For those of you with "Swisher" mowers

fencebuilders · Mar 23, 2006

For those of you with \"Swisher\" mowers

Hey Guys,Im looking at mower options,for behind my Rancher.Is the Swisher a quality product? I would be using it for rough cutting green and dried grass,max. height about 3' no finish mowing.They look good for the price.Any downside? Thanks,Mark.

scesnick · Mar 23, 2006

Re: For those of you with \"Swisher\" mowers

I have the 60" Swisher Finish Mower. It works great. I even mowed some fields with it. The only problem I have seen with it is that if you have a whole lot of trees and shrubs it is hard to get around them and kind of hard to back up with it.
But, If you have 2+ acres of non obstructed yard it will work great for ya...

fencebuilders · Mar 24, 2006

Re: For those of you with \"Swisher\" mowers

Thats good news.I was thinking about the "trail cutter" model 44".Do they make the 60" in a rough cut model? Where did you purchase and how much did you pay? I was looking at the "Acreaze" but its double the money.Thanks.

scesnick · Mar 24, 2006

Re: For those of you with \"Swisher\" mowers

I bought mine from Northern Tool about 4 years ago. I paid $1,100 for it then but I'm sure they have gone up some by now. Not sure if they make a 60" Trail Cutter but I'm thinking I seen a 54" Trail Cutter...

Deaf · Mar 24, 2006

Re: For those of you with \"Swisher\" mowers

Hello,

I have an older Bush Hogg model GT42 I got used at a yard sale for 100 buck with no motor. Put a new 12.5 HP brigs on it and has been the best money I ever spent. we have about 5 acres of grass around our camp and various other smaller clearings we keep cut and the thing does the job. Burns up belts pretty quick so i know I am usinmg it hard. Pulls behind the 2wd rancher with eaze but a 4wd would be better for the wet spots. I saw some Swishers at TSC and they were pretty light weight compred to mine. The acre eaze unit is built, just look at the web site and watch the clips. If I ever buy new I will get an acre eaze or make one from a pull behind 48 " brush hogg. just hjave to figure out how to mount a 20 HP motor on the deck. Might be a bit of work but will end up with a really heavy duty unit.

jimy22 · Mar 26, 2006

Re: For those of you with \"Swisher\" mowers

I have a Swisher trail cutter that I use behind my Honda Rancher. It seems to be a quality product so far. I got it at the local farm supply store (one of the big chains - don't recall the name - it keeps changing anyways). I have had some problems, but they were all because it was put together by some kid at that store who didn't know what he was doing. Given that experience, I would either pay a bit more and get it from a reputable dealer or mail order it and do the final assembly myself.

As I figured out the problems I had, I found it a bit difficult to get a hold of people at Swisher, but they were extremely helpful and friendly once I made the connection.

One thing with the Rancher is that the hitch is fairly low, so even with the Swisher adjusted to the limit - the mower isn't close to level. It works, but I'll probably make something for either the Rancher or the Swisher to get it level. (of course it is possible the kid who put it together picked up a part from the wrong pile and this is just a problem with mine)

I also made a new, shorter piece for the Swisher drawbar to shorten it. I have no plans to "offset" the mower so I like it a little better this way.

This has been a great tool for maintaining/making trails on rough terrain. It cuts anything I dare run over with the Rancher.

Jim

fencebuilders · Mar 26, 2006

Re: For those of you with \"Swisher\" mowers

</font><font color="blue" class="small">( I have a Swisher trail cutter that I use behind my Honda Rancher. It seems to be a quality product so far. I got it at the local farm supply store (one of the big chains - don't recall the name - it keeps changing anyways). I have had some problems, but they were all because it was put together by some kid at that store who didn't know what he was doing. Given that experience, I would either pay a bit more and get it from a reputable dealer or mail order it and do the final assembly myself.

As I figured out the problems I had, I found it a bit difficult to get a hold of people at Swisher, but they were extremely helpful and friendly once I made the connection.

One thing with the Rancher is that the hitch is fairly low, so even with the Swisher adjusted to the limit - the mower isn't close to level. It works, but I'll probably make something for either the Rancher or the Swisher to get it level. (of course it is possible the kid who put it together picked up a part from the wrong pile and this is just a problem with mine)

I also made a new, shorter piece for the Swisher drawbar to shorten it. I have no plans to "offset" the mower so I like it a little better this way.

This has been a great tool for maintaining/making trails on rough terrain. It cuts anything I dare run over with the Rancher.

Jim )</font>Thanks Jim,sounds like good feedback.What motor do you have? Appreciate it.Mark.

jimy22 · Mar 27, 2006

Re: For those of you with \"Swisher\" mowers

It has a Briggs engine - I don't recall the horsepower and it isn't here at the house for me to check. It is the electric start model which is pretty handy so far. As far as I know they only have two models, the one with electric start has a few more horsepower.

Jim

rfawkes · Mar 27, 2006

Re: For those of you with \"Swisher\" mowers

I have the 44 inch cut Trailcutter and have used it for four years. I use up a belt every year, but I mow to fast in wet conditions, using the "get her done" philosophy, and belts are cheap. I use it for field mowing and offset around the pond, because I dread the thought of pulling my polaris 500 out of the water. It has been a great investment.

marrt · Mar 27, 2006

Re: For those of you with \"Swisher\" mowers

I have a Swisher 60” 12HP and an Acrease C60K 15HP. The best summary I can say is the Acrease is 4x the mower at 2x the price. It’s much much better built than the Swisher, but also about twice as expensive. If you look around though, you may be able to pick up a used one for a big discount. I’ve only used the Swisher for two years but will sell it very soon. I have replaced belts and bearings already. Also, it bogs down too easily due to the shallow deck design and can’t keep up with my tractor mower. Overall, I definitely wouldn’t buy one again. However, if you buy a new one that hasn’t sat outside (which I think caused the bearing issue), and you keep it in the dry, and you are willing to go very slow when the grass is a little high, then it should work OK. My 2 cents.