Hi folks! Thinking of adding another implement to my collection. Is a 4’ rotary cutter too much for a BX2380? I’ve been looking for used ones, not many, all 5’ and above. If I go new, my dealer has some Land Pride RCR1248 in stock, and the Runnings has a couple of the King Kutter XB 4’ in stock also. If 4’ is too much for the 2380, that really limits choices available. I didn’t ask if dealer had any RCR1242 cutters in stock. I was wondering if any of you folks run a rotary cutter on your BX and what size it is…
What size rotary cutter for a BX2380??
- Thread starter dieselbob69
- Start date
Rear lift capacity is something like 680#. Your manual will give you recommendations on implement size. 48" seems do able but a lot depends on what your cutting.
Good luck.
Good luck.
ken erickson
Well-known member
Equipment
B7100 hst, 2650 front mount snowblower, L2501 hst qa loader
I ran a standard King Kutter 48 inch on my B7100 hst late model for 5 years. I think your tractor and the B7100 have somewhat similar spec’s and capability. I do think the King Kutter 48 XB would have been a slightly better fit for the 3 point. Not from a lifting standpoint however. It was tricky to get the Top link adjusted just right.
i can say I was never dissapointed with my whopping 13 Pto HP.,
Thick cool season grasses, small saplings etc. Of course I adjusted travel speed to match.
i can say I was never dissapointed with my whopping 13 Pto HP.,
Thick cool season grasses, small saplings etc. Of course I adjusted travel speed to match.Never even dawned on me about the owners manual. I just checked it- for the BX2380/2680, it states single blade maximum cutting width of 48" and 400lbs. For rear mowers(finish), 2 or 3 blade, 60" and 577lbs maximum. Weird it's different weights, unless because the rotary is longer???
I ran a 4 ft brush hog on the JD 4010 at 1420 # and 18.5 hp. Could cut grass as high as the hood.
My dealer has the Land Pride RCR1242 rotary cutter on order, and we know what that means nowadays, but the estimated price is about same as the King Kutter XB 48" that Runnings has(they still have some RCR1248's in stock) I'm gonna stop by a different dealer near me that lists they have 2- RCR1242's in stock but at a different location in state.
The construction of a rotary cutter makes them much heavier with more weight far beyond the lift points compared to a finish mower thus the 3PT limitation for the rotary cutter.
You want a cutter that at least covers the full width of the rear tires (in the wide position if you use that tire setting for stability) while staying within the weight and PTO ratings of the tractor. I use a 5' for my Deere 955 which is rated 27HP at the PTO and is well within the 959 pound 3pt lift capacity and it just barely covers the 58" width of the rear tires. A little extra width coverage is nice because it makes it faster when you are trying to cut close to the edge in places where you don't want to put the tires.
Make sure the pivot points for the swing blades stay clear (check them especially at the start of the season after winter storage) because otherwise one side may not swing out resulting in some major vibration. Engaging the PTO clutch at higher than normal engine RPM reduces the odds of this happening but is also harder on the tractor and mower driveline and gear case so best to keep things working properly and smoothly so the cutter can be engaged before making grass/ground contact at a low stress RPM.
Rodger
You want a cutter that at least covers the full width of the rear tires (in the wide position if you use that tire setting for stability) while staying within the weight and PTO ratings of the tractor. I use a 5' for my Deere 955 which is rated 27HP at the PTO and is well within the 959 pound 3pt lift capacity and it just barely covers the 58" width of the rear tires. A little extra width coverage is nice because it makes it faster when you are trying to cut close to the edge in places where you don't want to put the tires.
Make sure the pivot points for the swing blades stay clear (check them especially at the start of the season after winter storage) because otherwise one side may not swing out resulting in some major vibration. Engaging the PTO clutch at higher than normal engine RPM reduces the odds of this happening but is also harder on the tractor and mower driveline and gear case so best to keep things working properly and smoothly so the cutter can be engaged before making grass/ground contact at a low stress RPM.
Rodger
Well. I stopped by that other dealer and inquired about the RCR1242 they had listed at another store. I asked about the Kioti 1248 they had on lot, gave me spiel about how Woods makes them yada yada. $2495-no thanks . The Land Pride 42" ones were same price, plus freight to get them from their other store. No thanks again....
I noted in the picture above, that it has front weights mounted on the tractor. They appear to be the Kubota 55# weights, times 4 = 220 pounds. My guess is that is about 50% of the weight of the Land Pride cutter mounted on the rear. The last time that I saw a price on those weights, it was about $75 each, and I know that the cost of the weight mounting bar is about $100, since I bought one a couple of years ago to use with some "used" Kubota weights. That all adds up to an additional $400, or possibly even more given how prices are going up.I ran a RCR1242 on BX2350 it did a great job, could cut grass as tall as the hood as long as I went very slow. It did well on brush.
