Question setting up rotary cutter for beginner

[bnew17]

I just bought my first rotary cutter, a 7 footer with dual tail wheels. It seems when I lift up cutter, the tail end is much higher than the front and when I lower it, same thing. I have extended the top link out as far as it goes pretty much, and it is much better,,,, but is there a different way to adjust this? I just didnt figure I would have to go to that extreme...it doesn't seem like others have to do this. I haven’t used the cutter yet because I want to get the set up right first. Top link is in middle link position on tractor. Will re positioning this help?

 

[CobyRupert]

Yes, I believe using a different position should effect how much it tilts, (in addition to the leverage it puts on draft controls, if equipped, but that’s a different issue, not your question).
I don’t understand why you can’t adjust top link so that when front of mower is at desired cutting height, you adjust top link so rear of mower is level?

 

[rademamj1]

The back of the rotary cutter should be approximately 2" to 3" higher than the front, to allow proper ejection of cut material. Setup does take time. Read your operator manual for the cutter setup. I usually go for a 4" cut on the grass, so front will be 4" above ground and rear 6" above ground. But each person has unique preferences on his cutter.

 

[John0829]

As it has been stated the rear of the cutter should be higher than the front also the connection on the tractor should be in the lowest link position on the tractor. The link position on the tractor affects the draft control, which is something you do not need/use with a heavy cutter, but placing the link in the middle or upper position can damage internal linkages and they should only be used with light equipment. Not all tractors have multiple positions for the top link.

 

[ruffdog]

Some pictures would be great help for us. Is this a new cutter? Some cutters will have a mechanism for the top link that will fold so you can mow uneven ground. Maybe that has not been assembled correctly? Do you have Pat's quick hitch that would mandate a longer top link?

 

[TerryR]

Are you saying the rear gets much higher than the front when you lift it off the ground? That's normal.

Set the height of the lower links with the rear wheels are on level ground. Adjust as rademanj1 says so the rear is a bit higher than the front. Then set the top link so the flexible connection allows the rear of the mover to move up and down some as you travel over uneven ground.

 

[RalphVa]

The 2 that I've had have about a 4" movement allowed in the top link area of the cutter. You lower the front of the cutter to the height you want it, allowing for the usual about 1 inch from bottom of the cutter to blade. So, if you want 4" cut, you'll want the front to be 3" off a paved surface.

Adjust your tail wheel(s) to have the rear of the cutter 1 to 4 inches above the front. I usually run about 1 inch. Some posters above say closer to 3 inches. (You'll probably have to adjust the top link to let the trail wheels to be on the ground.)

Adjust your top link to have the movable top link of your cutter in the middle.

Make sure that the rear of the cutter (you say yours does, but check after these adjustments) goes up higher than front when raising. When my first cutter was delivered, this was NOT the case. They'd put the bottom lift pins in the wrong position such that the top link ended up longer than the bottom lift arms. This will cause (by geometry) the rear of the cutter to go down when you lift the cutter from its front.

Ralph

 

[Texasmark]

The lowest hole on the tractor is for max tilt. Highest the opposite. Agree on others comments on setting height of rear wheel. You really want the rear of the mower up when moving the tractor and not mowing (transporting) as it keeps the tires from bottoming out on hills and rough terrain. You also want to restrict your hydraulic flow so that when you dump the lift, the tires don't come banging down....that is in almost the completely closed position of the variable flow restrictor valve on your tractor. When doing tasks that drop speed doesn't matter you can open it back up...just takes a second.

You need to pay attention to your 3 PT lifting height as the front of the mower deck can contact the PTO shaft damaging it. Your "draft" control needs to have an upper limit set so that the max height puts the front of the mower sheet metal half an inch or so below the PTO shaft protective plastic tube.

 

[EddieWalker]

The tail wheels a what decided how high you will cut. They are adjustable, but you have to remove bolts and put them back in again where you want the height to be. The trick is to figure out where you want to cut everything, from trees to grass. I have mine at 4 inches.

When out mowing, you want your deck to be flat. There are lots of theories out there about having it angled up, or angled down, but that's just over thinking it. Level out your deck with your 3 point arms and that's where you want to leave it while mowing.

Keep your top link loose. You want your cutter to follow the contour of the land. If the top link is too tight, then the cutter will come off of the ground when the tractor goes from flat to down hill. I keep mine loose enough that the cutter follows all of my contours, but if I need to pick it up to get over something, I can. You will have to play with it to figure out where this is on your set up.