LandPride rotary cutters / bush hogs

JOHNTHOMAS · Apr 5, 2018

i PREVIOUSLY OWNED A PRETTY fRENCH MADE RED ROTARY CUTTER THAT BROKE OFTEN IN MY LUMPY YARD WITH GULLIES AND STEEP HILLSIDE. bARLOWS LET ME TRADE IT FOR A 72" lANDPRIDE which was built like a tank and never broke. The Landpride would swing my B7800 FEL around at the bottom of my yard. I traded the B7800 to a L3240 FEL and the Landpride no longer controlled the tractor but the L3240 did slow down as it was reaching my steep yard peaks where the lighter near same HP B did not. I Have another Rotary cutter which I bought when I bought my L3901. Got the heavier framed 72" LP which seems to do well on the L3901 doing high grass fields and even backing into stands of 3" saplings. Traction is more of a problem than power on the L3901 with loaded tires.
I consider the heavy duty LP as good and as a heavy duty rotary mower. I have Woods RFM but I haven't tried it yet.

moship · Apr 5, 2018

coolbrze said:
Are the LandPride rotary cutters any good or should I opt for another brand - Woods, Bush Hog, etc.? I'm interested in a 6' cutter for a steep mountain property & also some flat farmland overgrown fields. This would be going on a MX5200 or 5800 and I don't think I want a real light duty cutter, something that can cut up to 2" I'm guessing. Seems that the LPs are roughly 1/2 the weight of the Bush Hog cutters...

Keep in mind each manufacture typically has a light, medium and possibly a heavy duty models for a given size, so comparing weights may be misleading if not comparing the same duty rating. LandPride has the 18, 26 and 36 Series to name a few with weights and prices changing accordingly to their capability.

That being said, I've had good luck with the 2672 clearing trails in rocky conditions. Cutting 2" trees, brush, etc is not an issue, but I'm glad I don't have the 18 series when encountering a clump of saplings or something slightly larger in diameter. The deck can flex a good bit.

Turbys_1700 · Apr 5, 2018

Just about all the manufacturers use Chinese made gearboxes now. I used a Land Pride light duty rear finish mower over 14 years and never had any issues at all with it. I run a Woods PRD 7200 now and just had to replace the wheels and spindles. Any of the major short line producers are good. They cost more because of their parts support.

JWR · Apr 5, 2018

SDT said:
Land Pride is an A-/B+ rotary mower supplier.

Woods and Bush Hog are the industry leaders.

Yes, this is a generalization, but the knowledgeable will agree that LandPride mowers are a bit lighter and not quite up to the latest design standards of Woods and Bush Hog but they are also a bit less expensive than comparable models from Woods or Bush Hog.

SDT

I have owned multiple Bush Hog branded hogs, a John Deere MX6 and a Landpride RCR2672 and some others. Woods has sold a lot over the last 25 years and I have no idea why.

A couple of comments:
1) Kubota chose LP for their in-house line of cutters and it was not because they were cheap or flimsy.
2) As another guy said, you can buy most sizes of the major brands in light, medium or heavy duty models. Just shop around at dealers and take a look and feel. I'm betting you have no need at all for a 'heavy duty' -- those things are nearly twice as thick and 50% more weight to say nothing of cost. Maybe desirable for commercial land clearing people and those with constant diet of thick small trees, NOT most of us. Of course, buy which ever of the 3 grades fits your case best.
3) You will be fine with a 6' cutter on that MX tractor, either std or medium grade. I ran the Deere MX6 on a 48 horse JD4700 for 10 years. Bulletproof. No criticism at all. And I guarantee it was on just as steep a ground as you will face. BY THE WAY, you say "steep mountain property" and Kubota is not the ideal brand for steep ground. They are more limited in rear wheel spacing than other brands. Compare to Deere, Massey and New Holland. Use your tape measure.
4) I dissent somewhat from SDT's evaluation. In my opinion the Landpride units in same size and same grade (say 6' in what they term Medium Duty) are just as heavy, just as strong and every bit as durable as any comparable Woods or Bush Hog. There have been no design breakthroughs or great improvements in brush cutters in the last 25 years. A good one then is a good one now. I also would choose a Bush Hog brand over the Woods. Personal preference I guess.

There may be support and manufacturer backing issues among them. I do not think any of them back their products better than Bush Hog (I mean the factory, not necessarily the dealers!) . If support and reliability are the gamebreakers for you, go with a Bush Hog brand in the medium duty, not lighter ones.

coolbrze · Apr 5, 2018

Thanks guys. Spoke w/ another dealer today & he recommended the LP RCF2072 (smooth top version) which I believe is a med. duty bush hog. He said the smooth top doesn't hold debris/water on top of it b/c all the frame members are underneath & is less likely to rust out b/c of this. Any truth to that?

JWR · Apr 5, 2018

Yes, mostly true. My Deere MX6 was one of the earliest that came out with the twin layer deck design. It is very nice from a cleanliness, washing and appearance standpoint but that is somewhat "just cosmetics." Yours won't rust out anyway unless you let it sit out on the weather for 10 or 15 or more years. The two layer design I think does add strength and makes the overall unit a bit more solid. They may be a little more costly (?)
Deere defines "std duty" (meaning light duty) as cuts 1" material, Medium cuts 2" material and Heavy Duty cuts 4" material. These are rough generalities of course. Their RC2072 lighter Frontier unit 6ft is 709 lbs. The Deere MX6 is 1053 lbs and their HD model HX6 is 1208 lbs. In many ways weight matters (in terms of how much steel are you buying.)

