Rotary Cutter Howse 8 Foot Pulled Type Rotary Cutter

[Cabinholler]

On 03/31/05, I bought a new HD8DC Howse 8 foot pull type heavy duty rotary cutter with a 100 PTO horsepower gearbox. Also, I got with this rotary cutter front and rear chain guards, and a one hose hydraulic to raise and lower the rotary cutter. The total price that I paid for this complete rotary cutter package was $3,400.00. This was the cheapest brand 8 foot heavy duty pull type rotary cutter with a 100 PTO horsepower gearbox that I could find for $3,400.00. Did I pay to much for this Howse brand rotary cutter, or is this price about right? Before I bought this Howse rotary cutter, I checked out a lot of other brands of heavy duty rotary cutters, and couldn't find a heavy duty 8 foot rotary cutter pull type with a 100 horsespower gearbox any cheaper than this Howse brand.

I would like to hear your pros and cons about this Howse brand rotary cutter and the price that I paid for it, because I have never owned one of these before.

Cabinholler

 

[Cabinholler]

Surely someone on this board has bought a Howse brand rotary cutter. I was wanting to know how a Howse brand rotary cutter compared to other brand rotary cutters. The reason that I bought a Howse brand rotary cutter is that I got a real good deal I think on this brand instead of buying another brand rotary cutter.

I would like to hear replies on any size Howse rotary cutter pull type, or lift type. If you bought one of these rotary cutters, has it been a good cutter compared to other brands of cutters that you know about?

Cabinholler

 

[Soundguy]

I bought a howse HD120 last september? That's a 10' 3pt lift style cutter. 120hp center gear box, 80hp side boxes.

I paid 2500 tax included. The pull type was about 400$ more. No chain guards.. but they were about 400$ more as well. Ya didn't get raped or anything.. but wasn't a rosey deal either. If ya add in the hyds cost for the pull type and the guards The price come sout almost equal between your 8' and my 10' Factor in steel surcharge that has happened since now and then and that cuts the difference down a bit more. I'd guess I'd say you got a fair deal.... nothing to cry about. Besides.. you can't touch an 8' in another brand with those guards for that money.

I hear that howse is coming out with a 15' batwing ( copy of a rhino15 I think ) I wish I'd have known that and I'd have held out on my 10' mower.

In any case.. I think you'll like your mower.. I love mine. Came with a slip clutch, and most of the big howse mowers have the rubber coupler pads to help with flexing and shock loads too. It's real heavy duty metal, and looks good.

I had to assemble mine. If yours came assembled.. I'd upgrade that from a fair to a 'good' deal, as it took me a couple good hours of hot/heavy/hard work to get that monster put together.

Howse customer support was great. my manual was wet and stuck together.Dealer didn't have a spare.. etc... they mailed me one out asap.

Soundguy

 

[Cabinholler]

Soundguy

Thank you very much for your input on your Howse rotary cutter. I thought that I got a fair deal on this rotary cutter for $3,400.00. Yes! The dealer is going to install the front and real chain guards on my rotary cutter, and also for this price, he is going to deliver it to my farm 20 miles from his dealership. Dealers here in Kentucky tell me that the price of steel has gone through the roof since last year, and that is the reason that rotary cutters have gone up so much in price.
Anyhow, all the other brands of rotary cutters such as Bush Hog, Woods, Rhino, and some others, the dealers wanted over $4,000.00 for a pull type 8 foot rotary cutter.

One thing else about the price that I paid for this rotary cutter, the price of $3,400.00 was the total price. There is no sales tax on tractors and farm implements here in Kentucky that is going to be used on the farm. It seems like here on the board that a lot of other states charges sales tax on tractors and implements that are going to be use on the farm because you stated you had to pay sales tax on your rotary cutter in Florida. By not having to pay sales tax on farm implements makes a big difference when buying here in Kentucky.

