BRUSH BEAST - 36 inch 22 HP Subaru Commercial Duty Dual Hydro Brush Power Type in Gas, Electric Start Gas Commercial Walk Behind Mower (not sold in California).

After arrival, I unwrapped the machine, checked the owner manual for startup procedures and safety of operation. I fueled the machine. It started right away; I backed it off the shipping pallet and put it to work.
This machine is all that the specifications and advertising claims promote. It cuts saplings with ease, like a normal lawn mower cuts grass. The operator must learn to control the machine with properly adjusted controls. Use the machine's controls for maneuvering and cutting. I like this machine very much. It is a good ""Beast"" for sure.
I am going to try a pair of tire chains on the wheels to see if that might assist traction under less than ideal surface conditions.

Everything went great. No problems. Dont want to write anymore.

Bought this machine to clear paths on overgrown, neglected land. Chose this unit for its power and 36" cutting width. Most of my observations will echo and reinforce those of some previous reviewers. Here are my main points.
1. After removal from the shipping pallet, it was ready to add fuel and start up - no assembly or adjustment was required.
2. Some owners have complained about this machine throwing and/or eating belts. In my 20 hours of hard use so far, it has thrown the belt to the cutter only once. I do take care when engaging and disengaging the cutter rotor to do this gradually with the throttle backed off a bit.
3. The machine handles brush impressively, but cutting through very thick grass requires slowing down to a crawl to keep the engine from laboring or stalling.
4. My main complaint is the same as that of many other reviewers, that is that the machine is much too easily brought to a halt by either a slight dip in the ground or by soft soil. I agree with many users that the wheels need to be of larger diameter to prevent its bogging down so readily. When any kind of resistance is encountered (e.g., ant hill, vines, extra thick growth), the wheels are too quick to dig themselves into a rut. This limitation of the propulsion system dimishes the usefulness of the machine in clearing irregular surfaces and vegetation growing on soft earth.
5. The hydro steering system works well, but the controls are not ergonomic. The strain on the hands begins to wear after an hour or two of use.
Even with these criticisms, I am satisfied with the machine overall so far. It just seems that a little more engineering could make it much better.

This thing really does well for 90 % of what i need, which is mowing high grass and weeds on 7 acres of woods and brush. the hydrostatic transmission is awesome in the dense brush and trees as there is no stopping to shift in and out of different gears, particularly reverse. just a toggle of the hand control. However, the hand controls do get very tiring on the thumb and wrist, and after a full day of running the unit your hands will know they had a long day. But i have to say, it does most of what was expected. I have used three other brands (borrowed or as rentals) and none were as good as this unit on any aspect of the duty.

One big drawback is the tires don't have much traction. Lots of power, and if you can get something into the blade it will cut it (stumps, water lines, fencing, etc). But the tires lack the traction to push over anything much bigger than an inch diameter. Also, if the tires start to spin for any reason, be prepared to back up and start over. once they break traction, that line of cut is over. also gets stuck on wet ground, and if it is boggy, you better be a big fella if you dont have a chain and come-a-long handy.

When you get the unit, buy extra belts before you even take it out to use it. order kevlar belts from a reputable dealer, they are 1/3 the price of the belts from the manufacturer and out last them by a couple 100 percent. Also, decrease the engine speed before disengaging the belt. otherwise, it will likely slip off. if it does come off, and it will, it is relatively easy to slip it back on if you have on gloves and a long sleeve shirt. it is definitely hot around the engine pully.

also, get an extra fuel pump if you are mowing in heavy brush. the pump is exposed to backlash from the brush, and i have broken one already. it is $30 from any lawnmower shop, pretty common item. the unit will run without a pump but it does seem to lose a little power.

Make sure you take the time to optimize your transmissions and get them as balanced as possible. mine were off badly from the factory, almost to the point i sent it back. but it gives directions in the manual on the balance. it is worth the effort. when this unit is set up correctly, it is a pleasure to operate. Kinda pricy, but so far it is worth it.

Devours Brush completely. Plows through 8 foot sapplings as effortlessly as a lawn mower. Everyman must have one!!

We got the Beast. Yeh! It had a couple of scratches, but nothing major. It was definitely better protected. We used it last week and other than the belt coming off a couple of times it was really fun. It cleared an area that previously took hours in a fraction of the time, walked up the side of the road, took down thistle like it wasnt there and mulched small alder trees to the height of the cut grass. Cudos to your customer service. I hope you gave the shipping companys a little "what for" for all of the damage done to previous shipments. Thank you for all of your help.

Getting rid of brush is no easy task - but it finally seems doable with this mower. It's easy to use and saves me a lot of frustration!

We are clearing a couple of acres with the mower that is heavily overgrown with thickets and small saplings. The mower takes a little getting use to (very heavy) and you have to learn how to move it threw the underbrush and heavy thickets. It has bogged down a couple of times in heavier composted areas and I feel bigger tires with more grip could be an improvement. We've only had two issues with the unit, one being a pin set came out so we replaced it with a better built pin and one of the bolts to the control handle vibrated loose so we replace it with a better bolt and nut. I have had no other issues with the mower. It is a great product.

With the 22 hp engine nothing stops is 2 blades from spinning. After you get use to the hydro drive, its easy to make it go were you want to go . It is very heavy. Every so often, because of the rough ground i have,it dose get hung up. You better be strong to get it out. It preforms all operations better then i thought it would.With what i have put this machine through, i believe something should of broke by now. No sign of any ware at all. It takes a licken and keeps on tickin.

Compared price & spec's versus competitors, this was the best value "on paper." Ordering and shipping went very smoothly. Obviously a Chinese import but quality seems fine. The thing really is a monster- worked great for 6h then a belt broke. GXI was reasonable about sending replacements. I agree with other comments I read about not-great traction, but am still very satisfied with its capability. There's no provision to change the hydro fluid, so I wonder how long those X-missions will last. But as they say: "so far, so good."

I bought this brush mower to mow brush, briars, and small saplings on my lake dam which is too steep for my tractor/bushhog, and way too large for any hand work. It did a great job going through everything...i had let this area get overgrown with brush/small trees before cutting. As long as this mower can get on top of pretty much anything, it will cut it. It never choked down or stalled. The only suggestions I have to make it better are larger rear tires for the rutted areas, and maybe some type of heavy duty swivel wheels on the front. This would help the maneuverability greatly in the more extreme terrains. It will give you a work-out in tough terrain, but it will get the job done. Now that i have cut this dam for the first time, it will be much easier to maintain. It starts easy, and will move on flat ground faster than you will want to walk.