lift arm length

[Oldstuff]

I have already sent an email to King Kutter about this today but have not had a reply yet, thought I would run it by the people here as I really like and respect this site. Tractor is a 1963 Ford model 2000 and the rotary cutter is a King Kutter 5 foot model light weight- works well for what light duty cutting I do. I got tired of sticks and limbs hitting me in the back of the legs while mowing so I ordered a front brush guard chain kit. On this model of cutter the guard is welded on. I welded it on and it is in the correct position.

After hooking the cutter back up to the tractor the distance between the two is reduced. When I lift the cutter the safety guard will now hit the rear of the rear tires. The guard does not hit until it is lifted to about 11 inches or so hig- I did not measure. Knowing what I use this cutter for I am thinking this will not be a problem for me as I mainly mow clover food plots and only seldom cut a new trail which is when I do lift the cutter for my first pass through the saplings. This is also why I added the guard.

Question- Is there such a thing as longer lift arms for this tractor. I did not measure but think an inch longer would solve the issue and would bet the farm that 2 inches would be more than enough. I did not take a pictere and the tractor is 160 miles from home. I searched this site and found no mention of longer arms.

 

[Oldstuff]

I have done more searching on the internet and from what I can gather the standard length lower lift arm for a 2000 Ford is 32 inches center to center of ball. I found that replacement arms for a model 3000 tractor the arm length is listed as 33 inches.

I will have to go to farm and measure but in the mean time any information could help.

 

[dex3361]

An easy quick way to gain a couple of inches in length is add a quick hitch the little added length may be all you need.

 

[Jerry/MT]

I have already sent an email to King Kutter about this today but have not had a reply yet, thought I would run it by the people here as I really like and respect this site. Tractor is a 1963 Ford model 2000 and the rotary cutter is a King Kutter 5 foot model light weight- works well for what light duty cutting I do. I got tired of sticks and limbs hitting me in the back of the legs while mowing so I ordered a front brush guard chain kit. On this model of cutter the guard is welded on. I welded it on and it is in the correct position.

After hooking the cutter back up to the tractor the distance between the two is reduced. When I lift the cutter the safety guard will now hit the rear of the rear tires. The guard does not hit until it is lifted to about 11 inches or so hig- I did not measure. Knowing what I use this cutter for I am thinking this will not be a problem for me as I mainly mow clover food plots and only seldom cut a new trail which is when I do lift the cutter for my first pass through the saplings. This is also why I added the guard.

Question- Is there such a thing as longer lift arms for this tractor. I did not measure but think an inch longer would solve the issue and would bet the farm that 2 inches would be more than enough. I did not take a pictere and the tractor is 160 miles from home. I searched this site and found no mention of longer arms.

A picture sure would help.

I have a 6 ft KK with front guard chain and mine is bolted on. It added maybe 1 inch to the mower but even on my TO-30 , I don't have any wheel clearance problems. How much did the addition of the guard increase the length of the mower?

 

[jinman]

It is common for the KK cutter to hit the rear wheels if your toplink is adjusted a big too long. On the KK, you can also drill holes lower in the yoke and install another set of pins lower down. What's happening is the cutter is allowed to go down in the back because the float mechanism rotates forward when you raise the cutter. This allows the bottom of the cutter to come forward as the top of the yoke goes back. If you don't understand, I'll make a simple diagram to show you. Essentially, if you remember to shorten your toplink before putting the mower in the upper transport position, you will save yourself having the mower ride up on the tires. Those of us with hydraulic toplinks are at a definite advantage in this regard.

EDIT: Okay, my drawing gene got the best of me and I made a diagram. This is what I observed with my cutter on my tractor even with no guard chains attached.

 

[Oldstuff]

Jerry/MT- the 5 foot KK is a different animal than the 6 footer. I do not have a picture and the cutter is 3 hours away. I noticed it was shorter when I bought it, the blade is right there at the front of the deck. It's shortness was one of the reasons I bought it because I had a shed to keep the tractor in with an attached cutter- shed is only 20 foot long. The guard for the 5 foot KK is an eliptical shape, being abot 3 inches front to back on each side and tapering quickly to about 8 inches front to back in the center.

Jinman- I understand what you are saying.

Looks like the quick hitch or arms an inch or so longer would be best. I may not be to where the tractor/cutter is for a couple of months but you can bet I will do some measuring of the arms length and will take several pictures.

Thanks, Oldstuff

 

[Oldstuff]

Good sketch Jinman- it shows just what you said about the top link being adjusted too short.

Thanks,
Oldstuff

 

[jinman]

Good sketch Jinman- it shows just what you said about the top link being adjusted too short.

Thanks,
Oldstuff

I hate to nit-pick, but the toplink is adjusted too long in my diagram. I figure you made an unintentional mis-statement, but I want to reinforce that the toplink needs to be shortened to keep the bottom from rotating into the tires.

 

[Oldstuff]

Got it.

Oldstuff

 

[Oldstuff]

Question about quick hitch measurements and measurements on Cat 1 implements. The width for the bottom 2 hookups have a standard width on a Cat 1 implement hitches that I have seen but I am only assuming there is also a standard distance from the bottom two connections up to the top length connection?