Product Reviews

Summary

The DR PRO XL30 (20 HP) Field and Brush Mower (a/k/a “brush hog,” “bush hog,” and “brush cutter”) is an essential workhorse piece of equipment for the DIY landowner with expansive, seriously overgrown areas or areas that are intentionally cut only a few times a year. Not ideal for the physically weak and/or out-of-shape individual. The fixed height of the handles may be uncomfortable for people who are much shorter or taller than average. Owners of smaller lots should determine if renting makes more financial sense than buying, however, I’ve seen only competitors’ products for rent locally.

Date Purchased:  Early 2017

Cost: About US$3,000 as I recall, and I’m pretty sure I bought it on sale. DR Power often has good sales so it’s worth it to check their website frequently if you’re thinking of buying any of their products.

Does It Work As Advertised?

Definitely yes. The DR PRO XL30 (20 HP) Field and Brush Mower gets the highest 5-star rating on DR Power’s own website and high praise on user videos for good reason. You will conk out long before it will.  I have used it on 6-foot saplings, dense low brush, and a thicket of towering Phragmites (tough, invasive grass that thrives in wetter soil).

Here’s a short video of me using it in July 2019. I’ve used this brush hog in worse growth but didn’t record it. To get some sense of how high the growth is, I’m 5 feet 8.5 inches tall.

The Phragmites grows about thirty feet to my right in the above video. Below is a photo of it; I think it stood at least 10-12 feet tall by the middle of last summer. Its density, height, and strength make it a formidable foe, but the brush hog still cut through it. I’m pretty sure I made at least two passes since the grass height exceeded the product’s stated limitations.

Special Considerations

Although I am a big fan of this brush hog, I’ve found that it works best on straighter growth and firm ground.  Vining plants can get run over and lie down under the substantial weight of the DR PRO XL30 (20 HP) Field and Brush Mower rather than get cut at its fixed 4-inch cutting height. Multiflora roses and burning bush grow more irregularly as they mature, and their branches can extend 8 feet or more. For plants like that, I prefer to lop off the outer branches with clippers or a weed whacker/string trimmer then decimate the more uniform remainder with the DR.

Also, I haven’t tested the fuel efficiency, but this brush hog seems to a bit of a gas hog.  After a couple of hours of work I have to re-fill the tank, but maybe that’s normal for a machine of this size and weight. Fortunately, I have two five-gallon gas cans that I fill before I start my weekend projects so I’ve never had to stop working to get more fuel.

Real-World Application

Why I Use It

I mostly use my DR to cut thick weeds and brush (rather than long grass) on land that is flat or has as much as a 30-degree or more incline. No lawn mower can tackle that type of growth. This will allow me to replant lawn or field grass, or to encourage the existing grass to predominate once again over unwanted vegetation.

The DR PRO XL30 (20 HP) Field and Brush Mower is a well-designed beast of a machine with an easy electric start and 30-inch cutting width that carves a nice, wide swath through brush and weeds; per DR Power’s website, that deck cuts mowing time by 15% (versus using the DR PRO 26 [26-inch cutting width]). That knocks off 9 minutes for every hour of effort, and every minute counts when you have limited time or energy. I don’t regret not buying the next size up, the PRO MAX 34 (34-inch cutting width), as that would have been just too big and cumbersome for me to use.

How I Use It

Some areas of my property are perpetually softer than others or particularly rocky, so I prefer to use the brush hog after several days of no rain and after I’ve surveyed the area and reminded myself where hidden obstacles are.

Pushing or pulling its several hundred pounds instead of following my brother’s mantra of “let the machine do the work” is tiring and increases the probability of personal injury. So, I just maintain a firm grip and (try to) avoid obstacles as the machine self-propels and handily cuts everything in its path. With this method I can cover a lot of ground in a relatively short period of time with less wear-and-tear on my body. I do not feel that I am pushing myself anywhere near my limit when I use the brush hog on average, thick brush.

Its three speeds provide flexibility depending on the task, the amount of time I have, and how physically strong I feel on any given day: first gear (slow) for traversing rugged ground or cutting tougher growth without having to do subsequent passes; second gear (medium) for cutting straighter weeds and saplings on flatter ground; and third gear (fast) for walking quickly to and from the job site. At times, I’ve gotten hung up on treacherous terrain or in vicious weeds, but the reverse promptly gets me out of trouble. Lastly, the ease of shifting gears lets me decide the best cutting path (e.g., long parallel passes on a hillside at varying speeds depending on the vegetation/ground conditions versus shorter, perpendicular cuts).

How Tough Is It

While I’m using it, tough vines snake around the wheels at times, but it never slows down. After months of non-use, it has quickly started in 30 degrees Fahrenheit (-1 Celsius). Mice have built thick nests inside it (I didn’t realize this after the first winter and used it without checking), but it started and ran without a problem. It has also taken a lot of “abuse” in three years. I’ve hit several large rocks and tree stumps, but due to its pivoting brush deck, the machine absorbs a lot of the shock. And it still operates as good as new.

Don’t Overdo It

Once you get the hang of operating the DR Pro XL30 (20 HP) Field and Brush Mower you may be tempted to wipe out every unwanted plant, but it pays to know your limits. One day, I brush hogged for six hours; when I woke up the next morning my hands were as stiff as meat hooks – and they were like that every morning for several weeks afterward.

