Thanks all for the comments. I will note that in the pictures I had something that held open the bagger 'flap' on the rear so the clippings would discharge out the back instead of mulching. That is likely the most dangerous thing I did with them and have since stopped after the initial trial mow. They now mulch and I haven't noticed any significant impact on performance.
On its face it would seem like it wouldn't be an especially fuel efficient solution to the problem. I do like the thriftiness of using used push mowers..... I've even seen them in running condition offered for free.
It's probably not the most fuel efficient. I would love to switch the push mowers over to electric like here:
LeeMower.htm I just have to shell out more $ to get the motors, batteries, solar chargers, etc. Starting with gas was a lower up front cost to get started and I've probably mowed with it 2-3 times as I bought the house late in the year.
To the original poster, how slow are you going that it takes 1.5 hours to mow 1.5 acers? That seems painfully slow to me. I bet you get some looks from the neighbors.
Rider has 6 speeds and I'm typically in 4th or 5th. The back lawn is about an acre total, rectangular with no trees or other obsacles so that's helpful with this setup. For the front I may make a few passes with this but then just go with the rider as there is a lot of trees to navigate around.
If my deck is conservatively 80" and I travel at walking speed (3.1mph, might be conservative) in a straight line, I'll cut 2.5 acres per hour. Now factor in turning around, not mowing perfectly etc and I'd probably guess I'm cutting 1.5 acres in 1 to 1.5 hours.
If you were concerned about the safety and fuel efficiency of this type of setup, I suppose you could try the same thing with reel mowers instead.
I looked into reel mowers as well. I wasn't sure they'd work well with my lawn and since I wanted to try to do this as cheaply as possible I went with gas power. Long run reels would pay for themselves but I have no experience with them and keeping them sharp and functional.
Hey I like it!! The fact it only cost you $55 is great. I'm building an offset mower to compliment my riding mower. I have a 16hp engine and 48" deck that I'm using. I guesstimate it will end up costing me around $250. Once I have it hooked up, I will be actually mowing 7.5' per pass.
When I get it done, I'll try to get some pics posted.
I've seen some very large deck offsets. I'd love to go that route but I'm hoping most of my lawn will be converted to garden and orchard so I won't be going any bigger than I currently use. I tried to go as inexpensive as possible. Look forward to seeing pictures.
As for the "all on one side" idea, Consider making a multi point mount. I would connect the main pull bar with at least two holes in the rear bracket, and a third coming from somewhere up towards the front of the tractor. These two mounting points would anchor the tow bar solidly to the tractor.
I would then hook the two push mowers to the pull bar, with a single pivot point, kinda like the gut in the vider. This would allow them to swivel when you turned, making turning easier. Just a thought. not sure how well the rear bracket will handle the torque of the pull bar.
I don't have a lot of confidence in the rear braket and it's torque capabilities. Pulling a couple mowers balanced out isn't a problem.
I guess you don't like your riding mower.
If you did, you wouldn't care that it took a few extra minutes to finish mowing:laughing:
I see it is a Craftsman
I like my riding mower just fine. It was free. I think your logic equating liking a mower with liking to spend twice as long on it is flawed. I like riding my bike, but that doesn't mean I want to ride it twice as long as I do.
