DR Power

[sd455dan]

Anyone buy a DR Power brush mower? Have lots of weeds, scrub along a creek. May take a Year to clear it but their mowers look interesting.

I like the self propelled models with electric start and power reverse.

https://www.drpower.com/Power-Equipment/Field-%26-Brush-Mowers-/Walk-Behind-Professional-Series-/DR-Field-and-Brush-Mower-/p/AT45230BEN

Any comments appreciated.

We have the ancient original with the steel spoke wheels.

Still runs like a Champ and gets the job done, has held up to everything thrown at it.

The only maintenance has been greasing oil changes, blade care ,a new battery or two, belts and had to replace the nylon starter bendix gear for about $9. We also made home aid chains for the drive wheels.

Agree about steering brakes or left right drive control would be nice, but if you need a work out it is great for that and it does decimate brush.


Yep that's it. 30+ years going strong.

A Piece of DR History! The Original DR Field and Brush Mower

DR machines are built to last! This original 1988 DR Field and Brush Mower belonged to DR founder Dick Raymond and still runs great -- 25 years later!

www.drpowerblog.com

 

[superfarmerdad]

We have a 1999 model with a 14.5 hp kawasaki fc420v and it is a beast. Weighs like 300lbs and I've cut down 2 inch saplings with it.

 

[Chris In Gallupville]

I bought a reconditioned DR brush mower in 2018 and have been very pleased. I got the intro model b/c the tires do not extend beyond the cutting head allowing me to get close to fences and buildings. True, it’s pull start but after the first run of the season, it starts easily. It’s quite a beast and I’m really impressed at what it will mow down. The bigger motor ones will prolly do even better but these things do actually work. Buy from a dealer. Why? It can be a challenge to find parts and an established dealer with a repair division who sells DR will have the connections. If you have to start looking around on your own after it needs attention you may end up frustrated.

 

[ch47dpilot]

Don't want to change topic but has anyone used DR pull behind mower. I have an area near a pond where my tractor will sometimes get stuck in softer ground. Was thinking the pull behind would be great since my 4-wheeler wouldn't get stuck as easily

 

[crhunts]

My hunt club bought a DR self-propelled brush mower and parked it a year later, as it was a pain to use for anything other than tall grass/weeds, and went back to a tractor mounted bush hog. Hope you're in good shape if you buy one...just my opinion...

 

[thieany]

I have had a DR Brush Mower for a few years. Ii may have been one of the last models that offered a "locking drive axle". That makes a world of difference on slopes. I am very happy with it. 75 years old and finding is not too hard to handle. But, it is work.

I am not convinced of the "power steering". It looks more like the old days of stepping on one brake on your tractor to make a sharp turn.
Ken

Same age. Same experience. Glad I have it. Never look forward to using it.

 

[bearthebruce]

Same age. Same experience. Glad I have it. Never look forward to using it.

Same here... it has it uses and its purpose in our taming the brush on the land we are managing. One just needs to know that working it is no walk in the park. I am 69 now.. The days of me bulling machines are coming to a close! I can still do it but I never look forward to those days!

 

[NibbanaFarm]

Anyone buy a DR Power brush mower? Have lots of weeds, scrub along a creek. May take a Year to clear it but their mowers look interesting.

I like the self propelled models with electric start and power reverse.

https://www.drpower.com/Power-Equipment/Field-%26-Brush-Mowers-/Walk-Behind-Professional-Series-/DR-Field-and-Brush-Mower-/p/AT45230BEN

Any comments appreciated.

For about 50% more you can get a BCS two wheel tractor and bush hog to go on it. Brush Mower - BCS America

Then you have the two wheel tractor that will run any of the dozens of other implements from BCS. Very High quality. I have the bush hog and a sickle bar mower that will happily munch down 1 1/2 inch maple saplings all day. Lot's of soil working and snow removal implements too.

 

[Jlillie2]

We have a DR Power Brush Cutter and purchased it for working slopes we cannot manage with our tractor. Our biggest complaint is the wheel drive system. If you are working in trees and such where it is on uneven surfaces, rocks, roots, etc... the diff is set up that you end up with one wheel spinning and the other stopped. At that point, the only means to move the heavy machine is your own braun.

When we are working flat reasonably smooth ground, its a great little bruch mower.

Someone mentioned debris flying back? Does not really happen. It flies out the front and sides for us. I have never had a piece of brush fly at me.

I'm 68 - nearly 69 - I find the amount of effort I have to put into running it hard for an old guy. We have young hunters who help us take care of this place... they can bull it around and get it to go when I struggle.

Back to the drive system.. why they have independent diff is owing to their desire to give help on steering with the paddle steering. But the price of that is that you get stuck often. I would rather do the steering by bulling that than having to lift and push it over roots and such...

It still gets used because there are places we have to take it that a tractor cannot fit.. we are making those places smoother and easier for the machine.

Well, thats a bummer, I take it you have a newer one? Mine is the older unit with the manually locking differential. I've had to use that on power lines once or twice where it gets soupy. With out the locking diff, I'd be dragging it downhill.....

 

[bearthebruce]

Well, thats a bummer, I take it you have a newer one? Mine is the older unit with the manually locking differential.

Yes, our is 3 years old? Honda engine, 26" cut.
Don't get me wrong, we have used it to do a lot of brush hogging but whenever I can get the younger hunters who do their service here to earn their right to hunt, they get to walk behind it! A couple of them are very strong and capable.

As for me, not only am I weak witted, but I am also getting more and more physically weak searching for ways to work smarter, not harder.

The DR is dedicated now to working in tight places where we cannot use some of our other toys!

