Brush mower Vrs Finish mower

[Neophyte]

I like Highbeam's setup that MrSteve posted. It's a slick setup since you can adjust the height of the front wheels.
http://www.tractorbynet.com/forums/attachment.php?attachmentid=53888&d=1145462448

I also like IslandTractor's idea of mounting the wheels directly to the sides of the RC. I would think this would be a simple way of preventing the frame dig-in and you could probably do it without welding anything (for those without welders). Definitely post some pictures if you decide to do it and let us know if it works.

Timber, could you possibly rent or borrow a rotary cutter to get things under control and then purchase an RFM to keep it going? Like I said in a previous post, the gentleman I bought my RFM from used it for a couple of seasons to mow 100+ acres of fields twice a year; the unit didn't seem to be any worse for the wear. I'm not recommending using an RFM in this manner but they can certainly handle a little abuse.

 

[djradz]

Thanks. I must have missed your prior posts. Looks pretty simple to set up. Is there any downside with the check chains? What happens if you want to lower the mower? Do you need to get off and adjust them first?

The possible advantage of guide wheels is that they would move with the mower deck so no adjustment or hook up would be needed.

I've not found any disadvantage. I guess you could call one the fact that if the rear tractor tires fall into a large whole, the deck will follow, but I've yet to have that happen. I guess if you have a anti-scalp roller under the deck, that might prevent it, but I don't think mine EVER touches.

Yes, you would have to get off the tractor to change the setting, but you'd have to do the same if you had front guide wheels. You can't see it very well in the pic, but there's a turnbuckle near the bottom of the chain near the deck on each side. Some folks that don't need such a fine adjustment just add or shorten a link in the chains. It's a pretty inexpensive (and as you not simple) arrangement, so even if you're not entirely happy, you haven't put a whole lot of work or money into it.

 

[IslandTractor]

I have purchased the chain, turnbuckle and connectors and will put one together this weekend. The potential problem I see with my BushHog 480 Squealer is that there is no place outboard of the pins to attach the chain to the mower in a way that does not leave the chain interfering or at least rubbing against the 3PT arms. So, I won't have great "leverage" but it may still be perfectly adequate, we'll see.

I had thought carefully about using wheels which would not need adjustment if you attach them directly to the front sides of the mower in such a way that they extend below the mower just a couple of inches. A 10" pneumatic wheel, a 5/8 x 5 inch bolt and some washers as well as a block of wood as a spacer is all that would be necessary (and a 5/8 drill). Downside of the wheel set up would be that the wheels 1) stick out 4 inches and are outside the wheelbase of the tractor so could get hung up on obstructions, 2) they prevent you from dropping the mower to it's very lowest settings, and 3) they would take the weight of the hog when it is off the tractor so for storage you'd need to block the hog up to avoid that.

In the end I've decided to give the check chains a try first as it seems the simplest to do. KISS.

 

[Soundguy]

Also.. the wheels could drag side to side on a turn..

Soundguy

 

[IslandTractor]

Also.. the wheels could drag side to side on a turn..

Soundguy

Yep, but they shouldn't be touching unless the deck is tilted and if it is tilted then only one wheel would be on the ground. It would be fixed rather than pivoting so it could scuff a bit but again only if the deck was trying to plow (which is what we're trying to prevent).

 

[Soundguy]

Doesn't look like you are accomplishing anything then, with a fixed wheel.. what's the difference in the deck plowing.. or thew wheel plowing.. If it was a caster wheel.. at least it could spin and not plow.

Soundguy

 

[IslandTractor]

Well, a fixed wheel might scuff a bit in a tight turn but wouldn't really plow.

However, here is my update on the check chains: I installed check chains today. Due to the configuration of the Bush Hog 480 Squealer mower and the geometry of the 3pt arms on the CK20, I could not install chains as far outboard as I had wanted. In fact I had to install them essentially directly under the pins. Nevertheless, I did put the chains on and used a turnbuckle to tighten them to the point that they were carrying some of the weight. I then tried out the mower set at 4 on position control which puts the skids on the mower sides about one inch off the ground. I made three sharp turns at mowing speed (low gear) and plowed on two of the three turns. Not good.

I could raise the mower but that is what I did without check chains to prevent plowing and that gives me a minimum cut height of about 5 inches which is a bit more than I wanted. I did the mowing at dusk and did not get photos so I'll try to get some tomorrow AM to show my check chain set up.

I have been very happy with the Bush Hog as a brush hog which was its initial purpose. I was hoping to use it to maintain the area after clearing but unless I can conquer this plowing issue I am going to move on to plan B which involves a Caroni flail mower. I need to make a lot of turns around bushes, trees and rocks on a gently sloping former pasture so it may just require a different mower style.

 

[Soundguy]

Hmm... I've never had the plowing problem with my 5' mower on any o fthe tractor's it's been on ( 8n, NAA, NH 1920 )... so I'm trying to envision why your unit is dipping so much on turns. Do you have stabilizers to arrest side to side movement? My 8n and NAA have solid bars that run from the implement pin to a bracket under the fenders, as well as chains on the inside of the lift arms over tot he pto housing,

My 1920 had turnbuckle chains from under axle brackets to the lift arms.

When i had all the sway adjusted out.. I never saw the deck in any position other that horizontal.. even with it lifted of fthe ground and me standing on it. Of course.. this is a KK hog.. and perhaps not a sheavy as a high dollar brand... .. etc.

Soundguy

 

[Mike120]

I used a 48" brush hog to do my lawn for years with no problems, until my little tractor was down for repairs....Then I mowed with the big tractor and a 6' brush hog. It looked terrible. The longer blade width just doesn't cut as well, especially in high, thick grass.

Another problem was the clippings. The smaller BH kicked it out more uniformly than the big one did. No amount of adjusting (front-high, back-high) seemed to make a difference. The bigger one still tended to kick out clumps. I finally said to **** with it and went and bought a 6' finish mower. It works great and now I use the big tractor to mow everything around the house, barn, etc and only use the bigger BH in the pastures.

A small BH will work just fine if you cut the grass regularly. I couldn't say that about a bigger one.

 

[ovrszd]

I've said it many times before on TBN, and again in your case, I think you should look into "check chains". For the most part, they'll eliminate any scalping unless one of the tractor wheels falls into a hole.

And then what happens when you go over a hump?? The chains would simply lift the deck off the ground. The way your chains are set up they aren't any better than position control which in itself does nothing to control scalping either. ???