Brush Hog mods

[Gord Baker]

That is a very confusing description of a Stock Cutter. Dual Disc Chains?
Stump Jumper? Explosions?

 

[ptsg]

Here is an hydraulic brush cutter I built for my backhoe a month or so ago. I suppose it fits the thread, since mostly about using chains. I do have a flail mower for the backhoe, which worked fairly well, but it's just an heavy attachment and I wanted something lighter.

Cutting width is about 50 cm or nearly 20". Using 3/8" grade 80 chains. Rotor speed is about 2000 RPM.

It has been painted since, I just haven't taken any pictures of it yet. Still need to test it properly but for that I need to haul the machine over to the remote propriety, however I still have digging work for the backhoe here at home.

 

[Mud2Money]

That is a very confusing description of a Stock Cutter. Dual Disc Chains?
Stump Jumper? Explosions?

A stacked disc like pictured previously to capture the chains securely. The gear box is only rated for 40 hp. This seems rather light duty for constantly smashing brush. As for the description it was just stating to condition of it. Basically explaining it’s the perfect candidate to chop cut and rebuild into the styles posted from across the pond.

Thinking of removing the tail wheel and mounts. Opening up the rear of the cutter and making a chain guard for debris. Make new mounting points up front for the hitch and run chains so it can pivot. The stock mounting is just solid bent 3/8 x2” flat stock. No hinge point for flex currently. Which I assume is why the tail wheel got bent badly. They also hit something and bent the stump jumper on one of the blades. It does have nice thick flat sides I could easily build skids for it.

I have lots of fab skills , a decent welder , a mill , and a lathe to make what ever is needed.

 

[Mud2Money]

Here is an hydraulic brush cutter I built for my backhoe a month or so ago. I suppose it fits the thread, since mostly about using chains. I do have a flail mower for the backhoe, which worked fairly well, but it's just an heavy attachment and I wanted something lighter.

Cutting width is about 50 cm or nearly 20". Using 3/8" grade 80 chains. Rotor speed is about 2000 RPM.

It has been painted since, I just haven't taken any pictures of it yet. Still need to test it properly but for that I need to haul the machine over to the remote propriety, however I still have digging work for the backhoe here at home.

View attachment 1690860

View attachment 1690861

Awesome fabrication! How many hours roughly into the build ?

 

[ptsg]

Awesome fabrication! How many hours roughly into the build ?

Honestly, I didn't really track my time on this build because I had other stuff come in between, so I put couple of hours here in there but maybe 4 or 5 full days? Around that. I "designed" this one entirely in my head and pretty much on the go, so that takes a little more time too.

 

[Mud2Money]

This will be my winter project. We are into late fall and clearing jobs have slowed down. I’ve been very interested in the chain style cutters due to the conditions of the places I cut. Boulders , car parts , old fences, stumps , and almost always some demolished foundation. Replacing blades at $200 a set adds up at the end of the season. Most of the places are saplings up to 3” trees. The customers usually want the mulched material look. A forestry mulcher would require a lot of $$ in teeth by the end of the season.

 

[ptsg]

This will be my winter project. We are into late fall and clearing jobs have slowed down. I’ve been very interested in the chain style cutters due to the conditions of the places I cut. Boulders , car parts , old fences, stumps , and almost always some demolished foundation. Replacing blades at $200 a set adds up at the end of the season. Most of the places are saplings up to 3” trees. The customers usually want the mulched material look. A forestry mulcher would require a lot of $$ in teeth by the end of the season.

That's indeed a good application for one of these and that's what a deal as well with the cutter on my tractor. All kinds of hidden "treasures" but chains just skip over it and keep going.

Have you figured out the ratio on the gearbox you have? You really want as close to 1:2 ratio as possible. Chains need that speed to get the momentum going.

 

[Mud2Money]

Not yet. Just hauled it home with some other implements from my father in law. The driveshaft bolt is stuck in the gear box input shaft. Do you run a slip clutch or a shear bolt on the pto driven cutters ?

 

[ptsg]

Around here, cutters up to 1.2 or 1.3 meters are sold with shear bolt. Anything bigger, gets a slip clutch.

It's this style of shear bolt yoke. Very fast and easy to swap the shear bolt. I don't really go through a lot of shear bolts, only when hitting something hidden and I'm not fast enough raising the cutter. Other instances is because I cut very close to the ground and somethings it digs too much into the dirt and pops the shear bolt.

 

[arto98607]

I put those on couple of PTO shafts and they have worked well, especially the one on my old Maschio 48" rototiller when working on soil with hidden old big Rhododendron roots!

Next time though I will run the middle buster first - fewer busted shear bolts...