Another Bushhogging Question

[RobJ]

Her is a pic of the floating top link. The guy I bought my tractor/FM/bushhog from must have not figured it out and welded it together. After a few joy rides and reading here...I fixed it.

To understand how it works, picture mowing a ditch, and going across the ditch (not along the ditch). As the tractor crosses the bottom and moved up the other side, the flex will allow the mower to move up (think of forming a U). With the rigid link, the rear wheels will want to come off the ground while doing this. Then when the tractor gets to the top of the hill, the flex link will tighten up, hit a stop point and usually the rear wheel of the bush hog will come off the ground. No damage in that happening. If I'm mowing even slightly uneven ground, bumps and stuff, the flex link is in constant motion.

and some pics...

Oh in case you are wondering, that 1" 16ga square tubing I first put on there didn't last long. It got mangled. I cut it off and replaced it with some solid bar.

 

[rcowan]

That's a very similar set-up to mine. I just didn't know what it was
Mine still has the top hole on the main mount and the floating is under it. The floating is narrower and uses a shorter pin than the top hole.

Thanks
Roland

 

[mlauk]

The Bush Hog manual says to set it roughly down at 45 degrees in the mowing position.

 

[RobJ]

I tried mine without the stop on it, it just didn't seem to work right. I went back to the KK manual and the link clearly shows a stop bar.

Rob

 

[jimainiac]

Our rotary cutters have the pivoting top link. When I get ready to mow, I raise the cutter to mowing height, then adjust the tractor's top link so the pivoting link is halfway between the front and back stops. That lets the mower float equally up and down over uneven ground. When I get ready to load the tractor on the trailer, I shorten the tractor's top link before I raise up the cutter, for maximum height.

 

[RobJ]

I did some mowing one some rough ground this weekend. As others have done I removed the top link. A lot less jerking back there. Only downside the mower would bottom out on some rolling bumps.

Rob