FRONT MOUNTED BRUSH CUTTER

[ArlyA]

I like it! That would be nice on our trails.

 

[MossRoad]

I like it! That would be nice on our trails.

PT425 w/48" brush cutter.

 

[Shopwright]

Agree nice build
Not to ruin your day but reservoirs transmit very little heat vs a bigger heat exchanger. Adding cooling fins to reservoir will help but that also requires air movement to work. I would suggest taking an infrared heat gun and check various points in your circuit to see if possibly one area is creating more heat than others. I have had hose ends not drilled the right diameter or not drilled clear through. Fittings same thing, etc.

Looking at commercially built equipment such as the Quick Attach 3-point power units, they all use a 25- gallon reservoir and the Tiger boom mower with a 50" cut has a 42-gallon reservoir. Comparatively, my 20-gallon tank is undersized. Right, heat dissipation by a steel tank cannot hold a candle to a good oil cooler, which again I have undersized. Consider that in cold weather, this unit runs at a "normal" temperature which means there must be some useful dissipation going on. I once placed my hand on the township boom mower tank and it was really hot. I'm just a conservative old geezer that worries about hot oil. I will definitely take a heat gun with me next time I use this thing and take a look out of curiosity. Thanks for the comment.

 

[HawkinsHollow]

Wow! Impressive! Some day I wiuld love to have the fabrication skills of some of yuou fellas on here. I would love a front mounted brush cutter.

 

[Shopwright]

A few add-ons since the WHACKSTER was built. It was always difficult to bend over and lower the cast iron pump in position while simultaneously attempting to slide or force it onto the splined shaft and in very tight quarters. The Rube Goldberg winch arrangement makes the job a whole lot easier as I am 82 years old. It also provides a means of storing the pump and the disconnected return line at an elevation above the reservoir to prevent draining.

The other improvement is the fabrication of the bolt-on rear skids which make backing up a lot easier and smoother. Operating the cutter backwards has proven to be an efficient approach to finely mulch trees and vegetation after being knocked down. The capability to "climb" on top of brush or attack vegetation at varying angles is certainly a positive feature of a loader-mounted cutter.

 

[manac]

Nice job!
If overheating is a real problem you might try getting some hydraulic line bent up to replace as many fittings and elbows as you can.
I don’t think there’s an elbow on this Twose.

 

[manac]

This is how the Twose did it.

 

[Renze]

This is how the Twose did it.

Thats not bent pipe, thats a 90 degree hose fitting, of the shelf.

 

[Doug Vee]

A few pictures of the skid-steer-mount hydraulic brush cutter that I built for use with my Massey Ferguson 1754. It is adequately powered by the 3-point mounted hydraulic power unit with a Prince pump driven by the tractor PTO. I also built this attachment, and the reservoir holds 20 gallons (should be bigger) and there is an oil cooler on the unit. I'll admit the tractor is just a bit light for this application, but the WHACKSTER, a name I have given it, has performed incredibly well so long as the tractor centerline stays approximately perpendicular to banks or hillsides being attacked. In addition to taking down small saplings and heavy brush, it has been very useful in mowing banks by backing out with the front loader valve in float position. The blades are double-sided and can operate in either rotation.

I really like your loader mounted brush mower. I have always liked the idea of the mower in front of me, especially so, since my neck and back have become much less flexible to watch the 3 point hitch mounted brush mower behind me.

Great job.
Doug