Cabinholler

 

[em14]

I have a HD10 that I have had for three years. I just finished replacing a "input" gear on one of the outside gear boxes. It appears that all at once the input cover's bolts decided to loosen and that allowed the input gear to move away from the out put gear. At the time I was exceeding the cutting limits by a lot by cutting many Sweet Gum saplings of up to 4" in dia. and a few even greater! Not smart on my part but I needed to re claim this field. The damage was that I sheared 4 teeth off the input gear! Howse was good about sending me additional drawings of the gear boxes along with some helpful suggestions. The lady that handled the parts order was great and the parts were in my hands in a couple of days. Neither the manual nor their web site had clear enough or sufficient drawings/illustrations to cover the repairs and ID of parts. As Ken Sweet said in a post some time back, you will have to work with this drive train on occasions, granted, I did because of a need to get something that I knew was stretching the design of this machine. But, it stood up better than one might expect. There are better rotary cutters but I'm not sure they are worth the additional cost to me or cost of that size tractor to power them. The one major PM item that you must do with any rotary cutter is to keep the nuts and bolts tight ... I use a very nice 6ft pipe on the wrench to tighten the big ones ... but I sure missed these on the input plate of the gear box! Why didn't the clutch slip? Because ... I had it way to tight! This lesson cost me about 3/4 days work and $100 plus dollars! I cannot emphasize this enough TIGHTEN ALL NUTS AND BOLTS OFTEN - TAKE THE TIME TO ADJUST THE CLUTCH PROPERLY …. WATCH WHAT YOU CUT!
Leo

 

[40Kchicks]

Soundguy

This is good news to me. I had the impression that Howse was a brand to avoid so when I went looking for a mower last year I just looked at the higher end mowers like JD, landpride, Kubota, ect. In the end I am still without a mower because I couldn’t justify or afford the $5000+ prices I was getting quoted.

This spring I am hurting for a mower but I still can’t afford those prices. Your price seems more manageable. I would like to go with a 10’ or at least the 8’ and its got to be heavy duty.

Did you purchase yours locally or can you recommend where to find one?

Eric

 

[Cabinholler]

40Kchicks

I don't know if you are talking to me, or soundguy, but I will give you my input on the new 8 foot Howse pull type rotary cutter that I bought last week. I looked at all the brands of cutters that you mentioned in your post, and most of those brands for a 8 foot pull type rotary cutters were over $4,000.00, and more. I could not afford that kind of price. Price is the main reason that I bought a Howse brand rotary cutter. Here in Kentucky, I couldn't find a heavy duty 8 foot pull type rotary cutter, with front and rear chain guards, with a one hose hydraulic to lift and lower cutter, and with 100 PTO horsepower gearbox any cheaper than $3,400.00 that I paid for the Howse brand rotary cutter. There are probably some people in other states that will say they can get a heavy duty 8 foot pull type rotary cutter set up like the one I bought cheaper. Remember! The price of steel keeps going up all the time. If this same size rotary cutter was priced 4 or 5 months ago, I am sure the price might be less.

This Howse brand rotary cutter is make in Laurel, MS. If you would like to look at one of these rotary cutter, this is their website: http://www.howseimplement.com

Cabinholler

 

[Cabinholler]

40Kchicks

Sorry! I forgot to mention in the other post where I bought my rotary cutter. I bought the rotary cutter at a local dealer here where I live in Central Kentucky. I see by your post that you are from Oregon. You will have to check if there is any dealers near you.

Cabinholler

 

[BB_TX]

Can't speak for the 8', but I bought a 6' a little over 5 yrs ago and have been very happy with it. I did have to weld a couple places on the rear skirts, but I think that was because I have done a lot of backing into heavy brush and saplings as I clear along my creek.

 

[Soundguy]

</font><font color="blue" class="small">( and also for this price, he is going to deliver it to my farm 20 miles from his dealership.)</font>

Sounds like you got assembly and delivery. That makes it a great deal. I had to get mine on a flat bed, and then assemble it. That's worth a couple hundred right there.

</font><font color="blue" class="small">( was the total price. There is no sales tax on tractors and farm implements here in Kentucky )</font>

In florida we pay a reduced rate for farm. for instance.. most of the state is 6.5% or 7% and farm stuff is 2.5% on machinery.. and usually 0% on feedstuffs and hay.

Soundguy

 

[Soundguy]

</font><font color="blue" class="small">( I had the impression that Howse was a brand to avoid so when I went looking for a mower last year I just looked at the higher end mowers like JD, landpride, Kubota, ect. In the end I am still without a mower because I couldn’t justify or afford the $5000+ prices I was getting quoted.
)</font>

Yep.. howse sells a few different 'duty' levels. From economy light duty, to med duty.. med HD, and HD

The 8' and up are generally HD.. and i can say for sure.. this 3pt lift 10' HD is heavy duty. The 3pt upright support plates are 1/2 thick steel.

