Tag along rough cut mowers

[raymerlo]

any body here have advice on the use of tag along rough cut mowers,looking at the swisher electric start,44in,sold by northern tool,need to cut some old horse pasture and over grown fields,

walk behind sickle mower would take forever

[fernnj]

A friend of mine bought two a few years ago, both swishers one 44" and one larger i believe.  He gave me the 44" to use on my overgrown fields.  It lasted about a week. Problems were: 

Second it gets clogged with weeds, the pulley burns right through the tension belt. The replacement belts are very pricey, I think they are made with kevlar.

The ground clearance is very low, its difficult to move it from field to field unless you have decent access roads.  The front of mine got bent up pretty quickly.

The metal is very thin for such a pricey unit.  Its built like a cheap lawn mower deck.

 

It may hold up on a larger residential lawn, but definitely not suitable for the use you are considering.  I ended up buying an older compact tractor and brush hog. No more problems.

[Fishon]

I broke down and bought the Dr brushmower and its awesome. I beat the heck out of it. It will mow 6ft high grass,weeds, wild rose bushes and 2 inch trees. Just sharpen the blades, change the oil and air filter. It has a 20 hp motor on it. The height adjustment is easy.You can offset it if ya want.The blades fold back if ya hit a rock.

[raymerlo]

thanks for the input,a friend also told me about the DR brush mower,will look into them

[gjs4]

Was going to do the same- and the more you look the more youll see it is not the way to go

 

cheapest- buy a beat up one (or finisher) and have a different wheel mechanism welded on to make multiple cuts starting high>low

 

 

KUnz and DR are the only ones that are supposed to last and perform

 

[jrm]

I don't know about the other brands mentioned, but I have had some very good experience with the Swisher 44" roughcut. I have the one with the pull-start.

 

For old horse pasture and overgrown fields, the unit should last you forever. I wouldn't worry about the belts either for that use.

 

I picked mine up almost two years ago. Needed something I could pull behind an ATV. I have about 2-3 acres of overgrown fields around a house that needed tending. The Swisher handled it without breaking a sweat.

 

My other use really put the machine to the test. I cut some horse/ATV trails through some rougher parts of my property. Some wooded areas and lots of very thick and high brush. Lot's of uneven ground and many large rocks.I don't know what the brush is, but it is not grass. It's about 4ft high and so heavy and thick that you cannot walk through it in most places. Easily took out some 1" thick growth.

 

I cut about 2-3 miles of trails through that brush last year. And another mile or so this year. 

 

My biggest problem was rocks. The rough cut has the swinging blades, but when you hit a really large rock it can cause the machine to stall. That and the uneven ground does add a lot of wear on the belt. Belt replacements are $12 through Amazon with free shipping. I don't think that is overly expensive. Granted, changing a belt for the first time isn't fun, but once you get the hang of it, it is an under 5 minute task.

 

For all the punishment I gave this machine, I don't think it is bad that I only went through two belts. I just put my third in a few weeks ago. Again, cutting new trails and rocks are what wore the belts out. Maintaining those trails and cutting the overgrown fields are easy work for the unit. I have cut quite a bit of fields and weeds - sometimes wet - and never had a problem with anything getting clogged up.

 

There is a blade engagement lever. When moving from area to area (or over very rock ground or down a gravel driveway where you don't want to gravel to blow around) just disengage the blade and go. Re-engage when you get to the next area you want to cut.

 

Sorry for being so contrary in my first post here, but I was also pleased with the build quality. I would not compare the metal to a cheap lawnmower deck. I have taken this through some nasty woods and brush and there isn't a dent on it. Deck and all the attached pieces look as good (albeit a little less clean) as the day I bought it.

 

If looking at the Swisher, you may want to shop around. Northern does carry it, but I found that Amazon had a much better "delivered" price (for me). Unless you have a dock or forklift, you will need liftgate service with this unit.

Edited September 3, 2013 by jrm