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I'm not at all sure it says "Massey Ferguson" but it looks to me like it could: Those more familiar with that brand's trademark could probably be more sure.

I don't.

We used a 3.5kw standby generator for 25 years, running the whole house on it when needed, including well pump, two refrigerators, and a freezer, but no electric appliances but the oven and microwave, with no capacity issues. I did cut the breakers on the heavy loads when I started the generator...

On my 25+ year old JG 870 you just tip the seat forward and pull up on the safety switch. Very straightforward. It seems to be more complicated on newer models.

I have to agree. I tried lowering the mower on leonz's advice when I had trouble cutting taller weeds, with the only result being a lot of damaged hammers from hitting rocks. No "suction" effect was ever evident. I raised the mower up to two to three inches, and found the solution was to remove...

That looks like it puts a lot of force on the welds at the joints between the uprights and the lower arms. Here's what mine looks like: I found this simple deck has worked well for me.

Wood chipper.

The Bush Hog brand cutter I bought 25 years ago used a chain, not instead of the top link, but from the top of the A-frame to the rear. This left the rigid top link in place, which I'd expect would provide at least some resistance to the cutter flipping over forward. In any case it was never a...

The Answer: Yes. See next post after yours.

I love my JD 870, which is around the same vintage and also gear drive. Drove it today, chipping some storm damage from Hurricane Hellene.

I've seen suggestions for adding chains to maintain a given height of the 3-point lower arms. Could that be an alternative solution?

You're talking about the cutter pictured in your first post in this thread? It's a standard Bush Hog SQ from late 1990's. Here's a photo of the one I sold a few years back: The skids are for when it mistakenly hits the ground, to keep it from digging in too deeply. It's not designed to run on...

I've been using the loader hydraulics for my Peruzzo ditch and bank mower since I bought it in 2018. I find the loader joystick well positioned for use with the mower, and the actions quickly become second nature. I see no need to add remotes for the mower, rather I see them as less convenient...

OK. Seems strange to me. You are supposed to control the height of the cut with the height of the 3-point in front and the height of the rear wheel. That's why they are adjustable.

The photo in the original post looks very much like the Bush Hog brand mower I purchased new 28 years ago. It came from the factory with a chain like that shown in the photo. It was attached to the top of the 3 point frame, but I've sold the unit and can't recall exactly how it was attached...

It is supposed to attach at the top of the frame on the mower for the top link connection, where you are holding the little bracket in the third photo. I'm not sure exactly how it is supposed to attach there. Looks like a bolt or something is missing.

The chain allows the mower to follow the terrain. You adjust the top link so the chain is a little slack on level ground. Then as you go over dips the rear wheel stays on the ground and lets the mower stay close to the ground as the front of the tractor drops.

It's not a few discs missing, but one whole gang. Needs the frame, bearings, axels, and all. It's unusable as is, seems to me. I'd say scrap iron price for sure.

Caterpillar diesels of the 1940s used a gasoline pony engine to start the diesel, as you describe. International diesels of the same era had a small chamber on each main cylinder that was opened by a valve to reduce the compression ratio and expose the sparkplug so the main engine could start...

I have a Peruzzo ditch and bank mower, and I think one will work great for you, as long as you do as you say and keep the tractor at or near the top of the bank. You will find it does well for other tasks as well, like actual ditches and banks, and including mowing flatter areas with it offset...

I've been using a rear blade for that for25 years. I find it's not just the gravel that gets tossed to the side, but also the depression that forms in the tire tracks and channels water down the hill that needs addressing. And the washboarding at the corners. So I need to do some grading at the...

Perhaps more significantly, it can vary the amount of seed, fertilizer, and pesticide in various parts of the field depending on the fertility of each area. So less waste trying to grow more crop in areas which can't produce as well as other areas.

I thought it was to have 120v available at the switch for automated switches, some of which require that.

Because the neutral at the sub-panel may not be at ground potential. This would be true if the load on the two phases in the sub-panel is not equal, so there is some current flowing in the neutral. With current flowing, and some small resistance in the neutral conductor, there is a voltage...

My "modern" (?) JD 870 has such a chart on the fender.

Such a ballast box would be easy to construct. Take a barrel, upright, and cut holes in opposite sides a bit above the center vertically. Slide one of those 3-point drawbars through the holes, and fill it with concrete. Now you can pick it up with the lower arms, and it stays balanced. The...

That is not correct. The top link is forcing the "implement" to lift, applying weight to the bottom link. When the top link is at an angle like this it is lifting part of the load, but far from all of it. How much depends on the angle. As your last diagram correctly points out, when the top link...

