[Matt_JDS670]

Looking into the idea of putting a 3pt and pto kit on my x738. I know these tractors run rear pto driven rotor tillers easily. The hp requirements for most 48” tillers are 25-40 hp. Same as 48” rotary brush hogs. Question is has anyone done this before? How well does it work? I see guys doing it with x758’s. Don’t really want to trade my tractor in, it’s paid for. I know guys will say get a 1025r and such but that’s not in my cards at the moment. Thanks

 

[Steve Urquell]

Matt, have you considered a tow behind brush hog? I use a Swisher rugged cut 44" and it'll do anything a 4ft brush hog will do. I cut up to 2" thick saplings with it.

 

[Sergeant]

Looking into the idea of putting a 3pt and pto kit on my x738. I know these tractors run rear pto driven rotor tillers easily. The hp requirements for most 48” tillers are 25-40 hp. Same as 48” rotary brush hogs. Question is has anyone done this before? How well does it work? I see guys doing it with x758’s. Don’t really want to trade my tractor in, it’s paid for. I know guys will say get a 1025r and such but that’s not in my cards at the moment. Thanks

Deere has a few Under the Frontier Line Cutters and Shredders | Medium & Heavy-Duty Rotary Cutters | John Deere US that will work Just fine On a X700 series Basically look for a 4 foot Rotary Cutter That require 18PTO HP at a Minimum which is what your tractor is. The frontier RC2048 cost $1,681.00 at MSRP. For several years I use to run a Deere LX4 rotary cutter on a JD X495 for a Deere Dealer I use to do some mowing for. We even Tried it On a air cooled X465 they had in at one time it handled the LX4 just fine BTW the 1023E only has a 16 PTO Hp rating while all the X700 series have a 18PTO HP rating You tractor will be fine with a 4FT Brush/Rotary Cutter we have a Member here that even ran a 5 ft Deere Rotary Cuter On his X585(older version of your X738)

 

[Sergeant]

A few More that will work On a X738
BH114 BH100 Series Single-Spindle Rotary Cutters - Bush Hog

King Kutter King Kutter. 4 FOOT KUTTER 40HP GB XB

Land Price Makes a 42 & 48inch Rotary Cutter that will work

Land Pride

www.landpride.com

Basically if it made for a sub compact tractor and doesn't weigh over 450Lbs You should be alright

 

[Matt_JDS670]

Matt, have you considered a tow behind brush hog? I use a Swisher rugged cut 44" and it'll do anything a 4ft brush hog will do. I cut up to 2" thick saplings with it.

I thought about a powered pull type but my only set back with that is it will be another power unit to maintain and such. Just my personal opinion.

 

[Matt_JDS670]

A few More that will work On a X738
BH114 BH100 Series Single-Spindle Rotary Cutters - Bush Hog

King Kutter King Kutter. 4 FOOT KUTTER 40HP GB XB

Land Price Makes a 42 & 48inch Rotary Cutter that will work

Land Pride

www.landpride.com

Basically if it made for a sub compact tractor and doesn't weigh over 450Lbs You should be alright

What are your thoughts on this king kutter pull type? You said you ran a 5’ with the older model John Deere to my x738?

 

[Matt_JDS670]

What are your thoughts on this king kutter pull type? You said you ran a 5’ with the older model John Deere to my x738?

 

[Matt_JDS670]

This way I could save a little money on the 3pt and only install a rear pto?

 

[Sergeant]

Now I would say get the 3point if Your Going to Get a rear PTO
I don't really recommend PTO drawn attachments On the super Garden tractors as you are more Likely to Jack knife . With the 3point You Have more control over the Height of cut and if You get Into a tight area You may not have enough room to turn around it Can be a PIA to deal with the shaft for Making turns as well. Where a Larger turn radius On a sub compact or compact would be better clearance The 5 foot I was Talking about was a 3point Hitch Mount on a X585 But realized Now it was a 4 ft on a X748 By another Member here! I have never run anything bigger then a 4 ft on a X495(older version of a X750) or X465( Air cooled version of a X730)
Here is that other Member running a 4 ft 403 on a X748

and here is another Members son running a 3 point Mount on a X485

 

[Frogmore]

If you don't already have the PTO installed, you might want to check out the price. Also check out how easy/hard it is to install. There are some threads on it here. Some people have had some difficulty installing the PTO kit on an older tractor. The 3PH is also a longish install.

My neighbor has a 42" rotary cutter. He has an older L size Kubota. I tried it on my B2620. It handled it okay, but it felt really big and heavy back there. You will definitely need serious front weights and/or a loader to even it out.

How big an area are you planning on mowing and how often?
What is in the area, is it pasture with just grass or do you have lots of brush or trees you are trying to remove.

