I paid about $1650 total in March for this mower on Amazon, including a $250 delivery charge. Even with the delivery charge this price was a bit cheaper than Tractor Supply. $1400 is a steal.
I manage about 17 acres of relatively hilly pasture and am very happy with this machine. Blows through small saplings and multiflora rose with no problems (swisher advertises that "if you can run over it with the atv, you can cut it with this" and nothing I've experienced contradicts that).
The beauty of this mower is that it does not know if it's going uphill. I mowed for years with an underpowered tractor and brushhog and had to hold my breath whether I would get up a hill without stalling.
The remote clutch engage mounts to the back of an atv, which is a nice feature. Also if you get the electric start the ignition switch is also on the remote clutch, so you can turn the mower on or off without dismounting the atv.
I pull my mower with a 420cc honda rancher with no problems even up some pretty big hills. Swisher recommends at least 300cc for atv towing.
Pros
--plenty of power.
--Can offset machine. Pulling with a garden tractor (swisher recommends at least 16 hp) would cut an 88" swath. Also good for cutting around trees or in ditches or cutting multiflora rose (saves having to drive over it and risking your atv tires).
--remote clutch attachment/starter is great
--easily adjust cutting height from 2-7 inches.
--articulating hitch allows mower to follow contours of land without stressing atv hitch or mower tow bar.
--Does not seem to bottom out as much as my old pto driven brush hog. Handles most bottom-outs without stalling.
--electic ignition. Save yourself headaches and get this if the wife wants to mow too.
Cons
--A fair amount of assembly required upon shipment, with not great directions. Took me about 4 hours from opening crate to mowing. You don't need to be a mechanic or small-engine guy (for example, the belt is already installed), but the instructions are minimal (though exploded views are helpful). It's a relatively simple machine, but you need to have some basic skills/knowledge.
--getting it out of the shipping crate is a bit of a chore.
--For electric start, battery not included (uses a stock small 12v tractor battery, about $20).
--Extra fuel consumption, since you are running two engines (tow vehicle and mower). Not as bad as I thought though.
--tows a bit farther behind than typical pto driven mower. Takes a little getting used to.
--comes with no owners or repair manual, but you can download them from swisher's website.
-if grass gets real high, the wheels can flatten it so that it doesn't get cut. If you are a perfectionist, may need to take a second pass perpendicular to first.
--made for trails and pastures, not for finish applications. If you want a golf-course look, you want something called a finish mower. Swisher makes these as well.
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Swisher 44 Inch 14.5 HP Trailcutter with 12-Volt Electric Starter RTB14544Product Description: The Swisher 44-inch 14.5-horsepower trailcutter with 12-volt electric starter hitches to your ATV or lawn tractor for clearing rugged, overgrown areas. Highlighted features include an easily adjustable left-to-right hitch that enables you to cut to the left, right, or directly behind your ATV or lawn tractor, and a cutting capacity of 1-1/2 inches. The trailcutter also includes a 44-inch cutting deck, two heavy-duty swinging blades, an adjustable cutting height, and a remote engagement blade brake for added safety.
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Bought these for my G110 lawn tractor & they don't fit properly. Had to mount them sideways to get openings to line up with the metal frame -- doesn't look too pretty, but they are working -- somewhat. Cutting & drilling out all the rivets to put these on was a royal PITA. Had to re-align everything to keep grass from blowing out of the top ( I have the optional JD power bagger, which blasts the grass in there ). These are overpriced too. Next time I'll save myself the stress & order genuine John Deere bags!!