The top link never supports any supports any of the weight of the implement. It can't because it's hinged at the front. Try unhooking the top link from the implement and pushing down on it. It just swings away. The lower arms always support all of the load. All the top link does is resist the...

We bought a tri-fueled generator 27 years ago when we built our house and fueled it off our 1000 gal propane tank. We promptly had an outage that lasted several days, but since then it only ran a few hours at a time once or twice a year. Even with a tender the battery was more likely than not to...

Yes, the key is the distance between the top and bottom links, but only relative to the distance between the lower attachment point (outer end of the lower arms) and the center of gravity. As others have noted, if that distance is zero, for example with a balanced counterweight, there is zero...

You're welcome. Your are right about the distance between the lower pivot point and the end of the top link being part of the calculation, but that's relative to the distance between the lower pivot point and the center of gravity. In my illustration I made the distance from the lower pivot...

It would shift the implement back a few inches, thus moving the center of gravity back a bit and increasing the tension in the upper link proportionally. If it placed the outer end of the top link higher or lower than it would be with a direct connection to the implement, that would also lower...

No, the whole 1000# load will be split between the outboard ends of the two lower links. That's what holds up the implement. There is a 1000# load in the opposite direction at the front end of the lower links. That's what holds them up. Then the same load reversed again is carried by the...

True, it does compute the change in the tension at an angle, but it misses the basic question. What is the force to begin with?

How far back is the center of gravity of the mower from the 3-point pins? How high above the center of the lower link links is the attachment point for the upper link? Without those there is no way to calculate the load on the upper link. Applying the formula for the angle of the top link is...

It's not too hard to get an estimate if you make a few simplifying assumptions: If the weight of the implement is 1,000 lb. the tension in the top link is 2,000 lb., assuming: 1. The center of gravity of the implement is 4 ft. behind the 3-point pins. Probably reasonable for a box blade or...

A rear blade does indeed do will with snow up to 6 inches. It's also great for pulling gravel out of the ditch. That's all I've used to maintain my driveway, which seems a bit like yours, for the past 25+ years. You can see what it looks like here: Grading an "Interesting" Driveway It does take...

My 28 year old JD 870 has 1500 hours on it. It's an open station, because I wasn't offered a choice when I bought it. But I've never considered a cab because of all the trees I mow under. And, being retired I can just avoid running it when it's too hot, and delay until it warms a bit when...

Not to worry. As long as your are careful and don't get the blades too hot you will be fine. An angle grinder is a much more workable tool for a flail than a wet sharpener. See my thread at Sharpened My Peruzzo Ditch and Bank Mower Today

No doubt that's right. Using an angle grinder does run the risk of overheating the blades, so you have to be careful. But removing 100 or so blades and sharpening them on a wet grinder, which is by nature very slow, I found was just not workable.

Leonz, I tried wet grinding some years back after you suggested it. That was a total waste of time. Getting the hammer knives off was a real pain, with all the gunk on the threads of the bolts. Then it took forever to sharpen them with the wet grinder. After getting three or four done in an...

Leonz, Your post prompted me to call my nearest dealer (30 miles away). He says the 870 isn't known for having loss of hydraulic pressure with age. He says they could test it, but only in their shop. He suggests replacing the fluid, filter, and cleaning the screen, which I can't remember every...

Leonz, What happened was summer -- too hot to work outside and no need to mow -- a planned cruise to Iceland, and Covid that scuttled the trip, in that order. So I've not addressed the issue. The relief valve on the mower seems an unlikely culprit since is was sitting on my shop floor when I...

I have a Peruzzo Fox Cross 1600 ditch and bank mower that works very well getting under trees along the edge of the road. The ability to quickly adjust the amount of offset lets me get in between trees that are along the roadway. You would still have some trimming to do around obstacles like...

No, mine does not have a scraper for the roller. It sometimes collects a little mud, but not enough to be troubling. But then I don't get near water like you do.

You're welcome. The clamps not only hold the blades, but are long enough to keep the rotor from turning as you use the grinder.

The thread was original created by a spammer, whose message has since been deleted by a moderator. So no "real" member posted it here, they just responded to a now-deleted post.

The original post was reported as spam, and apparently then deleted by the moderator. But replies were not deleted.

Because it's actually sending it to a cloud service that creates the actual fax.

Those are US postage stamps, so yes, for the US Mail.

The first rotary cutter I ran was in the late 1950's, maybe very early 1960's, cutting corn stalk stubs after harvest. It came with a metal shield around 5 ft. tall and half as wide that bolted on the tractor behind the operator. Worked pretty well, except on our Farmall H it left a gap about a...