Benefits

You’re in Control

• The DR PRO XL30 (20 HP) Field and Brush Mower puts you in control of your landscaping, on your own terms and your own timeframe. In conjunction with relatively inexpensive items like a chainsaw, hand clippers, and a lawnmower, you’re no longer at the mercy of a contractor who will probably quote you a prohibitively high price to clear your overgrowth and still not leave your property the way you envisioned it. No more waiting around for an overbooked contractor to show up or worrying about what else his regular crew or seasonal help may be doing on your property when you’re not at home.
• Since you’re doing the work yourself, you can make last-minute decisions about whether to save specific trees or other plants. I lost a few good-sized willow trees a couple of years ago because I told my landscaper to clear an area. I can’t blame him, but if I’d cleared it myself and seen all those furry little catkins covering the branches, I would have saved those trees.

Great Return on Investment

• If you have a multi-year landscaping plan like I do, buying this machine is a one-time investment that gives you flexibility and peace of mind. It’s a hassle to keep renting and transporting a brush hog to and from your property, hoping that the make and model that you want is available when you want it. No more praying that the weather will cooperate during your rental period. No more rushing to return it on time to avoid a late charge just as you’re getting into a groove and want to keep clearing that massive patch of blackberry bushes. It’s there whenever you want to use it.
• Almost no amount of overgrowth (when the brush hog is used as intended) will seem daunting once you clear your first area. The more you use the DR PRO XL30 (20 HP) Field and Brush Mower, the more you’ll want to use it and the more money you’ll save in the long run. It will likely pay for itself in a couple of years.

Precise Results

• Unlike bigger machines like a Bobcat with attachment, the DR PRO XL30 (20 HP) allows you to do more precise work in tighter spaces, greatly reducing the likelihood that you’ll wipe out a flower bed or shrubbery you want to keep because you can’t tell where you are while sitting in a cab.
• Given its inherent limitations, the DR PRO XL30 (20 HP) forces you to cut bigger trees by hand – this leads to clean, close-to-surface cuts and not the heavy, jagged, mulch-like debris that a large machine typically leaves behind. You can then more quickly sow grass, prepare garden beds, etc. and start enjoying your property sooner.  If you’re lucky (I wasn’t), your big machine-loving contractor will remove the debris, but it’ll probably cost you extra.

Easy Operation, Transport, and Storage

• Unlike those big machines that can only be rented for a lot of money and for which you feel like you need a state-issued license to operate, the DR PRO XL30 (20 HP) Field and Brush Mower is easy to learn how to use. The salesman showed me the basic operating features in the parking lot, then my brother gave me a 10-minute demonstration at home. After that, I was comfortably using it on my own.  WARNING:  This is not to say that that this isn’t a potentially dangerous piece of equipment, even with its safety features such as a “dead man” switch. It definitely is, and the operator assumes all risk of injury when using it.
• The DR is portable. My brother loads it in the back of his pickup truck if we need to transport it from my house to our parents’.  When I’m using it on my property, I just put in in third gear and quickly walk it to wherever I plan to use it. Others may feel like the machine is running away from them in third gear, but it works for me and sometime even feels a bit easier to handle since I can walk pretty fast and not get hung up on uneven terrain.
• While the DR PRO XL30 (20 HP) is expensive, it’s much cheaper than a tractor – and smaller. Granted, it can’t do everything a tractor can, but you have to decide if you really need to spend five figures when the mighty DR will more than satisfy your needs.  Also, if you prefer to store your equipment inside, the DR will more easily fit in a garage or tool shed. I store mine in my barn.

Can the Average Woman Use This?

Yes, with a few caveats:

Heft and Power

• Be honest about how physically strong you are. Plenty of men and women simply cannot handle this machine in a safe manner.
• At several hundred pounds with a 20HP engine, this is a heavy and powerful piece of equipment, and at times it takes brute strength to move it if it gets bogged down in soft soil or to maintain control if you get overly ambitious and run it over a three-inch diameter tree.
• With its power steering, this brush hog can “whip” very quickly to the left and right once you squeeze the correct lever so you need to be prepared for the forceful turn to maintain control.
• In addition, the DR PRO XL30 (20 HP) Field and Brush Mower can tip back very quickly and go vertical as it “climbs” a tree while shredding it; you need to keep a firm grip on it so it doesn’t up-end with the handles suddenly near your knees (this happens to me every once in a while, but it doesn’t phase me).
• Lastly, depending on what you’re cutting, the machine can feel like it’s jerking forward and pull you along with it. One way I combat this is to walk pretty close to the DR. I don’t operate it with my arms fully extended; I’d never have the leverage to control it that way.

Hand Size and Strength

• The handles seem designed with men’s larger hands in mind. You have to depress the top right lever to move forward, and if you want to move left or right you have to depress the appropriate bottom lever at the same time.
• If my hands were a smidge smaller or weaker I don’t think I’d be comfortable using it as I’d have to grip the handles much harder than I normally do (if that’s even possible). Still, I control it fairly easily, even when on extra rugged terrain or tackling really tough overgrowth. But, then again, I have a bad habit of gripping tools too tightly when I use them, probably out of fear that my hands are too small or weak to use them properly.

Pros and Cons

Pros	Cons
Powerful/well constructed	Expensive
Not complicated to operate	Heavy for some
Electric start	Cut height is not adjustable (4”)
Power steering	Questionable fuel economy
Three forward speeds/one reverse	Performs better on straighter growth
“Dead-man” switch safety feature
Relatively compact size
Accepts all optional attachments (42” lawn mower deck, grader/snow blade, snow thrower, and chipper) – I do not own any of them nor have I used any.

The Verdict

The DR PRO XL30 (20 HP) Field and Brush Mower is big, powerful, and nimble. It cuts thick vegetation with ease, making a nightmarish landscape manageable for the average homeowner. The biggest drawbacks are that it’s relatively expensive and can be challenging for some to operate. However, I consider it one of the most critical items in my land management arsenal, and I would gladly buy it again.