The Landpride RCR2672 is what their literature says is their medium duty line. Not two layer buy very heavily built. Calls it 3" material cutting capacity. Weighs 1046lbs.

Of course I'd recommend you get a slip clutch and darn near say that if the unit you are looking at does not come with a slip clutch you are looking at too light duty a unit.

I hesitate to say it this way but in 6ft hogs std duty will weigh about 700lbs, medium duty about 1000lbs and heavy will weigh around 1200lbs. Another point to consider in your nitty gritty shopping is gearbox capacity -- if anything expensive ever breaks on the thing it is the gearbox. Good ones are guaranteed for 5 years. Lighter Deere only 2 yrs. The LP RCR2672 gearbox is 140HP rated. The Deere MX6 is 90hp rated.

Bush Hog BH16 weighs 764lbs & uses a 65hp gearbox & says it cuts 2" stuff.. Bush Hog BH26 is smooth top, weighs 1095lbs and says it cuts 3" stuff. The Bush Hog 326 says it cuts 4" material, has a HOLY COW 210hp gearbox, and weighs 1400lbs.

You can study specs on the web probably at least as well as I can. Anyway a lot to pick from !! Good luck.

SDT · Apr 5, 2018

JWR said:
I have owned multiple Bush Hog branded hogs, a John Deere MX6 and a Landpride RCR2672 and some others. Woods has sold a lot over the last 25 years and I have no idea why.

A couple of comments:
1) Kubota chose LP for their in-house line of cutters and it was not because they were cheap or flimsy.
2) As another guy said, you can buy most sizes of the major brands in light, medium or heavy duty models. Just shop around at dealers and take a look and feel. I'm betting you have no need at all for a 'heavy duty' -- those things are nearly twice as thick and 50% more weight to say nothing of cost. Maybe desirable for commercial land clearing people and those with constant diet of thick small trees, NOT most of us. Of course, buy which ever of the 3 grades fits your case best.
3) You will be fine with a 6' cutter on that MX tractor, either std or medium grade. I ran the Deere MX6 on a 48 horse JD4700 for 10 years. Bulletproof. No criticism at all. And I guarantee it was on just as steep a ground as you will face. BY THE WAY, you say "steep mountain property" and Kubota is not the ideal brand for steep ground. They are more limited in rear wheel spacing than other brands. Compare to Deere, Massey and New Holland. Use your tape measure.
4) I dissent somewhat from SDT's evaluation. In my opinion the Landpride units in same size and same grade (say 6' in what they term Medium Duty) are just as heavy, just as strong and every bit as durable as any comparable Woods or Bush Hog. There have been no design breakthroughs or great improvements in brush cutters in the last 25 years. A good one then is a good one now. I also would choose a Bush Hog brand over the Woods. Personal preference I guess.

There may be support and manufacturer backing issues among them. I do not think any of them back their products better than Bush Hog (I mean the factory, not necessarily the dealers!) . If support and reliability are the gamebreakers for you, go with a Bush Hog brand in the medium duty, not lighter ones.

I am currently shopping for a BW cutter and have been doing so for nearly six months. I am also a retired design engineer, lifetime mechanic and have been mowing in various conditions with various tractor/mower combinations for about 45 years.

I have exhaustively researched Bush Hog, Woods, and Land Pride rotary cutters in the past six months. I ignored Rhino because I have no nearby dealer but know that Rhino cutters are somewhat less expensive than comparable Woods or Bush Hog models.

Bush Hog has been the industry leader for years and still captures the highest market share. Look CLOSELY and you will see why. Woods has just redesigned their BW line (aside from the 12' model). The redesigned models are just now hitting the market. I have not seen one but do have the new brochure. I like what they have done but will not buy one until I see one. Again, look closely.

I have nothing against Land Pride and they are a bit less expensive than comparable Bush Hog or Woods models but their designs are not as current. This is why I would rate Land Price A-/B+. I expect this to change in the future now that they are owned by Kubota but this has not yet happened. Again, look CLOSELY. I have done so.

SDT

SDT · Apr 5, 2018

coolbrze said:
Thanks guys. Spoke w/ another dealer today & he recommended the LP RCF2072 (smooth top version) which I believe is a med. duty bush hog. He said the smooth top doesn't hold debris/water on top of it b/c all the frame members are underneath & is less likely to rust out b/c of this. Any truth to that?

Yes.

In years past, it was common practice for rotary mower manufacturers to design cutters with the supporting structures on the top of the deck. Such designs would collect and hold mowing debris resulting in long term durability issues for those owners who did not clean such debris after each use and, especially, those who stored their equipment outside.

Today, only the low cost models of most manufacturers are so designed. The major manufacturers started designing mowers with so-called smooth/water shedding decks years ago.

Unless you are shopping low cost suppliers or low cost lines of major manufacturers, most quality mowers have smooth, water shedding decks these days.

SDT

JWR · Apr 5, 2018

True SDT. To the orig postor, coolbrze, I forgot to mention that the two layer decks stay "new looking" for years more than the single layer hogs. The reason is that rocks and heavier pieces of wood and cut material underneath make some huge 'bangs' on the sheet metal body of the hog in normal operation if you brush hog things heavier than grass. With two layers the beat up layer never shows and the top layer looks pretty much like new. Makes a nice difference if you resell it. Some folks think that was the real reason for the design rather than anything to do with water and debris accumulation.