weed trimmer 3-point hitch

[tglass]

Has anyone made a weed trimmer that fits on a 3-point hitch? Need to get some input on this. Do's and don'ts. Thinking I can make one that is hyd. driven, spring loaded to go around t-post, and with a hyd. cyl. to make it extendable to get around the delicate places in the yard. Single square tubing with two sizes to make it extendable. Have a 3320 Deere to hook it up to so think I have enough hyd. to make it work.

 

[kennyd]

Take a look at the Swisher Postmaster to get some ideas.

 

[Pooh_Bear]

3 point mounted weed eater for tractor:

http://www.koschco.com/products/weedchopper.html

I am considering making one.

I have a post in another forum about what I am wanting to do.
http://forums2.gardenweb.com/forums/load/tools/msg040439219832.html?10

Pooh Bear

 

[RonR]

Poo,

I looked at your site and the reference.

That looks like a lot of work to make it happen. You could simplify your design and reduce costs if you dropped the PTO part and simply mounted a lawn mower motor on the end of a spring loaded arm. Mount a hub on the shaft of the motor that will hold 5/16 or 3/8 cable.

Rather than try to weld it, you can have swedges installed. I'd make sure those are tightly installed---you don't want them flying off. Maybe you could use 1/4" chain????

You would need a protective ring nearly the diameter of the cutter, so that it could rotate back when it hits an obstacle.

I'd also want a HUGE deflector shield to protect the tractor and operator............ And make sure no humans & animals are near when you use it........

Hope this helps.
ron

 

[Pooh_Bear]

I'll probably just take an electric weed eater and mount it in the proper position
and power it off the tractors electrical system via the power inverter.
Instead of trimmer string use one of those blade attachments.

Pooh Bear

 

[LBrown59]

</font><font color="blue" class="small">( I'll probably just take an electric weed eater and mount it in the proper position

<font color="red">One of the problems with a weed eater is they are a vertical reach instrument.
For a tractor you need a horizontal reach implement. </font>
Pooh Bear
)</font>

 

[LBrown59]

</font><font color="blue" class="small">( Has anyone made a weed trimmer that fits on a 3-point hitch? Need to get some input on this. Do's and don'ts. Thinking I can make one that is hyd. driven, spring loaded to go around t-post, and with a hyd. cyl. to make it extendable to get around the delicate places in the yard. Single square tubing with two sizes to make it extendable. Have a 3320 Deere to hook it up to so think I have enough hyd. to make it work. )</font>
<font color="green">::::::: </font>
<font color="brown">Click on my screen name in this post.
Then click on Show all user's posts.
There are several threads related to this subject in the list that comes up. </font>

 

[tglass]

Poo, the weed chopper is kind of what I had in mind using a hyd. motor to power it intead of the pto to eliminate the problem making it extend hydraulicaly and swing around t-post. Problem I see with a engine mounted on the end is the clearance between it and the fence wire. Have a Swisher pull behind trimmer, but it will not extend and is hard to get in those tight areas.

 

[Pooh_Bear]

Yeah, I would rather do hydraulics too.
But my tractor doesn't have remote hydraulics (8N).
So I would have to use an engine mounted pump or pto pump.
I'd love to have an engine mounted pump (Zane Thang).
But finances just don't allow that to happen.

So I'm thinking electrically.
Either AC via an inverter or DC via tractor electric or seperate PTO driven system.

Pooh Bear

 

[tglass]

Now I'm thinking DC via tractor electric sounds like the cheapest and easiest in the long run figuring all the nickel and dime things involved that adds up quick. Has anyone had a post of a cheap motor capable of running one? The rest would be simple to rig, and cheap enough to build.

 

[Pooh_Bear]

An old clothes drier motor would probably work.
Don't know about a motor out of an old home HVAC unit.
Both of these would need a power inverter to run off the tractor.

How about a blower motor out of a cars heat/air system.
Would it be powerful enough. It would be 12 volt.
Maybe a starter off a small car. Mite pull too much current tho.

Otherwise look thru the Surplus Center catalog. (or online).

Pooh Bear

 

[Pooh_Bear]

I had an interesting idea for this.
Instead of using weedeater string or wires or cables,
why not take a small disk, about 12inches in diameter,
and mount 4 or 5 sickle mower cutter blades around it.
Then mount the disk on a shaft and use it to cut high grass/weeds.

I have attached a picture of what I am talking about.

Pooh Bear

 

[RonR]

That would scare me to be near it running. Too easy for the rivets to break loose and suddenly you have a flying sickle blade.

One ag mfg made a hay cutting machine that used a disk similar to your design, then had maybe 10 three or four inch long blades attached. The blades were captivated by a metal bracket and a pin or bolt through the blade and bracket.

To me, that would be safer than trusting rivets.

ron

 

[Taylortractornut]

How bout we all slow down here a second and keep it all simple and safe lol. First all you dont need a gear box to do this. Ive made an offset mower for some customers that are mydesign. You take 2 flange or pillow block bearings and mont a shaft in them with a large diameter pulley then adapt it to your pto shaft. Then make a side arm out of angle or pipe or whatever then mount a spindle out of an old lawn mower deck for a heavier one use a finish mower spindle unit or for a heavy unint make one from a pipe and some tapered bearings. You can use the belt as it allows you a half tun in yourdrivelin to eliminate your gearbox and the belt. I made one that had a pivot under the pillow blocks to let the shaft pivot a bit in case of an obstruction but thats not needed either. Around posts we just used longer strings. For blades we used the same design as above but used an Australian hay disc mower as a pattern. It used on disc and the same 2 inch blades as a long bar style disc mower but it had one 3 foot drum with 4 to six swinging 2 inch blades. I made mine smaller about 20 inche with the four 2 inch blades to make the thing come out to a 24 inch cut. works good and the blades have alot of give as it has them free swing.

 

[tglass]

This sounds interesting, and possible to build. Have you got any pictures or scetches of it?

 

[Pooh_Bear]

I didn't mean to rivot the blades to the disk.
Use small bolts and bolt it to the disk.
Each blade has two holes for rivots. Just use bolts instead.
I can't see it being dangerous at all.
Keep people away from it when it is running.

Pooh Bear

 

[tglass]

Pooh, looked at the weed chopper you referred to, but couldn't get any specs., or prices. Never hurts to look or ask, and tried several small elec. motors, but just didn't have the power to do much. PTO still might be the cheapest if you could find a cheeep enough box to turn it 90 and then the cost of a cheap driveline. Still looking.

 

[tglass]

Pooh, looked at the weed chopper you referred to, but couldn't get any specs., or prices. Never hurts to look or ask, and tried several small elec. motors, but just didn't have the power to do much. PTO still might be the cheapest if you could find a cheeep enough box to turn it 90 and then the cost of a cheap driveline. Still looking.

 

[Pooh_Bear]

There's a good reason you can't find prices.
I remember seeing the price for one but don't remember what it was.
I do remember it was ungodly expensive.

Friend of mine gave me a sickle bar mower.
I got to go get it. But I may not need a weed chopper.

Pooh Bear

 

[Pooh_Bear]

There's a good reason you can't find prices.
I remember seeing the price for one but don't remember what it was.
I do remember it was ungodly expensive.

Friend of mine gave me a sickle bar mower.
I got to go get it. But I may not need a weed chopper.

Pooh Bear