After getting some good responses in the general forum I think I need some more technical advice. I am going to mount a 10 or possibly 12 foot rotary mower (three sections) on to the front of a tractor. I originally thought a front pto would be the way to go but now I think just hydraulics would be better. Custom mounting aside, is this a feasable project? I have two Ford (NH) 2120s, although I'm most likely going to be buying a new 48. The advice I've been given so far from a local dealer and those who know a little bit about tractors is that I should use the factory (dealer) hydraulic installations on the front (such as those for a snowblower)for the up and down function of the mower and use the rear remote routed to the front for the steady on/off function of the mower. It will most likely be a factory Toro mower deck which will require custom mounting to a NH tractor. For years I have been using a 13 foot and a 20 foot rear gang reel mower setup pulled by the 2120s but due to a change in customer expectation I now have to produce a higher quality cut. I have a 27 hole golf course so production is a critical factor. I already have two 5 foot rotary's and they are simply inadequate. I'm just amazed that with the thousands of out front rotaries in this country no one has come up with a way to mount one on a utility tractor. I have a serious need for this type of mower but don't feel right in spending 40k for a Toro or Jacobsen when I could spend about the same AND still have a utility tractor at the end of the day for other uses.
Custom mower
- Thread starter MossBoss
- Start date
- Views: 1518
cmhyland
Platinum Member
Mossboss,
Take a look at this link.
This is what you need...
http://www.tricorpusa.com/land-preparation-tillage/turf-mowers.html
Take a look at this link.
This is what you need...
http://www.tricorpusa.com/land-preparation-tillage/turf-mowers.html
thcri
Elite Member
</font><font color="blue" class="small">( Mossboss,
Take a look at this link.
This is what you need...
http://www.tricorpusa.com/land-preparation-tillage/turf-mowers.html
)</font>
That is one nice rig. I always like the mower behind the tractor as it helps in covering up the tracks of the tractor with hi-ligt blades.
As far as using hydraulics you really have to be careful there. Most tractors can not handle the heat created by continuous flow. You will need a large storage tank/cooler and make sure you are heavy on that. This is not experience other than when I wanted to install a broom on the front of my tractor using hydraulics this was very important according to the manufacture.
murph
Take a look at this link.
This is what you need...
http://www.tricorpusa.com/land-preparation-tillage/turf-mowers.html
)</font>
That is one nice rig. I always like the mower behind the tractor as it helps in covering up the tracks of the tractor with hi-ligt blades.
As far as using hydraulics you really have to be careful there. Most tractors can not handle the heat created by continuous flow. You will need a large storage tank/cooler and make sure you are heavy on that. This is not experience other than when I wanted to install a broom on the front of my tractor using hydraulics this was very important according to the manufacture.
murph
I've thought of buying a used unit. But the old saying is particularly true here, you get what you pay for. Do I really WANT a 10K out front rotary? New they are between 30 and 70K, the last thing I need is something that continually needs repairs. I have 5 out front reel type Toros and they are all good mowers, but they are small and they are only fit for short grass. It takes a rotary for the longer rough cut. If I could happen upon a good buy I'd certainly go for it, but so far no luck.
Excellent point about the heat generated by the hydraulics. I'm already figuring I'd need an extended abililty to cool the hydraulic fluid. The factory Toro 10 footer uses 8 gpm, and although the factory New Holland pump puts out 12 gpm I believe that's adequate flow but not adequate cooling. And the mower in the website with the 3 decks is large enough, it's not appropriate for golf course use. Lastec, LandPride, Frontier, and others make almost identical mowers to that one but with smaller decks. 5 feet is the maximum to avoid severe scalping on undulating turf. Which is why I want to take the factory Toro deck and make it fit a utility tractor. Each deck is 48 inches, to avoid scalping. The Toro 10 footer is 10k for the mower deck and 30k for the tractor. And THATS with a Toro traction unit that can't be used for much else. The last, and possibly most important point is that an out front is needed for ergonomics. Pulling a three point rotary mower is easy on the tractor, but very hard on the operator. With countless trees to negotiate it wears on the operator very quickly. Looking forward to avoid an upcoming tree while simultaneously looking backward to avoid a tree where the mower is gets tiresome fast. And even the best operators will hit a tree with a pull type mower. It's a matter of odds. Even if they are 99.999% successful that one .001% is very costly. An operator who is always looking forward will always do a better job.
KennedyDiesel
Veteran Member
I might sugest a PTO driven pump so as not to strain the tractor's hydraulics.
</font><font color="blue" class="small">( I forgot to mention that snowblower setup you metioned does indeed sound like a good place to start. Do you know the name of the company? )</font>Erskine is on brand also check www.shultesales.com