MMM and the 3 wheel dolly casters?

[fishpick]

So - I recall reading about these 3 wheel dolly casters and the removal of the MMM on a BX(something) in the past - but I can't find the post - so here's to newness!

Here's what I'm talking about:
3 Wheel Dolly Caster Mover : 22-9124
or
Three Wheel Dolly - Red Hill General Store
(as examples)

I'm thinking that if I had 4 of these - and lowered the mower onto them for removal (saving myself the time to rotate the wheels 90 degrees) - that might be slick... but then I think the added height might make it get hung up under the tractor - and I also think the screwing around getting the 4 wheels of the MMM on them offsets the normal wheel rotation...

What are peoples experiences with these - are they worth it?

 

[Tom_H]

I tried them. If those tiny wheels hit even the tiniest piece of gravel sitting on my garage slab, or a drying/cracking control groove, the dolly stops and the MMM keeps on going-jumps right out of that little thing. I finally gave up and cut a 1/2" sheet of plywood to match the outline of the bottom of the MMM skirt, cut it out, and put 16 two inch casters around the perimeter. This big dolly works much better. I'm going to cut one hole for the tip of each spindle. As it is, the tips sit on the plywood and the blades won't turn if you try to rotate the receiver when trying to plug in the midPTO. With each spindle tip in a hole, it will be easy to rotate the PTO receiver while trying to slide it onto the shaft.

Those 3 wheeled dollies will only work if you have a smooth floor with no drying/crack control grooves and no debris whatsoever. I have grooves in my slab and my gravel drive leads right up to my garage. I can't keep my slab perfectly clean, so the little dollies didn't work for me. Still, they may work for someone with a pristeen floor.

 

[Tdog]

Tom, I use them & highly recommend it. My MMM is sitting on them now. However, how well they work probably does depend on how smooth your shop/garage floor is. My mower deck on these dollies scoots around easier than my tiller or box blade on 2x6's on larger casters. If you have a lot of debris on your floor, then you may have a problem. I never have.

It works for me.

Jack

 

[NY_Yankees_Fan]

What are peoples experiences with these - are they worth it?

Yes I have used them for a few years now, work great on a smooth floor. They really make moving the MMM from under the tractor much easier. Between the wheels and Larry Mower Axle stands Mower Deck Axles,Carrera,Cayman,John Deere,Kubota u will be ready for taking off and storing the MMM for winter, given it is 58F in NJ today, can not be too far away.

 

[adaniel]

I have a BX1800 with a 60" deck. I found that a mechanics creeper with the small casters works well also.

It's low enough so that once you set the mower deck down on the rails of the creeper, and turning the front wheels to the right, the deck will slide right out without messing with the deck wheels.

I align the creeper right under the center spindle with the headrest of the creeper barely sticking out from the front-center scalping wheel with the other end of the creeper barely sticking out the back.

The key is a low profile creeper just long enough so that the front and back of the deck will rest on the rails.

Best of luck.

 

[KeithInSpace]

I have used these since my machine was new. Really work well, but they do get a little angry at the expasion joints in my garage floor. Works 1,000% better than nothing, but I may try Mr. Adaniel's suggestion of a creeper. May be a little less finicky.

 

[toytruck]

Lowes & Home Depot have them. No clearance problem on my BX.

 

[timalabim]

Isn't it hard to connect the PTO with the MMM up on the casters?

 

[dwenham]

Raise deck, remove casters, lower deck shut down tractor, engage pto coupler... Dave

 

[Stargazer]

Hi all:

Sorry I am 1 of the propoents/posters of the 4 3 wheel casters I have a 14' wide slab before the joint and my driveway is normally clean of debris so I just slide out and move with no troubles (so far) I can see where you are coming from maybe a collar of pvc u /j bolted into casters? 2 me the $20 bucks was is worth it. Guess it just shows what floats my boat might not work for everybody. Sorry.

YMMV Pat R