Rotary Cutter Rotary cutter: Rhino vs. Bushhog?

[tjkadar]

We wore out a Sidewinder in about 15 years and a Bushhog in about 9. Most of our cutting was in the fields, but some was in light scrub and trees. The Sidewinder was rebuilt a few times (the deck, not the gearbox) and was finally given to someone with more patience then us. I think it is still in service today, but is what I would call unbalanced and dangerous. The Bushhog was a disappointment after the Sidewinder, but that was before I looked up the records and saw it was nine years old. With new skids, it should be as good as new.

The new Bush Whacker looks like it will outlast both the Sidewinder and Bushhog put together. I like equipment that is going to be around a long time. ‘Disposable’ rotary cutters aren’t economical buys in the long run.

 

[heehaw]

how many hundred acres are you cuttin? its all relative: some folks are hard on equipment, like me, some can use the same equipment for 40 years?
heehaw

 

[crown]

As a B-7500 owner I agree fully with hee haw's logic. The light duty so called cheapo brands ie King Kutter or Howse is a good match for the tractor.
I own a Howse and primarily cut weeds and small brush it has always done the job, I do hit quite a few rocks from time to time, my land seems to grow those buggers. /forums/images/graemlins/smirk.gif
Before you spend alot of money on a premium cutter consider how much you will use it and on what, keep in mind the 7510 is not the ideal heavy duty brush hogger.
I am in no way putting down the tractor it has performed flawlessly for me it is great for my mowing ligh duty hogging and snow removal, as well as moving some dirt and mulch around.

 

[brock35]

How does the Woods Brushball compare (BB48)? The dealer that sold me my B7500 has a used one for sale for $600.00. It was only used about 3 times. The dealer took it back on trade from the original buyer.

 

[SWB]

Woods make excellent cutters.

 

[Gatorboy]

<font color="blue">( Woods make excellent cutters. ) </font>

Not in the batwing models however.

 

[IslandTractor]

The Woods is roughly equivalent to the Bush Hog from what I could tell.

 

[Cyberchuck]

Since I'm the one who started this thread, I thought I'd close it off and let everyone know what I ended up doing...

The best price I could get on the Rhino SE-4 was $915, and the BushHog SQ480 was $790. The Rhino comes with a slip clutch and the BushHog uses shear pins. Both have solid wheels, not laminated. As one person noted, the tail wheel assemblies are different--Rhino uses a square tube, and BushHog uses a triangular brace built of flat stock. Both units looked pretty sturdy to me, and I figured I could buy a lot of shear pins for the $125 difference, so I went with the BushHog. Used it for a couple hours so far, no problems, no sheared pins, no regrets.

Thanks to all who contributed, your comments were very helpful to me.

Chuck
Athens, GA

 

[Travis_R]

Chuck,

I think you made the right choice. Thats exactly what I would have done. And yes, you can buy a lot of shear pins for $125.00.

Travis

 

[newtothegarden]

I like equipment that is going to be around a long time. 船isposable rotary cutters aren稚 economical buys in the long run.

ME TOO! I was looking at the Fred Cain Agricutter brush hog at a local dealer yesterday (the link is to the ones I looked at, but my local guy doesn't have a website). It was constructed with a single sheet top deck that is folded down on the sides for strength. First one I have ever seen that is made like that.

It also featured a slip clutch like the Rhino. I like this feature for two reasons.

First off, it was mentioned that $125 could buy a lot of shear bolts, and that statement is true . . . right up until you start shearing a lot of them on some of the bigger saplings and have to start factoring in your time.

Second reason I like it is that I could slip the clutch on a big stump, then go right back to mowing.

No down time.
No driving to TSC to get a shear bolt (or ten).
No spending money on shear bolts.
No spending time finding wrench to replace the shear bolt.
No getting on and off my tractor.

Not sure about the rest of you, but TIME is the most valuable thing I have. If you aren't planning to do any real aggressive mowing on bigger stuff then the other bush hog ones will work, but if you plan on frequent use, and clearing land, better spend a little extra up front and buy one with a slip clutch.

 

[lowensby]

I have 30 yr old 6 ft Bush Hog cutter that I run with a 42 HP Ford and a 15 yr old Rhino 15 ft batwing cutter that I run behind a 105 HP JD, but I pulled it OK behind a 72 HP Ford. Both are great, tough machines. The Rhino may be a bit heavier duty but each will cut anything it goes over and will take a beating. Each costs about the same for the same type of cutter, but since BH is made in Alabama the freight there will be less. Rhino is made in TX and will cost less there because of shipping. Hard to go wrong with either brand in my opinion.

 

[coss]

I think the argument that a slip clutch is superior to a shear pin is a bit overblown. Unless you are a commercial user where time is money, changing a shear pin is almost free. You can buy bulk pins and nuts at Tractor Supply for less than $2 each. Changing a pin takes perhaps 3 minutes.

I recently finished clearing 12 acres of overgrown fields. I went through 3-4 shear pins. I would be surprised if I broke more than one per year from this point forward because the thick growth is now gone. I think I can afford a couple of bucks and a couple of minutes per year.

 

[bubbacuse77]

Good on you guys for reviving a thread that is 8 years old.

Cross, I'm with you, I just bought a new Woods Brush Bull and opted for the shear pin vs the money for the slip clutch because I only use it a handful of time a year.

 

[lowensby]

In general I agree with you about shear pins. Slip clutches are a PITA to keep adjusted properly. My BH 306 has a slip clutch. The Rhino 15 ft batwing has one for each of the three spindles. But when working properly they protect the driveline and gearboxes. With slip clutches you have to be less cautious about how tough the stuff is that you will run over. Otherwise you are up and down replacing those pins all the time. I cut heavy duty brush (mesquite and huisatche) up to 4" diameter with both cutters. Safety chains front and rear are essential!

 

[Poopdeck Pappy]

For me, the negative with shear pins is that once you break enough pins, the hole wallers out so the shear pin is somewhat loose in the hole. And that little bit of slack allows it to break the pins way too often.

That was my experience with a prior mower with a shear pin years ago. Maybe the metal in the shear pin collar was too soft, or maybe they make them better now. I don't know. My Rhino mower has a slip clutch.

 

[Jack Yuan]

30 years...omg