The "Stump Jumper" is what I call the blade attachment hub. It is not optional. I don't use the word "standard", as it is anything but standard fair when compared to most competitive cutters. For comparison, one of my tree farming buddies has a 72" KK. His "stump jumper" is about 1/2 to 2/3 the diameter and thickness of mine. He also has to borrow my Ox/Ac torch to get the blades off. I use a 5/8 inch wrench. But I digress...
The raw weight of the cutter does not scare me. I am religious about keeping the back wheel on the ground when it is being transported between areas. I would be willing to bet that my tractor with the BB600 <font color=orange>used the way I use it</font color=orange>, will be in better shape than one with a 750# cutter that is transported with the cutter "up" over bouncy trails. Just my personal thoughts.
I do have the front and rear chains. My dealer didn't seem to charge me for them. At least I don't think it was an extra line item. I would guess that the chains are about 100#, but the front and rear metal guards you are replacing must weigh 50#.
Someone else (sorry, I can't see the post from here!) stated that they only have 1600-1700 # of lift on their tractor and they don't cut thick stuff often. I agree that I would not think a BB600 was a good fit for them. A BB60, or equivalent from the other respected brands would be acceptable.
To reiterate, I cut trails on my 240 acre tree farm. I only have weekends and holidays to do it on so I require a cutter that won't let me down when I HAVE to use it. I also have lots of branches, fallen trees, and granite rocks that are frost heaved (spelling?) every spring to contend with. So, I don't have time to pre-walk the trails and hand clear the big obstacles. Nor the inclination as we are in one of the deer tick hot spots! Side note here: it is amazing how much of that stuff is new every spring, summer and fall. If I didn't know better I would swear that the deer and bears are bringing it in just to piss me off!
Anyway, the "hundreds" series is overkill for most compact tractor users. The "thousands" series is overkill for all but highway departments and such. The "tens" series is honestly tougher than most low cost medium duty cutters and has the nice features of easy blade removal, built in dip stick on the gear housing but not a slip clutch.
Here's a photo of the tractor holding the cutter on day 1.
Have Fun!
John Bud
