Rotary Cutter Rotary cutter top link connect

[farmer2009]

Really? Has that ever happened? How? I can see a broken or loose lower link letting the cutter get into the tire and bringing it up, but how can catching the cutter on something cause it to flip high up high enough to be a problem? Terry

Exactly my thoughts. I've hit stuff that shook the whole tractor before and never has the tail wheel tried to lift off the ground. Think you would strip the gear box before your scenario came true. And that only on a non stump jump hog.

 

[LD1]

Why replace the bar with a chain? How will that be better....

It allows the tail of the cutter to follow the ground better.

When the tractor starts to nose up a hill, and the cutter is still on flat ground, the tail wheel has to come up. With a chain, it is allowed to. With a rigid setup like most cutters, it is forced to lift the whole cutter and 3PH assembly, usually results in bent braces if they are just flat iron. Good cutters have heavier angle for braces.

The setup you have will allow for some flex, as does swinging toplinks attachments, but not nearly as much as a full chain.

And if you set it up with some slack when flat, it allows the opposite to happen also. When the tractor noses down a hill, or crossing over a ditch, it allows the tailwheel to ride lower rather than being held flat by the straps. The result is a cutter that follows the ground better and results in a more even cut on uneven ground.

IF ground is perfectly flat, there isnt much benefit other than easier loading on a trailer as you dont have to shorten the toplink alot to get the cutter tailwheel to clear when loading. But shorter cutters and lower trailers usually dont have that issue anyway. I have a long 6' cutter and a deckover GN trailer.The tailwheel hits the ground and raises the whole cutter when loading if I dont shorten it. IF I had a lighter duty cutter with just straps, they would be bent in the process.

 

[tman1020]

Do not replace the top support with a chain and do not flip it around it is appropriate in the picture. The way it is the chain offers protection against something forcing it up somewhat. And being solidly attached at the top helps prevent operator injury and avoids the chain being tangled into the PTO shaft.

 

[farmer2009]

Thanks all! I moved the brace down a hole and low and behold there was the top link connect. Don't know why I didn't think of that before. Since II the brace has a chain at the end by the wheel there is no need for a swivel? Here is a pic after I lowered the bar. What has me concerned more now is how the chain is too close to the clutch. It was mentioned earlier that should be covered and I will be looking into that. I can see bad things happening because of this Why replace the bar with a chain? How will that be better....

The thought is in a bad bind the bar could put pressure on the deck and maybe go through it. So full length chain wouldn't have that ridged transition point. You really do need a cover over the clutch but you could make your own with some rubber belting or a thin piece of metal. Think you will find the is more clearance there while mowing than you think. Very seldom will you run your skid plates on the ground. It's a rough cut mower not a finish mower.

 

[Skidrowe18]

Seems to me the bar with a few links of chain would be a better approach than just straight chain. With the chain I would think that you would have more opportunity to wrap around the shaft. But then again what do I know I am the one that started asking

 

[farmer2009]

Here's a picture of my 7' squealer. You can see the top link swivel. It has its limits but they are steep. It has a slot for the bushing and then it also swivels.

 

[TripleR]

Using chains on rotary cutters is nothing new, there have been several threads on using chains in lieu of a toplink or in place of the down braces, here are just a couple:

http://www.tractorbynet.com/forums/attachments/220947-chains-instead-top-link-bush.html

http://www.tractorbynet.com/forums/attachments/26182-toplink-vs-chain-bushhog-attachment.html

http://www.tractorbynet.com/forums/owning-operating/176659-chain-top-link.html

http://www.tractorbynet.com/forums/attachments/220947-chains-instead-top-link-bush.html

 

[SPYDERLK]

Thanks all! I moved the brace down a hole and low and behold there was the top link connect. Don't know why I didn't think of that before. Since II the brace has a chain at the end by the wheel there is no need for a swivel? Here is a pic after I lowered the bar.
View attachment 440078

What has me concerned more now is how the chain is too close to the clutch. It was mentioned earlier that should be covered and I will be looking into that. I can see bad things happening because of this
View attachment 440079

Why replace the bar with a chain? How will that be better....

That chain is to prevent the pto shaft cover spinning. Shorten or remove it as its not neccessary. The plastic cover stops as soon as it encounters even slight resistance.

A chain in place of the brace/bar, while having some advantages, may droop onto the slip clutch. Dont let that happen!
larry

 

[mapper]

Think about it, if the front of the mower deck runs into something solid the back end is go into lift. The top link protects you from the entire deck rotating around the hitch pins. Remember that a hog is probably one of the most dangerous implements that you own, most tractors have enough traction and torque that you may not even notice the deck catch and the only notice you will have is when it hits you or the back of the tractor. This is not some speculation on my part, I read about this some years ago on another forum around about the time I bought my brushhog.
Cutting corners on safety is a really good way to increase your odds of getting injured or killed, I prefer to live a long time and be a major irritant to my kid and best friend to my wife.

 

[TerryR]

Yes, let's do think about it.

Something solid, say a stump or protruding piece of ledge, has to be high enough to contact the front of the mower deck. Depending on how you have the cutter set, that's at least 8" off the ground, more like 10 or 12. If it was shorter it would raise heck with the blades but not do what you are describing. It can't be in the tire tracks or you'd notice long before the cutter hit it. And it has to be low enough it doesn't hit your front axle, any of the undercarriage, or the drawbar. It has to be exactly the right height within pretty narrow limits, and in exactly the right place relative to the path of travel.

Assuming you actually found such an obstacle and missed it with the tires, it is going to hit the front edge of the deck. The pivot point is not your 3-point hitch pins, but the hinge point where the triangular frame that attaches to the 3-point hitch is connected to the cutter deck. The cutter in the OP's photos seems pretty normal - that's 3" or less above the top of the cutter deck. So the force being applied by the solid object has about a 3" lever arm to work with.

The center of gravity of the cutter is about where the gearbox is. It, and the rotating stuff attached to it are much of the heavy stuff, and the deck and other stuff is roughly equally distributed around it. Assuming a 60" cutter, that's at least 30" behind the hinge point. Looking at Bush Hog's lightest cutter, it weights about 500 lb.

So you have 500 lb 30" back, being raised against a 3" lever arm. That means it would take a 5,000 lb force generated by your tractor against the solid object. That's twice what the OP's tractor weighs. You think it would be able to apply that kind of force? I don't.

But assuming it could, I'm pretty sure something, like that puny triangular hitch frame, will break before the cutter is tipped up.

But assuming it didn't. how would that little flat bar help? I flat bar is hardly stronger than a chain in compression. If you had enough force to tip up the cutter that little bar wouldn't help at all.

Sorry, I don't believe there's a real issue here one way or the other.

Terry