King Kutter XB cutter Disapointing

pennwalk · Apr 20, 2002

Saw the King Kutter 4' XB rotary cutter at The local dealers demo days. I know King Kutter isn't well known for delivering beautifully finished machines but I thought it was a big disapointment. My old blue 4' KK hog is ugly but rock solid. I had the feeling that you wouldn't want to mow anything more that pasture grass with the XB. Every stone would be a dent. I would be afraid that the XB would look like junk in a year the way I use my hog.

Chris

Anonymous Poster · Apr 20, 2002

That is interesting,I always thought King Kutter was the best value for your money,but I have not seen any new ones for years.

TresCrows · Apr 20, 2002

Thanks for the update. I was just about to order one. Oh well, I guess maybe I will just get another 48 inch KK standard cutter. So it has thin sheet metal or what was your main concerns?? Thanks for info in nick of time. Really, with machines this size pasture grass cutting is the main use so maybe it is not so bad? for that pupose--yes--no? J

SHIFTY · Apr 20, 2002

The KK XB is a light weight unit,if your looking for a heaveyer unit,KingKutter makes a 42 inch brushhog which is beefier than the XB unit and requires less power that the 48" unit,Good luck

pennwalk · Apr 21, 2002

Hope you will take a look for your self. I use my bush hog for clearing brush. It will chop up and spit out anything that I can run over. I have to admit that I hit rocks pretty regularly in fact I don't worry about it much any more. My KK is pretty solid but also I think it is fairly well designed. The XB almost surely would cut grass. Just so people don't expect to be able to use it for heavier jobs or at least don't mind if their machine gets banged up. When I saw the XB behind the BX 2200 it stood out like a sore thumb. The BX 2200 is a beautiful refined machine. The XB crude and I thought the metal felt thin. Maybe if you gave it a nice coat of Kubota orange it would look a little better behind your BX. I might be wrong but I was remembering those light duty JD rotary mowers that dented up so easily. At least they were pretty when they were new. I would be glad to hear what the rest of you think.

Chris

TresCrows · Apr 21, 2002

I did see one some time back but it was one of those days that was not a priority so I only gave it a quick glance and grabbed the brochures. I went back today and it is gone. I do not remember it being any less crude than than other items KK builds--none of them very pretty but fairly rugged. Looking at the weight the XB cutter is 401 lbs and the standard 48 inch cutter is 420 lbs. The unit I saw had to small tailwheels that may be a tad small, two full length frame rails and 3 point spacing better suited to the BX. Since there is a 20 lb weight difference obviously something is missing or there is thinner metal somewhere. I suspect the XB unit will do fine for light duty use and grass cutting, those who wish to get into the rough with their BX might should opt for the 48 inch standard cutter. It is fairly simple to lower the pins and turn them in and the BX will handle it with the FEL left mounted or front weight.
All of the KK stuff seems a bit crude but then it is value priced and seems to work well and be durable, not sure orange paint would help. J

pennwalk · Apr 21, 2002

I am surprised that there isn't more weight difference. I wonder what <font color=blue>Old Blue</font color=blue> my 4' KK hog weighs?. I would want the sides and back to be fairly rugged as that's where the chunks hit. One thing is that mine has C channel sides. The XB looked like sheet metal. It looked like the sides bolt on so maybe you can replace them when they get beat up. The XB had a closed back that is supposed to deflect projectiles down but I wonder if it might cause the mower to clog more often? I couldn't see and the dealer didn't know if there was a stump jumper. There is one on <font color=blue>Old Blue</font color=blue>. As a note the XB I saw had a rubber throw guard across the front. I've heard that the rubber guards don't last long. The dealer did say that they sold the regular KK 4' rotary mower to a lot of BX owners.

Chris