Does this attachment look right?

RobJ · Oct 31, 2005

I posted the other day how I freed up a movable top link on a bush hog that the previous owner had welded up. I got a change to try it out this weekend and this is what it looks like. I guess it's about the only way it will go. The weight will always keep it in the front. It does flow over the bumps better now. Thanks for the look, Rob

RobJ · Oct 31, 2005

Another look

3RRL · Oct 31, 2005

That's intersting.
It looks like the swivel allows the brush hog to follow the contours of the land that way? How much travel does it give you before the trailing wheel comes off the ground? Are you able to lift up the entire bruch hog when moving from field to field, or does the trailing wheel always stay on the ground? I assume that can be adjusted with shortening the top link?

HomeBrew2 · Oct 31, 2005

RobJ, mine has a slot in the U-shaped piece. I can't tell if your's is just a hole or a slot. The idea is that there should be no preload on the piece. If you held it at the joint with the top link by hand, it and the top link should be in a straight line so the piece can easily swing above or below. As you say, when not holding it up, it will fall. On mine, the pin (where you have a bolt) is to be in the middle of the slot so it can not only swing up or down but also have a little front to back slop.
Cheers!

RalphVa · Oct 31, 2005

It won't allow much swing to allow the brush hog to move up in the rear that way. If you lengthen the top link so that the bracket is up quite a bit while on level ground, this would allow the trail wheel to better follow an up slope when backing into it and would also allow it to drop down some.

Think you'd need a pin in it somewhere to allow you to lift the brush hog trail wheel. Of course, those of us using chains in place of the top link can't lift our trail wheel either. I keep both the top link and the chain attached at the top end of the brush hog bracket. All I have to do is to swing the top link over and connect it to the top link position on the tractor for transport. It and the chain can be connected on the same pins.

Ralph

JerryG · Oct 31, 2005

Of course, those of us using chains in place of the top link can't lift our trail wheel either. 
If you leave the mower end of the chain about 3-4 links long hanging down, you can put a hook on the end link. When you get ready to transport the mower let it down all the way to the ground and hook the hook tight on the chain and it will lift very high off of the ground. Don't know if I made that clear or not. /forums/images/graemlins/crazy.gif

53gravely · Oct 31, 2005

Looks right to me but the universal joiint on the drive shaft and the adjustable lift arm on the right side of the 3 point hitch look like they could use some grease...maybe it's just the photo.

beenthere · Oct 31, 2005

If you want more freedom of movement, you might want to lower that U-shaped link to the lower position, where the braces are connected. I'd suggest removing the pin at "A", and placing it at "B" along with the U-shaped link. Then the connected top link will rotate under the A-frame and the pins at "C" won't hit anything, I don't believe. That move will give you a full swing of the top link, and you can shorten the top link to where the rear wheel will pick up for 'road' carry and where the PTO drive shaft will not hit the front edge of the deck. Pic attached with letters shown.

RobJ · Nov 1, 2005

Beenthere, you hit on somehting I noticed, it does hit the bottom arms in some cases. Also I just realized this is a bad picture because the mower is on the ground, When it's in a mowing position the U bracket is actually pulled straight out. But right now it does lift the rear wheel off the ground by 3-4 inches. I could shorted the top link because the only other implement I put on is the finish mower and the chains cause it to lean way back when I pick it up. When I noticed this I was sort of going on the picture of a KK mower in the link below.

53gravely, everything is greased ok, I'm not an over greaser. /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif The adjustable link moves by hand with the lock nut is loose. We haven't had any rain in ast Texas for a month and the last rain was nothing, another couple months before that. All the fields look like they do in January. Dead.

Thanks for the replies, here is that KK link..
KK mower link

Egon · Nov 1, 2005

Think it may have been designed to be a straight extension of the top link when in service position. It will allow a change in angle for rough ground.

Egon

geneP · Nov 1, 2005

I agree with beenthere's suggestion, but with one more modification. Consider that if the top link connection is moved the the bottom hole, the bolt will have to be left loose so the connection can swivel. This can cause wear on the bolt and rear support arms. Move the rear support arms to the top holes so they can be attached tightly. This will cause the three point triangle to be slightly tilted to the rear and you will have to remove or redrill the attaching points for the lower braces from the hitch frame back to the mower deck.

