Cutters & Shredders in Hempstead, TX

A rotary cutter, also called a brush hog, chews through brush, saplings and tall grass a regular mower can't touch. It's the implement for fence lines, pasture edges and ground that's grown up since last season. You hook it to your tractor. The blades do the work, instead of a mower stalling out in thick growth. On Waller County ground, where brush and volunteer trees come back fast, a cutter keeps pasture open for grazing or hay. Come by our Navasota store to see what fits your tractor, or browse our implements on j5tractors.com.

Start with the deck and the driveline. A heavier deck and thicker blades stand up better to brush and saplings. Check the gearbox, since it takes the shock every time a blade hits something. Look at the tailwheel too. It carries the back of the cutter over rough ground. Chains or bands at the front and back help keep debris under the deck. Then think about width against your fence lines and gates. Waller County places run from small horse lots to big cattle operations. Ask our Navasota store what fits yours.

A flail shredder usually leaves the finer finish. It uses a row of small hammers or knives on a spinning shaft. Those chop material into small pieces instead of just knocking it down. A rotary cutter swings two or three heavy blades around under a flat deck. It's the same idea as a mower, but built heavier for brush and saplings. Both run off your tractor's PTO. A rotary cutter handles thicker saplings and small trees better, since its blades carry more force at the tip. Most pasture and fence-line work in Waller County calls for a rotary cutter.

It protects the gearbox and your tractor's PTO driveline. When a blade hits a stump or a buried rock, the spinning blades stop hard. Something has to give. A slip clutch slips under that shock instead of passing it down the driveline. Some cutters use a shear bolt instead, which snaps and gets replaced. Either one beats a cracked gearbox. Check the clutch as your operator's manual says, since a clutch that's rusted tight won't slip. Waller County pasture hides stumps and volunteer trees, so you'll lean on it.

Plan on cutting Waller County pasture several times a year, not just once. Brush and ryegrass come back fast in our growing season. Brush doesn't wait. Spring growth usually gets the first pass, before brush gets tall enough to shade out grass. A second or third pass through summer keeps fence lines and pasture edges open. Ground that's been let go for a season or two needs a heavier first pass before it settles into a normal schedule. How often you cut also depends on how thick the stand is and how you use the pasture.