
It was a gamble, and we knew it from the start.
We’ve been using a weed-whacker (a string-trimmer) for clearing paths and trails, and for “mowing” the garden/orchard area. It’s a long, slow process–longer and slower as we’ve expanded the trails and planting areas. Rick has said for some time that he’d like a brush hog, aka rotary cutter. He wanted something ‘beefy’ to handle some of the more challenging trail work in the forest.
But those things are expensive! And, frankly, they don’t make them like they used to. A new one runs upward of three thousand–for anything sturdy, much more. So we looked for one used–but not abused. That’s a critical issue, because, by definition this is no mere mower. It’s designed for heavy use.
But in my search I saw a good many of them that were rusted out, or clearly limping on their last legs–and even then they were pricey. Sigh.
Recently an old John Deere popped up on Facebook’s Marketplace. Old, as in, as old as me. Those early implements were built to last! (As was I.) But there was a problem–the ad indicated that it needed a new clutch–but it was being sold with all the needed parts. So that was the gamble–someone had a geezer brush hog–and didn’t have the savvy, or strength to fix it. Were we (that’s an editorial ‘we’) up to fixing it?
We drove to Gaylord to check it out–and sturdy it was. Indeed, Rick’s comment, under his breath, was, “It’s a beast!” We’ve seen so many that were bent, rusted and crumpled. This one must be made of quarter inch steel. The kid selling it, showed us what was wrong and shook his head. It was too much for him–the old implement was too hard to disassemble–the parts took too long to get. He’d just bitten the bullet and ordered a new one.
I looked at Rick. I could tell that he was intrigued by the challenge. It was more than just a mechanical issue–it was the fact that this vintage implement needed to be rescued.
“It’s a gamble,” I said. “If it can be fixed, it’s a steal at $500. Otherwise, it’s 1,200 pounds of expensive scrap.”
Just getting it loaded on the truck was a feat.
It’s taken him a couple of days, but I just heard the noises from the yard change. I looked out to see him sharpening the blades. That means the clutch is fixed, and the u-joint replaced–just like the kid said.
The beast has been rescued, and maybe even tamed. I see clear trails in our future.

Beauty and the beast. Even on 5 acres I would wear out a premium, heavy duty, straight shaft brush cutter in 3 years. A proper slasher is what you need. Take the animals and children and lock them in the barn, ma!
LikeLiked by 2 people
He’s out there, now–mowing like a champ. This has been a very satisfying gamble. (And yes, the chickens ran like hell.)
LikeLiked by 1 person
True enough–we were on our second weed-whacker, so the three years works out about right. And they’re not built to be fixed.
LikeLike
Now that oughta save a bit of time and energy hey?
LOVE the ‘tire’…
LikeLiked by 1 person
Back in the very beginning, I used a grass whip. Rick thought that was crazy, and thus the beginning of the weed-whacker era. Now, he’ll be able to do, in less than a day, what took him/me over a week, and needed doing several times each season. It’s not that we didn’t recognize the need, we just needed to address it. (And clear, wide, trails are one way to avoid ticks.)
LikeLike
Oh yeah, totally get you on the tick avoidance – and massive congrats on an incredible score of The Beast by the way(lol). (They really don’t make ‘em like they used to… :/)
LikeLiked by 1 person
I Loved this story! So glad you took a chance. You really did get a find. A year ago, (was it two?) I saw a hammer mill for sale. Same thing…built like a tank. Fraction of the price of what it was worth (if it ran) picked it up after the old boy, did some work on the carburetor . What it really needs is a small new honda motor…I saw someone using one to pulverize apples before pressing them. It works just as I anticipated…tell you all of that, just to say, I feel your joy! DM
LikeLiked by 1 person
And here, I use a baseball bat. (I’m sure I press fewer apples.)
LikeLiked by 1 person
I finally destroyed our old rusty one that was probably thirty years old. We searched and searched for a good used one but finally just forked over way too much for a new one. Used equipment is pretty scarce right now, so sounds like yall got a good deal.
LikeLiked by 1 person
It looks as if this is from the sixties–a cute little brother from my perspective.
LikeLike
It’s worth a try!
LikeLiked by 1 person
There are a few little tweaks left, but so far, it works like a charm.
LikeLike