What's the problem if the hole is a bit oval? You're going to fill it back in anyway after you place the post. I think as RJ says, you're over-thinking this.

Our nearest dealer is 35 miles away. Don't know if they could do that with a service call. I'll check with them. They will pickup and return the tractor for $150.

Thanks, LD. I think you are exactly right about the possibilities. I never run the mower other than in the fully extended (cylinder closed) position for any length of time. The geometry of the swing arms would make it want to partly close without the cylinder holding it open. And I never...

Not any more. As I said just above, I've removed the valve entirely, so it's no longer part of the problem. "You need to invest in a pressure gauge fitting for the flail mower if you visit the people at either of the AFP Industries shops at Mooresville or Johnson city location..." Good idea...

Sorry, I expected I'd get a notice of a reply, and didn't, so I missed your comment. That's a good idea, I'll try it.

Revisiting this issue.... On the advice of the dealer, I removed the safety valve and connected the lines directly to the cylinder, then tested with my spring mowing (delayed this year). The results are confusing. It takes me five days (at two hours a day) to mow the field. The issue did not...

I have a few banks to mow, and it's great for that, but I bought it mainly so I could offset it and not run over what I was about to mow with the tractor. With a rotary I got a lot of "popup" from what wasn't cut when the tires crushed stuff down before mowing. Also, the rotary left big...

Today I was in a different part of the field, grass not as heavy but the terrain offers another challenge: :)

It does this time of year. Not so much in the fall when some of those weeds get stiff and the flail wants to bend them over and not cut them. But it does a lot better even then since I replaced the factory belt guard with a chain guard.

Actually, I found the flail normally requires at least half again as much fuel as my old rotary.

I'm a little late with the spring mowing of our field this year, and it's offering my John Deere 870 all it wants in third gear (2½ mph): The flail is doing a good job on it. But I'm going to have to get a couple more cans of diesel, as it's going though it faster than usual.

That's what it looks like to me.

The slotted top link is essential to allow the mower to follow the contour as you run over hills and dips. I set the height of the front of the mower by adjusting the height of the lower links, then adjust the top link so the pin is in the middle of the slot so the mower and move as needed as I...

That's simply not true. What's offered is what's offered. If you don't like what's offered, you can always buy a different property.

They paid the price for perpetual use up front, to the then-owner. They could have obtained a limited use right, but didn't, and the then-owner agreed. In exchange he was accepting any future discount in sales price that might caused by the existence of the perpetual right-of-way when he sold...

Yes, it works very well. That's what I've used since I bought my ditch and bank flail. The float position on one of the channels is recommended for the tilt function, and very useful. Having both offset and tilt functions on the FEL joystick is very handy. It doesn't take long to get used to...

But many of us don't. We have 12 acres, with two flat spots. This one, with the garden in the foreground and my tractor barn and implement shed beyond, was graded level by the prior owner for a single-wide mobile home. Then we have about the same amount near the house with space to park about...

There was a small pole barn, with Masonite siding that was coming apart and metal roof that leaked on our property when we bought it 25+ years ago. That's where I keep my tractor. Here's a shot of it with my tractor in it as I was half way through replacing the siding and roof. Before I...

The businesses I trade with in person are mainly hardware/building supply and restaurants. The former don't apply a CC surcharge. We only go to locally owned restaurants and here they mainly charge 3%. I tried cash there, and it's too much of a hassle to have cash for the tip and the register. I...

They last responded there 22 Feb of this year.

It is a Peruzzo 1600 ditch and bank mower. I only mow twice a year, so I'm normally cutting stuff two to three feet tall. It doesn't like the stiff weeds, just pushes them over and leaves them uncut. Setting it close to the ground as some here recommended doesn't help. They just lay down until...

I also have a hilly property and found with my rotary I was constantly adjusting the height of the 3-point to keep the front of the mower from digging in when the rear tractor tires went into a dip. I think that's just the nature of the beast. I then got a ditch and bank flail, and mostly run...

Yes, it's the right site, but it's huge. You want archive.com/web -- also known as the Wayback Machine. Google that term. Then enter the URL of the site you are interested in, and when it comes up look at the calendar for dates when they captured the site. I found "Meet the team" by looking at a...

Good point. That's a major reason why I got an offset mower, in my case a ditch and bank flail. My rotary did an awful job because it couldn't cut the weeds the tractor had run over and they popped back up half an hour later.

