Cutters & Shredders in Franklin, TX

A rotary cutter is a single deck on your tractor's three-point hitch. It cuts brush and heavy grass in one pass. A flex-wing adds hinged wing decks on each side, so it cuts a much wider path on open pasture. The wings fold up for the road and drop back down to cut. On small or odd-shaped pasture, tree lines or tight corners, a single-deck cutter turns tighter. On big open fields, a flex-wing covers more ground per pass. It also needs more tractor. Bad Boy builds both, and our Bryan store can order either. Browse our implements on j5tractors.com to compare them.

Set it high enough to clear rocks, stumps and old ruts, then lower it once you know the ground. Most rotary cutters set height with the tailwheel and the three-point. Scalping the ground dulls blades and throws dirt. It also sets the grass back. In pasture, leaving some height helps the grass come back thicker. On a first pass through grown-up brush, start higher. Take the top off, then make a second, lower pass. It's slower. It's cleaner. Check your cutter's manual for how its height adjusts before you start, since each design does it a little differently.

Cutting width comes down to how much open ground you cover and how tight you need to turn. A narrower cutter handles tree lines, fence rows and small, odd-shaped pasture where you're working around obstacles. A wider cutter or a flex-wing covers more ground per pass on big open fields. Rough ground with stumps, ruts or low spots also favors a narrower unit you can steer around trouble. Width has to suit your tractor too. The cutter's manual lists the PTO horsepower it needs. Call the store and talk through the ground you're working.

Yes, a rotary cutter is built for heavy brush, not just grass and weeds. A heavy deck and swinging blades chop through saplings, briars and vines that would wreck a finish mower. That's the point of the implement. How thick a sapling it'll take depends on the cutter's rating and the tractor running it. Check the manual for the largest material it's rated to cut. Go slow in the thick stuff. Let the blades get back to speed before you push in again. A slip clutch or shear bolt on the driveline protects the gearbox if you hit a stump. You'll want to know which one your cutter uses.

A shredder works fence lines and pasture edges as well as open fields. Brush, vines and saplings take over along fence rows first. A rotary cutter knocks that growth back so you can see the fence and walk it. Open pasture gets the same treatment in wider passes once the edges are under control. Watch for wire on the ground. A loose strand wraps a blade spindle in a hurry. Keep well back from ditch banks and drop-offs. On a grade, slow down, and go by the operator's manual for your tractor and cutter.