ATV tow behind mower

[lilyperch]

Hi, looking for advice. I have hilly property and have been looking at DR. Power and Kunz rough brush tow mowers behind atv. Numerous cautions about Z turn mower on hills 20-30 degree.
Any one with experience with this type?

 

[KiotiKowboy]

I have a Swisher tow behind rough cut mower that I pull with my Cub Cadet UTV. I use this mainly to trim along fence lines and areas that are not routinely hayed. My only complaint is the control cables are not quite long enough to reach the driver seat. I have to engage the mower, then get into the UTV.

The thing about operating the unit on an incline is not so much about stability, as it's probably less likely to flip than the UTV itself. The manual cautions about inclines due to the engine oil not being picked up properly. I try to minimize severe "lean" time by adjusting my approach to those areas.

 

[lilyperch]

Thank you, sound advice about slopes. I have read about the control cable not long enough.
How is the quality of machine?

 

[bier1064]

I have used my Swisher 44" rough cut mower for four years without any quality or mechanical issues.
I think the control cable length just depends on what you are towing it with. I mount mine on the rear rack of my Polaris ATV and it works fine.

 

[KiotiKowboy]

I have used my Swisher 44" rough cut mower for four years without any quality or mechanical issues.
I think the control cable length just depends on what you are towing it with. I mount mine on the rear rack of my Polaris ATV and it works fine.

True. The UTV driver seat would require and additional 3 or 4 feet.

Quality of the mower is fine, although belt changing could have been given at least token thought in the design. Also, adjusting cut height requires moving fixed bolts and this should also have been better designed.

 

[Gordon Gould]

I have a Fuerst (no longer in business) tow behind rough mower I use on road sides and miles of woods trails. It has a plain old BS motor and is 16 years old. It does a lot of side hill work with one wheel in the ditch and the other on the road. I have not had any trouble with it. No control cables to worry about. Start it up get on the wheeler and mow.



gg

 

[jrm21]

Another swisher owner here. I picked up the 44" rough cut a few years back. Pulling with my ATV. Really put it to the test cutting some trails.

Last year I purchased a SCUT with a rotary cutter. Planned to sell the Swisher, but never did. While I love the rotary cutter for most work, the swisher can go to many places (inclines) that the tractor cannot.

The Swisher is a very good unit and the support the company provides is excellent.

If you are cutting through very rough stuff, you will go through belts. As someone has already pointed out, changing the belt could be much easier. Learning to make adjustments to create proper belt tension will increase the life of your belts.

Initial setup does require bolts to get the initial height set for the hitch. After that, cut height can be adjusted by turning a crank (unless they changed the design in the past few years).

I run my on inclines without a problem. Mine is set up with a slight offset, which allows me to get into some hard to reach places. For example, I can cut along the edge of my pond without driving the vehicle precariously close to the edge.

Using this on an ATV, I am able to reach back (while seated) to engage/disengage the blade. ATV size and arm length factor into this.


No experience here with other brands.

 

[KiotiKowboy]

Using this on an ATV, I am able to reach back (while seated) to engage/disengage the blade. ATV size and arm length factor into this.


No experience here with other brands.

I must have alligator arms

 

[lilyperch]

Thank you all. I was concerned about swisher quality after reading several reviews but it seems common sense and an understanding machine capability win out.

 

[Greenland South]

I have a 54" rough cut, it's red. It has been nothing but trouble since I got it. First problem happened when I first tried to use it, they didn't torque the shaft nut properly,and it made a mess. They covered that under warranty. Cracked welds, cheap shaft bearings and front wheels that break off regularly. And when a front wheel breaks off it always ends up under the mower. You can imagine what that does.
Some of you are probably thinking I abused this machine. Nothing could be further from the truth. Before I bought it I talked with the manufacture and was very specific about what I was going to do. Small poplar an inch and under with heavy grass in a rough field. It will handle that no problem they said. For the price of one of these pieces of junk you could buy yourself a pull behind flail mower.