Hydraulic Mowers

[finntom]

I need a very narrow diesel tractor to get between my christmas trees on 4' and 5' centers, the Kubota 7510DTN Narrow appears the only alternative, but it does not come with a mid-mount PTO. I'm investigating the idea of a hydraulic mower, assuming I could fabricate that, does anyone have an opinion on whether this mower's hyraulic systemt could handle such a mower? Any ideas on resolving my need for a heavy-duty (30 hrs/week)narrow tractor/mower combo would be greatly appreciated.

 

[shaley]

How much flow does this tractor produce? 10GPM at 2000psi is about 15Hp hydraulic. That would probably be enough for a 60" finish mower but just barely. You could buy a finish mower and power it with a hyd motor assuming you can get it to mount under the tractor.

 

[RonR]

I'd be nervous using the tractor hydraulics for continuous duty on a hydraulic mower. In my opinion, unless your tractor has a large flow and excellent oil cooling, I'd think the hydraulic oil would heat to an intolerable temperature for the tractor.

I wouldn't want to put my tractor's system at risk, unless someone could assure me that was an acceptable use of the tractor's hydraulics.

It would cost you more money, but you could build a PTO driven hydraulic pump, large reservoir, oil cooling, etc, and not risk your tractor.

My two cents.

Ron

 

[finntom]

Thanks Shaley & Ron - I heard the same basic concerns from a knowledgeable dealer. Can you point me in the direction I would need to take in order to build a seperate hydraulic pump unit off of the PTO? Do you know of anyone that makes such a product? I appreciate all & any help.

 

[JackIL]

You might want to consider the Ventrac 3000 with a Front Mount mower made specifically for the tree farm market. http://www.ventrac.com/PDF/LQ450.pdf

JackIL

 

[Dozernut]

ASVI makes an RC 30 that is 46.5 inches wide and has a front mount hydraulic mower. The tracks would be easier on your trees. A Landowner's Favorite - The RC-30 All Surface Loader. Not what you were asking but would probably work better for you.

 

[BTDT]

Do you already have a tractor? Is it going to be just for mowing between the trees? Would a ZTR mower of some type work, seems like that would be a lot quicker? Nothing in your profile, where are you located?

 

[sandman2234]

I built an 8' mower many years ago, using blades from a Gravely that I bought surplus. They were about 1/2" thick, and 29.5" long. I built some spindles to fit a boat axle hub, and mounted the hub on the deck I built. Bolted the blades to the spindle, added a pulley to run from the mower engine, but later just added a right angle gearbox (1:1 ratio).
(http://www.tractorbynet.com/forums/...ne-but-not-forgotten.html?highlight=forgotten)

When I saw your post looking for a 35" mower, it made me think about those blades, and how I built that mower. Seems you could do the same thing, only on a smaller scale. (One blade instead of three)It really wasn't that hard to do, and would make a good long term mower if you built it right. The hardest part would be getting the spindles made, but if you have a machine shop locally, they can do it in less than an hour with CNC. Add a little longer for manual lathes.
The blades I used were shorter than your requesting, but I considered bolting a sickle bar mower blade to the end of each blade, theoretically extending it about two inches in each direction, if you need that distance. Another way would be to just pick a mower (36" snapper?) with the right distance blade and buy a couple to use. Make the spindles to match the blade and your in business.
Good luck with it, and hollar if I can help.
Might also help if you add your location to your profile so people know what part of the country you are in.
David from jax

 

[sandman2234]

If your really set on hydraulics, find an old Steiner reel mower, or a Ransomes and remove the hydraulic pump and hydraulic motors and cylinder from it. You can power the pump off your tractor and run as many as 3 motors on the deck. Not sure of the speed of the hydraulic motors but I could probably check, or you could just call Steiner and ask them.
The hydraulic pumps are powered by the Steiner's front pto system and produce enough power to run 3 motors, one for each gang of reels.
David from jax

 

[finntom]

Thanks for all the ideas...I'm still investigating tractors. The narrowest thing I've found is the Kubota B7510DTN Narrow at approx 35". I then found some specialized 4x4 European tractors that are even narrower, specifically the Goldoni Base 20 (21 HP, diesel) at approx 31 inches, the Fort Sirio 4x4 at an unbelievable 24" (16HP) and a McCormick G30R (34 inches) approx 30HP. These are all diesel tractors w/PTO, some articulate and the McCormick allows you to swivel the seat so as to have a mower in front of you. It also appears that many smaller mowing decks are available in the European market....I guess the U.S. market doesn't yet demand these smaller machines, it seems that vineyards, berry farms, tree farms, etc might create enough demand that we'll see more of them and perhaps some domestic competition soon.

 

[David_Kb7uns]

Not sure on what exactly your looking for but out here in western Oregon on the christmas tree farms they use the older G series diesel garden tractors. Have a G2160 with the 60 inch deck and know they have a 54 and a 48 rear discharge. The GR2100 is all wheel drive and is the newer model. They may use wider spacing on the farms here and these mowers may not work but have seen alot of the older G1900 mowers with lots of hours on them and still chugging away.
David

 

[KentT]

There are Power-Tracs with front-mounted, hydraulically-driven rough-cut mowers and finish mowers, beginning at 42" wide for the smallest (with skinnier tires they could be narrower)...

Simple, American-made machines that are articulated for maneuverability....

Products

 

[sandman2234]

I just picked up a B6000 Kubota for a friend. It wouldn't fit in his trailer, and I had gone with him to look it over. It was an inch too long for the trailer, with the tailgate, and we didn't have a safe way to fasten the tailgate of the trailer, so we just loaded it up in the truck.
I measured it, and guessing at what the measurements are with the original tires turned inward, I would say it fits your 3' requirements, also has a mid mount pto. Hopefully this one has a rear pto, because it came with a tiller attached, and we can't tell if it has a rear pto or not.
Just thought an older tractor might fit the bill for you.
He paid a grand for it with the tiller.
David from jax