Need some advice on bcs style mowers-zannon vs bcs (del marino)

[wstr75]

Otus, I do the same steps as you so well described. One wrinkle I also do is to slide a 1.25 gallon plastic gas can under the engine and its protection rail when removing an implement so that the engine does not suddenly slam down onto the ground when pulling the implement off. Lots of times I lock the brakes and walk around to the front of my flail mower or other implement to pull and wiggle it off the hitch. When the implement suddenly releases the motor has nowhere to go but to slam down, thus the gas can or other energy absorber for the engine to fall onto.
Bill in NC

 

[otus_branch]

Otus, I do the same steps as you so well described. One wrinkle I also do is to slide a 1.25 gallon plastic gas can under the engine and its protection rail when removing an implement so that the engine does not suddenly slam down onto the ground when pulling the implement off.
Bill in NC

Good point, Bill! I do something similar by sliding an ~18" 4x4 block of wood under the engine to cushion the fall.

-otus

 

[mkeith]

I walk around to the front of the implement and lift the implement (and the front of the tractor semi-coupled to it) so that gravity will push the male coupler/implement downward toward the female end of the tractor/quick coupler.
-otus

The 34-inch Berta flail weighs at least 200 lbs. You might be able to lift it, but I am not willing to do that to my back. ;-)

--McKenzie

 

[farmerboybill]

Mackenzie,

You're not lifting the mower. You're pivoting it up on the wheels of the tractor. This isn't like dead lifting it. It's actually quite effective. OF course, I say this as a 6'1 230 pound 33 year old.

 

[mkeith]

Yeah, the weight of the motor counterbalances the mower. But even so, it is a very heavy mower and its center of mass is farther from the axle than the motor center of mass.

For what it is worth, I am 6'4" and in my 40's, and around 210 lbs. I don't mind lifting things up to around 70 or 80 lbs, if I can get a good grip and stand up. I don't mind lifting the rototiller or 20 inch rotary mower. But this thing is a beast.

--McKenzie

 

[TimberXX]

Earthtools sells counterweight for the engine brush guard.

Maybe that would help.

 

[mkeith]

TimberXX, I find the balance to be about right after I get the mower attached. The mower has a big steel roller, so it moves along OK even with some downward force on it. If I added any weight to the motor, the mower might have a tendency to float up from time to time when going uphill. Also, it is not too difficult to lift the mower up by pushing down on the handlebars (the handlebars give me some leverage). I just don't want to lift the mower itself (not so much leverage). Thanks for the suggestion!

--McKenzie

 

[wstr75]

McKenzie is correct about this thing being a beast. I'm 61 and quite a bit smaller than you younger gents and have wrestled my 34" Palladino flail mower off my 853 a number of times. There has got to be a better way and I think it could be done with a tool that essentially functions like a wrecking bar but differs in having two wrecking bar blades that straddle the hitch to lever the tractor and implement components apart.

Anybody done something like that with their two-wheeled tractor?

Bill in NC

 

[cmyoung2]

Bill, I use a small prybar as a separator, but your idea of something like a big ball joint separator sounds like a good one for some of the difficult disconnects.