Bushhog Squealer

gary_dsc · Jun 2, 2009

I have a chance to buy an old Bushhog Squealer 60" cutter. I'm concerned about whether my 2305 will have enough horses to run it and also whether it will pick it up. I don't know much about the cutter except that it is old (guessing at least 20 -25 years), but I know the seller casually and he assures me that it runs good with no vibration. The sheet metal, while rusty appears sound. I'm just concerned about using it with the 2305. Any thoughts?

RickB · Jun 2, 2009

If it has a square gearbox, that's OK. If it has a cylindrical gearbox with a round stamped metal rear cover retained by a snapring, I'd pass. Those gearboxes are weak, whether they have Bush hog or Landpride paint on them. I'm not familiar with the Deere, so I won't comment on the matchup.

kennyd · Jun 2, 2009

I think that is way to much cutter for your 2305...JD suggests a 48" rotary cutter for your 2305, mainly due to the weight I think.

gary_dsc · Jun 3, 2009

Thanks for the replies.

I understand the concern about the cutter weight. I need the wider width to mow waterways and fence rows. The 4' cutter won't allow me to mow up to the fence. I won't be mowing thru heavy or thick stuff. Just grass and weeds and I mow it reasonably often to keep it down. I've been using the MMM on my tractor, but I am concerned about wearing it out prematurely.

Any idea as to how much an old 5' Bushhog weighs and how much pto HP it requires? By the way, I think it has the square gearbox.

kebo · Jun 3, 2009

Most 5ft bush hogs typically weigh 550# to 600#. I used to have a JD 750, which is rated at 21hp engine, 18hp PTO. JD recommended 4ft implements for that size tractor, although it would run a 5 ft BB just fine since it was 4x4. I only ran a 4ft Landpride bush hog (about 520lbs) to cut with, but that one still made the front end REALLY light going up a moderate grade with the hog raised up. I would stay with a 4ft mower if you have rough terrain in mind. If you are going to do frequent pasture mowing on some pretty level ground then you probably can get by with a 5ft'er. With a 5ft, if you let the grass get to tall, it may bog the engine down a lot so keep that in mind.

gary_dsc · Jun 13, 2009

Well, I tried the Bush Hog with the 2305 and was pleasantly surprised to find that the tractor handles it very well. I used 5 suitcase weights on the front and could pick up the cutter easily. It seems very stable and doesn't scare me going over dips in the ground. I mowed about 2 acres of 2' high grass and had no problems whatsoever. I ran fairly slowly at times thru the real thick stuff, but most of the time I was taking a full bite and running at about 4 MPH which is about as fast as I care to go on the uneven ground. I understand that JD doesn't recommend this size cutter for this tractor and if I was mowing lots of ground frequently, I would be concerned about the extra wear on the tractor. But to use this on the waterways and fence rows 3 or 4 times per year and which I have been cutting much more frequently than that with the MMM for several years, I am confident that this was a good acquisition and will save fuel by mowing less frequently and wear and tear on my MMM.

sunnyside360 · Jun 13, 2009

Seems you've confirmed the SQ60 will work fine with 2305 for your application. I have an old SQ60 (~22 yrs old) which I use for rough cutting small saplings, heavy brush, etc on this old farm I'm restoring. It's been beat hard but still works fine -- have had to weld the deck and replace the cutting blades and shear pins countless times. Keeping the blades sharp, even after buying new blades, will greatly reduce the power & rpm's required, allow you to mow faster, and do a better job cutting. Also, it is very easy to sharpen blades w/o removing them if you use an angle grinder.