Billy Goat BC24 Outback Brushcutter

Before I purchased my Swisher tow-behind mower I needed some help clearing the area that has become the garden. I had originally planned to use a combination of hand tools and string trimmer with blade attachment. I realized, though, that it was going to take so long to clear that way that it made more sense to rent a piece of equipment to use for the initial clearing.

I rented a Billy Goat BC24 Outback Brushcutter for a week, and it was a fantastic decision. The first day that I used the mower I made incredible progress. In hindsight, however, this is primarily because I was only cutting tall weeds, and not briars or woody growth. Once I got into the tougher vegetation, my progress slowed. Still, however, progress was much faster than it would have been with other methods.  Even now that I have the tow-behind mower I see situations where the Billy Goat would be a better option, especially when space is tight.

The specs on the Billy goat indicate that it will cut saplings up to 2" in diameter. I'm not sure if I cut anything quite that bit, but it did chew through pretty much anything I threw at it. In most cases the mower would force its way through the vegetation, weighing it down and cutting it as it went. In the cases where it wasn't able to force its way through I found that often I could elevate the front, by pressing down on the handles, and then lower it once it was over whatever was giving me problems. In a week I was able to clear approximately 3-4 acres, although some areas remained overgrown, especially around and in between trees. I could have done more if not for the obstacles that I kept finding, such as old logs that required moving, etc.

I try to take care of any equipment that I use, but even with care the mower was worked hard and put through its paces. The only thing I ever had to do in order to keep the mower going was to fill the tank with gas. I was amazed at how well it performed the job, and at the abuse it was able to take. There is no doubt that the amount I paid to rent the mower was money well spent. I'm not sure, however, that I could ever justify owning such a machine. It is great for clearing overgrown areas, but once that is done, there is little work to be done that requires this type of mower. I suppose that one might be useful for a homeowner who only mowed a given area annually. However, the tow-behind mower makes it easy enough for me to keep any area mowed once it has been cleared initially that I don't think I would ever use it in this way. The cost also makes it unlikely that I'll ever buy one, as the Billy Goat costs approximately $1000 more than I paid for my tow-behind mower. Although for anyone who doesn't already own a UTV or four-wheeler with which to pull a mower, maybe a walk behind brush cutter would be a good investment.