rear wheel on bush hog

BillG_in_TX · Jun 21, 2004

Freds,

Here is a discussion thread about the KK tail wheel problem. As stated, after loosening and greasing, the RC (rotary cutter) wheel now turns freely.

Oh yeah, I always mow with the wheel on the ground.

tough451 · Jun 21, 2004

I always run with the wheel on the ground it's safer and causes less turf damage. You may have to adjust the rear wheel height to get a good level cut. Remeber the rear wheel on the ground may keep the tractor from bouncing on the tractors without fels. /forums/images/graemlins/cool.gif

Freds · Jun 21, 2004

Thanks for the link, Bill. I wish someone would have posted that when I asked and still had my KK /forums/images/graemlins/frown.gif
I remember everything turned by hand freely, so I'm not sure if more grease and loosening nuts would have helped.

The owner's manual says to set the height you want to cut at on level ground and then adjust the tailwheel so it touches the ground. OK, it isn't hovering, but it isn't supporting any weight either and I would imagine hits the ground more and also rises above depending on the contour. Maybe the dealer was in error and maybe not. As I stated it works for me. I'm getting a good close cut without scalping and when the wheel does brush the ground it doesn't bind or skid like the old KK.

Kubota Steve, I don't run my BH with the runners on the ground so turning has never had them dig in. Not to change the thread, but are they supposed to touch the ground?

Beenthere, Bush Hog does make rotary cutters. They also make a lot of other implements and a nice looking zero turn mower. Your point being? I have not been on this forum for ages, but when I see other people referring to brush hogs as bush hogs and BHs I thought I could, too. As a matter of fact it was just brought up in another thread with the inclusion of the proper "rotary cutter". If we were talking about backhoes then I would imagine most folks would know what it stood for in that text.

( Remeber the rear wheel on the ground may keep the tractor from bouncing on the tractors without fels )

How? there is still give in the 3pt for it to raise irregardless of where the wheel is. Unless the 3pt was fully raised with the tailwheel on the ground /forums/images/graemlins/smirk.gif

Anyway, I only stated what I was told by the dealer that sold me my Rhino BH (brush hog). With everyone else suggesting the wheel be on the ground enough to actually support weight I may do a little experimenting and see if I notice a difference in the cut I get and the lack of marks I leave. He stated that the wheel was only there for anti-scalp purposes and with all the problems I had with the old KK it made perfect sense at the time.
He is the brother of the dealer I got my tractor from so maybe I'll give them a call and see if it's a family philosophy.

dixiedrifter · Jun 22, 2004

I have a Howse 10 footer heavy duty semi-mount. The tail wheels are supposed to drag on the ground and most of the time I don't even have the top link installed.

Let the tail wheel down and have it carry the back end of the bush hog. Just be sure to give it a good greasing every so often and you should be good to go.

Letting the rear wheel "hover" puts added strain on your 3 point hitch system and can reduce the front end weight of the tractor causing loss of traction and steering.

Freds · Jun 22, 2004

Well I just got off the phone with the dealer that sold me my Rhino brush hog. He said that under no circumstance is the rear wheel supposed to be supporting any weight other than when you hit a bump and it stops the "chopper", as he calls it, from driving into the ground. He said he was told the same thing at Bush Hog service school (the brand he sold when with the family business).
He went on to say how common sense would tell you that the bearings in the wheel aren't supposed to support any weight and that when working with his brothers they were selling bearings and even runners every season to the same people. "If you can travel down the road or into a field with the "chopper" up then why couldn't the 3pt support it when in use?"

I'm only relaying what he just told me. Popular belief is to obviously have it resting on the ground. His belief is to have it barely touching the ground when the BH is set at cutting height so sometimes it is in the air and sometimes it is on the ground supporting a little weight. Depending on terrain. Maybe the amount of use the implement sees has something to do with this also.

As in anything... go with what works for you.

Henro · Jun 22, 2004

He said that under no circumstance is the rear wheel supposed to be supporting any weight 

This doesn't sound right to me at all. I would ask him how that could be possible when my top link is attached to a hinged section, and the manual for my Woods BB60 Rotary cutters shows how to set the top link in the mid point of the swing of this hinged piece, so the mower has range of travel to follow the ground. And it can only do this if the rear wheel is on the ground...

You dealer isn't WalMart, is it??? /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif /forums/images/graemlins/blush.gif

All joking aside, I would call the mower manufacturer (or read the manual like Bird suggested) and see what the recommendations are. When all else fails, following the recommendations of the equipment maker is the way to go.

soarkrebel · Jun 22, 2004

Well my "chopper" came with instructions and it states that the rear wheel controls rear cutter height. now if it wasnt supposed to touch the ground how would it really control that height?

And my woods bb60 doesnt have anything about bearings in the illustrated parts list for the rear wheel . it shows a sleeve or as i see it a bushing.

i probably would have had some .................uhhh things to say to him! /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif

Freds · Jun 22, 2004

Good point, Henro. The way he told me to set it up it doesn't float.
After reading further into the owner's manual it does say that the wheel should be resting on the ground when adjusting deck pitch, but it doesn't say how much of the weight it should be supporting. That might be hard to judge anyway.
Heck, I don't know. The manual also says to raise the deck 2-4" when making a turn. Who does that?
Maybe the guy was getting rid of cycled coffee when attending Bush Hog's service school and missed a critical phrase.

....and he's more exclusive than Walmart... he's Sam's Club /forums/images/graemlins/laugh.gif

Bird · Jun 22, 2004

( The manual also says to raise the deck 2-4" when making a turn. Who does that?
)

Now that does make sense, even sounds like a good idea, but . . . I never did it; just spun it around, even when I was making square corners by turning 270 degrees. And I never wore out any wheels or bearings, but I did grease both the zerk for the wheel and the one for its spindle every time I used it.

AndyMA · Jun 22, 2004

I have always run with the front edge of my Bush Hogs slightly lower than the rear edge and the rear wheel carrying full weight and setting the cutting height. I went to the Bush Hog site and looked up a manual for the Squealer series of Bush Hogs and what I found agrees with what I have been doing. I've attached the page of the manual in question for reference.

Andy