Go BottomHowse impliments are junk
 | DRankin
Join Date: Jan 2000 Posts: 5116 Northern Nevada 
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2001-07-22 30294
About a month ago I purchased a couple of HOWSE implements from Northern Tool. I am very disappointed in the quality and I will never buy this brand again. Specifically, I got a boom pole for my 3pt. hitch and a set of carry all forks. It is very clear with the first glance that neither tool was constructed using a jig. All of the parts are misaligned, crooked, out of square, out of plumb and have the appearance that one guy held the pieces together and closed his eyes while the other guy did the welding. There are globs of weld sticking out everywhere and the paint came off when I removed the shipping stickers. The boom pole is at least usable although the pin holes for the center link attachment are misaligned about 20 degrees. The carry all forks are pretty useless as anything I have tried to attach them to becomes as warped as the forks and doesn’t work properly. The kicker is that it would cost more to send the stuff back than the original purchase price. Bottom line: I can't speak to their other products but if the two I have are representative of the quality of Howse products in general, I would avoid this company and shop elsewhere.
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| DRankin
Join Date: Jan 2000 Posts: 5116 Northern Nevada
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2001-07-22 30295
I know, I know, I misspelled implements. I had surgery on my typing finger yesterday and this other finger is not a trained speller and does'nt do some other jobs as well either. Now excuse me while I figure out another way to keep my nose clean. ....
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 | kay
Join Date: Posts: 1 
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2001-07-22 30296
Are you saying you got what you paid for? Or that you figure you got less than what you paid for? Would you pay the same again if it were a different brand than Howse? The cheap prices and sight unseen are often a problem when ordering from a catalog. But one would figure that welding an implement correctly takes about the same effort as the way you describe it done. Thanks for your input. ....
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| DRankin
Join Date: Jan 2000 Posts: 5116 Northern Nevada
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2001-07-22 30300
You have hit the nail on the head. It is a great and eternal truth that I should have learned by now. I got exactly what I paid for. Cheap stuff is cheap stuff. I have a set of Gearmore carryall forks on order from my tractor dealer. If the quality is the same as my other gearmore implements it should serve well. The howse item was $60.00 plus shipping and the gearmore product is $100.00 delivered. I certainly didn't save anything did I? ....
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| Glenn
Join Date: Posts: 1
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2001-07-23 30317
I had somewhat the same feeling a few months ago when I was shopping for a box blade. However, one of our local dealers had several Howse box blades and when I looked them over I found one that had been assembled rather well; in other words, the parts were aligned well and the welding was acceptable--not great, but acceptable. About two months ago when I was at the same dealer I noticed a new Howse boxblade that had just been unloaded and I could hardly believe what I saw. The assembly and welding were superb! I guess the moral here (if there is one) is to never buy a Howse product without examining it first. Their quality control problems must be a recent thing because older Howse products that I've seen have looked good. ....
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| BillBass
Join Date: Feb 2002 Posts: 190 North Texas
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2001-07-25 30346
After reading these posts, I had to go look at my Howse 6' rotary cutter. The welds on it are good long smooth beads with good penetration. The cutter cuts 2-3' tall grass and small brush and saplings with no problem. This one is about a year old. Apparently their quality varies among products. ....
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| victor colby
Join Date: Posts: 1
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2001-07-25 30353
"the sweetness of cheap prices is forgotton sooner than the bitterness of poor quality". been there,done that on howse implements. i will never go that way again. i had a bush hog gearbox come loose on the very first mowing job with it. some idiot apparently did not take the time to properly tighten the mounting bolts. ....
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 | Murf
Join Date: Dec 1999 Posts: 7249 Toronto Area, Ontario, Canada
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2001-07-25 30365
As a youngster growing up on our family farm (I'm the ninth generation, so we've sort of got the hang of most of it by now) I was taught that only a VERY wealthy man can afford to buy junk, the rest of us can only afford to buy something once, so we have to be careful to buy a quality product that will last. Best of luck. ....
