Hooking up my rotary cutter ? suggestions?

[flakrat]

Howdy,

I have a 4' Clipper 400 rotary cutter (see attachment) and have some questions about properly connecting it ttractor.

1) Should the metal strip with the chain be slack with the cutter completely lowered or taught?

2) Should the vertical part that the top link connects to be perpendicular to the ground or should it angle toward the tractor (if so, how much)?

What steps should I follow for leveling this thing, something like:
1) park on level ground
2) lower impliment all the way
3) tighten top link until chain gets taught
4) Raise the impliment so that the front is X inches off the ground, adjust top link until deck is level

Does this sound right or completely wrong

 

[beenthere]

1) Slack as that allows the rear of the cutter to follow the ground and not pick up when going over a hump.

2) Not critical where it is. If it was perp to ground, that would give you more slack in the connector mentioned in #1

Steps:
On level ground, adjust the cutter deck to be level, using the lift arm adjustment (usually on the right side).
Adjust the rear wheel height to the mowing height you want.
Adjust the front deck height with the 3pt lift arms to the mowing height you want.

 

[ccsial]

Be sure the chain has enough slack so the mower is not stopping at the end of the chain during normal mowing. The chain won't last long that way.

 

[flakrat]

so what is the purpose of that mechanism with the chain?

I noticed when the original chain snapped (thanks to an old rusty chain and the nice jerky L2800 3ph valve), I drove it back to the barn and after going over a hill, the pto shaft extended far enough to where it had separated into two halves.

 

[ccsial]

The chain has two functions. One is to limit downward travel of the mower so the shaft does not come out it it gets too low.

The main purpose is to allow the rear of the mower to (float) over the terrain and then provide a way of lifting the mower off the ground in full up position.

 

[dillo99]

Regarding the question of how level the mower should be - my bush hog manual states that if cutting very thick grass you may want to have the mower lower in the front and higher in the back. That way the blade only cuts the grass during the front rotation and is swinging feely during the rest of the arc - this gives it more power. A level cut or a cut where the cutter is lower in the rear means that the blade is cutting through the entire rotation which decreases power. I don't think you ever want the rear lower - you should always have the front edge a little lower than the rear edge.

 

[have_blue]

flakrat,


Top link slightly slack at mowing position

Top link tight when the tail wheel is slightly lifted.

Front of deck around 1" lower than rear of deck when in mowing position

 

[flakrat]

Thanks y'all, this is great information for a tractor newbie.

This cutter came with the house / farm that we just bought and doesn't have a user manual, so this info is really helpful.

Thanks, Mike

 

[PBMAX]

hey mike told the folks here are greeeeaaat...!!!

IF you ask, they will answer...

I was wondering if your new chain is the same length as the one it replaced? probably important... Nice stout new chain too... looks good... what no A&M logos yet? figured buy now you'd have sticker there somewaressss... Hey mabye a tag for the hazard traingle bracket while off road....

see ya this weekend...

 

[TheWeis]

Flatrak, hope you don't mind me posting on your thread, but I had a related question:

I tried out my new rear brush cutter last week and although with experimentation, it seemed logical to set the front lower, it didn't seem to have a significant effect. When the tractor drives over the weeds, they get pushed down by the wheels, and then the front of the deck pushes the rest of the weeds down. So, when the blades finally get over the aforementioned weeds, they don't seem to cut them properly, and leave a stumpy chopped looking cut.

This happens more in heavier brush than light. I have the power set at max and the rubber edge at the front of the deck is barely skimming the ground. I did end up hitting some dirt and wood piles that I couldnt see in the field on the first run - do you think the blades got damaged or dulled significantly? There is no abnormal vibration...

Do you think I need to lower the rear wheel? I drive pretty slowly during this, but maybe even that is still too fast.

Any ideas?

Thanks in advance.
Paul