JRobyn · Nov 1, 2005

Or look at the design/connection on one of the manuals on BushHog's website. Mine is a model 280, and the "flex-link" setup is shown on page 8. Your design appears to be almost identical. Per BushHog, it should run at about a 45 deg angle when on flat level ground. The "flex-link" then allows the hog to pivot on the lower 3pt pins to track on uneven ground.

tlbuser · Nov 2, 2005

( If you want more freedom of movement, you might want to lower that U-shaped link to the lower position, where the braces are connected. I'd suggest removing the pin at "A", and placing it at "B" along with the U-shaped link. )
Why not just remove the bolt at "A" , toss the link and place the toplink in "A" ?

Berniep · Nov 2, 2005

I borrowed my neighbors "Green" rotary mower the other day for use on my BX23 and it had two plates instead of a "U" but it did allow the top link to pivot back under the frame of the mower. I still had enough lift to get the tail wheel about a foot off the ground. If It didn't pivot under I think I would have bent something when going over uneven ground. I would move the "U" to the lower hole.

djradz · Nov 2, 2005

RobJ, I have to agree with beenthere, your setup really limits the motion. I've often seen it just as he describes, using the lower hole for the toggle. You'll get 2 to 3 times the motion in that lower position.

RobJ · Nov 2, 2005

Well I thought I posted this yesterday but I guess I got busy and didn't hit post... /forums/images/graemlins/frown.gif

I reviewed in detail the BH and KK manuals. Both seem to do about the same but in a different manor. The BH uses the swivel under the Y as mentioned. The manual states to use a top link pin short enought to not hit the Y under the attachment point. This allows free motion under the Y(ok upside down Y). However the KK (as mentioned) has a stop on it to limit the swivel from pointing forward. If you look at the KK mower on its web site you can see it's standing straight up. This stop or limit allowes the mower to be picked up and keep the motion in one direction. IE with the KK it will allow the mower to move up in the rear (think of the tractor and cutter forming a smile /forums/images/graemlins/smile.gif, but will not let the mower fall below parrellel with the tractor, think if the tractor and mower forming a frown /forums/images/graemlins/confused.gif. I can see why you wouldn't want a frown, picture coming out of a small ditch or depression, if the mower was allowed to move down then it would probably scrape the ground and mow dirt. So in this case the KK would stop the downward travel and the rear wheel would come off the ground for a moment. The BH would probably do the same because the link should be adjusted for this, and whel pulled at the 45 degree angle the mower would not be allowed to fall. I think it's making sense to me...yall??? /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif

Either way reading the manuals brought to my attention there are specific ways the manufactors of these things want you to set up the links. If you read through the manuals you will see this. I've got my printed copies on file now. It did seem that on the KK this "flex" link was NOT an option but part of the standard mower kit. If you go to the KK web site and download the rotary cutter PDF file you can clearly see where they say to attach the flex link and you can clearly see the stop bar on the flex link itself, figure G.

Any better??? /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif

geneP · Nov 2, 2005

I can see why you wouldn't want a frown

Actually, a little frown is not bad. /forums/images/graemlins/crazy.gif I have a Fred Cain brush hog and it was designed like the KK and didn't allow the top link bracket to swing forward. I turned it around as shown in the attachment. Now the front of the mower is suspended on the lower link pins and the movement of the top link bracket allows the tail wheel to follow the contour of the ground within reason. Previously when the front wheels went down the mower would raise, leaving uncut grass.

On your KK mower, moving the "U" shaped bracket to the lower bolt hole and leaving the top bolt out would work well because the sleeve that goes over the bolt and inside the "U" will allow you to tighten the bolt up on the rear support arms.

beenthere · Nov 2, 2005

Getting to the problem, which all is solved easily by fixing the top link connection pinned to the top link, and just adding chains to the braces going to the rear of the deck.

Chains solve the problem and don't create any new problems. /forums/images/graemlins/wink.gif

djradz · Nov 2, 2005

All I can say is that the manufacturers don't always know what is right. In fact, many a designer of these pieces of equipment have never used one. So take that for what it's worth and use or modify it to your liking. fyi, KK didn't even provide a toggle assembly on their first decks back in the late 80s/early 90s.