The 10' 3pt lift mower was cheaper than the 10' drag mower, by quite a few hundred dollars.. so i went 3pt, as my tractor money was all but used up by buying the tractor to pull the mower /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif.

I'd deffinately reccomend the 10' mower. If money is short.. look at the 3pt model.. it is cheaper than the drag. If you need more than 10' there is a 15' on the way.

I mowed with mine last week. it sue is great driving out to your field, cutting 10 ac, and driving back to the barn in just under 3 hours....

Soundguy

 

[40Kchicks]

Thanks for the feedback guys. I’ll have to figure out if I want to go with the 8’ or 10’ then do some shopping.

Eric

 

[Cabinholler]

40Kchicks

If you have the money to spare, buy the 10 foot Howse rotary cutter instead of the 8 foot. I was short on money is the reason that I bought a 8 foot rotary cutter instead of the 10 foot, also I have some places to go through that would be tight for a 10 foot rotary cutter. Speaking of money, on 02/18/05 I bought a new 55 PTO tractor with loader on it. I am going to have to wait before I spend this much money for some other implement for my farm this year.

If later, I think I might want a 10 foot rotary cutter, I will sell my 8 foot one to someone. I should get a fair price out of it used, if i take good care of it. The way steel keeps going up it looks like rotary cutters is going to keep going up. Before I bought my new 8 foot Howse pull type rotary cutter, I priced some used rotary cutters. I could not believe the high prices that I got on used rotary cutters. Most of these rotary cutters were eat up in rust, and probably worn out to start with. That is the reason that I bought a new rotary cutter. At least, I will have a nice rotary cutter to start cutting my fields when they are ready for cutting.

Cabinholler

 

[colestin]

Hi, all! I just gotta join this thread. I see you are all "gold" and "Bronze" members and such. Even though I lurk a lot I am sure to be a "compost member", or zink or tin because I rarely post. Here goes:

I need to get one of these cutters, and SOON! My wife even agrees, so I am sure you understand my need to move on this FAST. I have many acres of uneven ground. Lots of grassy hill around the buildings which needs to be mowed for fire protection. Then, down in the scrub oak, I need to keep some paths clear in case of fire. Is a rotary cutter what I need? I'm thinkin' so, based on what I am reading here.

My tractor is a 35 Horse Branson. Am I in the right thread? Tell me to start my own if this aint right.

 

[BB_TX]

You could have started a new thread, but this works too. You can't run an 8 footer. You can easily run a 5' and probably a 6' OK. I run a 6' Howse with 33 engine/27PTO HP. The rotary cutter is definitely what you need for mowing pasture. Mine does fine as long as I don't let the grass get too tall. Then I just have to slow down a little to keep from lugging too much. It will easily cut most brush and softwood saplings of 2" and little larger. Not quite as large on hardwoods.

 

[KiotiJohn]

</font><font color="blueclass=small">( I need to get one of these cutters, and SOON! My wife even agrees, so I am sure you understand my need to move on this FAST. )</font>
Any place that you need to mow where there is tough debris like saplings or other woody growth is the place you need to use a brush cutter/ rotary mower/ brush hog/ and all the other names this one implement is called. You can pull a 6' mower with your tractor, but make sure you don't have places you can't pull it through. If you need to go through trees, make sure it's not too large. A 5' may be easier for you to maneuver.
Since you've never used one, you need to search the archives for tips on using rotary cutter safely as well. This can be a dangerous implement if not used properly. John
EDIT: I have a Howse 48" cutter for my CK20HST and it's doing just fine even with some abuse! J

 

[Cabinholler]

colestin

Whatever size rotary cutter you decide to get make sure it has front and rear chain, or rubber guards on it with all the rough stuff you got to cut. Last week, I bought the Howse heavy duty 8 foot pull type rotary cutter, and I am waiting for the dealer to get in my front and rear chain guards before I use it. I wouldn't think about using any size rotary cutter, if it didn't have front and rear chain guards.

Cabinholler