String Trimmer for your Tractor???

   / String Trimmer for your Tractor??? #2  
I purchased a Swisher Postmaster which is a tow behind string trimmer that is powered by a gas engine. The concept is the same, only not PTO driven. It trims under fences and right up to the fence posts. If you have an electric fence you need to keep the grass/weeds off the wires, the string trimmer does that.
 
   / String Trimmer for your Tractor???
  • Thread Starter
#3  
Bob,
I've seen the Swisher, and that makes more sense. Does it work well, Bob?
This thing doesn't look like it pivots to get around obstacles.

Maybe I'm missing the point. /forums/images/graemlins/frown.gif
 
   / String Trimmer for your Tractor??? #4  
I have a 6.5 hp commercial grade DR wheeled string trimmer. It is well built. The thing I don't like is that when I trim along edges (planter in middle of lawn, interface of lawn and rock cobble lined streambed), the strings don't reach past the wheel. I have to approach the object perpendicularly, swivel and cut about one foot, back away, move down, turn and approach perpendicularly again. It can tilt off center on the axle, but that still doesn't "cut it" very well. At least this thing is offset. It also fits my philosophy of maintaining as few internal combustion engines as possible.

I wonder if its offset design throws the center of gravity off so much that it's hard to get on/off the 3ph. Do you have any idea on the price? Do you know whether it will pivot to the opposite side?
 
   / String Trimmer for your Tractor??? #5  
Tom, I bought the biggest electric start DR string trimmer/mower they had when I bought mine several years ago. I had a bit of the same problem you have, and I'm certainly not going to recommend you do anything different than what the manufacturer says to do, but personally, I cut all my string 2" longer than the manual called for and never had any ill effects.
 
   / String Trimmer for your Tractor???
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#6  
</font><font color="blue" class="small">( At least this thing is offset. It also fits my philosophy of maintaining as few internal combustion engines as possible.

I wonder if its offset design throws the center of gravity off so much that it's hard to get on/off the 3ph. Do you have any idea on the price? Do you know whether it will pivot to the opposite side? )</font>

WHOA /forums/images/graemlins/shocked.gif - Tom_H,
I have no idea the price etc.
My pat on the back comes from just digging this thing up! /forums/images/graemlins/blush.gif /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif
This thing is less than 200 lbs. I doubt it does much more than sit and spin.

Now for the armchair engineering /forums/images/graemlins/smile.gif -
IMHO, this thing would be much more desireable if:
it were mid-mounted ( I'd hate to be driving looking over my shoulder for trimming purposes) running off the high-speed of a mid PTO, and had various hydraulic adjustments for tilt, angle, pitch, swing-back, extendable offset etc. (you get the idea). /forums/images/graemlins/smile.gif

This idea is a great start though.
 
   / String Trimmer for your Tractor??? #7  
I saw one at the Louisville EXPO show a few years ago that mounted to the deck of a ZTR. I failed to pick up their literature, dang it. It was 12V powered through a foot switch. It was spring loaded so it would swivel back out of the way if you got too close on that side. I could see it being able to mount to any MMM without any trouble. I really wish I had picked up that brochure /forums/images/graemlins/confused.gif
 
   / String Trimmer for your Tractor??? #8  
</font><font color="blue" class="small">( IMHO, this thing would be much more desireable if:
it were mid-mounted...)</font>

That's for sure. Of course most mid-mounts are proprietary design rather than industry standard. (i.e. Cat. 1 specs are all the same industrywide as are Cat. 2 and Cat. 3, whereas one couldn't just stick a Kubota MMM beneath a JD.) Still, if Kubota would build one for a reasonable price that'd sit mid-mount on the suspension for my MMM, I'd buy it.

Bird, thanks for the suggestion, I'm gonna' try that. Thing is, the cords fray down so quickly as it is when I trim around my concrete & cobble planters.
 
   / String Trimmer for your Tractor???
  • Thread Starter
#9  
</font><font color="blue" class="small">( That's for sure. Of course most mid-mounts are proprietary design rather than industry standard. )</font>

You mean: <font color="red">the neat thing about standards is - there are so many to choose from</font> /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif?

</font><font color="blue" class="small">( ...the cords fray down so quickly as it is when I trim around my concrete & cobble planters. )</font>

Tom_H,
I used to get real tired of breaking and replacing line, but now I use the biggest, baddest line I can find - .177".
Really tough stuff. Rocks, pavers, and the dreaded chain link fence all are no big deal now. /forums/images/graemlins/smile.gif

I wonder what size string the tractor-mounted one takes?
 
   / String Trimmer for your Tractor??? #10  
I wish I had one of these for my tractor.
This would be perfect for mowing along the road along the guardrail.
And around the river and near the treeline.
I have been trying to dream up something like this.

Pooh Bear
 
 
 
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