tow behind mower?

[Stonestacker]

Has anybody here built a tow behind mower?
i have got a 1949 farmall cub tractor and i would like to build a tow behind
mower, it is almost impossible to find the belly mower that runs off the pto,
i would like to build a 5 foot mower, and use the 18 hp briggs off my riding
mower to power the 3- 20 inch blades, the cheapest mower i have found
is starting @1500.i know i can build one for around 3 or 4 hundred.
anybody have any ideas? Thanks for any input! Bill

[joatmon]

Here's a link to manufactured pull behind: www.swisherinc.com/t44_trailmower.asp
might be able to get more info from the manuals there also.....

[broncobuilder]

Stonestacker,

You can still buy new mowers from Woods, although it is somewhat pricey. I will attach a link to a page listing the mower for the Cub.

Good Luck,
Russ

http://www.woodsequipment.com/turf_g...ts/60_inch.asp

[Masher Mfg]

I built one from a 6 ft Kubota 3 blade grounds mower ( the one where the tractor is driven backwards and the mower is in front of the operator )

The deck cost $ 100 , it had a bent blade and the resulting cracks in the deck around the spindle. A welded plate and some new bearings did the trick.

The motor is a twin cyl vert shaft 20 HP Kohler from a sears tractor that was purchased for $ 45, it had one broken rod and the other grabbed the crank. A couple of rods, rings and a crank polish did the trick.

The mower deck probably took 150 in parts/materials and the engine took $ 200. So for about $ 500 I got a drag mower.

Be sure to build the drag mower on 4 wheels, this will make the mower iundependant of tractor height. Make the front two wheels castors for steering, the rears are from the rear a Chrysler front drive car. 79 to late 90's chrysler car/mini van used bolt on spindles stubs in the rear, they are great for making things roll.

The hitch is a ball on a 2" sq tube, the hitch is in a clevis on the mow side to allow it to move up and down, there are plates on the sides to allow it to steer the mower. The most time consuming part was looping the belt to make it have over 50% belt wrap on the pullies.

Will search for some pictures.

[Stonestacker]

Hi masher
It would be nice to see some pics if you can find them!
Thanks, Bill.

[vicegrip]

I
the rears are from the rear a Chrysler front drive car. 79 to late 90's chrysler car/mini van used bolt on spindles stubs in the rear, they are great for making things roll.

.

Thanks awffly for this info ....around here we used to use stubs off some American Motors cars .....can't remember which models ....they're all long gone anyway!

Short of crawling thru a parking-lot ...I was wondering what modern cars may have stub axels!

I have this nagging Brain-fart of making a rolling shop that has sides and a roof but no floor !

the walls have secured everything bench /cabinetes ...etc.
All like "at-Sea" nothing loose !

formed as a split trailer.....nudge one half to one side a tad , then back-up till she swings open about 90 degrees then a chinese-fan type skelatal awning would form the roof between .....

advantages !!
1. work at ground level
2. fits my gypsey lifestyle
3. fits my neihborhood , no door to jimmy / pry / burn / or explood open (meaning whatever is inside remanes Mine!)
4. no building codes to follow .....
5. park it into the wind for outdoor repairs in brisk weather!

I saw a huge forge shop once in a giant TeePee !
natural chimney ambeiant lighting from everywhere no glare !!
how ingenious ......my United-Nations neihbors would all make quick-work of that idea
so the split-trailer with a translusent cloth ceiling comes to mind !

I'll be dead before life will allow me the extravagance of building my dream-shop
so if some-one else can do it .....send me pics and I can rest in peace!

Phil

[Masher Mfg]

Lets see if the pics show up.

What I did was build a pivoting square ( pivot just ahead of the rear wheels ) that has all thread adjusters at the front of the deck.

If you do build one, make sure you use castor wheels with good bearings, the ones I used had stamped steel bearings and they soon fell apart ( the wheels can get stuck in the grass while turning causing much side loiad on the bearings ) I ended up pressing in regular ball bearings.

Also make sure the hitch has support on the sides where the pivot pin is, this allows you to steer and not wear the pin out.

[Masher Mfg]

Hey that worked, BTW the tractor is a International Cub Cadet from 1963 or so. It was the first model built when IH got in to the small tractor biz.

[whateg0]

Also make sure the hitch has support on the sides where the pivot pin is, this allows you to steer and not wear the pin out.

Or you can spread the pivot out a bit to reduce the amount of leverage the mower has on it.


Oh, and can you make the pics a little narrower? It makes the text run off the right side of the screen and then you have to scroll vertically and horizonally to read it all. Thanks. Maybe like this...





Dave

[Masher Mfg]

The pics were left wide to show detail. Besides, I cropped them a bunch even to get them that small.

The A frame pivot would work but might reduce turning radius of the tractor. Most garden tractors have the hitch mount ~ 8" rearward from the axle center line rather than beyond the tires as with a car, turn too tightly and the tounge will rub the tire. If the tounge is made longer the whole mess takes more room to turn. Also the A frame increases weight over a single tounge.

The last reason is eventually I will weld a hitch receiver to the deck to allow on the road towing. It would work by unpinning the pivot then sliding the tongue in the receiver then lifting /jacking the tongue to car trailer hitch height. This gets the front not highway wheels off the ground. ( the rear wheels/tirea are car items )

Here is the clevis system.



Here is the mow/tow mode

[whateg0]

So, why not just add another removable pin where the green dot is for towing?



Dave

[Masher Mfg]

Yea, that would work, perhaps on Version 2.

[Mith]

Hi,
I built this tow behind mower for my tractor, cuts just under 5 foot with a 10HP engine.
I just built a steel box frame and bolted all the bits on. I use it for weeds and small trees so I just put skids down the sides, but if you put wheels it would work fine for lawns.
There is a bit of threaded rod front and rear that you turn to adjust the cutting height.

[whateg0]

Mith,

That's a nice looking rig. I like the idea of skids. I often see mowers with casters and the casters get stuck in less than hard ground.

Are those duals on the lawn tractor???

Dave

[Mith]

Thanks Dave.

I figured that casters would get destroyed in pretty short order, those skids are 1/4" plate, they aren't very soft on the ground however.
I use it for chewing up those annoying little trees that grow up, too small for the chainsaw, but too big for a normal mower, clearly it mows grass too.
It'll eat up to about 2"


Yes, those are duals, the difference in the performance is like night and day with those on.

Cheers