Never felt any need. I suppose 25 years ago when I did a bit of grading I could of used one, but I did fine without it.

That's an interesting concept. :) We'd like to have more than one dealer at all in the whole county, let alone multiple dealers of multiple brands.

The were common in the farming area of northern California when I grew up in the 1950's and 60's. There is also a four-wheel style that's quite a lot longer. At that time there it was common for farmers to lease fields some distance apart, so a way of transporting implements was needed. The...

You load wide implements crosswise in them, so the wide dimension is parallel to the road.

If it has a clutch, it sounds like a manual transmission. For the 120 years or so that manual transmissions have been in use in vehicles, you always have had to press the clutch before stopping. With highway vehicles, if you let off on the "gas" pedal and press the brake without pressing the...

Wipe it off around the nipple before greasing; leave the rest.

Smaller wheels wouldn't help the angle at the generator unless the tongue is modified to lower the front end of the cart.

No, it is in both cases operating at PTO speed, which is full throttle on my machine.

Thanks, ptsg. Given no other apparent cause I'll have to look at that. I've recognized that retracting the cylinder, which is the direction it fails, requires higher pressure to achieve the same force because of the smaller piston area being acted upon. So that could in part explain a failure...

Thanks, ptsg. That makes sense. So it's only supposed to protect against over-pressure on the extend side. Since my issue is with the retract side, the valve could only be the cause if it were held open for some reason. But a bad piston seal could cause retract action to fail under load as you...

Well, the issue isn't fixed, and after looking at it more closely, I'm more confused than ever. Here's a shot of the cylinder in question. The mower head is fully retracted here, which is means the cylinder is fully extended: I have always thought the relief valve, which you can see attached...

I took it apart today. It's pretty simple. The spring bears on the end of a spool, I suppose you call it, about 50-60 mm long. It has a head that the spring bears on, which also seems to be the valve. It has a shank around 8mm in diameter, which has thinner sections. I didn't find an O-ring, but...

Thanks, ptsg, I'll give that a try this morning.

Thanks. It hadn't occurred to me I could open the valve and look for issues. To do that I back out the hex "nut" closest to the valve body, the one the adjusting screw goes into?

I have a Peruzzo Fox Cross 1600 ditch and bank flail mower with an issue the dealer doesn't recognize - they seem to think it's working as designed. The cylinder that swings the mower head out to the side and back has a "safety" valve that is supposed to keep it from swinging into an obstacle...

My son is visiting for a few days and we got the new part installed. Getting the old one apart proved to be less difficult that I was expecting but getting the mowing head mounted on the shaft on the attachment bracket proved challenging. Getting heavy parts properly aligned was the issue. I was...

I agree, but if you read the rest of the thread you will see that I already have an OEM replacement, which is reinforced much better than the original.

Thanks, Leon.

Did you mean like this: This is the new one I got from the dealer. Looks like they have done just what you suggested -- the shaft comes through the hole in the plate about twice as far, then they have added that brace welded across the end of the shaft. That should make this part more rugged.

As follow up --- the dealer has the broken part in stock. So rather than trust that the one welding shop in town can properly repair, I've decided to go that route. It will arrive tomorrow, probably sooner than I could get a repair in and out of the local shop. The dealer has asked the...

I sent an email to the dealer yesterday, and am waiting for them to open so I can follow up. I need to look again, but at first glance it looks like a totally new break, not something that's been cracked before.

Yes, I always run the lift cylinder in the float position except in those few cases when I need to hold it up, like when it wants to roll into a deep roadside ditch.

I'd guess around 100 hours. It takes me 10 to 12 hours, twice a year. As to machine or welding shop, it doesn't matter as there is only on such business in the county. Not sure I'd drive an hour "off the mountain" to a business I know nothing about.

Yes, I've been thinking having it longer so it protrudes through the hole a bit might be good. I'm surprised it wasn't made that way. It was just welded on the back side, flush with the back of the plate. I need to be sure there's room there for it to come through.

I mow three acres of field, mostly steep with lots of trees, and half a mile of road side twice a year. This broke while mowing in the field.

I think he came to inspect the damage. I don't understand "welding is not the solution." The shaft seems fine, it just broke off the bracket it was welded into. Though it looks like the penetration was not uniform all the way around the shaft, given that the break is deeper on one side than the...

It's Peruzzo Fox Cross 1600.

My five-year-old ditch and bank mower seems to be falling apart. This spring the gearbox failed, and took a week or two to get repaired. Today it literally came apart -- the pivot assembly where the mower head attaches to the swing arms broke: The pivot shaft broke where it was welded into the...

