cowtrek
Well-known member
We've run several different types over the years, in row cropping and pastures. Here's been my experience:
Stay away from Terrain King (if they're still even made, I think they might have got bought out by Servis) The thing did nothing but tear up boxes. You'd rebuild one and the next one over would go out, seemed like one box would tear up the other one and back and forth ya go...
Bush hogs have always been a tough dependable shredder. Have a 6 foot and a 13'6" solid deck. Only gripe I ever had was the support structure on top and smooth underneath. End up with big piles of crap on top that gets wet and rusts the deck to heck. I've never been into the gearbox of the 6 footer at all, and we used it for about 15 years shredding cotton and milo stubble @ 6 mph with a 60 horse tractor, sometimes pulling so hard the tractor nearly overheated, but it's never given a lick of trouble in the gearbox. I've cut a lot of brush with it too. Had to replace the deck plating, put it on top this time and it's working a lot better now. The 13-6 unit we bought used and it was a little rough, had some gearbox trouble and driveline trouble but that's not uncommon with a 3 spindle unit batwing or no. Cut a lot of crop stalks with it and probably overloaded it some, but nothing that can't be fixed. These are the older gearbox styles that mounted on an angle iron pedestal. I've had good luck with them, can't say much about the new ones that bolt directly to the deck.
We've got a Woods 10 footer that we use exclusively on pasture. It's a good cutter and have had no trouble at all with it. The slip clutch is a little weak for a 70 horse tractor but it works. When I cut pasture I usually cut low anyway and start when stuff is on the big side. It has a torsion bar running between the two spindle boxes to a center box from the PTO. The deck is smooth top and this really saves on rusting and crud accumulation.
The El Cheapo King Kutters are ok for an 8N or something, but anything with more horsepower and anything other than minor clipping one step above a lawnmower will tear em up fairly quickly. A lot of them are hard to get parts for as well. We had a "Brave 5" 5 footer for our 2310 Ford (bout 30 horse) and it worked for a few years and then the frame cracked and the box twisted up the deck. Cut it up for scrap.
Be careful with cutters-- you get what you pay for! Good luck! OL JR
Stay away from Terrain King (if they're still even made, I think they might have got bought out by Servis) The thing did nothing but tear up boxes. You'd rebuild one and the next one over would go out, seemed like one box would tear up the other one and back and forth ya go...
Bush hogs have always been a tough dependable shredder. Have a 6 foot and a 13'6" solid deck. Only gripe I ever had was the support structure on top and smooth underneath. End up with big piles of crap on top that gets wet and rusts the deck to heck. I've never been into the gearbox of the 6 footer at all, and we used it for about 15 years shredding cotton and milo stubble @ 6 mph with a 60 horse tractor, sometimes pulling so hard the tractor nearly overheated, but it's never given a lick of trouble in the gearbox. I've cut a lot of brush with it too. Had to replace the deck plating, put it on top this time and it's working a lot better now. The 13-6 unit we bought used and it was a little rough, had some gearbox trouble and driveline trouble but that's not uncommon with a 3 spindle unit batwing or no. Cut a lot of crop stalks with it and probably overloaded it some, but nothing that can't be fixed. These are the older gearbox styles that mounted on an angle iron pedestal. I've had good luck with them, can't say much about the new ones that bolt directly to the deck.
We've got a Woods 10 footer that we use exclusively on pasture. It's a good cutter and have had no trouble at all with it. The slip clutch is a little weak for a 70 horse tractor but it works. When I cut pasture I usually cut low anyway and start when stuff is on the big side. It has a torsion bar running between the two spindle boxes to a center box from the PTO. The deck is smooth top and this really saves on rusting and crud accumulation.
The El Cheapo King Kutters are ok for an 8N or something, but anything with more horsepower and anything other than minor clipping one step above a lawnmower will tear em up fairly quickly. A lot of them are hard to get parts for as well. We had a "Brave 5" 5 footer for our 2310 Ford (bout 30 horse) and it worked for a few years and then the frame cracked and the box twisted up the deck. Cut it up for scrap.
Be careful with cutters-- you get what you pay for! Good luck! OL JR
