Reclaiming Long Abandoned Rotary Cutters.

[4570Man]

Your tractor will stall before it hurts anything. And I don’t think you’d have any trouble using a 72” finish mower with it. But don’t you have MMM? I’ve done a lot of work with a 60” mower behind a B7200.

 

[Diggin It]

Can you post a picture of the drive pulley on the yellow one? The supports for the wheels and the three-point hitch assembly looks exactly like the one on a Walco-Douglas mower that I used to have.

Yeah, but it might be a day or two. I've found web pictures of several that are very similar, but all are different in one way or another. This one has two yellow belt covers, while all the pictures I've found have a single black one, or a differently shaped white one. This one is a left side discharge and all of the pictures show a right side or rear discharge. The gear box on this one is towards the rear, but front facing while the pictures show the gearbox more forward and with different mounts.

But don’t you have MMM?

Yeah, which is why I don't really need these. There are places I might be able to use one, but not large areas. I'm hoping to trade one for a 48-60" rotary cutter.

 

[Diggin It]

I went ahead and grabbed some quick shots of the tops of them. Can't get to the bottoms for a few days. I'll lift them with the FEL against a tree and secure them to check the blades.


Gray and Red and two belt systems with bi-level pulleys on the gearbox and front spindle going to staggered pulleys on the outer spindles. Belt tension is adjusted by moving the gearbox forward or back.

Lots of leaves falling right now cluttering up everything.

 

[Diggin It]

Yellow is a single belt around the gearbox pulley, two stationary idlers, one adjustable idler for belt tension and the three spindle pulleys. Damaged spindle is noted with the red arrow and of course is the hardest one to access!

 

[cglaser104]

Are these all 72" mowers?

 

[Diggin It]

Yellow and gray are 72" (6'), red is 84" (7')

 

[cglaser104]

Your LS is virtually the same as my MF GC machine. It's a shame but all those 72" mowers are probably just a bit too large for running in thick/heavy grass and the 84" is just too much mower. At the very least some cleanup and maintenance should get you good value on trade or sale

 

[aczlan]

Yellow has the same pulleys on the spindles on the Walco (I had some that shattered and put new ones on from Surplus Center), but it tightened by moving the gearbox and dint have any idlers, it had 4 bolts to hold it down and one big one in back to keep it tight when you loosened the other ones.
I will look and see if I can find my pictures of it.

Aaron Z

 

[Diggin It]

Made a few phone calls and it seems to have been made by Rhino as a third party maker for a farm equipment distributor that no longer sells them. Got ahold of one of those older guys that's been around for a while and remembers them. This looks like the same cutter in the standard orange instead of the distributor spec'd yellow that I have:

Used Construction, Farm, Fleet, and Government Equipment For Sale | Auctions | Purple Wave


Think I know why the blade was welded on now .... guy wants $350 for the spindle assembly.

Might look into grinding the weld off and drilling/tapping the spindle shaft. Or some other option unless I can find one for less.

 

[Diggin It]

Believe I've identified grey to be identical to the Northern Tool NorTrac 3-Pt. PTO Finish Mower — 72in. Cutting Width Item# 51488 currently selling new for $1400+. Might be selling under a couple fo other brand names also.