Any strong opinions on King Kutter Rotary Mowers?

[defranks]

I'm building a house on 20 acres in eastern Tennessee. The property is wooded, but it was likely logged 50 or 60 years ago, as most of the trees are under 18" in diameter.

I'm looking to clear the underbrush and saplings from between the larger trees, leaving the woods more open than they are. I did the same thing in Washington before moving here using a DR brush mower to knock down small saplings, lots of rhododendrons, and quite a bit of huckleberry and salal. If anything, the brush here is less dense than it was in WA. I still have the DR mower and I used it to clear the area over my septic field, but I'm a good deal older now than I was when I took on the last clearing project and I seem to get tired more quickly, go figure.

So I'm thinking of buying a small, 4 or 5 foot, rotary mower for my 42 HP CUT and using that. I know I'm going to beat the heck out of it, which is why I'm looking at the less expensive mowers. The used mowers I see advertised around here look to be pretty rough, and close enough to the price of a new one that I wonder if used is a better purchase.

So... I'd like any input on how well the King Kutter or County Line economy mowers hold up to rough use. If you know of another brand that might be better without spending a lot more, then I'd like to hear about that, too.

Thanks!

 

[caver]

I had a Howse 4' for my old 20hp tractor. I maybe had 2-3 hours on it and hit a rock. It bent the output shaft where it was 10 thousands out. I replaced the gearbox as it was really wasn't more cost effective to just replace the shaft. I sold it when I got a bigger tractor. I've hit similar stuff with a 6' Rhino (thier light duty model) I found lightly used at a dealer with no problems. So yeah I found ya get what ya pay for.

 

[ericm979]

The Kodiak rotaries cost only a little more but have two features that I really wanted- a sturdy tubular wheel hanger instead of flimsy flat stock, and their stays articulate so the mower can handle slope changes or backing up to a slope to mow it.

Agri-Supply carries them.

So far the only problem I have uncovered with my standard duty model is that the rear edge of the deck where it's at an angle is just folded over 90 degrees without being welded to the rest of the deck. I hung that up on a large buried rock and bent it. I bent it back and it's been fine. If it happens again I'll weld in some braces.

Their medium duty models use the same deck, just a heavier duty gearbox.

The sturdy wheel hanger is important if you back up into brush.

 

[Storm56]

My experience has been: Spend the extra and buy the heavy duty model of whatever brand you choose. Woods, Land Pride, Rhino etc and you will dollars ahead at the end.

 

[stuckmotor]

My brother loved his 5' pull type.

 

[ruffdog]

I know I'm going to beat the heck out of it, which is why I'm looking at the less expensive mowers.

I have a 5ft KK cutter but I think I would buy something different if I was to "beat the heck out of it". I think for the money the KK is a good cutter for my use and I have not had a issue with it. If you plan on "beating" one, the extra weight of a HD unit is needed. A light cutter will hop around quite a bit while a heavy one stays planted.

 

[jeff9366]

5' light duty rotary cutter = 450 pounds

5' medium duty rotary cutter = 650 pounds $1,600

If you plan on "beating" one, the extra weight of a HD unit is needed. A light cutter will hop around quite a bit while a heavy one stays planted.

5' heavy duty rotary cutter = 1,000+ pounds $3,200

$3,200/20 acres = $160 per acre assuming unlikely "0" resale. Cheaper than hybrid corn seed.


Regardless of your brand/weight decision you make, order optional chain debris guards front and rear. Without chain guards you will soon bend "guard" sheet metal which is integral to deck and not designed to be replaced. When revolving blades hit deformed metal, the noise and bucking of the deck will get your attention. Cutter overhauls are $600 each at the dealer.

YOU BOUGHT ENOUGH TRACTOR.
BUY ENOUGH IMPLEMENT.​

 

[MESSMAKER]

King Kutter cut well. The best of cutters I have owned. The 3 point frame and tail wheel are pretty flimsy and will not take much abuse.
60 Inch XTreme Duty Rotary Brush Cutter Is a nice unit for a decent price.

 

[Jarrod32]

Like others have mentioned, the KK is a light duty cutter. it'll be fine for heavy tall grass, weeds, and maybe some brush or a few saplings. But if you are going to be cutting down lots of saplings, and heavier brush, it might be a bit too light. You might be better off spending a bit more for a heavier duty cutter.

 

[yanmars]

I have a 5 foot King Kutter I used with a 33 HP tractor. If it was only used for meadow mowing without rocks it would be fine. I had both rocks and pretty good saplings etc. Just too light for that. Deck got beat up, blade cut into deck once etc. I would not suggest the same for what you described

 

[Sawyer Rob]

So I'm thinking of buying a small, 4 or 5 foot, rotary mower for my 42 HP CUT and using that. I know I'm going to beat the heck out of it, which is why I'm looking at the less expensive mowers.

I look at it just the opposite...

My feelings are, buy a GOOD med duty cutter so it will last with rough use... Why buy a cheap unit and have it trashed in no time?

SR

 

[defranks]

Thanks to all. I appreciate the input.

Seems odd to me that my walk-behind DR Brush Mower handled 10 acres of pretty heavy brush and sapling (well, probably three or four, I left most of the land wooded) but a light-duty PTO driven cutter might not. My DR mower is still running strong, though I've made a good number of weld repairs to the mower deck. I suppose my best bet is to borrow my neighbor's cutter and beat it up! (Just kidding) I'll probably look for a well-used, heavier mower, or even keep at it with the walk-behind and do a little at a time.

I checked around to see if I could locate someone with a forestry mulcher, but the nearest guy was quite a distance away. I have plenty of time....

 

[defranks]

Yesterday I bought a non-current Titan 1305 rotary mower. It's heavier than the "extra heavy duty" model offered by Everythingattachments, as it's built of 10 g steel, and it was a couple hundred dollars less expensive, even though I had to pay sales tax as I bought it locally. There's a five year warranty on the gear box and one year on the cutter itself. I took it for a test drive yesterday and it worked great to cut the weeds over my septic field and to mow along my road frontage. Eventually I'll use it to clear underbrush from between the trees in the woods, and that's why I wanted a heavy duty cutter.
I was interested that the store owner told me that those cutters didn't sell all that well until they became non-current and less expensive than the newer version. My only "complaint" was that there was no oil in the gear box. The store owner said that they come pre-filled, so I'm glad I checked.