Berco (44") 17.5HP Rough Cut Tow-Behind Mower w/ Electric Lift

Not too easy to assemble, but once it was together, it mowed tall orchard grass and small saplings with ease. It is very heavy, but my Rhino pulled it up steep hills easily. The blades turn so quietly, I didn't think they were turning.

Below is my recently sent email to Bercomac concerning this item:

I recently purchased Berco Rough Cutter 44" from Power Equipment Direct. Within the first hour, a pre-installed fused popped off causing work stoppage and repair time. Within the third hour (over 36 hour period) the belt completely burned.

I had the cutter on the highest setting trimming down 16 inch grass. NOT THICK BRUSH!

The electric height adjustment is a nice feature. But there is no reference point to set at the height of your liking. The control box does NOT easily or safely reach the cab of my two seat UTV.

Below is my recently sent email to Bercomac concerning this item:

I recently purchased Berco Rough Cutter 44" from Power Equipment Direct. Within the first hour, a pre-installed fused popped off causing work stoppage and repair time. Within the third hour (over 36 hour period) the belt completely burned.

I had the cutter on the highest setting trimming down 16 inch grass. NOT THICK BRUSH!

The electric height adjustment is a nice feature. But there is no reference point to set... more

Mower arrived well crated and all parts complete. Put it together in one evening, and started it up the following evening. This is a well built, very tough unit. It will mow anything my Polaris 500HO will drive through. I did have some minor warranty work a month after purchase. New throttle cable and loose actuator plug. I expect small glitches, and the service center was nearby. They service Berco, but don't sell them on their floor. They might now! The guys were impressed with the unit and were surprised at the build quality. I even heard the comment "Built better than a Swisher." I would definitely buy a Berco Rough Cut Mower again!

Mower arrived well crated and all parts complete. Put it together in one evening, and started it up the following evening. This is a well built, very tough unit. It will mow anything my Polaris 500HO will drive through. I did have some minor warranty work a month after purchase. New throttle cable and loose actuator plug. I expect small glitches, and the service center was nearby. They service Berco, but don't sell them on their floor. They might now! The guys were impressed with the unit and... more

Ok, I did have to use a vise grip to bend the hook on the belt tension spring. Without fixing this, the belt will slip until it melts away. The correct tension will make the engine stall before it destroys the belt. The engine to the lift came defective. I just used a chain to raise the deck. It is heavy. But others are heavier. I put this mower thru a field not mowed in a decade. I had to slow down to make it thru. This is the only rough cut. So I cant compare to others.

Mower works as advertised. Assembly of the springs was TERRIBLE. Can't believe it is expected that the buyer would have to do this. Overall instructions are weak.

Unfortunately made a poor purchase with this product. There were limited reviews which all seemed positive which is what drew me to purchase this unit.

First, when you receive the unit, plan on spending a few hours putting it together. It can be done with one person, but two people will greatly assist in the assembly.

The manual is lacking specific information such as how far to adjust the springs for the automatic lift. Also, the shear pins for the hydraulic lift are way too fragile. The first time using one, I hit a bump and snapped it. Also broke the spare the same way. Do yourself a favor and get a low grade bolt to put in it's place.

Now for the worst part. I assembled the mower, completed the break-in cycle as instructed, and after two uses, the mower blades would no longer engage. Keep in mind I did not strike any rocks, stumps, or even really but brush the first two uses as I wanted to break the machine in slowly.

I called Berco and was told that there is a known issue with the power relay, as instructed it made sure the connections were tight, and they blades will not engage. The unit has power as the red light comes on for the power, and the motor runs fine. I am waiting to hear back from customer service on what they can do to help me.

Basically I chose this mower because of its hydraulic lift and electronic features. Unfortunately I think the product is too new on the market and there wasn't thorough testing done in the field to see how well the unit will hold up.

I will say, that the two times I used the mower, it ran fine. No problem cutting tall grass and weeds. It towed very nicely behind my ATV. I have a brute force 750. The mower is heavy, so I think smaller ATVs would have trouble pulling it on hills.

So in conclusion, I may have just got a bad unit, but I find it crazy that I spent over $2300 on what is now a paperweight sitting in my garage. I'm sure the unit will get fixed, but everyday it sits there is another day the grass/weeds get higher and I am unable to complete my projects I have.

Unfortunately made a poor purchase with this product. There were limited reviews which all seemed positive which is what drew me to purchase this unit.

First, when you receive the unit, plan on spending a few hours putting it together. It can be done with one person, but two people will greatly assist in the assembly.

The manual is lacking specific information such as how far to adjust the springs for the automatic lift. Also, the shear pins for the hydraulic lift are way too fragile.... more

Long story short.....if I can run it over with my 4 Wheeler this thing will mow it.

This mower is built to take it, but that also means you have to have something to pull it. I am using an Artic Cat 400 with 4 wheel drive on hilly ATV trails and it gives it a workout. No lawn tractor will manage the job. I have mowed over all kinds of brush, saplings, tall grass and weeds with no problems at all. The remote power height adjustment is great. I had no idea this machine would be so well built and heavy duty, but I am very happy with the product. It will wear me out long before it quits doing the job.

This mower is built to take it, but that also means you have to have something to pull it. I am using an Artic Cat 400 with 4 wheel drive on hilly ATV trails and it gives it a workout. No lawn tractor will manage the job. I have mowed over all kinds of brush, saplings, tall grass and weeds with no problems at all. The remote power height adjustment is great. I had no idea this machine would be so well built and heavy duty, but I am very happy with the product. It will wear me out long... more

This Bercomac mower is equipped with powerful 17.5HP Briggs & Stratton 4-Cycle OHV Engine and has some other quality features like electric deck lift which adjusts cutting height from operator seat, control box which mounts near seat so controls are easy to reach and operated presence control which will stop the mower if the user falls of the mower for safety which makes this mower easier to use and control when mowing.

Only used it one time so far but it seems to be a nice piece of equipment! Thank you Mowers Direct.