Brush Hogs

Brush Hogs For Tractors

We don’t know of any tractor attachment that goes by more names than a brush hog. We see them called Rotary Cutters, Spindle Cutters, Thrashers, Slashers, Toppers (the British name for it), Brush Hogs, and Bush Hogs. 

We know Bush Hog is a brand name, but it seems to be how many southern folks refer to this type of mower.

Whatever you call it, a brush hog is a rear attachment for rough mowing, tall grass, and clearing brush all for a relatively cheap price. Most are designed for your 3-Point, but some are pull-type. Most use a 540 rpm PTO and some offer 1000 rpm PTO options.

Depending on the size and style, you may have a single blade or several. The mower might also be designed to flex across its width, so it can contour with the land and fold up for transport.

Features of a Brush Hog

There are some common terms used to describe the brush hog’s features and components.

Let’s discuss that now.

Cut Diameter

This is perhaps the single most important spec in your brush hog consideration. Some cutters will have a 1” cut diameter while others have a substantial 4”. But you can’t just get whatever bush hog rotary cutter you want, as the increase in cut capacity is correlated with your tractor’s horsepower. 

Still, if you know you have a field of 2” saplings you need to mow down, you’ll want to see if a brush hog with a 2” capacity is available for your machine over a 1”.

Stump Jumper

A stump jumper is a blade pan made from thick steel designed to shield your spindle if you run into a stump or object that doesn’t move or cut. These are desired when mowing unknown territory. 

Unless you mow only grass (and know that’s all you’ll mow), make sure your tractor bush hog has a stump jumper.

Slip Clutch vs Shear Bolt

Both a slip clutch and a shear bolt are designed to protect your driveline or gearbox. A shear bolt is designed to break under a certain amount of force. The manufacturer will have specified a particular class of shear bolts for their machine.

A slip clutch is a mechanism at the end of the PTO shaft designed to break the connection between your PTO shaft and the mower when your blades encounter too much resistance. These should be maintained at the beginning of each season, as rust can cause the clutch to bond together and not be able to slip when needed.

Shear bolts are often the standard protection on a bush hog tractor attachment, with a slip clutch as an optional upgrade.

Skid Shoes

Some models of bush hog rotary cutters put skid shoes on the bottom of the outside walls toward the front of the mower. The walls of a brush hog are not meant to drag on the ground, but it’s inevitable that they’ll get some wear. And the wider the mower, the more likely your mower will dig into the ground as you work.

Skid shoes are meant to prolong the life of your steel, and a few models even have replaceable skid shoes.

Styles of Brush Hogs

Flex-Wing Rotary Cutters

Ranging from 12 ft to 20 ft in width, Flex-Wing style cutters get a lot of mowing done, fast. They are comprised of three sections, the fixed middle and the flexible left and right wings. These wings flex up and down as you mow, following the contour of the land, but also rise all the way up (via hydraulics) to stand vertically for transport mode.

Standard Rotary Cutters or Round Backs

The more common style of tractor brush hog is one fixed piece. 

It can still have multiple spindles and blades, but it will not flex from left to right across the mower. These range in width from 48” up to 120”. 

The size of your tractor determines the size you get.

Tractor Brush Hog Manufacturers

We carry a great, affordable rotary cutter line from Dirt Dog who added a lot of well-thought-of features to their brush hog tractor attachments. They’ve rounded the top panel to discourage standing water and added a pivoting A-Frame to flex with dips in the land.

We have a slew of cutters from IronCraft, from single blades to triple blades, to flex-wings. You have a lot of options shopping IronCraft to find a cutter perfectly sized to your mowing needs.

And we also carry brush hogs from RhinoAg, which makes premium cutters at premium prices. Their Twisters Series mowers are built like tanks.

It’s worth mentioning the hydraulic-powered, loader-mounted cutter from King Welding. It’s the only mower we carry that allows you to have your mower in front of you with full visibility. We used it successfully with a 25 hp tractor, but it would benefit from a tractor with a little more hydraulic flow.

Worry-Free Guarantee On Our Brush Hogs

We know there’s a lot to figure out with tractors and attachments, and brush hogs are no exception. If you need help picking an attachment for your tractor, just send us an email before you make a purchase, and we’ll give you our recommendation—we guarantee it will work for you.

If you have further questions about our products and services, check out our FAQs here.