tow behind vs. 3pt brush mower

Ken45101 · Jun 28, 2009

jenkinsph said:
Ken,
Anytime you have a heavy implement rigidly mounted to the 3 pt hitch it tends to move the tractor around, especially one like a mower deck which extends so far back...

I just realized that we may be discussing different 3 pt setups

My current Woods mower has over a foot of front-back movement on the top link connection so I guess that's not the "rigid" that you are referring to. I just realized that some 3pt mounts don't have that movement and do move the entire 3pt hitch up and down as the terrain varies. My Woods does not, the top link doesn't become tight unless I want to lift the tail wheel off the ground. So essentially there isn't a whole lot of difference between my Woods 3 pt and a tow behind when moving in a straight line. It's just on turns where a tow behind would trail better.

That's a good point for me to remember when I'm looking a new mowers.

Ken

LBrown59 · Jun 28, 2009

FlaDon said:
*A 3 pt also might make your tractor sink in in the wet spot while the trail behind wouldn't. In really wet areas, back the pull behind back into the wet areas and finish cutting when pulling forward. Both 3 pt and pull behinds have their places. A 3 pt is less safe when mowing uphill and you have to raise it. We have a 5' King Cutter pull behind on the Case VAC while the Ford Farm Master had a 5' King Cutter 3pt.

*That's the reason for hanging a mower on a 3 point so i can mow over the wet area while keeping the tractor on dry solid ground.

Farmwithjunk · Jun 29, 2009

LBrown59 said:
The problem I'd have with a pull behind is you can't drive the tractor out over road banks and ditches or through wet areas.

Tow behinds are worthless to mow out over banks ditches and wet soft areas.
I'll take a 3 point suspended mower.

What would make you think such a thing?

We mow road banks, ditches, and PLENTY of wet areas every day with batwing mowers. EVERY one of them a pull-type mower. I actually PREFER a drawn mower in wet conditions. Less weight on tractor (rear wheels) ----less sinking by rear wheels----less "stuck"/less damage to turf. We've had more'n enough chances to test that theory this spring.

To OP; Drawn mowers allow you to size up in some cases. NOT having to tote all the weight of a bigger 3-point hitch mower takes a little bit of the load off the tractor. In conditions favorable to a drawn mower, they're a lot more pleasant to operate than a typical 3-point mower of the same physical size. Much better ride. You sacrifice a small bit in regards to manueverability, but not so much as it would seem.

jenkinsph · Jun 29, 2009

Ken45101 said:
I just realized that we may be discussing different 3 pt setups My current Woods mower has over a foot of front-back movement on the top link connection so I guess that's not the "rigid" that you are referring to. I just realized that some 3pt mounts don't have that movement and do move the entire 3pt hitch up and down as the terrain varies. My Woods does not, the top link doesn't become tight unless I want to lift the tail wheel off the ground. So essentially there isn't a whole lot of difference between my Woods 3 pt and a tow behind when moving in a straight line. It's just on turns where a tow behind would trail better.

That's a good point for me to remember when I'm looking a new mowers.

Ken

Ken,
I have an MX6 3 pt which also has the free play in the top link. As far as a straight line both will ride well but picking up the mower, turning sharp or just transporting to the field are all part of the ride and the tow behind is more comfortable with less strain on the tractor. In most cases you will find both may be needed.

Steve

Ken45101 · Jun 29, 2009

jenkinsph said:
Ken,
In most cases you will find both may be needed.

Aww gosh, Steve! The battle in hooking up the 3pt is one of the reasons I am considering the tow behind.

Yeah, I know an 8' or 10' tow behind for the fields and the existing 6' for the trails would be ideal, but I don't really want the battle of hooking up.

Ken

Builder · Jun 29, 2009

I have no "alliance" to either type, but wouldn't a 3 pt mount be easier to clean since you could lift it with the 3pt, block it up, slide yourself under & scrape the deck clean?

One other thing to ask the experts while they're here:

Anyone ever see a 7' 3pt (not pull type) rotary bush hog with hydraulic tail wheels to adjust the height?

Thanks.

Ken45101 · Jun 29, 2009

Builder said:
I have no "alliance" to either type, but wouldn't a 3 pt mount be easier to clean since you could lift it with the 3pt, block it up, slide yourself under & scrape the deck clean?

OMG! I would never crawl under it to clean it, even if it were blocked up. But then I've never found a need to clean mine and I've never seen any accumulation under it.