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Most reliable 6 Rotary Cutter

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davidleeti
Join Date: Jul 2006
Posts: 7 st. pete
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2006-07-25          132607

I am shopping for a 6' rotary cutter for my NH 45HP tractor. I will be cutting up to 2" brush. What is the most reliable 6' cutter for the money? This is my first cutter, so I don't know much about brand reliability.

-Dave


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kwschumm
Join Date: Feb 2003
Posts: 5764 NW Oregon
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2006-07-25          132608

Not the cheapest but the JD MX6 would give you excellent service. Besides being green part of the price premium is because it comes with chain guards and slip clutch. Built like a tank. I use the slightly smaller MX5 all the time and have cut 2" scotch broom with it on my 32 hp tractor. ....

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greg_g
Join Date: Jan 2004
Posts: 1816 Western Kentucky
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2006-07-25          132609

I'm quite pleased with my IM602. Behind a 45hp tractor, it doesn't even flinch when backed over 4" cedar. There's a photo of a used one recently sold on eBay; http://cgi.ebay.com/l-K-very-nice-IM602-6FT-INTERNATIONAL-BUSH-HOG-5026_W0QQitemZ160006769859QQcmdZViewItem

//greg// ....

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earthwrks
Join Date: Dec 2003
Posts: 3853 Home Office in Flat Rock, Michigan
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2006-07-25          132610

Reliable? They're all pretty much "reliable" as the gear boxes so I have heard are made by only a handful of mfg's. Durability is another thing. Most important is deck design, thickness and stiffness. More is better. Whacking anything 2" in diameter, or a big rock, or a stump really stresses not only the gear box but the deck itself--either hitting it with the blades themselves or with the deck itself. The other thing to look at is the quality of the caster wheel and its pivot/swivel. The lowest end models will not use bushings or bearings but metal-to-metal with a grease fitting. And the caster wheels the same. ....

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kthompson
Join Date: Oct 2005
Posts: 5275 South Carolina
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2006-07-26          132632

david,

The type of 2" brush you are cutting can vary. Oak is much harder on a cutter than pine. Also the amount you will be cutting might make a difference. If you will have only a few brush like this you might be better off cutting those with a chain saw and then could use a lighter cutter. If you have much of that 2" to cut you may wish to consider a cutter that extends past the side of your tractor so the tractor does not have to run over it possibly damaging the tractor. Don't miss the height the cutter will cut down to. Be sure you are pleased with the stuble height the cutter will leave. Remember, you propably will be putting tractor tire back on that and the stuble will often be sharp. (tire damage can be easy here)


If you have never used a rough cut cutter before I do suggest you start away from buildings and roads. They can throw debris a long way.

Be safe and God Bless, ....

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hardwood
Join Date: Dec 2002
Posts: 3583 iowa
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2006-07-26          132635

I've had a Deere MX5 for several seasons, it has given me no problems at all. I've never tried it on 2" brush, that seems a bit too much for any rotary cutter. I've cut lots of smaller brush and smacked quite a few hidden rocks without any visible damage. A realy light duty cutter may cost you more in the end as it too will find the hidden rocks, etc. that may destroy the cutter. Best of luck. Frank. ....

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Peters
Join Date: Feb 2002
Posts: 3034 Northern AL
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2006-07-26          132639

The inventor of the rotary cutter is the Bush Hog. I think most of the commercial cutters for highways use these in this area. I have never seen a Deere cutter in this area or in my travels for this application. Rhino is well constructed as is Woods.
You need to be looking at a medium or heavy duty unit.
The value leader in a heavy unit would be King Kutter. ....

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reason201
Join Date: Apr 2004
Posts: 91 Nebraska
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2006-07-28          132748

As posted earlier, The MX-6 would be a great choice. I have an LX-6 which I have just used to shred about 10-12 acres of saplings from CRP ground. I took on everything up to a maximum of about 2.5". (Cottonwood, Cedar and Willows) I left any larger stuff for a commercial shredder. These trees were tightly spaced (4-5 inches apart) so it was a big job. I have a few dents in the top of the deck from the largest trees but the LX-6 took everything thrown at it. If I had been starting from scratch for this job, I would have gone with the MX-6. It has a double wall deck so any dents on the inside don't show on the outside.

My dealer said when he went to a demonstartion of the MX series of cutters, they drove one over a pile of cinder blocks. He said it made a heck of a racket and dented the blades pretty good but the cutter kept working without problem. He said the inside deck was pretty beat up but the outside looked like new. Probably not the kind of thing you want to do with your own cutter but a heck of a demo. ....

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Chief
Join Date: Jul 2003
Posts: 4297 Southwest MiddleTennessee
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2006-07-28          132751

If your budget will allow it; I woudld strongly recommend going with a heavy duty cutter. Allow yourself at least a week to recover from the sticker shock. ;O) Pretty much all of the major manufacturers build a good cutter. The MX5 is a medium duty unit. A great cutter but depending upon how you use it, perhaps not what you want. For the use you mentioned it would be fine. I cut MANY acres of land and have found that as it the case with our tractors in that we end up finding more and demanding uses for them; the same is the case for rotary cutters.

