Ditch & Bank Mower Build

[Densleigh]

Joee,

Talking to a small tractor supplier this week and discussed the trangulation issue. They sell such equipment

His recomendation was to try and provide a higher point to clamp to than the top link point on the tractor, as there was still a small amount of sway due to tolerances in the pins etc (gets amplified over distance) He suggested that what they did was to try and clamp to say the rear ROPS bar area if at all possible and spread the that end out a bit so effectively you end up with a trapezoidal shape set of sway bars, which being rigidly clamped (scaffold clamp as a means of attaching.

Seems a logical idea, as yet I have not got to that point so cannot comment.

As to your counter weight, there are european machines that have a sliding counter weight that obviously keeps it compact for transport.
[url=http://www.ryetec.co.uk/hedgevergemowers.html]Hedge and Verge Mowers

the above link shows a machine that does this, also shows some useful geometry of the arm & mower.

Hope this gives you a few further ideas

 

[ray66v]

Good luck, looks like you have done a lot of had work. I think you need to add some sort of stabilizer to the steel pipe you have on the motor, http://www.tractorbynet.com/forums/...ditch-bank-mower-build-hyd-motor-hookup-2.jpg.
I believe it is going to want to pivot on the elbows as you use the unit. This has been my experience with pipe used in that manor.

 

[sandman2234]

Counter weight is very important with mowers such as these. My Bomford/Turner mower is on a 90 hp tractor FWA with about 1300 pounds of counter weight on the nose, plus it is running dual rear tires. It is nothing to stretch it out backwards and pick the front end up off the ground four or five feet!! The duals help with the side motion and lean in that direction, but even with a monster sized tractor, you still know it is leaning that way.
I would suggest a full length roller on that mower, to allow for setting it on the ground to take the stress of the tractor and prevent scalping.
My hydraulic tank is located at the rear, in the center, which is a disadvantage for weight, but keeps things tucked in rather nicely. A side or front mount one would make weight a better challenge, but I have what I have.
Good looking project, hopefully see some movies or action shots soon!
David from jax

 

[Joee]

Hi Guys, I made a change to the counter weight that allows it to pivot down when not in use. I added a cylinder and valve that will raise and lower the weight as needed. I was like some of you and didn稚 like it sticking straight out without any mobility. I don稚 have any pictures of the change but when I uncover it I will post some.

There is another change I will be making and that is adding wheels to the deck. They are swivel and much like another poster here used on his bank mower. I think it will be much easier to control a mower that rolls vs. one that is trying to follow contour with operator controlling every move.

Joe

 

[sandman2234]

Sounds like some good modifications.
David from jax

 

[Joee]

Hi, I wanted to post some updates to the ditch and bank mower, most of this is your suggestions.

One of the main problems I tried to address was a way to raise and lower counterweight.
Changed from a rigid, straight bar to a hydraulic cylinder to move weight out of way.

Added casters to the mow deck, this really makes the deck easy to control.

Thanks for all your ideas and keep the new thoughts coming.

Joee

 

[Grrrr]

Joee,

What you have created is an absolute masterpiece.

We have a similar type of machine that we bought, it is a bit old, but it does a good job. It is the flail type machine Densleigh mentioned.

I think it is an exceptionally versatile attachment, and use it for lots of things. I hope you get much use out of yours.

 

[CrazyCanadian]

Awesome job. This is my first post to an awesome site. I live to fab and McGivor stuff like this.
What if you were to put on parallel linkages like a self leveling loader so that once you set the angle it would be maintained while moving the mower. May make it more user friendly. The counterweight cylinder could be attached the same way so it moved out as the boom went out. Just as long as a guy watches both sides as he mows or else ;-( LOL
Also having the mower "hang" from a chain or slide mechanism to help it float.
Looking forward to reading the many more awesome posts and hopefully contributing some useful info or pics.

 

[sandman2234]

If you slam that mower into something and bend one (or more!!) of the wheel assemblies, next time try a single roller on each end. They take up less space, take more abuse, don't require filling up with air and don't go flat. Steel rollers work better, but plastic is lighter (and burns better;btdt)
David from jax

 

[Huskerplowboy]

Nice project, looks awesome. Any action shots or videos? I've been thinking of building something like this for my JD 2320 to help mow the ditch/bank along our new property. I have a 30" mower deck off of an old snapper riding mower (One big 30" blade) that woudl be just about perfect as a shredder for this purpose!

 

[Densleigh]

Hi glad to see you have made it all work ok.

