Brush Hog mods

[charlessenf]

Taking some bigger trees here:

Wow, yet another style of 'bush hog.'

 

[charlessenf]

Well here is a company with a few Canadian dealers, some very nice looking pieces of equipment;
This first one is my favorite in a quick look,

https://www.youtube.com/@TokvamAS

Love they way they attach the chains!

 

[ch1ch2]

We are getting close.
My concern now circles around having no front chain guard

Very valid concern!
I was shredding under a pecan tree. A nut went forward hit the front tire and came back right into my forehead. Almost knocked me out. Hurt my back from my head fling backwards.
I now have front chains.

 

[alpha&omega]

Well here is a company with a few Canadian dealers, some very nice looking pieces of equipment;
This first one is my favorite in a quick look,

https://www.youtube.com/@TokvamAS

This is the way to do it. I’d like to see the “grass cutting chains” they mentioned. I really like the way that arm pivots and how the belt absorbs most of the chain shock.

However, I do wonder how hot a black tractor with no window tint would be in the summer.

And another,

Anyone who has cut this kind of thick razor style swamp grass with regular blades knows how tough that stuff is and how easily it can bog a mower/tractor down even at WOT. Those scrub trees are tough as nails too…quite impressive what the chains can actually do.

 

[2manyrocks]

The commercially built chain mowers seem to follow a similar design of holding the chain captive between two round center plates.

1. How would you DIY something similar?

2. Is the gearbox on these chain mowers beefed up in some way compared to the normal rotary cutter gearbox?

 

[ptsg]

The commercially built chain mowers seem to follow a similar design of holding the chain captive between two round center plates.

1. How would you DIY something similar?

2. Is the gearbox on these chain mowers beefed up in some way compared to the normal rotary cutter gearbox?

The hub to hold the chains is very straight forward. Two discs and a couple of plates to space them apart. Then, a pin holds each chain in plate. A little bit of fabrication and machining would do it. The machining is mostly required to weld the splined sleeve to the hub it self as centered as possible with as little run out as possible.

The gearboxes, for the most part, are just standard brush cutter gearboxes from Comer. They're available in 30/60/90/125 HP. A 30HP gearbox will handle easily a up to 50 HP. Mine uses a Comer LF 205J gearbox.

The forestry versions tend to use bigger/stronger gearboxes and possibly higher output RPM.

I believe I'm going mowing today, if anyone wants some close up picture of any details, let me know.

 

[2manyrocks]

If it is a standard gearbox, is the hub and chain assembly available to buy? That would seem like the best way to modify a cutter if all you had to do was to swap out the hub and cutting assembly?

 

[ptsg]

Th

If it is a standard gearbox, is the hub and chain assembly available to buy? That would seem like the best way to modify a cutter if all you had to do was to swap out the hub and cutting assembly?

Yes. Those are available to buy. Either the gearbox, the hub or both. At least here, they are.

Not too terribly expensive either.

 

[Rustyiron]

I wonder if there's any standard among the various (US) manufacturers when it comes to the 90* gearbox output shafts?
I don't recall ever getting into removal of any "T" bar or integrated stump (US blade type mower) pan but a splined output shaft is something that's in my memory... somewhere and that would take some advanced machining to replicate the "chain hub" shown by ptsg's pictures.
I believe most everyone following this is now convinced that it's probably a simpler and easier to maintain this type of machine than one with blades with the exception of grass cutting or pasture maintenance.

 

[dieselscout80]

Th

Yes. Those are available to buy. Either the gearbox, the hub or both. At least here, they are.

Not too terribly expensive either.

Got a link for one?