# Better rotary cutter? John Deere or Woods?



## lj (Jul 27, 2002)

Looking at buying a new rotary cutter. Probably 6 or 7 foot cut. John Deere medium will cut 2 in diameter. Woods medium will cut 3 in. Woods about 600 more expensive. But about 400 lbs heavier so more substantial. Am I just paying for the name w John Deere?


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## KMA1 (Dec 9, 2006)

Of the 2, Woods is the better cutter. But, in my opinion, you can get really good cutter for less than half the price of the Woods. I have 7' htat is 1/4 /" steel plate, stump jumper looks like 3/4" steel, 75 hp Transmission that will cut anything my tractor will knock down and it has not had a problem other than replacing broken blades in 10-12 years. It is a no name made in a very small shop and cost about 1/3 of what a woods cost. Part of the cost I covered by trading in a John Deer medium duty 5 foot cutter.


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## Bearfootfarm (Jul 13, 2006)

I bought a Hardee (Made in USA)
Deere is overpriced for what you really get

http://hardeebyevh.com/categories.php?cat_id=37


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## davel745 (Feb 2, 2009)

Hi 
I have a John Deere MX 7 cutter. I have cut a lot of small trees with it.
A lot of the stuff was a lot bigger than 2 inches. I cut my bottom land and my hill sides. It is a good cutter and has a 5 year warranty on the gear box. It has a stump jumper and has a double deck which helps with rigidity. Importantly is the dealer is right down the street.


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## COWS (Dec 23, 2012)

I have had good luck with Bush Hog mowers. I got a new Bush hog 6 foot a few years ago. All other things being equal, weight helps the cutting process. I looked over several brands before getting another Bush Hog because of a combination of price and features. The Bush Hog and some others have a stump jumper that the blades are attached to, which is a bowl shaped piece of heavy steel that helps the cutter ride over stumps and obstacles. Get whatever kind from a good local dealer.

Forget cutting 3 inch or even 2 inch trees. It's too rough on the mower and the tractor. Those things are for cutting brush, not trees. Replacing a sheared off pto shaft gets your attention. Don't get one too heavy for your tractor to pick up easily and too big for the tractor to pull. Avoid cutting so heavily that you choke the tractor down, that's too much stress on the tractor. A 3ph heavy cutter will make the front end of the tractor very light, resulting in unsafe steering.

Oh, yeah, green paint is expensive.

COWS


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## Old Vet (Oct 15, 2006)

On any rotary mower look at the HP rating on the gear box. That is the first thing that will go wrong if you have one less than 50 hp. The John Deer has a 45 hp rating on its gear box and the woods is 50 or better on their 5 foot one.There is nothing that says you cant over load the gear box but the slip clutch or shear pin. On a 7 foot one I wold look for 70 or better.


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## Evons hubby (Oct 3, 2005)

I have an old 5' woods "dixie cutter", have been using it for well over twenty years.... and it was old and in rough shape when I got it. It still turns 2 to 4 inch saplings into mulch.


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## am1too (Dec 30, 2009)

The Deer is made by some one on contract. It would be the low bidder meeting Deers specs. It changes from time to time as the contract come up.

I have a Woods and they are the manufacturing plant.


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## Old Vet (Oct 15, 2006)

I used to make them and it is not hard to do for up to a 6 foot. I was the only one that manufactured them for 2 years at a small company. I made one every 3 days. I used a Borg Warner gear box off the shelf and made everything else. I quit when I was drafted but 4 years ago I found one that I made and it is still going strong with the Arkansas Hwy Department.


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