Rotory cutter bottoming out

[cmhyland]

It sounds like your machine doesn't have draft control. That means when you set the 3pt hitch at a desired level it stays there rather than floating. Sounds like you have up and down and at the down level it floats.

The front guage wheels would fix that problem. A swivel guage wheel may be required due to the way the mower swings sideways on a turn.

Good Luck,
Chris

 

[MicroPilot]

Hmmm, The hump is steep enough that it digs the front of the rotary cutter into the ground. I don't think check chains would work in this case. Draft control doesn't apply here (I think the poster may have meant position control). Sounds like the only solutions are to cut along the sides of the humps, gage wheels, or eliminate them.

On the down side of the hump does the rotary cutter rear end lift up and leave the front side uncut?

 

[rcmike]

I think part of my problem is the short wheelbase of the tractor is exaggerating the humps and bottoming out the front of the cutter. If it was a longer tractor the rear wouldn't go down as much when the front went up on a hump. I may try to put some wheels on the front just for the heck of it. I already have some from another project that I ended up not using them on and I could always take them off if they didn't help.

 

[Ranashi]

You made a comment about the 3pt raising too fast on you also. I am not familiar with the model of tractor you have but most have a little round nob with a turtle and rabbit on it between your feet. This might slow down the raising enough so it doesn't fly up on you when raising the 3pt. Good luck with the final solution on this what ever it turns out to be. I do say level the area out if you can but I know that isn't always any option.

 

[Bird]

Stephen, I think you'll find that adjustment knob regulates the speed with which the 3-point lowers but does not affect the speed with which it raises.

 

[rcmike]

Yeah, it adjusts the lowering but doesn't seem to affect the raising. Not a big deal but a minor inconvenience.

 

[rcmike]

/forums/images/graemlins/cool.gifIt worked! /forums/images/graemlins/smile.gif

I put some 8"(I think, can't remember) wheels on the front edge. I used some 5/8" grade 8 bolts through the wheels and into 2 bolts I welded to the cutter. I set the wheels where it keeps the blades about 2" off the ground. I can go higher with the wheels off the ground and I figured I would never go any lower than that anyway. I went over the roughest areas with the cutter lowered all the way resting on all 3 wheels. I only hit one rock and I think it is one that I had flipped up the last time. It was much easier on the tractor also. The fixed wheels didn't seem to dig in too bad when turning and I didn't have the problem with the sides digging in either. It didn't vibrate the tractor nearly as much and I could just set it on the ground when transporting it instead of it flopping around when I hit a bump. I found out about another benifit when I went to take it off the tractor. It came off the lift arms very easily because I could move it back and forth with little effort.

 

[PineRidge]

The first time I brush hogged our then vacant lot I had the same problem. The front of the mower was leaving ruts in the ground where it was digging in certain areas and there was nothing that I could do to prevent it short of lifting the deck. I borrowed a box-blade as I didn't own one myself at the time, (never realized just how handy they really were). After a couple hours worth of leveling I followed it up with a landscape rake. I then threw down some cheap grass seed.

Once the grass came up that was the end of the whoop-de-doo problem. My mower hasn't dug in since.

 

[rcmike]

I have a box blade and have fixed some of the yard close to the house with it. I did a little in this area last year with the worst stuff and it has a lot of clay in it and is hard to get grass to grow. Not to mention the flood of water that runs through it when we get a heavy rain.