Rotary Mowers Dismantled Machines

About Rotary Mowers

Sometimes referred to as “rotary cutters,” rotary mowers are used to cut through tough material, including thick grass, weeds, brush, and more. They are similar to lawn mowers in that they are equipped with one or more metal blades that spin to cut or chop, but unlike walk-behind and riding mowers, most rotary mowers are power take-off (PTO)-driven attachments that are mounted to the rear of a tractor using its 3-point hitch or drawbar.

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Woods Batwing B15.51 Rotary Mower

Rotary mowers also differ in that their blades are typically thicker than those found on a standard lawnmower, allowing them to handle more difficult work. While not necessarily ideal for achieving a clean, consistent cut because they are designed to chop or even tear away material, rotary mowers are well-suited for work on farms, construction sites, golf courses, and in municipal parks where various types of thick brush need to be cleared quickly and effectively.

Golf course greenskeepers frequently use rotary mowers to maintain the coarser vegetation in their courses’ out-of-play areas. Note, however, that these rotary mowers are not the same as the rotary rough mowers and reel rough mowers built expressly for this purpose by golf course and turf care equipment manufacturers like Jacobsen, John Deere, Toro, and others. This may represent an advantage of efficiency, however, as the tractors used in concert with these mowers can easily unhook them and be used for myriad other purposes around a golf club’s grounds.

Common Rotary Mower Features

Rotary mowers all perform the same basic function, but come in a wide variety of cutting widths, cutting capacities, horsepower requirements, and more. There are also single- and multi-spindle configurations, typically with one or two wheels. Single-spindle units usually have shorter cutting widths than multi-spindle alternatives, but that isn’t always the case. And most rotary cutters come with a range of safety features that may include cutting deck shields to protect the operator.

Cutting Width

While most rotary mowers measure somewhere between 4 and 20 feet (1.2 and 6.1 meters) wide, Canadian manufacturer Schulte sells an FX-742 rotary cutter with a top cutting width of 42 ft (12.8 m). Wider models allow operators to cut more material per pass, making them a good fit for relatively consistent work, such as clearing grass and brush in a pasture.

Cutting Capacity (Diameter)

A mower’s cutting capacity is equal to the diameter of material it can cut, a figure that typically ranges from 1 to 6 inches (2.5 to 15.2 centimeters). A rotary mower with a lower cutting capacity would be adept at cutting grass and weeds, while one that supports higher diameters could cut through thick brush and potentially even young trees.

Horsepower Requirement

It’s important to consider a rotary mower’s horsepower requirement prior to purchase. This can range anywhere from 15 to 200 horsepower (11 to 149 kilowatts) or more, depending on the size of the unit. Your tractor must have enough PTO power to run the machine, and its hitch must have a sufficient weight rating to support it.

Popular Examples Of Rotary Mowers

For a lot of people, the first brand name that comes to mind when they think of rotary mowers is Bush Hog, especially if you consider that rotary cutters are often referred to generically as “bush hogs.” Bush Hog sells a range of single-spindle, multi-spindle, and flex-wing rotary cutters with cutting widths from 4 to 20 ft, cutting capacities ranging from 1 to 5 in. (12.7 cm), and require PTO power from 15 to 90 HP (67 kW).

Another popular rotary mower is the Batwing BW15 from Woods Equipment, which is designed for use with compact tractors. It offers a cutting height that’s adjustable from 2 to 12 in. (5.1 to 30.5 cm), a cutting diameter of 1.5 in. (3.8 cm), and a 12-ft (3.7-m) cutting width. The mower weighs 2,450 pounds (1,111 kilograms) and requires 35 HP (26 kW) or more PTO power.

Find The Right Rotary Mower

You will find thousands of new and used rotary mowers for sale on NeedTurfEquipment.com from such popular brands as Bush Hog, Frontier, IronCraft, John Deere, Land Pride, Rhino, Titan, and Woods.