gauge wheel / wheel ?

Wingnut · Jul 18, 2001

ok ... I know we've talked, in the past, about some brushhogs having wheels on the front ... but have we discussed adding wheels to decks that don't have them?
I have a King Kutter rotary mower that works great for me (other than going through shear bolts when I brushing too fast) except for one annoyance. The skidplates on front spend more time playing submarine than skidding. I think that I'll have to do one of two things to make this more fun - weld on wider skids or bolt/weld on wheels/casters.
Has anyone done this and, if so, can you recommend a source for said wheels/casters?

too bad that common sense ain't

Knight9 · Jul 19, 2001

Wingnut,

I too have a King Kutter rotary cutter with the "skids" on the sides. They do dig in the ground when the ground is out of level. At first I found it very irritating, but now I have pretty much talked myself into believing that it is just helping me to level out the ground /w3tcompact/icons/wink.gif. Seriously, I have been thinking about the wheels/rollers too, but considering the heavy duty rear wheel (laminated rubber)....I think front wheels would have to be as large. Would that even be feasible???

Kevin

Wingnut · Jul 19, 2001

my thought is that anything that'll help it ride over the ground (a-la anti-scalping wheels on the lawn tractor deck) just has to help, Kevin.
The 3710 pulls this 60" deck so easily that I never even notice I'm scalping ... or gouging until I come around again.
Fortunately it's just pasture ... but still darned annoying. I was first thinking of just welding a wider skid on each side ... but with all the talk about gauge wheels ... I thought maybe ... and besides, customization is fun!

too bad that common sense ain't

Anonymous Poster · Jul 20, 2001

I added wheels to my 5' King Kutter. Went to the local used equipment dealer and scrounged some brackets and wheels off of a finish mower. I'm not very happy with the results though. The front wheels now seem to get "hung up" in any kind of light brush. By hung I mean that the brush gets in the wheel/caster and then they won't pivot right, so you end up dragging the affected wheel sideways until you clear them. Have you thought about using chain stays instead? I went and got a set, but haven't reconfigured for them yet. Don't know if they'll work better or not, old timer down the road swears by them.

DDT · Jul 20, 2001

I have had the same thought for front casters. A set of rear wheels off of a old side rack would work good. there large enough to roll over trash and will support the weight of the front of the mower. They swivel as well, just have to make sure you have enough room bewteen mower and tractor.
DDT

ric · Jul 24, 2001

Front wheels on a bush hog never seemed to be a very good idea primarily because they dig on rough terrain just like the front wheels on a finish mower will dig in on rough terrain. There's a chain kit available that attaches to the top link mount on the tractor and the 3pt mounts on the bush hog that prevents the front of the bush hog from digging in on uneven terrain. I have used this successully on 5ft and 6ft King Kutters. I got this at Tractor Supply several years ago. I think the current cost is about $20 and takes about 30 minutes to install and set.