Gulf Driver

Good afternoon all,

I'm looking for a good used cutter. I'm looking in the 6' range to be pulled behind a 50hp tractor. From all the information I have gained through this forum, I think I want a cutter with a slip clutch. Now for the question: How can you visibly identify a cutter with a slip clutch? Will it be a unit mounted on the gearbox or is it an internal part?

Describe away!

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Live Oak

The slip clutch is in line with the pto drive shaft and mounts to it to become part of the pto drive train at the cutter gearbox input shaft normally. There are typically 2 types of slip clutches. The splined shaft type and the round shaft shear bolt type. Unless you buy a heavy duty cutter you will most likely end up with the shear bolt type. Below is a picture of what one looks like.



PTO Slip Clutch shear bolt type

PTO Slip Clutch splined shaft type

I installe my own slip clutch on my cutter with a slip clutch I purchase through Agri-Supply. Was very easy and only took about a half hour. I would not operate a cutter without one. They save you from constantly replacing shear bolts in rough cutting and most importantly protect your pto gear drive inside the tractor from damage.

If the budget will allow, I STRONGLY recommend buying a heavy duty cutter. The light duty cutters are OK for very light cutting of tall grass and brush but will not stand up to big sapplings and or rocks. They get beat up pretty quick.

Gulf Driver

Let me see if I understand this right!

The slip clutch (two types) mounts to the cutter's drive shaft and not the gearbox. If your gearbox has a smooth drive shaft, then get the shear bolt type. If you have a splined gearbox shaft, then get the splined type.

I don't have a cutter at the moment so If I do find a used one I can add the clutch after the fact. But, I should find a HD model with the clutch installed and preferably not the shear type.

Am I correct in my understanding?

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Eddinberry

Gulf driver,

Here's the rub.

The clutch or shear bolt are there to give way, before binding up the Output shaft/Tranny of your Tractor.

Shear Bolts give way, and have to be replaced every time the blade hits a stump, or the deck gets loaded up and the resistence is enough to shear the bolt.

Shear bolts are pretty much a cheap answer that lacks deeply.

They still may hold torque to your tractors driveline after they have given way long enough to damage your tractor.

It's cheap, and that is why "Budget" impliments use shear bolts.

Spend the extra couple of hundred bucks for quality impliments that have protection of your tractors driveline considered, and protected.

The output shaft/ drive on my own Tractors, have been saved several times by the adjustable clutch on my Woods impliments.


The last time, a Chain from the late 1800's got wrapped up in the Rotovator, with the Tractor spinning at full song.

A quick re-torque after unwrapping the chain from the tines, and it was back in service.


As for a make, I remain convinced.

If it ain't Woods, it's somebody elses problem waiting to happen.

http://www.woodsonline.com/

But then I have local support that would make a Mother cry in Guilt elsewhere.

Go for the Clutch.

Leave the Shear bolts to the "Estate farmers" and yuppies.

50HP is enough load, that the Bolt breaking will be too late to protect the drive line under full load in many circumstanses.

The more power applied, the more the clutch makes sense.


Otherwise,
Repairs will cost the same or more than the CUT, Shear bolts are appropriate for.

75 cent Bolt..... $8,000.00 driveline.

Just sayin'.

Eddinberry

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Live Oak

Just about. The slip clutch joins up to the gearbox input shaft and is the last link in the pto drive shaft line. Unfortunately many cutters come standard with the shear bolt set up as did mine which was believe it or not an HD cutter. My 4 ft. cutter weighs 662 lbs. All I did was add the slip clutch to the end of the driveshaft line and a friend who owns a mechanical hacksaw machine cut the driveshaft down about 8 inches to accomdate the extra length added by the slip clutch I installed into the pto driveshaft line. Most if not all HD cutters come standard with a slip clutch. I agree with Pat that the HD splined shaft pto driveline slip clutch that come standard on most cutters is ideal and the best way to go. In your case, I would talke to the Deere dealer and see what kind of deal they can give you on a 609 or 709 HD cutter. Woods does INDEED make some of the best cutters on the market. You will have to shop around and see what kind of prices you can get on a Woods or several of the other top quality brands such as Bush Whacker, Bush Hog, Rhino or Dragon to name a few. I just got done bush hogging about 79 acres with my 4 ft. Dragon cutter. Talk about "tractor butt" I ran over a tire and all hell broke loose but the slip clutch kicked in until I could hit the pto knob. The $62 slip clutch paid for itself right there. My cutter came with the smooth shaft shear bolt set up. I purchased it because I got it for $600. It was an odd ball sized HD cutter with a shear bolt system (go figure ) Otherwise I was going to buy a 5 ft. HD cutter with all the goodies for about $2600. Which would you have purchased?

Gulf Driver

Alrighty,

I believe I have a hold on the deal. Since I just bought the tractor, I'm going to save for a good cutter. How does the JD MX6 hold up? I've been looking at them and it seems they are going for around $2500. I have also looked at the woods model. It seems in their rating that the 72" HD model requires at least 50 PTO-HP. I'm only putting out an advertised 42 HP. I would like to get something to match the width of the tractor without extending beyond the wheels, so I guess I need some input as to which might be a good match for the JD 5103 in an HD model.

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wass

Morning! Think I heard somewhere that you can get woods mowers in that same custom green color. I'd look really close at woods vs JD, might be the same under the paint which should mean a little leverage on the best price. Nice to know JD is still looking for quality! Woods has some blue mowers also. One thing to look at in addition to width is weight. A medium or heavy duty woods might make the front end awfully light. I've been using a woods cadet with a stump jumper on it for about 25 years, deck is a little bent and the gearbox leaks a little, but still works well. Generally pull it with about 40 hp over stumps, etc. but generally draw the line at 4in softwood.

Live Oak

Actually you want a cutter that will extend slightly beyond the width of the rear tires. This will allow you to get up close to fence rows, trees, and other obstacles as close as possible without manuevering the tractor overly close. It will also give you a better overlap on the cut and minimize the wind rowing effect most cutters have. You will find that you will have to overlap each pass with the cutter a certain amount so you won't actually get a full 5, 6, or whatever width cut each pass. My cutter is about the same width as the rear tires and I wish I could have gotten a 5 ft. cutter, but the good deal was only on the 4 ft. cutter. The MX6 is a medium duty cutter and they are real nice quality cutters. The have an upper and lower deck design that doesn't show as many dings and dents. They also come standare with the slip clutch and chain guards. I STRONG recommend getting both and ALWAYS wearing safety glasses while operating the cutter.

Gulf Driver

I understand the overlapping issue, but I don't want to oversize too much due to the inability to manage tight place manipulating a food plot deep in the woods.

I'll just look around and compare. I am sure I'll get something with a slip clutch and possibly an HD model with some weight. When, I don't know, I'll borrow one for now

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Live Oak

A six footer would probably cover the bases.