Batwing with a single remote?

[m7040]

YYY

 

[m7040]

You can run it with one remote just fine. Raising the batwing during operation can damage the drive shafts. Having three remotes allows you to operate each wing separately and can speed things up when just have to lift one wing for clearance around a tree for instance

 

[RickB]

Flex wing finish mowers are a different animal. Most come standard with all 3 deck lifts plumbed in parallel operating off one single acting circuit. Batwing rotary cutters, not so much.

 

[RancherGuy]

You can run it with one remote just fine. Raising the batwing during operation can damage the drive shafts. Having three remotes allows you to operate each wing separately and can speed things up when just have to lift one wing for clearance around a tree for instance

It is not clear what you are thinking when you say "one remote just fine". Surely, you are not activating all 3 cylinders concurrently.

I'm not sure where you get your information regarding damage when raising anything. I have owned 2 and can attest that there is no damage, and I have done lots of it for various reasons.

 

[amhicks21]

I see some people arent understanding the differences in design between a flexwing finish mower and a batwing brushcutter. most flexwing mowers use a single hydraulic line plumbed to all the decks and require all decks to be down to use. they have a set cut height that cant be changed while in use. batwing brush cutters require more functions. If a finish mower would suit your purposes, then you're all set and you could just find a flex wing. If not, its really not that difficult to add a valve stack with as many remotes as you want. Ive put together remotes for 2 tractors for like 1/3 of the cost of one bought from the dealership.

 

[m7040]

How do I know that my Woods batwing finish mower will be damaged if raised during operation? It happened when I forgot to turn off the PTO while raising the mower wings and caused one of the drive joints to break before I could turn it off.

 

[RickB]

I have owned 2 and can attest that there is no damage, and I have done lots of it for various reasons.

That's your experience with a tiny sample of the brands and models of cutters built over the years. I can attest there is ample opportunity to inflict hundreds of dollars of driveline and gearbox damage to many mowers by operating them with the wings folded up.

 

[Gee Ray]

Rhino model TS10 and TS12 are rough cut mowers for lower hp tractors and run off one remote. They are not a heavy duty mower but the would be useful to maintain pastures etc. Tractor Time with Tim shows him using one.

 

[RancherGuy]

That's your experience with a tiny sample of the brands and models of cutters built over the years. I can attest there is ample opportunity to inflict hundreds of dollars of driveline and gearbox damage to many mowers by operating them with the wings folded up.

How do I know that my Woods batwing finish mower will be damaged if raised during operation? It happened when I forgot to turn off the PTO while raising the mower wings and caused one of the drive joints to break before I could turn it off.

Ok, understood. My 2 mowers were Servis / Rhino. The heavy duty, maybe even heavier than what is used by the county to mow ditches. Apparently the driveline design and angles of mine and others are different. I thought they would all behave the same.

 

[RancherGuy]

I see some people arent understanding the differences in design between a flexwing finish mower and a batwing brushcutter. most flexwing mowers use a single hydraulic line plumbed to all the decks and require all decks to be down to use. they have a set cut height that cant be changed while in use. batwing brush cutters require more functions. If a finish mower would suit your purposes, then you're all set and you could just find a flex wing. If not, its really not that difficult to add a valve stack with as many remotes as you want. Ive put together remotes for 2 tractors for like 1/3 of the cost of one bought from the dealership.

Hey now, I like that layout. Do I see that right - 5 SVC plus the loader joystick? I've been wanting to add rear remotes to my Kubota ROPS. However, if you follow his link, you should see that the OP is considering a 2WD Cab tractor. Kinda hard to get all of the output hoses from inside the cab to the outside - not an impossible task, but complicated.

 

[EddieWalker]

Thank you for all the great advice. The tractor with just one remote has sold, so this is just good information for me while looking at other tractors. I wasn't sure if having just one remote, but liking everything else about the tractor was a deal breaker. It looks like it's a pretty simple thing to add another remote, or two, if I want to.

