Dale Phillips bush hog?

Eric Patterson

Eric Patterson

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Anybody have experience with a Dale Phillips bush hog? I can't find any specs on their 5' doobob and am curious how it stacks up to Bush Hog, Howse, Woods, etc.

DalePhillips2.jpg

DalePhillips3.jpg


The Massey Ferguson 135 is dang near field ready. I've spent the past few saturdays working on her. About all that is left is tweaking the new voltage regulator just installed. I overhauled the wiring with a new harness, voltage regulator, gauges, safety switch, and rebuilt the old Delco-Remy generator. Darn voltage regulator out of the box wants to cook my battery with 16 volts. Hopefully when I pop the cover it will be adjustable so I can turn it down. I've had fun working on her, now I'm ready to do work with her.

Eric
 
Don't know anything about them, but likely the difference is in the strength and parts availability of the gear box. With any used brush hog, check the welds, both cracking of factory welds and how much scabbing has been done...I've seen mowers that were more weld than original steel.

On that regulator, there should be three screws inside the cover, been 20 years since I adjusted one, so check a shop manual as to how to do that. Funny thing is, with any of the tractors and cars as I've been around with generators, most have always struggled to maintain 12 volts at anything less than full throttle. You confident in who rewound your generator?

So, in that picture, what's the chain doing?

Chuck
 
Chuck

Not sure about the chain. Those are the sellers pictures. I know what you mean about more welds than steel. I've looked at half dozen or more used bush hogs and every one of them was beat to hell and back or rusted through. The Dale Phillips I'm looking at this evening appears to be the first thats undamaged and built to the hilt. Owner bought it new 8 years ago and has only used a a few times to cut a clean pasture. From what I read all the gearboxes in recent years are made by the same few manufactures so parts shouldn't be an issue.

The generator tests out fine. It's got to be the voltage regulator. I googled a Delco-Remy service manual and found other info as well. Sounds like I should be able to turn a screw that opens up a contactor and reduce the voltage. The hardest part is re-installing the regulator. My hand barely fits to get the mounting screw started. Maybe Thomas has the dexterity and small enough hands to get that screw started.

Eric
 
Eric

That stinks you have to unmount the regulator to adjust it. Seems my Nova had it on the inside of the wheelwell and I took the cover off, started the car and adjusted it. Put the meter on it to get it where I wanted it (mine was running low, not high). At least I think so...been a while.

8 year old brush hog...I've never used such a new one...not sure I could bring myself to get it dusty. Looks like the tractor in the one picture might have a 3 pt boom on it that they moved it out of the weeds to get you a nice picture, explaining the chain..hopefully.

Good luck!

Chuck
 
Chuck

You might have felt right at home cutting with the hogs I've looked at with swiss cheese decks, torn skirts, bent stump jumpers, and every nut in site seized with rust. I think you are correct on the boom and chain.

Eric
 
Never heard of that make, that said, they're pretty much alike, biggest difference usually is the thickness of the metal, thus the better ones weigh more.
You can get universal replacement gear boxes and blades that will fit most any hog.
 
Haven't seen that type before but as said before, check the welds, and what gauge steel it's made of. Assuming all that checks out the gear box looks a little small compared to the PTO universal joint cover?? What size stuff are you looking to cut? !"-2" stuff or bigger?

Land Pride makes a good brush hog too.
 
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Second the Land Pride.

But that one is clean. If you are only trimming it will get you started.

Do you have a good winch or come along yet?
 
Just got back from looking at it. It's mine. Picking it up this weekend. Nothing I've looked at so far compares to it and that includes a John Deere, Bush Hog, Kodiak, and Tractor Supply. It looks like it's made from plate steel instead of sheet metal. It has a 65 hp gearbox and almost no hours. Previous owner bought it new and only used it to cut his back lot a few times a year for the past 7 years and that's all. Online searches yielded some tractor forum discussions and the Dale Phillips brand showed up time and time again as one of the the heaviest duty rotary cutters out there, second only to Rhino and ahead of Bush Hog, Howse, and Woods. Wish I could find some specs to verify. Turns out they are made about an hour south of me in Wellington, AL. I'm confident patience in shopping paid off. I could have bought several by now for more money that weren't as heavy duty and in a lot worse shape.

Mark & Bob, there is a while lot of clearing to do. A lot of it was tackled last year but there is more and some of it is 2"+ in size. That's why I've been leary of the lighter duty cutters out there. Why the question about a winch or come along? I've got one buried in the shed if needed.

Eric
 
Tractors and wetlands. Just make sure you have a plan if you find a wet area to get yourself out of. It is no fun having to do it unplanned.
I am sure you and the boys are going to have a great time. Plus the added bonus of the improved hunting when the birds find it.
 
Bob

Don't even want to be in that situation. I doubt a come along would help much. Too small. My only hope would be Wally's tractor and a long tow strap. Let's just hope it doesn't happen.

Eric
 
I don't want to go down that road!

Got the voltage regulator working. Sort of. The new one I bought was crap. The contacts never opened so the battery was taking all the generator was putting out. Cleaned the contacts on the old one and wired it up. Worked perfectly. Old school all metal heavy duty versus plastic lightweight crap. No surprise one almost 50 years old works better than one out of the box.

Eric
 
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