Why am I destroying tail wheel forks?????

[BeezFun]

I put my hydraulic top link in float mode when I'm mowing. That allows the tail to move up and down as much as it needs to. When I'm transporting, I lift the tail wheel with the top link.

 

[Gord Baker]

OK.....I'm doing something wrong.....way wrong.....and about to install my 3rd tail wheel fork on a 6' Bush Hog BH6 that's almost 3 yrs old. I figured the first one was due to the hydraulic top link failing, leaking down before I noticed, and i was just loading it up too much. But most of last season, I used the standard top link and this failure/damage happened after switching so that's not issue.

As far as I know, I'm not turning and smacking it into a tree, fencepost, some hard object. I have some hills, dips, ruts, and will occasionally dig a front corner into the dirt, but nothing so bad it should be loading up the tail wheel, but all I can think is a small ditch-like area I go over must do it.

I set to cut pretty short - about as high as a typical homeowner riding mower would cut at it's highest setting - 4.5" maybe?. At least i think that's short for a bush hog. On flat level ground the front of the frame (closest to PTO) is about 3" high. I adjust toplink so the back end (tailwheel end) is about 5-6" high. I think I'm doing that right - the rear slightly higher than the front. So maybe I'm overall just too low (I want about a finish mower height, but need something that can stand up to the occasional baseball-sized rock my land likes to just magically sprout). Maybe I need more of an angle and should have the back end more than just a couple inches higher? Not sure....I thought it was just supposed to be a couple inches higher to make it want to discharge rearward vs any random direction.

Anyway for standard cutting on fairly even ground the tailwheel doesn't touch the ground. Only inclines, ruts, hills, etc. I never really notice it loading up on the tailwheel, just that sometimes it does what it should and keeps the back end from dragging on uneven ground.

You are expecting Finishing Mower height from a Bush Hog. It should be 5-6" off level ground .
Carry most of the weight with the 3PH. Tail Wheel off the ground most times.

 

[jfh0jfh]

Same problem here w/ 5-year-old Land Pride medium-duty 6' I'm on my 2nd one and the fork needs replacing again. I think

1. Cheaper materials - thinner and lower-grade steel
2. When I back into multiflora or other brush, I'm hitting obstructions I don't see/ feel.

The tailwheel fork on my previous unit lasted 20+ years - and I bought it used.

I bought mid-1990s a 7' SQ-84 twin gear-box Bush Hog w/ a > 1' offset. I used it for ponds, fence-rows. A friend bought one on my reccomendation ~2015. He broke welds and joints 1st season. We put his and mine side-by-side. His was noticeably thnner and less well-made.

 

[TGD]

We always used a chain for the top link and no issues.

 

[Diwali]

My 5ft brush cutter never had a tail wheel from new. It has substantial runners on either side and runs quite happily even on rough ground. It is 6 years old and still going strong cutting mostly hay but occasionally gorse bushes and reed beds.

 

[CMV]

So I fixed it after work today and got to looking at it & just don't see how to use a chain in place of toplink????? How do you adjust the front-to-back angle? Or do you run the toplink in and just use a section of chain from it to the bush hog? Almost seems like you'd have to jack up the rear to attach/disconnect the bush hog or else have such a long chain it isn't doing anything except keeping the rear of BH from dropping like if you backed over a drop-off or something, but on level ground it would be slack? Feel dense, but couldn't picture how it works.'

Also I have top & bottom holes where the toplink attaches to tractor. I had the non-working hydraulic toplink in top hole tied up and the standard one in the bottom hole. Could that have been part of problem too having toplink attached at lower hole? I removed the hyd one tonight & put the regular one back up top.

 

[Redlands Okie]

The chains usually have nothing to do with the top link when I have seen them used. Look at post number 6 and you will see where chains are used. Chains used in this configuration allows the deck to pivot up a LOT. But your still able to lift the deck up and tilt it up if you wish.

 

[CMV]

Those pics are the yoke replaced with chains, not the toplink replaced with a chain. Am I misunderstanding?

 

[WranglerX]

Huge misconception here on what top link is....Top link is from tractor to top of vertical part (bars) of cutter.... It is 3rd connection of 3PH, not part of implement (in this case cutter) ...... Chain goes from top of vertical part of cutter to rear near tail wheel.. As shown in post#6... ON some cutters the part you should change out for chains may be called a "Stiff Arm" (name might be brand specific) ....

These would be bars you change out for chains....

 

[dirttoys]

So I fixed it after work today and got to looking at it & just don't see how to use a chain in place of toplink????? How do you adjust the front-to-back angle? Or do you run the toplink in and just use a section of chain from it to the bush hog? Almost seems like you'd have to jack up the rear to attach/disconnect the bush hog or else have such a long chain it isn't doing anything except keeping the rear of BH from dropping like if you backed over a drop-off or something, but on level ground it would be slack? Feel dense, but couldn't picture how it works.'

Also I have top & bottom holes where the toplink attaches to tractor. I had the non-working hydraulic toplink in top hole tied up and the standard one in the bottom hole. Could that have been part of problem too having toplink attached at lower hole? I removed the hyd one tonight & put the regular one back up top.

Good question, make a chain the length of the top link (including a clevis at each end). Replace top link with chain. Attaching the shredder will be the same as with a fixed top link. The chain will raise the shredder when you lift the 3 point, but, not put any down pressure on the tail wheel when it bottoms out (the chain will go limp).

Yes, having two top links could have contributed to the bind, depending on how the uncoupled one hangs when not in use.

Best,

ed