Using DR PTO trimmer on Cat 2 Tractor?

[Coyote machine]

You can argue semantics with me all day and it doesn't change a thing. IF I had wanted to say RECALL I would have said exactly that. A recall implies there is something drastically wrong or unsafe about a machine- the rep said the factory decided to install some brackets where there were originally welds and did not say anything else about where on the machines, etc. Your machine may already be in use but consider that once they started installing the brackets your machine could have left the factory with them already installed.
I will see if I can find out more. And YES, the information I supplied could be too new for the sales end/tech guys to know about it; if they ever end up being informed would surprise me from my past experience with the company.

 

[TomSeller]

Well I had some time and got around to mounting the DR mower to a tractor today and giving it a short try out. Seems to do the job well. I will give it more of a work out this weekend. The PTO shaft does not hit the triage mount no matter how high or low I raise it, so that is good.

 

[aczlan]

Tried the mower on the B7500 this week and it is a MUCH better platform for this than the L3830.
Why? Hydro, 1000RPM PTO, smaller.
I put the PTO in 1000RPM mode, brought it up to just about half of PTO RPM (PTO RPM is ~2200 engine RPM, so I put it at 1000ish) and went down the fenceline.
The hydro and smaller size made it more maneuverable for working around stuff, the trimmer sticks out to the side a little more, so there is less risk of hitting a fencepost with the tractor.
Unlike when I used the L3830, I didn't take out any fenceposts (then, I caught 2 rotten fenceposts wrong with the trimmer and snapped them off)
Need to drop the bucket for the next round, but it went well.

Aaron Z

 

[TomSeller]

I hooked mine up but had little time to try it out. It will probably be next spring before I get a chance to try it again. It did not seem to want to cut into heavy grass, but I need to work with it some more.

 

[lostcreekranch]

I am back looking at the DR PTO trimmers again. Any updates from those of you who now own one?

Thanks!

Sent from my iPad using TractorByNet

 

[aczlan]

Some examples of how it looks when you trim on one side of the fence:






You never want the line to touch the ground. In this picture, there is a small ditch that the wheel kept dropping into and running the line into the ground. One set of lines lasted from the tree in the background to where the tractor is in the picture:


One of the downsides is that if the tractor hits a bump and goes up while the arm is back (as seen below) it will angle the cutterhead down drastically and scalp around that post. This is greatly reduced if you ignore DR's recommendation and leave it locked in "transport" mode rather than putting it into "float" mode:




Here is how the line attaches:






I have it on the B7500 and can take more pictures if anyone wants to see a particular part.

Aaron Z

 

[nc redneck]

I am seriously looking at buying one of these. Aaron Z has supplied a lot of great info, thanks. DR has remanufactured units on there web site for $100 cheaper. Being a tightwad I am naturally drawn to reman unit. Anyone know if there has been any upgrades on new units ? Any new updates or info from owners ?
Thanks
Scott

 

[lostcreekranch]

Some examples of how it looks when you trim on one side of the fence: Aaron Z

Aaron;

Thanks for the update and pics. We would use it on a B2710 so seems to be similar to your application. Our primary use would be trimming two stock tanks.

Think I remember reading that one member had changed to smaller line with improved line life.

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[schmism]

I think i would be upgradeing to small aircraft cable with welded ends.

 

[aczlan]

I think i would be upgradeing to small aircraft cable with welded ends.

Hmmm, anything special that would need to be done to weld the ends?

Aaron Z