Rotary Cutter Bending lift arms on brush hog

[kevin37b]

I really dislike these posts where everyone tries to help and there is no response at all .

 

[Dr_Zinj]

The "A" frame on this disc was bent because of too much weight for the construction and driving around with it lifted on plowed ground. Is this what is happening in your case?
View attachment 319204

Bent "A" frame is apparently a rather common problem with lighter construction 3-point attachments being overloaded. I did the same thing with my back blade when I ran a logging chain over the top trying to haul a log. I took the supports off, heated them up to kill the temper and hammered them back into shape, then reheated them and quench hardened them. If you don't harden them, they're much more likely to bend again later, with even less pressure/weight on them. The problem with re-hardening is they're more likely to break/shatter catastrophically if they fail again, rather than bend.

If you're really ambitious, weld a strip of angle iron the length of each upright to provide better reinforcement. Or go buy a heavier duty attachment all-together.

 

[gwdixon]

Bent "A" frame is apparently a rather common problem with lighter construction 3-point attachments being overloaded. I did the same thing with my back blade when I ran a logging chain over the top trying to haul a log. I took the supports off, heated them up to kill the temper and hammered them back into shape, then reheated them and quench hardened them. If you don't harden them, they're much more likely to bend again later, with even less pressure/weight on them. The problem with re-hardening is they're more likely to break/shatter catastrophically if they fail again, rather than bend.

If you're really ambitious, weld a strip of angle iron the length of each upright to provide better reinforcement. Or go buy a heavier duty attachment all-together.

The solution to the bent "A" frame on the disc in the photo was to weld a 3' length of toolbar to the front to the disc and then attach it to a HD "A" frame designed to mount a toolbar. Wish I had taken a photo before giving it back to my neighbor.

 

[CowboyRon]

We had the same issue with our 4025, and a land pride mower. We showed it to our dealer and he has seen it a few times also.
The best fix was what another poster said, just weld some angle iron or flat iron on the A frame.
Problem solved.

 

[tmajor]

The answer to this question, doesn't seem to have been presented, IMHO.

When the "tie point to the rear of the B/H" is steel, unless your are a flat lander, they are going to bend! The reason being, when your tractor crosses a ditch or difference in the grade, the steel holds it all "rigid" (both tractor and B/H, as a single unit) . In other words, if the tractor rear wheels are in a lower area than the brush hog, it's essentially putting tremendous down pressure on the rear end of the brush hog.

Add: Actually, that isn't totally accurate. More precisely, it's when the "front of tractor is higher then the B/H or the rear wheels are lower than the B/H". In other words, "when the terrain is trying to bend the whole assembly into a "V".

The answer to the problem: Is to replace the rigid steel with "chain". That will allow the brush hog and tractor to "hinge" at the 3PTH connection. Yet, the chains will lift the hog when raising the 3PTH.

You might notice, some hogs use chain and others steel. The rear steel or chain, wouldn't have to be there, except for lifting the hog.

Add: You could probably get the same effect, by using "chain", rather than the rigid top-link. (Which I do on my box blade, so it doesn't try to bury itself, when "changing" to an inclined grade)

 

[tmajor]

A crude illustration of my point .. to the extreme!

 

[SPYDERLK]

The answer to this question, doesn't seem to have been presented, IMHO.

When the "tie point to the rear of the B/H" is steel, unless your are a flat lander, they are going to bend! The reason being, when your tractor crosses a ditch or difference in the grade, the steel holds it all "rigid" (both tractor and B/H, as a single unit) . In other words, if the tractor rear wheels are in a lower area than the brush hog, it's essentially putting tremendous down pressure on the rear end of the brush hog.

Add: Actually, that isn't totally accurate. More precisely, it's when the "front of tractor is higher then the B/H or the rear wheels are lower than the B/H". In other words, "when the terrain is trying to bend the whole assembly into a "V".

The answer to the problem: Is to replace the rigid steel with "chain". That will allow the brush hog and tractor to "hinge" at the 3PTH connection. Yet, the chains will lift the hog when raising the 3PTH.

You might notice, some hogs use chain and others steel. The rear steel or chain, wouldn't have to be there, except for lifting the hog.

Add: You could probably get the same effect, by using "chain", rather than the rigid top-link. (Which I do on my box blade, so it doesn't try to bury itself, when "changing" to an inclined grade)

The 3pt arms rise/float up, so there isnt tractor weight on the tailwheel. Yes, the chain would prevent the need for this and allow the BH to follow better through a dip. ... In actuality though, a bh usually already has a "knuckle" toplink connection that provides several inches adaptation in response to terrain change.

 

[tmajor]

Yes, the 3PTH draft arms "normally float", but in this situation, the B/H is pushing down on them and they won't float down.

 

[SPYDERLK]

Yes, the 3PTH draft arms "normally float", but in this situation, the B/H is pushing down on them and they won't float down.

But they will float up so tractor does not force the implement down. The knuckle and the chain present the better scenario typically, but the chain will never reach a compression stop/limit like the knuckle - so the chain will never inhibit a backtipover incident, should the situation arise.

 

[tmajor]

I see .....