Five Things to Consider When Shopping for a Brush Cutter

A question I get a lot on my channel is "I'm looking at a (fill in brand of brush cutter), are they any good?" That's a really difficult question to answer because almost every major cutter company makes several different grades of them, from one that's only designed to cut grass and really small brush, to monsters that will destroy a fairly large tree, and everything in between. In this video I cover five things you need to look at to help you make a good decision when buying a brush cutter.
First, let's make sure you have a big enough tractor to operate it. In specifications of the brush hogs you're looking at, it will tell you how much horsepower is needed to pull the cutter, and always remember, that's PTO, not engine horsepower. PTO horsepower is the amount coming out of the shaft on the back after all of the parasitic loss from running everything on the tractor is subtracted. You may have a tractor with 40 engine hp, but the PTO hp will be a lot less than that, so make sure you're above the minimum there. Then you need to make sure you have a big enough FRAME SIZED tractor to pick it up. A 30 hp tractor on a small frame may get a little light on the front end when picking up a 6' cutter, especially if there's no front end loader to balance it out.
Next we need to look at what separates a light cutter from a heavy one. See what gauge of metal is used in the sides and the top of the cutter, while remembering that a lower gauge means heavier metal. If you're comparing two cutters that are the same price and one has 10 gauge steel and the other has 11 gauge, you'd likely be getting a heavier built cutter if you got the one with 10 gauge metal.
What if they're both the same gauge all around? This is no sure method, but the next thing I'd look at is which one weighs the most. It's no guarantee of quality, but all things being equal, I'd probably buy the cutter that weighed more.
If you've narrowed your decision down to a couple of cutters, at that point it's time to look at the deck design. Old cutters had lots of places for water and debris to accumulate and to cause rust, newer ones have some or all of the bracing inside, so the top of the deck is smooth. If you're not religious about cleaning the top deck, you may want to pick a cuter with a really flat deck design so wind and rain clean your deck for you.
Finally, and this is most important, go out and measure the biggest tree or brush that you want to cut. Cutters are rated on the size of material they'll cut and stay together. If you're wanting to cut 3" trees and your looking at cutters that cut up to 1" in diameter, you have a recipe for disaster. So, in comparing cutters and deciding what grade is right for you, look at the size material it's rated to cut and don't scrimp here.
The next video will look at the different options that are available on cutters. There aren't many, but knowing what they are will help you make a good decision.
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[@earlyriser8998]

Excellent focus on key points for newbies

[@arthenry6574]

I've been selling mowers for 30 years. Good video presentation.

[@semco72057]

I have a John Deere 5 foot brush hog and it has thick steel material and it was made for the size tractor which I got with it. The unit came as part of a package deal and I was told that I could cut a brush 3" thick, but I never cut anything over 2" thick and it does a great job. I have had it and the tractor since 2003 when I got it new and I now have another tractor which is a 2016 3032E tractor which I use with my other implements as I need the brush hog more and keep it attached to the older 790 tractor.

[@kapperoutdoors]

Good video Mike, thanks Kapper

[@bombidude]

Nice video.. I got a medium cutter 2 inch sized.. rcr 1548 land pride works great so far on my BX Kubota.

[@garyglass6074]

Maybe it’s mentioned elsewhere but 1 thing to consider if buying a larger cutter is the width of the gates it will need to go thru

[@gckshea]

Haha!! I like that you measured a "weed" for its diameter. That was funny!

[@mikedickson2925]

I'm liking this info!!

[@samueldamewood5273]

Outstanding Mike although I have to admit that the Black Rifle Coffee Co. add was over the top.

[@mikerehner8290]

Another great video. I recently purchased a woods BB72X and I couldn't be happier with it. You make very good points and these are all the things that I looked at before making my decision on Brand. I find the cut capacity to be a benchmark in the units overall strength, but lets be serious, who is really using their rotary mower to cut down 5" trees! Have they not heard of a chainsaw?? Even if you buy a unit rated for 4-5" cutting and you use it for that on a regular basis, I can't see it lasting very long. But maybe that's just my opinion!.. Thanks Mike

[@semco72057]

I looked at the deck bracing on my brush hog when I purchased my tractor and cutter. The delivery man told me that that I could mow down anything 3 inches or lower with that unit, but I have never done it. One friend I let up on my tractor did a little damage before I got him off the tractor before he did any more. Anything above an inch I usually leave for my chainsaw to cut down and I have taken good care of both trying to take care of them also. I saw a tractor and mower being used to mow along the power lines in my area and that let me know that I had a quality bush hog and one of the best in the business. It is a John Deere brand made by Frontier.

[@waynecoley4876]

Thanks Mike

[@randymills5431]

Please a video on how all the top pieces of bush cutter is supposed to be

[@inthedarkwoods2022]

Back in the day when you made quality content.

[@t-bone8114]

The land pride 2772 has a smooth top and the bracing is underneath just above the blades .how do you feel about this one?

[@Steven-cr8ju]

If cutter is rated for 2 or 3inch material (like small trees growing in a field), how to cut those? Driving forward would damage tractor belly components and driving in reverse would bend rhedeck skirt. The latter happened to me on 1 inch sapplings.

[@4philipp]

Cutter size, 1” 2” 3”... I would imagine that the heavy duty cutting only has to be done once and after that a smaller cut diameter blade would be sufficient. So maybe invest in the small one and borrow/rent the larger one only when really needed. Which brings me to my question: is the larger blade efficient if you cut mostly smaller diameter fields? It feels like bringing a chainsaw when a hedge trimmer is enough. And yes, I’ll be on the market for a mower in 2-3 years and so far know nothing about them :)

[@jeffstrains4014]

We have 2 one is a 60' light duty other is 72' heavy duty. The blade speed is lower on the heavy one kinda shows when just mowing pasture. Perhaps they make one but a two speed gear box would be nice on them.

[@brandoncaldwell95]

The lighter ones can take the small bit of abuse. What i did. Now, i figured wth and bought a big heavy duty one. Ill just kick the rpm higher. (Tractor is actually a little too powerful for the cutter) same cut appearance. Modern Ag Viper12 Texas made!

[@gradyrigby2851]

Can I use a four ft brush mower with my Mitsubishi mt 180?

[@johnsteiner1488]

What model # and brand cuts a 4-6 inch tree. Max I have found is heavy duty woods and it cuts 3 inch. Is there a bigger, or better on the market? Thanks

[@steviemunier8411]

Check out Rhino mowers, I think they make some bat wings that are up to 5 inch trees

[@TractorMike]

Most companies do make a cutter that will work in extremes, most dealers don't stock one, but order when sold. You might also want to check out the Brown Tree Cutter.

[@edwinevers7999]

stump jumper or not?

[@breakheartorchard4761]

A brush cutter might not be the first Implement to get but if you have large areas of heavy brush, their usefulness is undeniable Great tip on the leaf blower kzbin.info/www/bejne/bmjSc4aafMZkl68

[@markmeyer5618]

Can you do a video on Finnish mowers

[@TractorMike]

Here ya go: kzbin.info/www/bejne/d2qqlZSdjs1-arc and kzbin.info/www/bejne/eqOrgnl3f99osKs.

[@vickipoe3925]

If you would, comment on the "department store" brush hogs.