I'd go for the rear blade, no doubt. But 12" is a bit much for your rig I think, it would be happier with 8-10". But as oldnslo says, a rear blade will definitely turn you into the ditch very quickly if you hit something too firm, like a block of frozen snow. I run a rear blade on a JD 870...

Only if you mow often. If you let the weeds get tall and stiff, it does a lousy job. It totally depends on what you are trying to cut and what you expect the results to be.

It totally depends on what you are trying to cut, and the results you want. If you are cutting thick tall stuff a flail will be a big load for your tractor and won't leave a good cut. A rotary would do much better. But if you are cutting it often a flail will do a nicer job. But is it worth the...

I assume you mean when running it fully in, right behind the tractor. I wouldn't know as I seldom run it in that position for more than a couple of minutes. I've never noticed it creeping when full extended, and I think that requires pressure on the cylinder too.

I see no issue with running it fully extended, as long as you don't hit anything with it. I got into a bunch of trees, and backed up without watching closely enough so the mower hit a tree. The result is that head now sits at a perceptible angle to the tractor. It's not clear just what is...

I don't know about the OP's Del Morino, but on my Peruzzo that is not true, as the dealer has verified. With the tensioner pulley fully released you still have to roll the belts on under tension. From experience, I can tell you that one in three old belts will snap when trying to re-install...

Thanks.

It takes me three days or so to do my field (at age 82 I don't work more than three hours a day), so going back over it a second time isn't in the cards. But I found replacing the factory belt front guard with a chain guard mostly fixed the problem. The chain guard lets them stand up more so...

I'd think a link like that, or even just a length of chain instead of the stiff upper arm, will work.

I have a Fox Cross, Peruzzo's lighter duty model, with the hammer blades. It does just fine with grass and low weeds. The only thing it has some difficulty with is weeds with stiff stems, especially when they over two feet tall. They get bent over by the front of the mower and don't spring...

It looks homemade to me, but others may recognize it. One point -- that looks like a rigid top link, and there is no give visible anywhere in the frame. If so, something's likely to bend or break when you run through a dip.

Other than the grease fitting issue I described above, it's been a great machine. I had about 6" cut out of the chute in order to fit in my shed. I've never had an issue with the chute plugging, an issue I see mentioned from time to time. I like that there are lots of positions available for...

Be my guest. I found the hose and fittings for the lower one, and adapters, at GreaseExtensionHoses.com -- not cheap, but having the right parts made it easy. The fittings on mine are 6mm, not an easy size to find around here.

Are you speaking of the manual when you say it's not detailed? Yes, you are right about that. As I recall, it's mainly about the trailer model and gives almost no info on the three-point model, among other issues. I found greasing to a bit of an issue. The front bearing on the flywheel shaft is...

Good to hear, Alan. I have the same model, but have never had to deal with the belts, so far. It's been a good machine for me.

Welcome, Ben. I really can't speak to your stability issue hills, but do have a couple of thoughts about the two smaller machines. I'd be very concerned about not being able to rotate the chute. I change mine all the time. If there is much of a breeze you want to put the input chute upwind so...

What I think is the steepest section I mow across the slope measures 23 degrees. At that slope the tractor and mower crab sideways noticeably on dry grass -- the front tire has to be up the hill nearly a foot compared to what it is on level ground. I've mowed this section this way for 25 years...

Gordon, You are right. I had forgotten to take into account the difference between the height of the top link connection point and the length of the mower. Your estimates are reasonable, so the top link sees around twice the weight of the mower, once the rear wheel is off the ground.

But only about half the weight is on the chain. The lower arms support the front of the mower, and chain only supports the rear, then only once the tail wheel comes off the ground. The geometry of the links can change the load the chain gets. For example if the chain isn't parallel to the...

From my experience, I can tell you that lowering the mower will not help with the stiff weeds, but will make it worse because they will be pushed over more and will lay on the ground below the blades. About all you will accomplish is hit more rocks and dull the hammers. Get ready to sharpen...

Yes, that's a flail mower. They do not do well with tall stem weeds. the front of the housing, especially if there is a stiff guard hanging down, pushes them over and holds them down while the mower rides over them. See Can a Flail Mower Cut Tall Weeds? My solution was to replace the stiff...

Ken, I suggest you check the belt tension after a bit. Mine is now five years old and the bearings on the belt shaft on the gearbox gave up, making lots of noise and an oily mess. It is used 10 or 12 hours twice a year, so not that many hours on it. I don't know whether this was because of an...

