bush hog wheel question

varmint · Feb 28, 2021

Bought an old, but good, 4' bush hog. Works great, except the tail wheel drags sideways when going forward, which is not great. Curiously, it tracks well going backwards. I am quessing it needs a little more rake, and I am considering cutting a deep notch in each side, bending it back about 3/4" of an inch, and re-welding. Any advice??

Xfaxman · Feb 28, 2021

That might not be enough.

Check this thread: Rotary Cutter - Bush hog crazy wheel....

WM75Guy · Feb 28, 2021

Mine was doing something similar. The wheel axle bushings had gone bad allowing the wheel to wobble. Bought a new one at TSC, had to shim it with a couple of washers but it goes straight now.

varmint · Mar 1, 2021

Xfaxman said:
That might not be enough.

Check this thread: Rotary Cutter - Bush hog crazy wheel....

You're right! In looking at photos of other bush hogs, there's quite a lot of rake in the tailwheels. A couple of inches looks more like it.

varmint · Mar 17, 2021

I cut out wedges from the forks, beveled the cut's edges, bent the forks together, and welded them. I think this solves my problem.

dieselscout80 · Mar 17, 2021

Looks good

Please post how it works and I am adding tailwheels to flail mower and I need to ensure it has the right amount of rake/caster.

varmint · Mar 18, 2021

I will report, but it'll be a while. I just looked at "better" rough cut mowers, and tried to more or less match their offset rakes, without creating any issues for myself, like the wheel hitting the frame. I have no idea what brand this was, but the welding precision was awful- whoever put it together did a lousy job of aligning things up and centering stuff. Hopefully, next fall when I use it again, it will track properly. I may just test it when the ground is dry- we'll see.