Transporting Cutter

[G McCall]

Cutter totally off the ground or rear wheel riding (bouncing) on ground when pulling cutter down the road (transporting pasture to pasture) ?

What is the accepted method of transporting a cutter down a rough road ?

I have a 6' Brush Hog cutter with one rear wheel. Is the cutter too heavy to be lifting this cutter off the ground while driving down a country road ?
I am putting too much pressure on the 3 point attachment bars ?
Category II.


I have a Kubota M4700 (front bucket attached) with 6' Brush Hog cutter

 

[RoyJackson]

As long as you've got front weights or a counterbalance (loader) and drive at a reasonable speed, transporting with the cutter off the ground is fine. That's why your 3PH raises, now isn't it? If it gets too bouncy, you're going too fast.

Now, I do prefer to tow the cutter (top link loose or disconnected and the tail wheel taking some of the weight). I don't have to go more then a couple hundred yards though, and it's all off road.
In my case, I'm moving a cutter that weighs about 625 lbs with a tractor that weighs 2200 lbs (and a 700 lb loader). I do get that "tail wagging the dog" effect.

 

[G McCall]

Roy, Thanks for the reply

In my case I am towing about 2 miles down a dirt road that can get rough (sorry County maintenance). I never thought about disconnecting the top link while towing.

That brings up another question. The mower would follow the ground better while mowing, but I don't know if it is advisable.

 

[Soundguy]

I have a 10' 3pt mower on my ford 5000 ( 70hp ).. I let the tail wheels run the road and ground ( 3m aspahalt, 1 mile bad bumpy dirt ).. if I hit a hole.. there is quite a shock load with that big mower in the air.. but then.. it weights about 2000# or more as well.. etc.

soundguy

 

[N80]

I have an L4400. When I haul my 6' mower around for a distance I sometimes shorten the top link a little to get the tail wheel way off the ground.

Disconnecting the top link does not work well on my tractor with my particular mower. Apparently the top link helps keep the front edge of the mower back a certain distance. Without the top link, if I go over a hill or a bump, the front edge of the mower will rise up and scrape the rear tires. Otherwise, it mows and rides well that way.

 

[browns40]

Hey GM,

I always loosen the top link right up to try to keep much of the weight on the tail wheel to avoid the bouncing & shock from transferring to the toplink attachment... maybe it would never break having those forces on it repeatedly... I hope to never find out just how stout that attachment point is though!

Even when moving it around the yard with the bucket & chains, I let the tailwheel take it's share to spare the loader/frame the shocks... I am overly cautious with everything.

If it is a great distance or you are bottoming the cutter out a lot, put the wheel as far down as it will go and raise your lower links.