The 70-series was made 1989 - 1998. The leading number indicates the size within the series. There were 670, 770, 870, 970, and 1070. I have an 870 that I bought new. Great little tractors. There was an earlier 50-series, and a later 90-series, then they went to a different numbering system.

We will probably never know whether he got if fixed. He posted this Sept. 5, 2012 and hasn't been on the forum since the next day.

Couldn't tell you about no oil changes in 20 years, but I bought my JD 870 new in 1997, and have had the oil changed three times, most recently last year. It runs fine.

Thanks, Roustabout, and others who made this point. That's exactly right. A single, more serious, blow on the thread end popped it right out. As several said, the bolt is tapered, so once it moved a bit it was loose. Then the yoke pulled off the shaft with no problem.

Thanks, LouNY, That did the trick. I found a video on the Eurocardan model I have. Turns out once you have the silver- colored ring off, the bell just pulls off. It's a bit tight but if you work it back and forth a bit it comes right off.

The nut was fairly tight on the bolt, so I don't think it is spring loaded. The head of the bolt is strange. It's round, no bigger than the diameter of the bolt if that, with two flats cut on opposite sides, so it won't take a socket. I'll try a wrench on it to see if it will turn.

Thanks. I found one that seems to show how it comes apart. I'll give it a try tomorrow.

I banged on it a couple of times and it didn't seem to move. I guess I need to get more serious about it. Thanks.

My Peruzzo ditch and bank mower (5 years old) has failed bearings on the output shaft of the gearbox: I've ordered a replacement gearbox, and am making progress getting it torn down. But I'm currently having trouble getting the PTO shaft off. I don't actually know what the connection of the...

Joe, I see now that the parts diagram you posted, which does show the key, is not for the model you have, so that may explain the difference. Terry

The bolt has a key formed into it that is supposed to fit in a keyway cut in the arm. It's the same as the one I used to have, and you see it on the drawing if you look just right: If it turns, either it's dropped down so the key is out of the slot or it's sheared off.

You will need to adjust the horizontal angle. Your tractor probably has an adjustment to make one side of the 3-point lower arms lower or higher. But I don't get enough angle that way on my tractor. But you can get a lot more by adjusting the top link. If you make it shorter the leading edge of...

Sounds like someone with no clue what he's looking at reading manufacturer's sales brochures.

Which rating are you talking about? - The Nominal Discharge Current (In) – the peak value of current, through the surge protective device (SPD) remains functional after 15 surges. - The Short Circuit Current Rating - the amount of “available” current that the SPD can be subjected to and...

Sorry, it looks like the photos went in another thread. See Chain Guards for Flail Mower? -- photos are on the second page.

Have you tried the Way Back Machine? It has the Branson site captured at a number of time points. Start at Wayback Machine

That's exactly the same model as the one I bought 26 years ago. I hated that I had to rake out the chips from underneath it every few minutes. So I soon replaced it with a straight chipper with a blower that gets the chips out of the way.

Good point. I wasn't thinking about service, but availability and possible competition on price. For me, the Bear Cat site says my nearest dealer is now 60 miles away, but the nearest one that admits on its website to be a Bear Cat dealer is 90 miles away.

My brother-in-law is looking for a PTO chipper, and I've recommended the model I have, which is now called a Crary Bear Cat CH5540: CH5540 | Crary Bearcat Products I've found it to be a good machine for occasional use around the homestead, and I think it's a good match for his tractor. But...

I have a Peruzzo Fox Cross 1600 ditch and bank mower, which does a great job on ditches and banks, as expected. But I also use it as a field mower and it works fine. I generally use if full offset because I only mow twice a year, so what I'm mowing is 18 to 20 inches high, and it lays down when...

Really? I've been using a manual feed chipper for over 25 years and still don't have CT. That's not "soon"? I think manual feed is perfect for a property owner that uses a chipper a few times a year. Probably not so much for someone who uses it a lot.

All you need is a rear blade, no fancy hydraulics, and a willingness to learn how to use it. See the results on my steep quarter mile gravel driveway here: Grading an "Interesting" Driveway

For me, seasonal (fall) maintenance is taking off whatever implement is on the tractor and mounting the rear blade for snow plowing, putting the tractor in the barn facing the door that goes out to the driveway, and checking the fuel level to be sure there's enough to run a while.

For sure. I mainly chip limbs downed by nature or brush from downed trees. Being able to drive around the property and chip where the stuff lies, blowing the chips into the woods is great. No hauling stuff to a burn pile and then spending hours tending the fire.