Mountain, heavily wooded properties take a bit of hard work. We're trying to push the brush back and keep it under control. So many invasive species here in Southwest Virginia just off the Blue Ridge Parkway.

 

[eeb]

We have one of the originals from the '80's, and it still works great. But not so great on slopes, where we'd use one person on the top of the hill with a rope to help keep it on the hill! So we purchased a DR commercial XD26, which has the zero turn independent hydro steering. Once you get the hang of it, it works fine across the slopes. It can be a handful, but totally doable and seems to do it fine. The Honda 10.2 engine is finel Expensive, but it seems to be good equipment and the only way for use to maintain that road bank. We are in upstate NY

 

[Ken45101]

We have a 1999 model with a 14.5 hp kawasaki fc420v and it is a beast. Weighs like 300lbs and I've cut down 2 inch saplings with it.

That is what I have. It will cut about anything, it even won a battle with a hidden concrete block!

It is a beast to handle on rough terrain! Years ,ago I took mine to work with a group on maintaining state forest horse trails. It was the first time we had anything better than weed whackers. It did a fantastic job but really worked the operator. One friend still complains about how it worked him!

Don't want to change topic but has anyone used DR pull behind mower. I have an area near a pond where my tractor will sometimes get stuck in softer ground. Was thinking the pull behind would be great since my 4-wheeler wouldn't get stuck as easily

I bought one many years ago. A complete disappointment compared to the walk behind. 4 wheeler couldn't pull it on mild, damp slopes.

Ken

 

[CloverKnollFarms]

I've used one of these rough cut walked behinds once, and swore I'd never do it again. Wrestling those things around in anything but grass on smooth ground, is terrible IMHO.

I gladly spent $5k on a 28hp tow behind cutter the next week. Weighs 700lbs, 28hp, it is a monster. We have some decent slopes and the ATV doesn't need 4wd to climb them.

 

[Trackerjoe]

Anyone buy a DR Power brush mower? Have lots of weeds, scrub along a creek. May take a Year to clear it but their mowers look interesting.

I like the self propelled models with electric start and power reverse.

https://www.drpower.com/Power-Equipment/Field-%26-Brush-Mowers-/Walk-Behind-Professional-Series-/DR-Field-and-Brush-Mower-/p/AT45230BEN

Any comments appreciated. We love our 30-in self-propelled electric start that we purchased five or six years ago. It's still going strong. Anything that it can push over it can cut through. It works great on skid trails that are more or less even. It's more of a challenge as you go over terrain that has never been mowed before. Sometimes the relatively small wheels will lose Traction in extremely rough Terrain and it takes a little effort to keep it moving forward. All in all and excellent machine.

 

[OldPaint]

My Swisher Predator 24 has been an absolute beast for almost 15 years. It’s a good machine at a decent price. Obviously some will say it’s not as good as the DR, but I’ll point out mine is 15 years old and I have not been easy on it.

If you have any musculoskeletal problems, I can almost guarantee you are going to aggravate them with a brush mower. The Predator 24 weighs in at 400 pounds and is like wrestling a 400 pound bear on rough terrain. Eventually, as you get the terrain flattened and get rid of all the stumps, it gets easier to use, but I wouldn’t say it gets easy. It is heavy and doesn’t need a big obstacle to make it get very violent with the operator. I learned the hard way to walk farther behind it so the handle bars can’t hit me in the ribs. That’s broken ribs waiting to happen. Pinching your hand between the handle and a tree is usually quite painful too. That easily happens if you catch a root with the drive wheels. Since the belt tensioner for the drive wheels is in one hand and the blade drive latch is in the other, there isn’t any removing a hand while passing a tree. Heavy leather gloves are highly recommended.

Im 66, and still cut about an acre with the Predator every year, a couple times per year. It’s too rough for my rider, and has hundreds of stumps and holes and rocks that would destroy the blades on the rider. The blade on the Predator is nearly a quarter inch thick and will send things flying at extremely high velocity out the front of the mower because it’s open and designed to push down brush and tall grass. Other than sweetgum burrs, hickory nuts and small splinters of pine knots, nothing comes out the back any more than a regular lawn mower. Wear long pants and high top (steel toe) boots, glasses, earplugs, gloves, you’ll be fine. Keep any pets, children, or adults that you like away from the area. My yard is 160 feet across and the Predator has thrown rocks and pine knots to the neighbors’ property on the opposite side from where I was mowing. They don’t mow that part of their yards, so don’t really care. I’ve taken the top off 3” stumps hidden by thick grass. That’s pretty violent for the Predator, but I haven’t broken it yet. I don’t have enough open property to justify a flail or rotary cutter for my LX and a belly mower won’t work on the SU frame. Make no mistake, a walk-behind mower is a dangerous and brutal machine.

 

[Dunno]

Buy a BillyGoat field mower! 13hp Honda engine, 24” cut, weighs 300 or so pounds, cuts incredible. Will take out 3” saplings like nothing, three forward and a reverse gears. Look them up in action, will do everything you want with it. Just looked them up, now have B&S engines, can’t say if better than Honda. If you can find used will save lots. Don’t get caster wheels, get what’s pictured.

 

[NibbanaFarm]

A 3" sapling isn't any sapling, that's a small tree. And that mower isn't going to bend a 3" tree over and cut it off.

 

[Dunno]

What do you know? Do you have one? Have you ever used one?

 

[CloverKnollFarms]

I have, and they are terrible to attempt to wrangle on uneven terrain, and they will not bend over a 3" tree... That's why we bought a 800lb pull behind with 28hp.

 

[Dunno]

We’ll,
I can handle the BillyGoat just fine, I’m not dainty. Any machine in rough terrain is going to throw you around, even my backhoe and skid steer bounce around. And I do use BCS for my landscaping business.