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ROTARY MOWERS WHICH ONE DO I BUY

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RON M
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Posts: 1
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2002-03-08          36186

Hello,

I need to buy a Rotary Mower and I am going crazy because I am overanalyzing. I looked at Woods but with a chain guard is out of my price range. I looked at the JD613 and the metal appears to be very thin and they are high priced as compared to Howse. There are people on this site in previous posts that have stated that the metal is so thin that rocks and branches have dented the sides of the deck. I looked at King Kutter and they seem better built than the JD but no chain guard and how are the gear boxes? Bush Hog looks like the best for me,less than the Woods, more than the KK,JD and Howse. I am considering reliability, the gear box, the weight, the cut and dealer service. The Woods is from a dealer that doesn't have the best service reputation. My JD Dealership say that the JD would be great since it is light duty and I don't need a heavy duty cutter. There are no HOWSE dealers near me so I can't compare them to what I have seen. King Kutter dealer says he sells "tons" of them with no problems. I have been looking for quite some time and I have can't make up my mind. I go to a Woods dealer and they say that Woods is the best and Bush Hog has problems. I go to a Bush Hog Dealer and they say that Woods has problems. Who can I believe? I have a field with heavy clover, no saplings larger than 1". Does the round shape of the deck (Bush Hog and Woods)really make a difference as compared to the more square deck on the JD or KK or Howse? Do I just put all of the names on a dart board and close my eyes and whichever name the dart lands on is the one I buy? I have a JD 950.
I would really appreciate any and all opinions on this. I have to buy, SOON!!!!



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ROTARY MOWERS WHICH ONE DO I BUY

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Bird Senter
Join Date: Jun 1999
Posts: 962
TractorPoint Premium Member -- 5 Tractors = Very Frequent Poster

2002-03-08          36187

Ron, each of the manufacturers (or at least most of them) make light, medium, and heavy duty models. And yes, some are better than others (models, not necessarily brands). You can compare the gauge of metal (thickness) of the deck, shape of the top surface (are you going to leave it out in the weather where a surface that holds water can cause it to rust or is it going to be kept inside where that doesn't matter), size and weight of the blades (thickness and width), blade tip speed (faster cuts and/or shatters brush better), and like you said, it can drive you nuts. But probably the most important thing is deciding what you have to cut with it (you say 1" saplings is the biggest thing?). Then my advice would be to buy cheap. King Kutter looks good to me and a lot of people have them. Personally, right now, I'm using a light duty Howse and it's quite satisfactory. I've also owned Bush Hog (sort of a personal favorite, but costs more than I needed to spend), have a cousin using a Bush Hog Squealer now, a neighbor who has a really old Howse that stays outside all the time (mine is indoors unless I'm using it). And if a dealer for one brand tells you another brand has problems, unless he has hard evidence to prove what he's talking about, I'd be going on down the road to another dealer. I think any of the brands you mentioned, as well as several others, would be quite satisfactory for your use. ....

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BillMullens
Join Date: Jun 2000
Posts: 649 Central West Virginia
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2002-03-08          36191

I've used an older Bush Hog Squealer some. It does a great job cutting, but we had to weld some reinforcements on it because the sides of the deck had split and were drooping. Probably a combination of rust and abuse. I've got a KK finish mower, and if their rotary mowers were similar, that would be my choice, especially for the price. While my local dealer wasn't very good, the factory support is great.
Bill ....

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Jim on Timberridge
Join Date: Jul 2003
Posts: 172 La Crosse WI
TractorPoint Premium Member -- 5 Tractors = Very Frequent Poster

2002-03-08          36194

Your message didn't say where your price range is, but from your comments it sounds like your budget is limited.
But what the hell, since its your money, its easy and fun to recommend the "better" stuff:
- For your mowing, the best tool is a flail mower like the JD25A, at $2700 or so. It can mow near as good as a finish mower, but knock down 1" stuff without any problem.
- Check the new JD/Frontier line, manufactured by Woods. I think the stuff is med duty, and slightly less than Deere's branded equipment. Was looking at several rotaries at a Deere dealer and they appeared to be decently built.
- I am impressed by LandPride hardware- have several. Dealers are few, but the stuff is well designed, and they have a full range of light-med-heavy duty on just about everything.
Cost is near to JD brand stuff.
- Finally, there is truth to the saying "you get what you pay for". And if you take care of your stuff, it will sell at good prices when you want to move on.
jim ....

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