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Rotary Cutters - So Many Brands

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eric5899
Join Date: Nov 2003
Posts: 3 Illinois
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2003-12-04          70305

Just bought a 35HP tractor and am looking for a rotary cutter for some conservation ground (tall native grasses but no shrubs/trees). I talked to several ag dealers today about Bush Hog, Woods, and Land Pride. Depending on standard or medium duty they all ran from about $1250 to $1850. Then I called the Tractor Supply and Farm & Fleet retail stores. I can get a 6' King Kutter for $619. The weight and metal gauge puts it in the middle of the pack. Is there a huge quality difference or can the retail stores just sell them much cheaper because of the volume??? Thanks!

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DK35vince
Join Date: Feb 2002
Posts: 689 Western,Pa.
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2003-12-04          70308

I have a 6' King Kutter brush mower and it works fine.
I did some small modifications to work more to my liking.
I moved the lift pins down 5 inches.
Drilled and extra hole in the tail wheel adjuster to give me the rear cutter height I wanted.
I also added a slip clutch purchased from Tractor Supply for an additional $95.
For the money spent it works good and sturdy built. ....

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kwschumm
Join Date: Feb 2003
Posts: 5764 NW Oregon
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2003-12-04          70311

Here's a vote for JD's MX series of medium duty cutters. They're far from the cheapest but they are extremely well built. My MX5 has no troubles with 2" saplings and scotch broom (tough stuff). If you don't have a lot of woody material you can go with a light duty cutter. ....

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Chief
Join Date: Jul 2003
Posts: 4297 Southwest MiddleTennessee
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2003-12-05          70332

I like the John Deere MX 5 or the Land Pride 2660 for your application. Both are very well built rotary cutters and should give you many years of service. The King Kutter rotary cutters TSC sells are OK for very light duty but do not hold up so well if you get into moderate to heavy stuff. If you don't mind repairing a few broken welds and can fabricate a good chain guard they are OK. If you buy the chain guards and other safety items comparable with the Land Pride, John Deere, Bush Hog, etc; you will find that the price difference is not so great then. Pay close attention to the gauge or thickness of steel used, how beefy a stump jumper, size gearbox, skirt thickness, and blade thickness/quality steel. For very occasional use the King Cutter may be right up your alley and you won't have so much invested, but if you use it regularly and hit a rock or two. Consider the heavier built brands. ....

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plots1
Join Date: Jul 2003
Posts: 563 mo
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2003-12-05          70352

I'm going to side with DK35, for the price the KK is hard to beat, I've really put mine through a real work out last summer with no more than a few good dents in the blades. (That happens to all cutters). Probley over worked it , but It did hold up. Now If kept up once a season the KK will surely work out fine, as all the heavy cuttin has been done.If you plan on only cuttin once every couple of years the beefier cutters might be the way to go. ....

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shortmagnum
Join Date: Nov 2003
Posts: 848 Wisconsin
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2003-12-05          70355

A rough cutter will most likely be my next purchase also. I'll probably go with a 5' so that it will fit easier through the trails in my woods. The king cutter goes on sale periodically for around $500. At that price I can replace it three times for the price of the high end ones. ....

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BillBass
Join Date: Feb 2002
Posts: 190 North Texas
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2003-12-05          70358

I would go with the KK. I use a Howse light duty that costs even less than the KK. Mine is also mostly grass, but I do sometimes get into some pretty rough stuff down by the creek that I have been cleaning up and maintaining. The Howse bangs and clangs in the brush and deadfall, has some dents to show for it, but has never failed. ....

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DK35vince
Join Date: Feb 2002
Posts: 689 Western,Pa.
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2003-12-05          70359

Sorry Chief but I have to disagree on the King Kutter being that light duty.
In my opinion it will take nearly anything a 35 HP tractor can throw at it.
You will snap the sheer bolt or slip the clutch before hurting the cutter.
I am comparing it to the light duty JD 513 cutter I previously had.
My 6' King Kutter brush mower will go through things without a dent that would have tore my JD 513 cutter apart.
....

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Chief
Join Date: Jul 2003
Posts: 4297 Southwest MiddleTennessee
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2003-12-05          70361

Vince, I am not gonna argue that you can get a KK alot cheaper at TSC and they will hold up as good if not better than the 513. I would say the KK may well be better built than the 513. KK says it is a medium duty cutter. When you price a KK out with a slip clutch, chain guard, and the rest of the comparable safety goodies; the price difference narrows GREATLY to where it is not very much cheaper than the LP 2660 or MX5. I would NEVER consider operating a rotary cutter without ALL the safety equipment. Sometimes even chain guards won't stop debry and it can still hit you or a bystander. I would buy the KK before I bought the 513. Now, KK makes a pretty good tiller for the money. If you fabricated most of the safety equipment I would agree as was already said that you could buy 3 of the KK for the price of one or the other brands. To be honest, if I was going to cut an area that had not been cut for a long time; I would get a KK. At a certain point anything will get torn up with rough use. I would not feel so bad about trashing out a KK for $600 vs $1500 - $1800 for the for the others. For repeated, prolonged, regular use; I would get a better quality cutter as I feel they would hold up better under that type of use. Didn't mean to sound like I was bad mouthing them. For $600, it is not a bad cutter at all. ....

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kubotaguy
Join Date: Nov 2003
Posts: 360 Shepherdstown, WV
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2003-12-05          70364

I bought a 5 foot cutter that CT Farm & Country used to sell (I think it may have been a Howse) about 8 years ago and we have abused that thing in clearing off a total of about 20 acres. I have ran over small trees, large rocks, stumps, etc. It has held up great. I've have to sharpen the blades a little, beat out some dents, re-weld some things, and replace a few shear pins (thank God for shear pins). It still cuts good and I have left it out in the weather ever since I have owned it. I think rotary cutters are one thing that gets abused the most, and I am like shortmagnum in that I'll replace it before spending the money on an expensive one that will most likely be setting outside. If I can get over 8 years out of a cheap one (paid around $400 back then) which included clearing lots, I can live with that. Just make sure to double nut all bolts or drill and pin them because they have a tendency to back out. ....

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eric5899
Join Date: Nov 2003
Posts: 3 Illinois
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2003-12-05          70369

Just wanted to thank everyone for all of the input. It makes spending the $ a lot easier. In summary it looks like if I have a forest to clear, it would be worth my time and money to look to the real heavy metal but for my grass the King Kutter will do the job. With that extra money, I'm that much closer to a 2nd implement for the new Mahindra! ....

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Wannabe Farmer
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2003-12-05          70380

I bought an IM502 (5') cutter with slip clutch for my JD4310 to chop up brush around my house. I really like it. So far I chopped up 2 large brush piles. I payed $850. I have yet to see a web site for the manufacturer. However, I like the product. ....

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gauthier
Join Date: Jun 1999
Posts: 148
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2003-12-07          70488

I never knew people used their brush cutters to chop up brush piles,no wonder some people need the 1,500 dollar cuters. Richard ....

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kubotaguy
Join Date: Nov 2003
Posts: 360 Shepherdstown, WV
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2003-12-07          70490

Come on Richard, you mean you have never cut down the family Christmas tree with your rotary cutter. Or even chopped a little would with it!!!! Some people may call that industrial mulching!!!
Steve ....

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gauthier
Join Date: Jun 1999
Posts: 148
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2003-12-08          70574

As a matter of fact,I was planning on cutting my christmas tree down this year with my cutter,I was just letting on like I wouldn't do any thing like that,...chopping firewood....hum Richard ....

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