Rotary Cutter Rotary cutter offset mount

[volunteer]

Recently purchased an old Ford 451 Sicklebar mower for $600.00. While its a PITA getting hooked up it has done a great job on property edges, pond and driveway banks. As I get to use it more I'm sure I'll get the hang of it. Had no problem with small brush. Glides over rocks but will come to screeching halt if run into solid dirt. As my tractor is 8' wide and bushog is 6' I was losing the battle around property edges, no more. Also easier to view cutting path without straining neck. Not as nice a cut as bush hog but a whole lot less fuel to run.

 

[DMF]

I am looking into the benefits of a flail mower but I am certainly going to look into hooking up the Massey Ferguson sicklebar mower that I bought a few years back. I tried hooking it up to my MF 1433V without much success, but I found some additional help from the good folks here at TBN in the way of manuals that may help me to hook it up on my new tractor.

 

[dknarnd]

I have a Bush Hog model SQ84T which is a 7' twin spindle mower with an offset on the right hand side. The left side tracks along the outside edge of my tire and the right side extends out about 18" to 24".

Personally I like to use the side that tracks with my rear tire along the edge of the fields because I have found that if you catch a tree or large stone with the offset mower it will bend the crap out of the mower linkage. I used to use a 7' sickle bar mower on our old JD B for the edges and hope to have that rig running next year again.

 

[LBrown59]

Sounds like a useful idea but the nerd in me would check it out a little more.

You don't want a universal joint to operate at too severe of an angle because the stresses in it go up after a certain angle.
So whether you just offset the cutter with the rear links or use a special mount, you still have that angle limit to deal with.
John

My idea is to hang a mower off to the side .
The beauty of this is no universal joint to deal with.

 

[LBrown59]

The Fence Mower: Fence Mowing Made Easy!

This has the same problem I've seen with every other variation of these and all tow behind and all off set mowers.
They don't reach anyways near far enough out past the tractor.

 

[LBrown59]

I've always thought that it would be great to have my cutter offset a foot or so beyond the edge of my tire. This would be great :

I have some drainage ditches along my driveway and in other various locations on the property. Offsetting the cutter would allow me to drive along the ditch edge and the cutter could overhang the ditch allowing me to cut the weeds right up the the edge.

How are you going to trim a 3 foot wide ditch with a cutter that only reaches a foot past the tire?

 

[DMF]

How are you going to trim a 3 foot wide ditch with a cutter that only reaches a foot past the tire?

My ditch lines are filled with rock a few inches below the ground level. I just want the mower to hang off the side of the ditch slightly to cut the weeds on the edge. I'd have to make a pass on both side of the ditch to get both edges...

 

[LBrown59]

I just want the mower to hang off the side of the ditch slightly to cut the weeds on the edge. *I'd have to make a pass on both side of the ditch to get both edges...

2 of my ditches are along the foot of a bank that is to steep to get a tractor on so I can't make a pass on both sides.
Another ditch is along the state highway that I can only mow from my side as it's not safe to have the tractor out on the road to get the other side.
This is why I want to hang a mower out from the 3 point hitch that would have an adjustable reach up to about 6 feet out from either side or either end of the tractor.

To cut further off the edge of the field.
have you considered backing the Hog over what you're trying to cut rather than driving along side of it?

 

[kthompson]

There are ton of offset rough cut mowers used in my part of the world. Our climate is great for trees and lots of branches and ditches so lots of cutting like you talk about. Also ponds. There is a local company who saw a great need and makes a great cutter for that. Pricey and heavy but they offer several models including boom mowers now. The also made a rough cut model like you are asking about and I had one for a good while and no problems with the pto shaft angle. It was off set maybe a foot past the right tire (they offered the offset either way). The gearbox was not mounted straight but rotated to reduce the angle for the shaft.

On their cutters that are really off set they use hydraulic drive cutters with pump that is pto driven. They really build a top quality product. Their old standard design 3 pth hitch cutters will handle a lot. Warning...you need at least as much tractor weight as they tell you. You have a lot of weight hanging on your right rear tractor tire. A LOT. Quick piece of long time user advice, if you are using one around a pond or any where with a dangerous drop off, cut in reverse. That wall if you hit something the tractor swings away from the drop instead or into it.

Have never posted a link here before and hope it shows up.

HARDEE: Agricultural Equipment

Others companies have made similar cutters but no one seems to build as solid an unit as does Hardee. No, I don't work for them but very much respect their product. kt

 

[DMF]

have you considered backing the Hog over what you're trying to cut rather than driving along side of it?

Well...yah, I do that now in some areas but I get roughly a 60" cut for each back-up; my driveway is 1500' long so that's a lot of backing up; my neck hurts now just thinking about it!

There are some areas where that is not practical as well due to obstacles, property lines, etc.

Plus, it doesn't really address the filed edges...

Have never posted a link here before and hope it shows up.

HARDEE: Agricultural Equipment

Others companies have made similar cutters but no one seems to build as solid an unit as does Hardee. No, I don't work for them but very much respect their product. kt

Have no fear; your attempt at posting a link was successful! And, it's a very interesting product...I really expected it to be significantly more expensive than it is really...I have to look at these in more detail; thanks!