 

[RancherGuy]

Rhino model TS10 and TS12 are rough cut mowers for lower hp tractors and run off one remote. They are not a heavy duty mower but the would be useful to maintain pastures etc. Tractor Time with Tim shows him using one.

I see that Tim used only one remote and it is noted at 21:15 that he raised the deck to clear an object. In researching Rhino documentation, Rhino states:

"The TS10 is plumbed to require 1 tractor remote valve. Hydraulics are phased so the entire unit level lifts before the wings raise. The above kits allow hydraulic functions to be operated separately, but require 2 or 3 tractor remote valves."

While it is possible to use one remote, I think as a recommendation, it creates undisclosed limitations. When the deck is lifted, the wing tips become very light, so using this technique to mow with more height will have negative operational results. One also cannot lift a wing over a mud hole, stump or the edge of a pond.

If someone here asks for advice, if I were in their shoes, I would want to know what is practical, not what is minimal unless stated. So I try to respond that way. BTW, a TS10 mower is $10k. Spending that kind of money while recommending 1 remote doesn't make sense to me.

 

[Popgadget]

I have a Progressive TD65 16 foot finish mower. It has one pair of lines to work all three double acting cylinders to fold the side decks and raise the rear deck. I do have 3 remotes, but it only uses one. And yes, it would be a costly mistake to fold it up while the pto shaft was still turning.

I’ve also had JD and Woods batwing “bush hogs” that would also be damaged by folding them up with the pto engaged. They used two remotes, one to fold, one to raise and lower the wheels.

 

[Overtaxed]

My Woods BW12 is setup for a single remote. It's actually only a single line going back to the mower (power up, gravity down, so no need for 2 lines). When I got it, I thought I'd replumb it for 2 or 3 remotes, my tractor has 3 remotes on it, so I figured "why not". Well, 3 years later, it's still setup for a single. It works great, it's easy to hook up with a single hose, and I really have no need to raise the wings independently. As others have said, you have to shut down the PTO to lift the wings, the only CV joint is on the PTO shaft, so if you lift while it's running, you're gonna stress the heck out of the shaft/break it.

Anyway, yes, you can run it on a single remote and, honestly, despite having plenty of remotes, if I bought another one tomorrow, I'd have it setup for a single again. The ease of hookup and lack of hoses is very nice.

I have a rear blade with 3 cylinders on it (tilt/angle/offset) and I dread hooking that thing up. 6 monster hoses, and you have to get them "right" (one to input, one to output). Sounds easy, in practice, it's a PITA. For that thing, I do need all the remotes, but, if I could do with fewer, I would.

 

[RickB]

Color code the 6 hoses on your blade and the couplers on the tractor. Not difficult or expensive to use paint, colored tape or colored zip ties. Do it once and eliminate all the guesswork and confusion getting the functions attached to your preference.

 

[RancherGuy]

I have a rear blade with 3 cylinders on it (tilt/angle/offset) and I dread hooking that thing up. 6 monster hoses, and you have to get them "right" (one to input, one to output). Sounds easy, in practice, it's a PITA. For that thing, I do need all the remotes, but, if I could do with fewer, I would.

FWIW and not to intrude on this topic, but I have a rear blade with 4 cylinders, connected to my 3 SCV remotes. I have an electric splitter to select between 2 cylinders, thus supporting the 4. I know what you mean by the monster hoses. However, all of my lines are 1/4" - light and flexible. No need to go with anything larger, especially avoid the 1/2". You only need large diameter if you want the cylinders to react quickly. On a blade, there is no such requirement. When yours ages out and need to be replaced, or when you get tired of man-handling them, replace with smaller hoses.

And another suggestion to save time and frustration is to use colored zip ties. I have a bundle of 4" long ones (very small) that come in multiple colors. For port 1 hoses, I put on 1 zip tie on the hose tip ... port 2 has 2 zip ties ... port 3 has 3 zip ties. I use green for the lower hose (closest to grass) and red or yellow for the upper hose (closest to the sun). Never gotten them mixed up.