bush hog wheel question

[varmint]

Bought an old, but good, 4' bush hog. Works great, except the tail wheel drags sideways when going forward, which is not great. Curiously, it tracks well going backwards. I am quessing it needs a little more rake, and I am considering cutting a deep notch in each side, bending it back about 3/4" of an inch, and re-welding. Any advice??

 

[Xfaxman]

That might not be enough.

Check this thread: Rotary Cutter - Bush hog crazy wheel....

 

[WM75Guy]

Mine was doing something similar. The wheel axle bushings had gone bad allowing the wheel to wobble. Bought a new one at TSC, had to shim it with a couple of washers but it goes straight now.

 

[varmint]

That might not be enough.

Check this thread: Rotary Cutter - Bush hog crazy wheel....

You're right! In looking at photos of other bush hogs, there's quite a lot of rake in the tailwheels. A couple of inches looks more like it.

 

[varmint]

I cut out wedges from the forks, beveled the cut's edges, bent the forks together, and welded them. I think this solves my problem.

 

[dieselscout80]

Looks good

Please post how it works and I am adding tailwheels to flail mower and I need to ensure it has the right amount of rake/caster.

 

[varmint]

I will report, but it'll be a while. I just looked at "better" rough cut mowers, and tried to more or less match their offset rakes, without creating any issues for myself, like the wheel hitting the frame. I have no idea what brand this was, but the welding precision was awful- whoever put it together did a lousy job of aligning things up and centering stuff. Hopefully, next fall when I use it again, it will track properly. I may just test it when the ground is dry- we'll see.