People do use the X700 series tractors with a 4' rotary cutter, but I would not want to do that for long.

The PTO and 3PH cost about $1,700 + shipping + install + tax. The rotary cutter costs at least $1K unless you can find a deal on a used one. This:
Swisher 44'' Rough Cut Trailcutter Mower | Cabela's
is $2500 + shipping + tax

The PTO/3PH rotary cutter will tend to hold its value well, especially it you take care of it. The PTO and 3PH will make your X738 more attractive to potential users, but I would say that would be in the $500-$1000 range depending on the condition of the tractor. If you plan on keeping the X738 for many more years and you expect to get a lot of use out of the 3PH and PTO, you should get them. If it is just for the rotary cutter, I would think at least three times about it.

 

[Sergeant]

Well that 2002 X495 was a dealership tractor and it is still running strong today and still used for Brush cutting monthly Having the 45 Loader On the front was OK but Not necessary Because there were areas a 45 loader really got in your way.. Most of the time all that was run with it was 4 suitcase weights on the front and a set of 72Lb wheel weights Eventually the dealership did put Deere front Mount 9 suitcase Bracket on & That gave them 378Lbs of front Ballast didn't even notice the LX4 was Back there Not that I noticed it Much with 312Lbs of Ballast either in the configuration I ran

 

[Frogmore]

@Sergeant has way more experience with rotary cutters than I do, so you should listen to him. My experience was as someone who had never used one before. If that is your case, decide how long you think it will take you to get to the level of experience where your feeling matches his. If you are working in a large field, the extra large size doesn't matter and can be an advantage. My property has lots of narrow trails and I don't really want them to be wide roads.

 

[JDGnY2]

..People do use the X700 series tractors with a 4' rotary cutter, but I would not want to do that for long..

Do you mean you would not want to spend time mowing or do you mean running the cutter on the x700's pto? Is the k90 transaxle not up to running this sort of stuff long term?

 

[Frogmore]

I meant mowing with a rotary cutter. They are huge. Not a problem on a wide open field, but is for parts of my property.

I don't have an X700 series machine, but I want want as a "baby tractor". Most people here dream of a 1 series. I like the 1 series, but it is only a little bit smaller and nimble than my B2620 (which is a baby tractor to people in the CUT and "real" tractor forums). It all comes down to the tasks you need to do and the frequency. There is no one machine that can do everything well. But, there is a lot of overlap. Many people mow with a B2620 or larger machine. I would hate doing that. Many people move giant (for its size) logs with a grapple on their X700 series sized machines. I have a grapple and forks for my B2620. It was too small for much of the 60-80' tree that fell down in the past storm. But, it could carry 6 to 8 foot long chunks of it okay. I want an X739 and grapple for small stuff, brush and branches. I want the AWS for its agility. The non-AWS do turn tighter than my B2620, but only by a couple of feet in outside turning circle. The AWS models turn tighter (in outside turning circle) by about 3 feet than the 2WS ones. So that ends up being 5 or 6 feet less space needed to turn around. Not an issue if you have a wide open pasture. Very handy when you are in a narrow place and can't do an N-point turn.

The X700 series has an aluminum case and a single speed transaxle. The 1 series is two speed. The B2620 is cast iron and three speeds. It can generate/provide a LOT of torque, much more than the tires/ground interface can handle in many cases.

Most people would want to have a bigger machine to use a rotary cutter, but some people have tried using an X700 series AWD machine with it and liked it. If you are using it once or twice a year for a few hours, I am sure it would be fine. If your need is several hours a week for much of the year, it might make sense to get a bigger tractor.

 

[Rarefish383]

I bought a 4' Swisher tow behind and it worked well. I got it at an auction in like new condition for $400. I just looked thinking that might be the way to go. But, new, they run $2000 and up. I bought a Massy 40 HP tractor with a 6' bush hog and sold the little Swisher for what I paid, $400. No wonder that guy about knocked me over getting that thing on his trailer. I didn't realized what they sold for new.

 

[Steve Urquell]

I bought a 4' Swisher tow behind and it worked well. I got it at an auction in like new condition for $400. I just looked thinking that might be the way to go. But, new, they run $2000 and up. I bought a Massy 40 HP tractor with a 6' bush hog and sold the little Swisher for what I paid, $400. No wonder that guy about knocked me over getting that thing on his trailer. I didn't realized what they sold for new.

I was where the OP was as well. I needed a brush hog to clear acreage I didn't want to mow weekly but wanted to keep clear. Picked up a Swisher 44" rugged cut for $400 as well. I like that I can mow offset and keep my tractor out of the tall stuff. It will go under trees as I mow around them. Get ready to sell and people are all over it.