keep your equipment running. Fortunately for me it didn't cost a fortune to repair my gearbox. Changing the shaft was a lot cheaper than replacing the box.

 

[Turbys_1700]

All I ever knew growing up was 305 and 306 Bush Hogs. That is what they sold at the dealership my dad worked at in the late 50's through mid 80's. They later took on Woods but still sold mostly Bush Hogs. Of all those 305's and 306's we ran for years I can't ever remember a gear box failure. Seals yes, gear box no. Last year I purchased a lightly used Brown 472. I can source parts through the company if needed. So far I've not needed any.

Deere makes excellent products but this gear box issue has me scratching my head. I would hope that they made changes to the design but looks like they may still have some problems. Don't know who is making those gear boxes but if I was Deere they would not be making them any longer.

 

[JimR]

All I ever knew growing up was 305 and 306 Bush Hogs. That is what they sold at the dealership my dad worked at in the late 50's through mid 80's. They later took on Woods but still sold mostly Bush Hogs. Of all those 305's and 306's we ran for years I can't ever remember a gear box failure. Seals yes, gear box no. Last year I purchased a lightly used Brown 472. I can source parts through the company if needed. So far I've not needed any.

Deere makes excellent products but this gear box issue has me scratching my head. I would hope that they made changes to the design but looks like they may still have some problems. Don't know who is making those gear boxes but if I was Deere they would not be making them any longer.

The really bad gearboxes were made in Spain from what I read online. The better box is the China made one. I think I may have the only one that sheared a shaft. I haven't found anyone else that broke one yet. The really sad part is that I hadn't even pushed it to the limit like trying to cut down a 3" sapling. Maybe the shaft was bad to begin with. The gearbox is 3 years old as I ran the numbers on it through JD to find out when it was sold. Most of the guys I know with brush hogs do not go out and cut 1 - 2 inch saplings with their mowers.

 

[Turbys_1700]

I cut some 1-3 inch pine saplings this spring. I was cutting some open former pasture that had not been cut in over a year. This fall when I cut it will be much more manageable. My Brown was an 06 model. I assume the gearbox is Chinese but it may be USA because of the year of manufacture. It performed fine.

 

[JimR]

I cut some 1-3 inch pine saplings this spring. I was cutting some open former pasture that had not been cut in over a year. This fall when I cut it will be much more manageable. My Brown was an 06 model. I assume the gearbox is Chinese but it may be USA because of the year of manufacture. It performed fine.

Pines are soft wood and cut like butter compared to Maple and Oaks. Your gearbox will say where it is made on the tag that is on it.

 

[Turbys_1700]

Yes they do cut easier than hard wood. That was not the point. I'll check the gearbox but I don't recall a tag on it.

 

[buickanddeere]

Going to have to check the serial number on my MX6

 

[Kevin37]

Well....it's been quite a while since I've added to this thread but I guess it's time. This broken MX6 has been a sore spot with me for years. I called John Deere again today and explained again the clean shear of the shaft after only about 100 hours of cutting field grass and light brush. After using a lesser-name cutter for the past several years, (when my MX6 broke I couldn't afford the repair) I want my MX6 deck mower back up and running. The mounting arms and i hitch are above and beyond what I've been using. John Deere offered nothing on the phone and sent me back to the dealer I bought my equipment from. I took the gearbox and broken shaft to them and again relayed the entire story. Now I had 12 pages of discussion from this thread showing multiple owners with identical problems. They are contacting the field rep who I'm told will be more familiar with a recurring problem. I'm now waiting to hear the decision. It still amazes me that Deere refuses to see this is a defect and has ignored the complaints of so many MX6 owners. Certainly there are Deere reps and corporate types who troll this website. In today's internet centered world it would be foolish if they weren't on these forums keeping their fingers on the pulse of the now well informed, well educated consumer. I wonder how many sales they have lost due to this web site and others like it?? Oh yeah....number of John Deere cutters at my LARGE dealership today....one.....large bat-wing mower. All other brush hogs were other brands besides Deere. They know......they just don't want to admit they know.

 

[DocDryden]

I wonder how many sales they have lost due to this web site and others like it??

JD has lost one here,
I was ready to by an MX6 until l read about all the not so happy MX6 owners

 

[JMER817]

Who is making the MX6 for John Deere? I know woods makes a lot of their other attachments

 

[ArlyA]

We are also looking at MX6 mower but not any longer......... It doesn't make much difference who made it. JD designed it and sold it as there's.

 

[MinnesotaEric]

Who is making the MX6 for John Deere? I know woods makes a lot of their other attachments

This doesn't look like a Wood-built cutter. Woods goes out of their way to make their tops smooth and to integrate the chains flush with the sides.

MX6

Woods BB72X

Woods recently has been keeping their name on their equipment. This one looks like a BB720X to my eye.

Woods gear box also have "Woods" cast into them.

 

[bilrus61]

MX cutters are made in Mexico at a Deere owned factory. So are the HX and the CX. The cheaper frontiers are made in USA by Tarter Gate in Kentucky. Both use Chinese made gearboxes. So does everyone else as far as I know.