Boom type bank mower

GuglioLS · Apr 6, 2005

I was thinking a little more about your cool mower and I it's important to note and highlight the brilliant use of the 2 cycle engine. Because of the extreme angles of operation a 4 stroker would not last long due to poor lubrication. You are a wise grasschopper.

Densleigh · Apr 6, 2005

Hi there,

A great piece of kit I am on the same sort of project but with Reel mowers / flail head so we can cut either grass or hedges.

Just a point though do you have any means of releasing the arm if you are caught up on a pole or other obstacle?
With this type of side arm most if not all commercial machines have some sort of sheer device (a pin or hydraulic pressure relief) - It could bend quite a few bits of steel if you do get caught.

From another aspect it would be good if you could control motor from tractor for emergencies - cut off switch maybe.

A really neat solution,albeit expensive compared to your costs so far would be to run as a full hydraulic motor setup from tractor - save having two enfgines burning fuel.

Interested to hear your thoughts - but still a really neat bit of work

Bob_Skurka · Apr 6, 2005

WOW I missed this thread when it popped up. I have to make one of those things! Actually more correctly, my neighbor has to weld up one of those things for me as that is well beyond my welding and engineering abilities! I have an old John Deere mower that hasn't been used in a couple seasons, it works great, but we just don't use it. I've actually tried to give it away. Now I have a use for it.

Ron, you have a great idea and one that many of us can use. THANKS.

frank_f15 · Apr 6, 2005

That is just to SMART: /forums/images/graemlins/smile.gif Very nice job, i can use something like that along my 600ft of ditches, i often dreamed of something like that when every fall i see the town come thr with their big one to clean the road sides of shrubs and undergrowth.

Dachshund · Apr 7, 2005

Man! your town sure is nicer than my county! They come through and if they find a cedar tree (or anything) they cut it and THROW IT ON THE FENCE!

LBrown59 · Apr 7, 2005

( That is just to SMART: /forums/images/graemlins/smile.gif Very nice job, i can use something like that along my 600ft of ditches, i often dreamed of something like that when every fall i see the town come thr with their big one to clean the road sides of shrubs and undergrowth. ) I have 3 ditches and 2 banks i could use it on.

LBrown59 · Apr 7, 2005

( That is just to SMART: /forums/images/graemlins/smile.gif Very nice job, i can use something like that along my 600ft of ditches, i often dreamed of something like that when every fall i see the town come thr with their big one to clean the road sides of shrubs and undergrowth. )
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http://www.tractorbynet.com/forums/download.php?Number=622202

Several years ago the state had something like this mounted to a road grader instead of a tractor. They only used it one time on my St. Rt highway and I never saw it again anywhere.
It was wicked and threw pices of the cuttings clear into the side of my house which is about 100 feet from the road.
That is probably why they never used it again- to dangerous and damaging.

Have you ever seen the giant machine that has a long arm with about seven 16 to 24 inch circular saw blades attached to it.
This thing will reach tree limbs that are above the wires on electric poles.
This is what the state used a few years back to trim trees and brush along my road. Quite a monster machine.
My Elect. Co. uses a same type set up except the arm with the saws hangs down from the bottom of a helicopter.
They use it for trimming trees along their right of ways.

BUDGET HOMES CO.

notamustang · Apr 8, 2005

GuglioLS brought up a good point about the motor. I personally never would have thought about it. I was looking at surplus center and they have some 2 stroke motors. I do not recall ever seeing a two stroke lawn mower /forums/images/graemlins/confused.gif But there are a lot of things I dont recall anymore /forums/images/graemlins/crazy.gif

rsatter22 · Apr 8, 2005

Lawn Boy made a good profit selling two-strokes on push mowers for a long time.

LBrown59 · Apr 8, 2005

( I do not recall ever seeing a two stroke lawn mower : )
***********
Ever hear of
Power Products?

notamustang · Apr 8, 2005

Ever hear of Power Products? 

No I dont think so.
Never recalled seeing a two stroke mower. Nothing that large comes to mind. Nothing with wheels I guess is a better way to put it.

LBrown59 · Apr 9, 2005

A few years before I got married in 1964 My dad had bought a new Power Products push mower with the POWER PRODUCTS 2 CYCLE ENGINE ON IT.
He gave the mower to me right after I was married.
I used it here for several years till the deck wore out and rusted through.
A friend gave me a Toro aluminum deck that I installed the Power Products engine on and used it for several more years before the Power Products engine gave up the ghosts. It was one tough powerful little motor.
The Toro aluminum decks can't be beat It's now on its third engine.

johndeere2210 · Apr 10, 2005

Densleigh, sorry it took so long to answer your post. Concerning the break-away feature you spoke of, this mower does not have any. The boom arm and pivots are strong enough to pivot the front of the tractor if an object is encountered. This was not intended to be a high speed machine, so the likely hood of damage is minimal. There is a remote kill switch on the motor for emergency shut down. The reason I didn't use hydraulics for the power is that I was wanting a machine that could be used on virtually any tractor with a catI hitch and one remote.

I used the mower for about four hours this weekend. I purposely mowed in places that had never been mowed. The mower performed even better than I had hoped. /forums/images/graemlins/smile.gif

Thanks again for all the comments and suggestions.

LBrown59 · Apr 12, 2005

Neat Gadget.
How soon can we all get one?

VAJerry · Apr 17, 2005

Howdy. I found this site by dumb luck and have been peeking around and had not yet signed on. When I saw your mower I had to sign on to say what a great idea and good job on it. Remember imatitation is the sincerest form of flattery.

LBrown59 · Sep 14, 2005

I have roughly $465.00 invested in actual parts.
==================== 

 Not bad considering power trac has a boom mower for $1700.oo

How far can you reach out from the tractor with it???

johndeere2210 · Sep 14, 2005

Update on the mower. I now have over 20 hours of use on the machine and it has worked very well. Right now I can reach about 6 feet from the tractor. I have contacted a couple of manufacturers about the possible manufacturing of the machine. Both would not talk to me with out a patent. I really must be dense, but I really don't want to retire from the proceeds. I would like to see the thing manufactured at a reasonable price (and maybe just pay off my mortage). I wasn't wanting to pay off a patent lawyer's mortage. Anyway, thanks for the interest. This winter I plan to make a 36" two blade deck instead of the 21" single deck. It would make the deck more stable on steeper slopes. Thanks. /forums/images/graemlins/smile.gif

sandman2234 · Jan 14, 2006

I have been thinking of adding something like this to my list of projects. I will use hydraulics for the motor, to keep down the extra engine maintance and repair bill.
Trying to work out a deal with a local company to mow the retention pond which is in an area visible from the street. The rest of the property is mowed/groomed like a golf course, and the retention pond area seldom has standing water, but is too muddy to sustain wheels. A few more hydraulics will be needed to keep the deck off the ground.
David from jax