# Brush Hog - Gotta make up my mind.



## jpollman (Jan 14, 2001)

I just stumbled across a deal that looks too good to pass up. I've got about an acre and a half and half of it is woods. Been here ten years and keeping the woods maintained is a big job. The edges of the woods are overgrown brush that needs to be cleaned up. I was at a rental place checking the price for a days rental. They have two machines and they both look very good but one looks almost new. I know the guy that runs the place pretty well and he came out of the back room and I asked about them. He said that they just got a brand new one. I asked the price for a 24 hour rental and he told me what it was but then said "I'll sell ya one of them for $450". I was shocked. I figured it had blown up or something. He said no and that it ran and worked fine but it needs a new clutch. He said that he'd buy the clutch and give it to me with the machine and installation instructions. He said that the machine sells for about $2800 new and that if he fixes it he's going to get it running and put it up for sale for a grand. It's about 4-1/2 years old. I doubt that it would be that difficult to install a clutch so I'm really considering taking a chance and picking it up. It's got a 13 HP Honda engine. I bet it would do a great job keeping the perimeter of my woods cleaned up. Also, my dad could use it on a couple areas of his property and he owns some property in Troy with a building on it that needs to be maintained now and then too. 

I know what these things are for but have never actually used one. To those of you that have, how well do they work? I'm just curious to find out before I drop the coin.

Thanks for any input you may have!

John


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## langkg (Oct 26, 2004)

Providing the unit isn't too banged up that's about the ball park for a used brush hog. Couple of questions:

What brand? Is it a higher end brand like Bush Hog, Woods, Rhino, etc or is it one of the lower end units like a Howse or King Kutter? I had a banged up old Howse that I rebuilt and used for years without trouble but if you're getting a higher end unit for $450 all the better. My current cutter is a Bush Hog Squeeler and it's sweet.

How big is this unit and how much tractor do you have to turn it? For your scope of work a 4 or 5 footer would be fine assuming you have at least 18-20 hp off of your PTO

What shape is the cutter in at this time? Most rental stuff gets banged up pretty good especially something like a rotary cutter. Given that it needs a new clutch would indicate to me that it's sat around outside a lot or been used really hard. Is the sheet metal in good shape? How are the blades? bent? excessivly worn? Is the driveshaft guard in place and opperable?

I'd stay away from a lower end unit if you're going to cut a lot of brush. My old Howse did fine on grasss and light brush so it suited my purposes. A Bush Hog or Rhino or the like is generally built with heavier guauge steel (although Howse and the others make various duty models).

Just some things to consider. $450 is about the going rate for a used 5-foot in decent shape. Considering the guy told you it was a $2800 unit new I would suspect it's a good brand like a Bush Hog and you'll be OK with it.

-KEN-





jpollman said:


> I just stumbled across a deal that looks too good to pass up. I've got about an acre and a half and half of it is woods. Been here ten years and keeping the woods maintained is a big job. The edges of the woods are overgrown brush that needs to be cleaned up. I was at a rental place checking the price for a days rental. They have two machines and they both look very good but one looks almost new. I know the guy that runs the place pretty well and he came out of the back room and I asked about them. He said that they just got a brand new one. I asked the price for a 24 hour rental and he told me what it was but then said "I'll sell ya one of them for $450". I was shocked. I figured it had blown up or something. He said no and that it ran and worked fine but it needs a new clutch. He said that he'd buy the clutch and give it to me with the machine and installation instructions. He said that the machine sells for about $2800 new and that if he fixes it he's going to get it running and put it up for sale for a grand. It's about 4-1/2 years old. I doubt that it would be that difficult to install a clutch so I'm really considering taking a chance and picking it up. It's got a 13 HP Honda engine. I bet it would do a great job keeping the perimeter of my woods cleaned up. Also, my dad could use it on a couple areas of his property and he owns some property in Troy with a building on it that needs to be maintained now and then too.
> 
> I know what these things are for but have never actually used one. To those of you that have, how well do they work? I'm just curious to find out before I drop the coin.
> 
> ...


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## langkg (Oct 26, 2004)

I guess I jumped ahead without reading your entire post. You mention it has a 13hp Honda so this clearly isn't a 3-point cutter. Disregard my previous post. Sorry - I don't have any experince with a walk behind type of cutter but it seems like it would be pretty light if you want to cut brush. You're probably OK with tall grass/weeds but anything much heavier and you're going to need a tractor and rotary cutter.

good luck.





langkg said:


> Providing the unit isn't too banged up that's about the ball park for a used brush hog. Couple of questions:
> 
> What brand? Is it a higher end brand like Bush Hog, Woods, Rhino, etc or is it one of the lower end units like a Howse or King Kutter? I had a banged up old Howse that I rebuilt and used for years without trouble but if you're getting a higher end unit for $450 all the better. My current cutter is a Bush Hog Squeeler and it's sweet.
> 
> ...


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## jpollman (Jan 14, 2001)

Yep it's a 24" Billy Goat. At first it sounded like a steal. But thinking about it, I'm probably just going to get the rest of my cleanup done first and then just rent it for a day for $50 and see what it does. The more I think about it there probably won't be a reason to have it for ongoing use. Once I get it cleaned up sufficiently I'll be able to keep it under control with my tractor and weed whacker.

Thanks for the insight.

John


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## StevenJ (Feb 11, 2009)

Home Depot rents brush cutters for $40 for four hours and they work great. You pay an extra 10% for insurance.

I bought a DR Brush mower for $500. It was old and beat up, but I get lots of use out of it. Even though I own it I still rent out Home 
Depot's occaisionally if I have a buddy and we run two of them.


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