What would do this to a brush cutter?

[Soundguy]

I agree witht he others.. looks like a toplink lenght / adjustment issue.. or where those arms had to support cutter weight in a bind.

soundguy

 

[Tact]

I've got a Woods 72" and mine bent in the exact locations. I believe mine bent as I was backing my tractor off the trailer and the tail wheel was not lifted high enough when it met the ground, thus putting pressure on the bars and bending them. This is how my cutter is set up depending on how it is used.

 

[texasjohn]

Tact, wouldn't setup as in the "quick hitch" part of your diagram provide, under rear tail pressure, a flexible link that would avoid the bending problem?

Why wouldn't this be the setup to use all the time?

 

[Tact]

Tact, wouldn't setup as in the "quick hitch" part of your diagram provide, under rear tail pressure, a flexible link that would avoid the bending problem?

Why wouldn't this be the setup to use all the time?

It would seem as this would be true and in my situation it still wasn't enough flex to alleviate the bend.

 

[TNhobbyfarmer]

When you have it hooked up, how is the U link positioned?

I have a Rhino cutter with the U-link hook-up. I find that if I leave too much "play", the rear of the cutter will not be picked up high enough in transport, i.e., the tail wheel is still on the ground. I have to take most of the slack out for it to transport porperly.

 

[MFL]

If you cringed enough to remember it when the gear was dropped off, I'd put my money on the delivery guy! I agree with the others that there should be a flexible joint/section somewhere along the length of the struts. On mine it's a 20" section of chain between the solid arm and where it connects at the back of the cutter. It has saved me on several accounts when backing up a rise while cutting or when finding a new boulder sized rock.

If your dealer is taking care of replacing the bent parts, it sounds like you're in good shape. Follow the suggestions on top link adjustment and keep a healthy respect for your gear and the lay of your land and you should be fine.

MFL

 

[SnowRidge]

I have a Rhino cutter with the U-link hook-up. I find that if I leave too much "play", the rear of the cutter will not be picked up high enough in transport, i.e., the tail wheel is still on the ground. I have to take most of the slack out for it to transport porperly.

So do I with my Kodiak. In fact, since I haul with the tractor facing backward and the cutter up on a beam, so that it can hang over the front trailer rail, I have to shorten the top link twice. Once when the cutter is on level ground, and once with it sitting on the trailer ramp. What a pain, and just one of the reasons I am getting a hydraulic top link.

When I am set up to cut with the cutter level supported only by the 3PH lower arms and the tailwheel on flat ground, my top link is normally adjusted to rotate the U link about 20 degrees forward from vertical.

 

[Texas Dodge]

My Continental Bronco cutter has a small chain from those bars to the top link to allow for adjustment.

 

[Texas Dodge]

When I am set up to cut with the cutter level supported only by the 3PH lower arms and the tailwheel on flat ground, my top link is normally adjusted to rotate the U link about 20 degrees forward from vertical.

Yep I have found out that if I adjust my top link so the arms are tilted slightly backwards the cutter follows the contour of the ground better.

 

[ArmsOutWide]

My Continental Bronco cutter has a small chain from those bars to the top link to allow for adjustment

Thanks for the picture on that post ... worth the proverbial 1000 words.

Something I forgot to mention previously: the RC was attached to a quick hitch that the dealer threw in for me. Does that effect how I would set the mower up to prevent a repeat occurance, or are all the fundamentals still the same?