I have a Cary Bearcat 73454 3-pt chipper, which is similar to their CH5540 today. It has a 140 lb flywheel, and I run it with my JD 870, which was rated at 25 PTO HP. It runs it fine, but does lug down if I put something large and solid in it. But I generally use anything like that for firewood...

What does "not do a very good job" mean? What's it doing or not doing that is a problem? Without knowing what problem you are trying to solve it's very difficult to suggest an alternative.

I think that's normal for anything shipped by freight. They expect you to be able to unload the item off the truck, with a forklift or the like. Responsible dealers will point that out to you, and offer to specify a lift gate at extra cost if you need the truck to lower the load to the ground...

Page 13 has diagrams of the gear arrangement: Here's Google Translate's version of the caption: "Figure 8 - Double folding gearbox mountain-flat modifications of the universal row-crop tractor "Belarus" with variable chassis geometry"

You can copy the text into Google Translate, which generally gives pretty good results. Here's what it does with the part on pg 12 that describes how the wheels work: "An example of a universal variant of a variable geometry undercarriage system is a mountain-flat modification of a tractor...

I think the tapered design is relatively new. Mine is the old design, which doesn't have that. I've never had much of an issue dumping even so. Driving a short while to the dump site on a gravel road settles the leaves into more of a brick. Then I open the rear, dump, and then bounce the front...

I've used my JD 870 with the turnbuckle style stabilizers for 25 years, and never had a bit of trouble with them. No need to clean them or lubricate them, they just work. Must be well made. They have a hole in the screw thread for a pin, so no need use a jam nut, nor any tools to adjust them...

Nice post. Thanks.

I have a Trac Vac model 854 pto leaf vac, which is generally used with a mower deck. But I've never used it that way, only with a pickup hose. It was supplied with two sections of 8" black hose, joined with a short section of pipe. The joint was a regular problem because twigs caught there and...

If "Chuck and Duck" refers only to big commercial chippers why is it often used in this forum, including early in this thread, to mis-describe the little machines we use?

That exactly is my point. "Chuck and duck" doesn't describe the way it works at all. So why is it used to disparage manual feed? I see that comment often, but in 25+ years of using a PTO chipper I've never had it happen.

I love that term. Seems to me it was invented by someone who had never used a manual feed chipper and needed to justify paying more than he had to for occasional use. As one who has owned and used manual feed chippers for 25 years as an "occasional use" homeowner, unless you're made of money...

So far I've not had anything come near me, which did happen a couple of times with the guard removed. I think flails really throw less stuff with lower speed than rotaries.

I finished my fall mowing a few days ago, so finally got to really test the chain guards. They did everything I had hoped. Mowing as clean as without the guard, but no little stuff flying out the front. Here's a shot of mowing some tall stiff stuff: I don't mow anything truly vertical, but did...

Yes, he did. If you watch the episode you can see a big hole where he tired to pull himself out with the bucket.

Not on any modern tractor with independent PTO.

I've never noticed that difference, but I rarely operate pavement or dry ground. Mostly on grass on hillsides, so brakes are needed for turning, 4WD or no, especially with the mower offset to one side. I never operate in 2WD except on pavement, which is rare. I never lock the brakes together...

Really? I've been participating in this forum for 13 years and don't remember the subject every coming up. Maybe I wasn't paying attention? What's the argument against using turning brakes while in 4WD?

Why not?

Yes, it does. We bought a Kawasaki Mule some years ago - should have done it long ago. But we found the noise from the air-cooled engine very annoying, so replaced it a couple of year ago with an electric model. We love it, though the deer we can now sneak up on, not so much.

It took a while, but I got a chain guard made up, and installed it today: I basically use toolslinger's design, modified just a bit. Thanks to him for the design help. Since this is a flail and not a rotary cutter, and because I didn't have any of the materials lying around so had to buy...

Not ignoring them, but accounting for the fact that they don't come into play until you have already rolled a bit, and you may well have enough momentum by then to go on over, especially on a side hill situation.

No convincing because your drawings don't align with reality. I have not clue how many agree, but that doesn't matter; what matters is the physics of the situation, some drawing. Here's what it really acts like:

The center hub with the three bolts is split so it can clamp down on the shaft when it's pulled into a tapered hole in the pulley by the bolts. As K51WQ says, take the bolts out and put them into the three empty holes to remove the pulley from the hub to release the hub from the shaft. It may...

I got a quote from our (only) local welding shop for $140 and change for materials and fabrication, excluding the chain. I told them to go ahead. That's a design based on what toolslinger suggested, which I think will work well for my application. Now I need the chain, about 40 ft. of 3/16"...