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| guilberts2
Join Date: Mar 2009 Posts: 2 Arkansas
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2009-03-07 160868
I bought a howse bush hog a couple of years ago. I had an international brand for 10years with no problems. Every time I have cut with the Howse the shaft going into the gear box has broke into. the first time it was under warranty. The second time the dealer covered it, but I only got the shaft and I had to put it in the gearbox at my expense. This is the third time it has broken. I am very frustrated. I have two shear bolts as soft as you can buy and a slip clutch that is as loose as you can get without the bolts coming out. To me this is junk that I paid 1300 dollars for. ....
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 | earthwrks
Join Date: Dec 2003 Posts: 3853 Home Office in Flat Rock, Michigan
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2009-03-07 160869
Welcome Guilbert to the board. You're a little late coming to the party by about 8 years :) Luckily all of us from back then are still around--typically they're not.
King Kutter in my opinion rates lower than Howse. BUT---I do have to say my KK 5' rotary cutter is still holding up after 8 years. I really abuse it--I mulch-in-place 3-4" trees with it no problem. The deck is stress cracked, but the gear box (which I hear KK does not make) has never failed. I've never serviced it whatsoever. And I run a 7/16" Grade 8 bolt as a shear pin! Anything less shears instantly. ....
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 | auerbach
Join Date: Sep 2007 Posts: 2168 West of Toronto
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2009-03-08 160888
I hope that the reader who asked about a Chinese tractor read this thread. ....
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| 1967vett
Join Date: Jun 2009 Posts: 2 Pa.
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2009-06-25 163630
Does anyone out there know where to locate replacement teeth (not the whole shank )for a Howse bb72 box blade? The teeth I am refering to appear to be an older style peen over type that Howse does not carry any more, they want me to purchase the whole shank of course! ....
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| earthwrks
Join Date: Dec 2003 Posts: 3853 Home Office in Flat Rock, Michigan
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2009-06-25 163631
Any good tractor or equipment dealer that sells parts and accessories should have them. The teeth are actually used on small backhoe or excavator buckets. The last time I bought them they were about $3-5 each. The Caterpillar dealers used to carry them too. They had a variation of the tooth that was split down the center into a V-shape and were touted as being able to cut through roots and rock better than regular flat teeth. They were forged and fairly robust--and priced accordingly! ....
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| shifthead
Join Date: Jul 2009 Posts: 2 de
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2009-07-02 163776
I can only hope this message stops somebody from purchasing any type of Howse Implement. Their quality has went to the S*** can. I have been trying to buy a replacement part for my rotary cutter without a lot of success. Their salesman gave me 5 names of "local" companies to buy from.They are all at least 100 miles away from me. I called them all and told them what I needed. They all said they would call me back with a price and delivery date. Only one did. He said I would have to wait 2 days until he was done cutting his own acreage.(HUH?) I finally heard from them and made a purchase. The part didn't arrive at their location because the Howse co. sent it to the wrong address. It was finally mailed to me but it was wrong!. Needed another part, unfortunately it is the "new and improved" part so you have to order more parts to make it fit. I was told finally that I could order directly from the co. They sent the part a week later, but missing a few crucial pieces. Called them and they said they would send them right out that morning,"sorry about that"....Still waiting a full week later! Ordered a car part for my wifes vehicle, same state as Howse, It came in 2 days. I have called Howse numerous times and always get an answer machine, leave message and never hear from them. The total time of this whole mess has been 5 weeks. My grass keeps on growing. Don't know if my tractor will cut it when it's that high. My neighbors love me for my beautiful lawn!!!
All I can say is "don't buy anything from them"..... I'm considering just buying another rotary cutter from someone else and be done with HOWSE!!!!! ....
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 | kthompson
Join Date: Oct 2005 Posts: 5275 South Carolina
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2009-07-05 163799
If you have the parts you need to replace take them to your local tractor dealership. Many parts are not that odd and will fit more than one brand. It may be you will need to visit more than one to find a dealer who is able to think past the brand but they are out there. ....
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| curtsaket
Join Date: Oct 2015 Posts: 4 kansas
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2015-10-29 193949
Howse implements build two different quality implements one for home owners that are sold inexpensive by companies like northern the others are heavy duty sold by tractor and implement dealers and are made for a serious farmer.i have owned a 10' pull type brush cutter for about 15 years, I cut about eighty acres of pasture. over the years all I have done to this cutter has been sharpenning the blades, change the oil in the gear boxes and a couple of wheel bearing. As my father always said " there are no bargains you get what you pay for" ....
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