Rotary Cutter Possible buyers remorse on Bush Hog SQ720

[AchingBack]

botemout, look at the back of the cutter. Notice the empty bolt holes. You are missing the rear band that goes there. The manual warns it is necessary to have it installed when cutting near roads, highways, or people.

 

[botemout]

botemout, look at the back of the cutter. Notice the empty bolt holes. You are missing the rear band that goes there. The manual warns it is necessary to have it installed when cutting near roads, highways, or people.

So the point of that is just to extend the side of the cutter down lower? Why didn't they just make it lower in the first place? (Probably because in deep brush you'd want the cut grass to be able to come out of there?)

 

[greg_g]

So the point of that is just to extend the side of the cutter down lower? Why didn't they just make it lower in the first place? (Probably because in deep brush you'd want the cut grass to be able to come out of there?)

Clippings dispersal is one reason, yes. But optional to the "band" previously mentioned, is the chain curtain or chain guard. I sense that the previous owner of your RC may have been as frustrated with his chain guard as I was with mine. Way too much maintenance, constantly cleaning out brush and branches that became caught in the chain - unsnarling chain links that got tangled up in themselves - just got to be too much. I removed mine permanently.

Having said that, I didn't throw it away - just in case I sell that RC some day. A more patient owner might elect to reinstall the dang thing

//greg//

 

[Farmwithjunk]

Clippings dispersal is one reason, yes. But optional to the "band" previously mentioned, is the chain curtain or chain guard. I sense that the previous owner of your RC may have been as frustrated with his chain guard as I was with mine. Way too much maintenance, constantly cleaning out brush and branches that became caught in the chain - unsnarling chain links that got tangled up in themselves - just got to be too much. I removed mine permanently.

Having said that, I didn't throw it away - just in case I sell that RC some day. A more patient owner might elect to reinstall the dang thing

//greg//

In the case of his Bush Hog mower, it's not nearly that complicated. For AG use, that "band" isn't required. (In fact, if the mower is used for the purpose of chopping stalks, they work MUCH better without any sort of guard at all.) Chains are an option. The vast majority of low -end price range Bush Hog mowers are shipped without ANY guard at all. I'd suspect that's the case with this SQ series mower.

I'm an strong advocate in favor of chains. I've never had any negative issues with them. For most commercial applications, at least in the case of highway mowing, insurance companies require chains and will not accept any other sort of guard. My bid specs require them on any mowers I use along roads that are in use.

The idea behind chain guards is to allow objects a way out from under the mower, just slowing them up, deadening their momentum. They also allow better air flow which is of great help with high lift blades, aiding their lifting grass/weeds for a better cut.

 

[Bird]

My first rotary cutter, a Bush Hog Squealer, came with no guards and I figured that was just fine since I didn't originally plan to mow along the road, but only in my own pasture with no one or nothing around that could be hurt by flying objects. But right away, that thing threw a limb the size of my arm forward under the tractor and way out in front of me. I got to thinking about what would have happened if it had hit one of tires, steering linkage, or hydraulic line and went to the shop and made my own chain guards. So when I later bought a Howse rotary cutter, the first thing I did was make chain guards for it.

 

[AchingBack]

My friend was bush hogging for a lady one summer. When he finished the field, she asked him to do another area closer to the house. His bush hog threw a large rock right through the living room window. It's a good thing she wasn't inside, looking out.

My Bush Hog SQ60 came with the front, and back bands installed. Brand new it was about $950.00. I've been very satisfied with the performance.

 

[dawzie]

Greg - congrats on the mower. I just bought a new SQ172 monday. Let me tell you the thing is a beast. I'm pulling it behind a ford 2000 3-cyl gas job. It only has a 4-speed tranny. The tractor goes way to fast in unfilmiliar feilds in first gear. So you may have a learning curve about RPM and mower height off ground.

A word of caution. When raising the mower be carefull how high it goes. The PTO shaft will hit the mower deck!!!!!!!! I put that lock thingie on my control lever so you cant raise the lever all the way.

Dont have anyone watch you mow !! Rocks and stuff come flying out in all directions on that older mower.

 

[Diamondpilot]

You guys are right about a BH throwing things. My co pilots kid was BH the road ditches across the street from his house and thew a rock right through the side of his 28' aluminum travel trailer that was probably 150' away. His BH is a 5' model and is actually a International and he pulls it with a 8N using a OR clutch.

Chris

 

[kebo]

Thanks for the info, farmwithJunk (great name)!

13) I'm researching what an "over-running clutch" is. I know that my Ford 860 has a live PTO but I suspect that's not related to what you're talking about. I think it may not be an issue though because, as you can see from the other posts above, I didn't understand that a PTO shaft is telescoping and so was unaware that I could just pull it out to reach (give me another couple years; I'll get this stuff down ;-)

Thanks again, JR

An overrunning clutch is a small ratcheting type device that usually attaches to the PTO output shaft on the rear of the tractor. When you have the PTO engaged, it spins at 540 rpm on most tractors to drive the implement at speed. Due to the way that the transmission/PTO output on some older tractors was/are designed, when you push the clutch pedal in to disengage the motor from the transmission, the inertia of the implement still rotating (such as the big heavy blades on a bushhog) can actually cause the tractor to continue moving forward. This can be a dangerous situation. The solution is to install an overrunning clutch so that it will allow the attachment to continue spinning, but the clutch starts ratcheting and it prevents the implement from "driving" the PTO shaft which can cause the tractor to move forward. Most "modern" tractors either have one built into the PTO, or they have a transmission/PTO design that doesn't allow the implement to drive it such as with hydrostatic tractors.