Dumb question - can you offset a rotary cutter?

CMV · May 8, 2018

Can you offset a rotary cutter/bush hog far to the left or right adjusting stabilizers to keep it that way to make it easier to mow against fences or keep tires a little further away from drop-offs? Not so far that you're rubbing a rear tire, but enough that you're notably far to one side.

Asked a couple people this morning and they agreed "oh no! you will quickly destroy your gearbox if the PTO shaft isn't straight". Could be true, but with joints at each end I'd think that wouldn't matter. I don't see how that is any different than the shaft not being perfectly parallel to the spline - it's at an angle from the PTO spline down to the gearbox, so why would an angle to the left or right be any different?

dfkrug · May 8, 2018

You sure can offset your mower to either side. As you see, the limiting factor is your hitch
arm hitting your tire, not the angle of your driveshaft. As you also noted, your 2 universal
joints on the driveshaft already bend quite a bit when your mower is lifted.

I just finished replacing the gearbox seal on my neighbors 60" mower.

stuckmotor · May 8, 2018

The link below should take you to a picture of one. I think it came like that from the factory.
HARDEE 16 For Sale In Lake City, South Carolina | TractorHouse.com

ericm979 · May 8, 2018

Yes, within the limits of the 3pt hitch. On my Branson there's about 6" from side to side. Since my tractor's rear tires are a little wider than my 5' rotary I usually push it over to the right so it lines up with the edge of the right tire.

The PTO shaft on a rotary is long so the angles will be mild. If you want you can measure. Fifteen degrees or less is the number I have seen for long life.

If you want the mower to stick out more you can look into a flail with side shift.

airbiscuit · May 8, 2018

You could also unbolt one of the bottom 3pt pins and flip it 180 degrees. That would give you a few more inches of offset.

Industrial Toys · May 8, 2018

I would say the driveline is a limiting factor. No U-Joint likes to bend at a severe angle. It will work, but you might get unwanted vibration AND (i'm thinking) without a doubt the u-joints and bearings will wear out prematurely.