rear wheel for brush hog

[soulasphil]

i usually run the front (with the lift arms) lower to the ground than the rear. the rear height is adjusted w/ the wheel.

From what I can see on the pictures posted here, you seem to use rigid rods to support the back of the mower and not chains as we do here. We use the length of the chains to adjust rear hight and also to offset the implement. I can quite see how a rigid support of the rear would be an issue at the bottom of a slope. Hence the necessity to float the 3 pt and support the rear with wheels. I still don't understand the point of front wheels though.

 

[defed]

how do you run the cutter w/ chains? do you always ride it setting on the side rails, and then slack in the chains? i never run mine w/ the sides touching the ground...so w/ rigid supports and no wheel, it was never very smooth.

as far as front wheels...my finish mower rides on 4 wheels, floating 3pt, and a chain to the rear for lifting. it rides very well, and at one time, wanted to add the same stuff to the brush hog. i wouldn't add fixed front wheels though, as this seems like a bad idea on a 3pt cutter.

 

[sal64]

there only antiscalping weels they are set 3 inches under deck .

 

[defed]

there only antiscalping weels they are set 3 inches under deck .

ah, i see. not a bad idea. even w/ the flex link, i still bottomed out the front with sharp grade changes.

 

[soulasphil]

how do you run the cutter w/ chains? do you always ride it setting on the side rails, and then slack in the chains?

Nothing of the kind. The length of the chains is adjusted to keep the deck horizontal and a few inches above the ground as you can see in the pictures. It is important to keep it in the air (and use front weights) to be able to steer the tractor easily. The chains carry the weight of the back of the cutter, so no slack. The side rails only touch the ground when a tractor wheel is in a hole or when the slope changes abruptly, and then the chains allow the rear to come up as much as is needed. The cleverly designed pin heads on the Deere give some flexibility to the front, which was not the case on my Massey 35. Nothing like a finishing mower but the results are quite good.

 

[defed]

Nothing of the kind. The length of the chains is adjusted to keep the deck horizontal and a few inches above the ground as you can see in the pictures. It is important to keep it in the air (and use front weights) to be able to steer the tractor easily. The chains carry the weight of the back of the cutter, so no slack. The side rails only touch the ground when a tractor wheel is in a hole or when the slope changes abruptly, and then the chains allow the rear to come up as much as is needed. The cleverly designed pin heads on the Deere give some flexibility to the front, which was not the case on my Massey 35. Nothing like a finishing mower but the results are quite good.

looks pretty good for a 'rough cut' mower!

 

[Wayne801]

I have two brush hogs with single crazy wheel behind. They are very strong and I have never had any problem with them.

 

[maps]

Looks like you are well on your way to rehabing your cutter. Congrats. Just wanted to share that while the single wheel config is very stout and pretty forgiving, I still managed to bend one up pretty well on a JD MX6. Backing into trees, stumps, and rocks didn't hurt much but the unseen groundhog hole was another story...just looked like a thick bunch of grass from the tractor seat! Anyway, the wheel dropped into the hole and lodged 90 degrees from normal travel. Before I could jump on the clutch the pickle-fork holding the tail wheel took a pretty good lateral shot. I still used the cutter the rest of the season with the wheel following a good 15 degrees off verticle. Unfortunately, I didn't have adequate shop tools to attempt to straighten the fork so I ended up buying a new one. Now if I can just avoid the next groundhog hole...