I can't believe the price of cutters has gone up that much, that is crazy. When I was shopping cutters, there was a huge variation between dealers in price. Messicks had the most reasonable prices (for pick up) but I ended using my dealer in DE (hoober). RCF2060 could be had for about $2100 in PA and DE, but other dealers in NJ were asking $3000, WTAF.
I think RCR1248 may be a little optimistic for a BX, however, I ran RCR1548 on a B2601 and it did just fine, same PTO HP as the BX. In fact, when I sold the RCR1548 a guy with a BX bought it and used it the next day to cut 10 acres and he said it was great.
I think RCR1248 may be a little optimistic for a BX, however, I ran RCR1548 on a B2601 and it did just fine, same PTO HP as the BX. In fact, when I sold the RCR1548 a guy with a BX bought it and used it the next day to cut 10 acres and he said it was great.
eubie5
New member
Equipment
Kubota BX2380, 60" mmm, loader, 54" landpride grapple, box blade, rear blade
The rcr1548 is the one i was looking at.
My dealer recommended the 1248, haven't had a chance to ask him why not the 1548. It's only 11lbs heavier and about 2" longer. It's rated to cut 2" and the lighter one 1"
I have a bx2380. Anyone try the 1548 with a bx2380?
eubie5
New member
Equipment
Kubota BX2380, 60" mmm, loader, 54" landpride grapple, box blade, rear blade
Also, the BadBoy rotary mower looks pretty well built also. That's another one I've been eyeballing.
Ok, a question. Is a shear bolt better or worse than a slip clutch gearbox? Slip clutch RCR1248"s were $250-$400+ more( at 2 other dealers) than the shear bolt ones at my dealer. Land Pride brochure lists the RCR 12 series as matched to the BX series....
I paid the extra amount for a slip clutches when I bought my Deere 955 with Deere 5' rotary cutter and Deere tiller. When the slip clutch hasn't been exercised for some time, you need to loosen the bolts and engage the PTO a couple of times very briefly to slip the clutch then readjust to where the tension belongs. So if the Land Pride/Kubota aren't different there is a little maintenance to do each season.
The Deere rotary cutter in particular was a pain because of the covers over the clutch end of the PTO on the Deere. It has a very small inspection door where you have to reach in to adjust the bolts and measure the height of the tension springs. I put up with the door for two seasons and then exercised my "plastic carpentry" skills and created a much larger door making it far easier to do this maintenance. The tiller didn't have the same level of protection so it was easier to do from the start.
Around 5 years after I bought the tractor, I bought an aftermarket snow blower which had two shear bolts (one large for the driveline/auger and a smaller one for the high speed impeller). I bought three of each and taped inside the manual for spares. All 6 shear bolts are still there. Take a look at the Land Pride slip clutch design to see how easy it is to adjust the slip clutch versus replacing a shear bolt. If I were ordering again today, unless the shear bolt was really difficult to replace I would go with the shear bolt design and keep a few in the tractor tool box or buy one of the larger magnetic key cases and leave the bolts attached to the cutter.
The only bad experience I ever had with a shear device was while fishing with my older brother many years ago in the dead lakes area of Florida. These lakes have little clumps of land referred to as floating islands and brother sheared the prop pin in the outboard while backing up as the sun was going down. No problem, he pulled the spare pin out of the stores box and was in the process of putting it in place when an alligator surfaced where he had his hand. He dropped our only spare shear pin into the water and we had to row into a very strong and cold northwest wind a few miles in the dark. To add to the fun, Dan's wedding was the next morning and the bride was very worried in these pre-cell phone days when we finally made it back around midnight
Rodger
if you buy a slip clutch, you have to maintain it, at least annually. The procedure doesnt take more than a few minutes but it needs to be done. If you get shear bolt, you dont have to bother with it except if it breaks while you are using it.
I r.un a frontier 48 behind my bx. It will cut small saplings with ease and easily cut grass that is a few feet tall. I got lucky a few years ago and find a gentlemen that purchased trailer loads of rejected rotary mowers and sold them pretty inexpensive. JD would reject for ugly welds and deep gouges. They would then paint the yellow and sell them cheap. Many rotary mowers appear to be made by the same shops. Check on craigslist and facebook
I ended up getting a new 2021 Land Pride RCR1248 with shear bolt gearbox. I watched Marketplace/craigslist for quite a few weeks. Very rare for a 4' one to come up for sale, and was gone in a flash when they did. Most were priced only a few hundred less than a new one, so figured it was better to get one with a 3 yr warranty on the gear box...
Got to use it couple days ago. The 2380 handled the 4' cutter no problem. Hit a small brush stump , made it vibrate for a bit, but went back to normal. I'll still take a look at it in the coming week while on vacation to make sure everything is ok underneath...