Guage Wheels on a Bush Hog

SPYDERLK · Sep 19, 2009

brin said:
I know the kind of bush hogging I do caster wheels would get ripped off after about an hour or so but that is just me..you might want to check all of your adjustments...top link, lift arms and bush hog rear wheel adj. before going to caster wheels. There are old style pull behind bush hogs with wheels and they are more like trailer tires than casters - even finishing mowers have wheels stouter than casters..Just my opinion.

Yeah, add some good contoured skid area to the front part of the skirts. Best you can do if you want to keep the system robust.
larry

GPintheMitten · Sep 27, 2009

I would be concerned about casters getting loose from vibrations and debris hitting them. If it works loose, it will tear into the ground like the corners of the hog. Also, if it ever tears completely off, it will get chewed up by the blades.

I had pretty good luck in the past by adjusting the trailing wheel followed by using chains on the 3 point to control the drop on the front. Sorry no pics, that was a long time ago on a Ford 2N. Don't have it now.

Oldmax · Oct 1, 2009

If you adjust the sway Chains on the hitch good and tight it will stop a lot of the scalping & diging in when making a turn.

Ken45101 · Oct 1, 2009

Oldmax said:
If you adjust the sway Chains on the hitch good and tight it will stop a lot of the scalping & diging in when making a turn.

I don't think so. I don't have sway chains, I have solid links with pin holes. I don't allow any sway but a 3pt mower still digs in on many turns. Actually I think there would be less gouging if the sway chains were left loose and the mower allowed to follow the turn rather than being swung around by a rigid 3pt hitch.

On rolling terrain, I don't think there is any way to avoid digging in on turns with a 3pt hitch unless you are cutting pretty high. A tow behind mower does better that way. It won't dig in but it will scalp on high points between the drawbar and the wheels.