After a very long delay due to work i have finally fot the Flail hedge cutter working today - only arounsd 5 years since started!

Glad to say performs well.

 

[TheGreyRider]

That is awesome Jose, but i am looking for something simple that i could just attach to the bucket, or 3pt, although you you have given me an idea for maybe doing something with the backhoe.

 

[jpistorius]

My husband and I are wondering about the design on a side arm cutter to custom build ourselves. We have a very old tractor 1950's Ford. We saw a member designed a side arm cutter by using the deck from a riding mower. I can not get the link to his additional photos to open a webpage. It is a very old posting. We wondered if the side arm was driven by the tractor engine, and if so how do you handle the driveshaft? We have a riding mower with a bad engine, so we could use the deck but not the engine. Thanks for your help!

 

[swick1]

It would be cheaper to stick an engine on the mower deck. Gear boxes are too expensive if you are concerned about cost.

 

[muddstopper]

Well, I almost wrote a very long post, until I saw this topic is 5 years old. Since I am here might as well add a couple of thoughts.

To address the issue of the shearpin, just incase you hit something that will bend the boom arms. I suggest adding a knuckle at the top of the outermost arm where the arm itself can swing backwards if needed. To this knuckle, you can use a single acting cylinder so it only has power in the extended direction. Where the hydraulic line hooks to the knuckle cylinder, attach a relief valve with a low pressure setting that will let the cylinder retract if the mower hits something that doesnt want to move. The relief valve can be hooked into the extend side of the boom lift cylinder so any fluid that is dumped back thru the relief will automaticly lift the boom off the ground and the knuckel cylinder will retract. Once the object that activated the knuckle and lift movement is cleared, you can again lower the boom and it should automaticly reset the knuckel position and you are back to mowing.

Anyways, just a thought I had while reading thru the other posts. If anyone is looking for a longarm boom, I have one off a Pa18 Mcconnel mower. 18ft I believe, Have all cylinders and the valves and pto pumps. I used the frail mower on a small trackhoe. You would have to come to Western NC to get it, I aint even going to try to ship. PM if interested.

 

[Attono]

Pictures?

 

[Attono]

So I looked at this thread very closely. I did look at the commercially available boom mowers and got a quote of $12K for one, which is not even remotely in my budget at this stage of the game. My property has a lot of ditches which need attention, so I do need something like this. The fabrication part is well within my skill set, I do enjoy welding and general metal-working. The piece I am weak on is the hydraulics. Can you tell me what sort of hydraulics you need to run something like this boom mower or a backhoe. I ordered my tractor with the 3rd SCV, but it didn't come with it. Now the dealer is saying the 3rd SCV is not going to work, but they can do the 4th/5th SCV. I asked if I could run a backhoe with that and he says I need a "power beyond" kit, which is another 400 bones.

So I thought I'd come to the collective to learn. What do you need in terms of hydraulics and controls to run the 3 rams needed for a backhoe or boom mower?

I have a new Deere 3520, which has a FEL. Thanks for any help!

Greg

 

[muddstopper]

So I looked at this thread very closely. I did look at the commercially available boom mowers and got a quote of $12K for one, which is not even remotely in my budget at this stage of the game. My property has a lot of ditches which need attention, so I do need something like this. The fabrication part is well within my skill set, I do enjoy welding and general metal-working. The piece I am weak on is the hydraulics. Can you tell me what sort of hydraulics you need to run something like this boom mower or a backhoe. I ordered my tractor with the 3rd SCV, but it didn't come with it. Now the dealer is saying the 3rd SCV is not going to work, but they can do the 4th/5th SCV. I asked if I could run a backhoe with that and he says I need a "power beyond" kit, which is another 400 bones.

So I thought I'd come to the collective to learn. What do you need in terms of hydraulics and controls to run the 3 rams needed for a backhoe or boom mower?

I have a new Deere 3520, which has a FEL. Thanks for any help!

Greg

You need what I already have and need to get rid of.

Anyways, just a thought I had while reading thru the other posts. If anyone is looking for a longarm boom, I have one off a Pa18 Mcconnel mower. 18ft I believe, Have all cylinders and the valves and pto pumps. I used the frail mower on a small trackhoe. You would have to come to Western NC to get it, I aint even going to try to ship. PM if interested.

The ptopump, hydraulic tank, valves, and boom all hook to the three point hitch. The valves are controlled by cables from the tractor seat. All you need to make what I have work is another cutter head. Not sure of the weight of your tractor, it might be a little small for this longarm setup.