Rotary Cutter Idle Question: Are there strong advantages / disadvantages to varied heights of 3PH lower mounts on Brush Hogs / Rotary Mowers?

[MDchanic]

As above.

I was given a functional but "rough" brush hog (neighbor bought a "restored" 9N with this attached, moved away, gave 'em to me), which I'm using with my 1990-ish Japanese Case diesel 3cyl 4WD to mow the former neighbor's pastures, where we graze our horses.

Could barely lift the mower off the ground with the 3-Point Hitch, height adjustment lever was in the top 90% of its travel.
Measured, found 3PH lift range was about 7" to about 28", the lower frame bolts on the mower were about 9" from the ground.
I have just drilled out two 3/4" holes to 7/8" and installed a second pair of Category 1 pins where the lower frame bolts were, and I can now lift the deck much higher, and the height adjustment lever is mid-range. I also believe it will be better able to follow the contours of the ground with the attaching points lower, using a chain in place of a top link (I have read extensive discussion of this in several places, including here, so please, let's not beat that dead horse any more).

Checking photos of 3PH rotary mowers on-line shows a remarkable variety of lower mount attachment points.
My question: Is there any rhyme or reason to this? Are some mowers made with lower attachment points, and others with higher points, for a specific reason, or are their designers just in a certain mood?

Bonus question: Can anyone tell me who made my rotary cutter? (Hint: The letters "International" were applied for no clear reason by the aforementioned "restorer.")

Photo 1 shows a number of photos from the net, with lower mounts indicated by yellow arrows.
Photo 2 shows my own machine, with original mount points indicated by yellow arrows, new points by blue arrows.

Thanks,

– Eric

 

[oldnslo]

I suspect part of the difference is based on cutter size since higher HP tractor will probably have larger diameter tires and potentially greater 3 point travel than my 24 HP CUT.

Some 3 point draft control requires the arms be lowered x amount before the draft control will work. Not sure but it might be the same for positioning control also.

 

[bigtiller]

As above.
My question: Is there any rhyme or reason to this? Are some mowers made with lower attachment points, and others with higher points, for a specific reason, or are their designers just in a certain mood?

Bonus question: Can anyone tell me who made my rotary cutter? (Hint: The letters "International" were applied for no clear reason by the aforementioned "restorer.")



– Eric

My Frontier has both attachment points. The lower holes were best for my jd 2720 and the upper holes were best for my jd 3039R.

 

[MDchanic]

My Frontier has both attachment points. The lower holes were best for my jd 2720 and the upper holes were best for my jd 3039R.

Interesting. Makes sense. I hadn't noticed more than one mounting point in any of the others I'd seen.

"Seems to me" that the mower would follow the ground better with a lower pivot, but that could just be an illusion.

Thanks.

– Eric

 

[kamesama980]

Probably mainly for the convenience of lift arm height.

I was using my newer, bigger, more powerful tractor with my newer larger 'hog the other day and noticed if the hog was low and dug in, it'd pivot up lifting the rear of the hog. Didn't happen using the smaller hog on my smaller tractor, I haven't checked the height of the pins but it does have 11 less hp and weighs considerably less so it's more apt to stop if the hog digs into the dirt rather than flipping like the big tractor. I run a chain or no top link.

 

[MDchanic]

Interesting. Your large tractor doesn't have automatic depth control, does it?
I used this mower on a Ford 9N for a while, when my neighbor owned them, and depending on what the deck hit, the hitch would raise or lower it outside of the range it needed to be in, because it was designed to pull a plow, and lift up if the plow got too deep and therefore pulled too hard, or drop down if the plow got too shallow, and therefore pulled less.
Your deck snagging and then lifting up sounds like the same thing, but if you are using a chain as a top link, I'm not sure whether the depth control would be active.

I haven't gotten a chance to cut more than a few hundred feet with the lower mounting holes yet, as it's been wet whenever I've had time, and I've been working on the 9N trying to undo the dumb stuff that the last idiot who worked on it (who wasn't me!) did.

Thanks for responding!

– Eric