Brush hog top link redux!

[Zebrafive]

Set my mower so the front is slightly lower than the rear. Takes less HP to run.
Since I "rough" cut with mine, I could care less about the tail wheel gouging.
If I am backing just to get a better angle when I go back to forward I will use the 3pt to raise the cutter first.
I am more worried about the tail wheel's wheel bearings when "roading" than wearing out the laminated tire. But at 16mph on the road that's most likely a moot point.

 

[BukitCase]

Good point Jeff, but I believe he was referring to the tail wheel shaft, not the PTO shaft... Steve

 

[8404]

Just cut it out and add a chain, get a hydraulic top link and then you can take out the slack in the chain when you want to lift the tail wheel off the ground or add slack to the chain to let the mower follow the contours of the ground.

 

[Gary Fowler]

I have used chains on my old Yanmar to hold the mower deck at the prescribed height since I could never keep it the same height after raising and lowering but never attached them to a ROPS. I adjusted the chains to the mower height I wanted and then when I dropped the lift down it was always the same height. This prevented the front from skidding on the ground and or being 4" high rather than 2". Tractor Supply sells them complete with chain & attachment brackets for hooking to the 3 ph. One bracket goes on the pin for the lift arms and the other end attached to the tractor where the top link attaches. Most tractors have 2 or 3 holes there and one can be used for the top link and another for the brackets on the chain. The attachment brackets have a slotted hole in one end to adjust the length of the chain. You could also replace the top link with a set of chains for more free floating also when you go thru a ditch. I have seen folks not even attach the top link and just drag the BH on the tail wheels for maximum floating action. I don't like this as you cant raise the tail wheel off the ground.

 

[Larro Darro]

This the small bush hog that came with my B7500. It has chains built into it, between the top link hookup and the frame. It might not work in a bigger mower, but it keeps the back from digging in going over rough ground.

 

[JasG]

The top link on my brush mower pivots. Where I connect my top link on the 3pt is about a 8" part that swings about 180 degrees so the cutter is controlled only by the lower links and the tail wheel. It came that way from the factory. I've seen several finish mowers set up similar. I've used ones with ridged top links and it is a pain when doing rolling ground.

 

[herringchoker]

My cutter came from the factory with a chain as the link between the TPH toplink and the rear of the deck. Since my tractor does not have position control, I installed the Poor Man's Position Control (PMPC) to set the front height to avoid gouging and maintain a consistent cut. Works like a charm. The PMPC came from my scrap pile...as TBNer Renze says "free scrap is a good investment".

 

[Stihlrunner]

After reading all the input I think I've been asking too much of the hog to expect it to cut well at varying height levels. Pretty much I need to decide on the height I'm happy at and optimize it for that.

I set the tail wheel height to KK instructions. I plan on mowing tonight so we'll see if that helps. Another thing I think that fouls up my game is the HF quick hitch which kind of screws up my adjustability and puts the mower deck farther away from the tractor.

If I don't get satisfaction with these adjustments I'm going to try the chain top link. Thanks for all the input, as always I learn a bunch from this forum.