Need advice on using rotary cutter on uneven ground and slopes

[Hoffie]

I have a 5 ft Land Pride rotary cutter for use on my CK HTS 25. This years growth is pretty thick so I have set the blade higher. After I set the adjustment on a level surface and go to the field I find I need to keep adjusting the hight to keep the back wheel on the ground. Is this my only option?

 

[ERE]

You probably need to losen your top link. I set my toplink so that the swivel portion is hanging down. With it adjusted that way, I can go over hills and bumps and the link will just swivel in an out allowing the mower ride smoothly on its wheel and the two arms of the three point hitch - wheel never leavs the ground. When I lift the 3ph, the swivel goes straignt out and the mower comes off the ground. The height of you cut is basically set by the rear wheel. You can cut lower than that by lowering the 3ph (and therefore the front edge of the mower) but you will be cutting with the leading edge of the blades. If you raise the 3ph so that the mower tilts slightly backwards you will take several cuts on tall grass. The front edge of the blades will cut first and then the rear edge which is lower will cut again. I find a get a finer looking field when I do it that way. Hope I haven't confused you; the major point is to set the mower with slack in the toplink.

E

 

[Hoffie]

Thanks, I tried it and it helped.

 

[Highbeam]

You could even take the top link off to allow it to follow the ground even better.

 

[Hoffie]

Just got in from the field with the upper link quite relaxed. It worked very well. Thought I knew something about mowing but thanks to you guys I learned something very useful. Thanks again!

 

[darkviper]

There is another option as well. All the right a way crews do this around here and i have on bigger tractors on the farm. Use a peice of #70 chain the lenth you need it so tha the bush hog is level when lifted. That way you can lift with out putting the top link back on and you have complete radial motion when you go over rough terrain

 

[Highbeam]

So does that chain connect the top link hole of the tractor to the tail of the mower? Then you can lift it up to back over ditches. This seems like it would limit the droop of the back of the mower to level as well meaning that every time your tractor nose went down, the back of the mower would stick up in the air.

Then when in a dip the chain would slack and put a nice loose chain into the PTO shaft. Yikes!

 

[darkviper]

So does that chain connect the top link hole of the tractor to the tail of the mower? Then you can lift it up to back over ditches. This seems like it would limit the droop of the back of the mower to level as well meaning that every time your tractor nose went down, the back of the mower would stick up in the air.

Then when in a dip the chain would slack and put a nice loose chain into the PTO shaft. Yikes!

You connect the chain to the top most hole on the tractor where the third arm goes then to the hole for the third arm of the mower. If the nose of the tractor goes over a steep bank then yes if sever enough it would act as a third arm on the mower. You make the chain long enough to work but not to get around the PTO. However if you practice proper PTO safety you would have a secures shield in place so even if the chain made it to the pto there is nothing spinning to wrap around. The right a way crews have to have the shield for that communist organization we call OSHA. I alway secure the shield on my mower so it has never been a concern for me and works great. I have yet to get hung up because the mower didnt flex right. However this method will requre a little common sense as you could get the machin in a angle so sever that the U joints on the PTO are to tight and if you are lucky only the U joint itself will snap. Been there and done that one to Also pay attention to the length of the PTO in relation to the radial angle as well. In some case you can cause the shaft to bottom out as the rear of the mower raise depending on the tractor and the mower. This will cause some serious damage to the mower as well as the PTO of the tractor.