Thanks, toolslinger. My error - the 3/16 chain fits on a 5/16 rod, not 7/16. I looked at the existing holes for the belt guard, and they are a bit under 10" apart. I think that should be plenty even for the 5/16 rod.

Thanks, LS Owner. That's what Toolslinger suggested and provided photos of in my original thread. That's the approach I'm leaning toward at the moment. I'm thinking 3/16" chain would work best for my flail rather than the 1/4" more typically used on rotary cutters. It's a bit finer and lighter...

Thanks, Smokeydog. I hadn't realized that 286 was a six-foot mower. So what I'm looking for is the one for the 285.

I find a 60" chain guard for King Kutter for $240. I don't know anything about King Kutter but don't have a great impression of them from comments here. Any thoughts?

Just checked with my local BH dealer, and he wants $426. :-( I'll see if I can do better.

Thanks, Smokeydog. I'd found the guard for the BH216 at about $100 more. I'd not come across the 286. I'll see if I can get that and what it would cost. I see it listed in Illinois for just under $280. Would you know how long the bar is on it?

Thanks, Tinhack, but with the price of gas, I'm guessing hiring a local shop to do it would be cheaper. I'm going to talk to one in the next few days.

Thanks, Cathy. I assume that's a rotary cutter? I'm thinking I can do well with lighter chains on a flail.

That's about what came on it from the factory on mine. It has hammer blades. Here's the result when mowing in the fall with the guard on: Here's what I'm trying to cut: I've looked at the designs that put the top chain link through a notch and hold them with a rod, but making 60 or so...

Those are exactly the reasons I've been leaning toward a lighter chain, especially A and C. Thanks.

Thanks, LS.

Thanks, John.

Thanks, ptsg. That looks like a heavy duty rig.

In the fall the rubber guard that comes with it pushes down what I'm mowing (I mow only twice a year) and the stiff stuff doesn't pop up enough to be cut, creating an awful result. I've taken the guard off, which mostly fixed that issue. But it's a ditch and bank mower, and I use it full offset...

I recently posted in another thread questions on a chain guard for my flail mower, and got some good ideas suggesting it wouldn't be that hard to make one. I've read multiple threads on making chain guards (almost all for rotary cutters) and am left with one question: What size chain to use...

Thanks, Halftrack. That looks like it would be very effective. Constructing it as a retrofit looks like it might be a little challenging.

Thanks, toolslinger. I think this is the direction I'll be going. Since I don't have either the materials laying around or much in the way of metalworking tools, I'm thinking I'll offer this opportunity to our local welding shop to make up the mounts, and maybe to cut the spacers. FYI, to...

Thanks, toolslinger. Yes, making it for a flail is simpler. The clearance to the blades is considerably more than the length needed for the chains. I could mount them directly to the face of the mower and avoid having a separate mounting plate. I'd prefer that to avoid adding more weight than...

OK, Midniteoyl's got me thinking. Could you explain what you did? What's the size of the chain? Where did you get the yellow blocks that hold the rod? That's a neat way to hang it. Did you use a rod with spacers between the links?

Not that good, I'm afraid. It's been 60 years since I've done any, and as long since I've had a welder.

I have a Peruzzo flail mower, as I've mentioned here before, which works well except for one thing. I only mow twice a year, and by fall the growth has typically reached about two feet tall. The mower cuts the grass well enough, but some of the weeds have gotten pretty stiff by then. The belting...

For the second time in he four years I've had it, I sharpened the hammer blades on my Peruzzo ditch and bank flail mower today. I hoped it might improve the cut a bit, and/or reduce the power requirement. If it did, it was only a small amount on either. I'm not at all sure ordinary wear...

Trac-Vac is one of several manufacturers that make PTO leaf vacs. I've had one for several years, and it works very well. They mainly market it for attachment to a mid-mount mower, but sell it without that attachment, and with a long hose with a handle on the end to maneuver it. That's the...

Why do you want to add gauge wheels? It's supposed to run on the roller at the back. Adjust its position to change the height of cut.

If you have no other implements, and don't expect to change often, do you need a quick-hitch at all? I have a number of implements, but don't change them all that often and have never found the need for one. You may have to shorten the driveline, but that's a common practice that's described in...

It is well made. See my review at Peruzzo Fox Cross 1600 Ditch & Bank Mower Review I have since sold my rotary mower, and use just the Fox Cross for mowing the field. The issue of poor cut quality of stout weeds is caused by my only mowing twice a year - they get pretty tough by the end of the...