One suggestion I would point out in my opinion is that you want a cutter that has open side skirts in the rear. This will allow you to back over sapplings and "uncharted" brush as opposed to being required to drive over it. This allows you to VERY gradually and slowly back up over vegetation which affords you (usually) some advanced warning of an unscene rock or tree stump without having driven all the way over it. You can pull back off and take a look and remove the obstacle. Chain guards and a slip clutch are a MUST in my opinion. You can do without the rear chain guard but it too offers much needed protection for anything or anyone behind you.

In the end, I think you will have to decide how much you want to spend on a cutter vs. use you plan to put it to. As an example, you can expect to spend in the range of $3,400 for a John Deere 609 heavy duty rotary cutter and $2,000 for an MX6 medium duty cutter. If you think you will ever do any moderate to heavy brush cutting, I would go with a heavy duty cutter. It may cost a good bit more up front but in the end it will hold up and give you many years of reliable service. ....

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kthompson
Join Date: Oct 2005
Posts: 5275 South Carolina
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2006-07-28          132758

Chief,

I believe you have been there reading your comments.


Some time back someone suggested wisely you should WALK over a piece of unknown land before cutting it. Good advice. Some other advice...know your stinging nest building flying insects. You probably will hit a nest or more and the tractor is much slower than they are. ....

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davidleeti
Join Date: Jul 2006
Posts: 7 st. pete
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2006-07-30          132803

Thanks for the great information. Are there any brands to stay away from?

-Dave ....

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jcdozier
Join Date: Apr 2004
Posts: 5 Eastern kansas
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2006-08-03          132928

As PETERS said, Bush Hog is the inventor of the modern-day heavy brush cutter. You should be able to get a Model 12 (the original) for under $3,000 with front and rear chain guards. Mine appears to be bullet-proof. ....

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brokenarrow
Join Date: Jan 2004
Posts: 1288 Wisconsin
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2006-08-05          133006

Dave
I feel you need to ask yourself, " How many times am I going to be cutting heavy brush over 2"? If your answer is like most folks, " Not more than once or twice" then you need to evaluate how much money you want to spend. A meduim duty cutter would suit you fine if your like most home/farm owners. (If you have larger plans than dis-regaurd this). It always nice to have the biggest and best out there if you have the free cash flow and can afford a luxury you may never really need? A meduim duty cutter will take down alot of brush, maybe not as fast as the heavy duty one but if your talkin UP TOO 2" brush and only a couple of time??? I feel save some money and get the meduim duty cutter.
The price difference between a heavy and the meduim is huge,,, like almost 1/3 more!!! on the ones I looked into. You do get a heck of a cutter though if you do choose to go large!
....

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Art White
Join Date: Jan 2000
Posts: 6898 Waterville New York
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2006-08-05          133012

All the major manufacturers build several different mdels to cover the needs of different jobs. It is important to buy a brand that is prominate in the market place as when they are twenty years old and they break a part and it's no longer available it's a sad day! There are different things that give some longevity to the life of a cutter or it turns into additional maintence later. ....

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brokenarrow
Join Date: Jan 2004
Posts: 1288 Wisconsin
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2006-08-10          133181

Very good point Art! ....

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kthompson
Join Date: Oct 2005
Posts: 5275 South Carolina
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2006-08-11          133196

There is nothing no worse than needing a couple of dollars part for an item that cost hundreds and it is not to be found.

As Art is trying to point out, there is a reason brand names have become brand names. ....

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Art White
Join Date: Jan 2000
Posts: 6898 Waterville New York
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2006-08-11          133225

It isn"t just with the name but the companies dedication to the product line ....

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Peters
Join Date: Feb 2002
Posts: 3034 Northern AL
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2006-08-12          133244

When I bought the farm here in AL I also got an old rotary cutter. Although heavy it was beat. The 3pt connections had be rewelded a number of times and the deck was bent. I had no idea what brand it was or if I could get parts. It went to the local scrap dealer.
As Art said if it was a brand rotary I might have tried to rebuild it as then I would have known where the part where available. As it was just a no-name orphan it would have taken as much time to find the parts than to make the repairs. ....

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jcdozier
Join Date: Apr 2004
Posts: 5 Eastern kansas
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2006-09-23          135389

Two Words: BUSH HOG ....

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SURRYEQUIP
Join Date: Oct 2006
Posts: 7 virginia
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2006-10-31          136442

1 WORD- WOODS
BEST GEARBOX WARRANTY ....

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jrschremser
Join Date: Oct 2004
Posts: 9 crawfordville, FL
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2006-11-02          136540

Although it is rated for only 2" material my Brown 460, powered by 38 PTO hp, has continually cut for 7 years much heavier material. I would recommend the Brown 472, their 6 foot model. They have a of experience building heavy cutters including the well known and regarded Brown Tree Cutter. ....

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mobilus
Join Date: Jul 2007
Posts: 171 Clay County, TX
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2007-09-06          145420

Let me throw in a good word for LandPride products. They surely aren't in the KK price range, but the quality is outstanding. Make in Kansas, I believe. Make sure you spend the extra money and get the slip clutch option. Take a look at their RCR26 model.

Have a tractor day! ....

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