Rotary Cutter back wheel on a cutter causing issues

[lennyflakes]

I need a little help. I have a 5' Bush Hog Cutter I use to mow my pasture. My land is EXTREMELY sandy. I cannot state that emphatically enough, as in beach sand quality. When I got the Bush Hog (used) it had a 15" laminated wheel on the back. This wheel essentially acted as a plow in my field and left ruts anywhere I drove it, even though I had it as high as possible and the top link as short as possible. The problem was two fold whenever I went in reverse. Eventually the wheel came dislodged from the axle and I removed the wheel assembly from the cutter entirely. The past two seasons I have been using the Bush Hog without the back wheel and let the back end just sit on the ground due to lack of options. This maneuver took reversing out of the equation completely.

I have searched the internet endlessly for similar situations to this with no luck. I'm not sure what to do to solve this issue. My wife ran across a really old cutter at an estate sale last fall she said it was called a sidewinder and had radial tires mounted on each side of the deck which allowed the mower to "float" over the ground. gain, searching the internet tirelessly I have yet to run across a working version of this type of cutter. So I am stuck either trying to put the laminated tire back on my Bush Hog and revert back to plowing my field as I cut it, or continuing to suffer without the option of reversing while dragging a tractor implement on the soft ground.

I asked a local equipment salesman about my conundrum and he told me that all the weight for the cutter should be on the top link and it should never touch the ground, but as I stated above the top link is at its shortest position and I'm still dragging. Plus what would be the point of the wheel to begin with if that were to be the case??

Any thoughts or suggestions would be greatly appreciated.

 

[jeff9366]

1) Have you checked the parts manual for your brand of cutter to be sure 15" tail wheel is/was the correct diameter, rather than 12"?


2) In normal operation the tail wheel should be in ground contact. Bouncing over rough ground with the tail wheel elevated puts great stress on the entire Three Point Hitch. It is possible to strip threads out of the Top Link during a hard bounce.


3) Are the LIFTING ROD stirrups pinned through the highest hole where LIFTING RODS connect to the Left and Right LOWER LINKS? Higher hole = higher lift. PHOTOS 1-2-3


4) Is the inboard end of the TOP LINK pinned in one of the lowest pairs of pin holes? Lower pin holes increase lift, but not as much as distinct pin adjustment in 3) above. On my Kubota L3560 there a four pairs of adjustment holes. Your tractor may vary.
PHOTOS 4-5-6-7

 

[ruffdog]

In soft sand I can see how a single rear wheel could make marks, especially when changing directions. I'm assuming you would need a nice wide balloon tire back there like what works good on a beach. A smooth tire with a rounded profile. Ether that, or convert it to a pull type with two fixed rear wheels.

 

[ruffdog]

Maybe get a fat and larger dim (18") golf car tire and wheel and modify the wheel swivel to handle it. Golf cars use a 4x4" bolt circle.

https://www.amazon.com/EFX-Tires-Pro-Rider-Rated-50x10/dp/B004ZWF8WO

 

[Rebeldad1]

Have you looked at the flail mowers? Sounds like a good fit for your soil

 

[Texasmark]

I need a little help. I have a 5' Bush Hog Cutter I use to mow my pasture. My land is EXTREMELY sandy. I cannot state that emphatically enough, as in beach sand quality. When I got the Bush Hog (used) it had a 15" laminated wheel on the back. This wheel essentially acted as a plow in my field and left ruts anywhere I drove it, even though I had it as high as possible and the top link as short as possible. The problem was two fold whenever I went in reverse. Eventually the wheel came dislodged from the axle and I removed the wheel assembly from the cutter entirely. The past two seasons I have been using the Bush Hog without the back wheel and let the back end just sit on the ground due to lack of options. This maneuver took reversing out of the equation completely.

I have searched the internet endlessly for similar situations to this with no luck. I'm not sure what to do to solve this issue. My wife ran across a really old cutter at an estate sale last fall she said it was called a sidewinder and had radial tires mounted on each side of the deck which allowed the mower to "float" over the ground. gain, searching the internet tirelessly I have yet to run across a working version of this type of cutter. So I am stuck either trying to put the laminated tire back on my Bush Hog and revert back to plowing my field as I cut it, or continuing to suffer without the option of reversing while dragging a tractor implement on the soft ground.

I asked a local equipment salesman about my conundrum and he told me that all the weight for the cutter should be on the top link and it should never touch the ground, but as I stated above the top link is at its shortest position and I'm still dragging. Plus what would be the point of the wheel to begin with if that were to be the case??

Any thoughts or suggestions would be greatly appreciated.

i had a JD model, trying to remember the name. Basically a finish mower as the tip speed was very fast and as I recall the blades were very short....large diameter stump jumper for the diameter of the machine. Then there was another popular one here that Milo and Corn folks used to cut stubble....trying to remember the name of it...started with an S...to long ago. I bought mine because of terraces and I'd scalp/clip high going over them. Problem was that the wheels, being outside the mower proper, didn't allow you to cut close to objects. They're out there.

 

[Rmart30]

might want to try a solid wheel barrow tire. They are rounded and not square sided as the ply wheels.

 

[kirkawilson]

I have never seen an airplane tire used for a rotary cutter tail wheel but these folks sell them. Might want to call them and ask if it could solve your problem. AIRPLANE TIRE 26x6.6x14 5 HOL | Rotary Cutter Supply

 

[bcp]

Cutters without wheels are common in other parts of the world.

Put wider skids on it, and maybe taller sides if needed.

Bruce

 

[ruffdog]

Cutters without wheels are common in other parts of the world.

Put wider skids on it, and maybe taller sides if needed.

View attachment 609583

Bruce

They work best with tractors that the 3pt lift arms can work independent.