Big Mower Built From Junked Deere Combine

Big Mower built from Junked Deere combine COMBINES Conversions 14-5-2 "It cuts fast and does a beautiful job. It was so simple to build that I don't know why everyone doesn't do it," says Bob Wilder, Mankato, Minn.. He mounted a 7 ft. 2 in. wide lawn mower on front of an old junked-out 1958 Deere 40 self-propelled combine. Wilder stripped the combine of everything but the platform, front and rear wheels, engine, transmission, and running gear. He used 2 by 4-in. steel tubing to build a 1 ft. high, 4 ft. long frame that supports the platform, engine, and gas tank. He used 1/8-in. steel plate to build the mower deck and fitted it with three spindles from a worn-out 1950's Deere 3-pt. flail chopper. He mounted two 30-in. and one 28-in. long blade on the spindles. The offset blades are driven by an 8¢-ft. long belt that runs from the spindles to the combine's gearbox. The deck is supported by a pair of cultivator wheels 2 ft. apart in front of the mower and three wheels at the rear. Wilder mows in third gear at 8 mph. "It cut my mowing time in half and uses only half as much fuel as my previous mower," says Wilder. "I had been using a 2-cylinder, 20 hp, 48-in. wide White riding mower. It took three hours and 4¢ gal. of gas to mow my 3-acre lawn. My combine mower takes only one hour and less than two gallons of gas to do the same job. I have a great view of the mower deck because I sit almost right above it. There's hardly any maintenance because I can go 100 hours between oil changes, and I won't have to change the spark plugs more than once every 10 years. The combine is so light and the 4-cylinder, 40 hp engine is so powerful that when I let the clutch out the front tires spin instantly. I had to cut the lugs off them so they can spin without tearing up the grass. A semi-truck tire retread company trimmed the tread off all four tires for only $20. The short 4-ft. wheel base lets me turn in a 5-ft. radius. I use an old push mower to finish mowing around shrubs and trees. Grass is discharged at the rear of the deck which keeps it from bunching up and eliminates the danger from rocks flying out the side. I bought the combine for $300 and the mower for $250. Altogether it cost only $700 to build. A comparable-size commercial lawn mower used on golf courses costs $9,000 to $10,000." Wilder uses the hydraulic cylinder that formerly operated the feederhouse to raise the mower. The cylinder lifts a 3¢-ft. length of 1¢-in. sq. tubing that extends forward from the front axle and supports a pair of chains mounted 2 ft. apart at the center of the deck. The rear of the deck "floats" on a pair of chains that hang from lengths of 1¢-in. sq. tubing mounted on the axle. Wilder can shorten or lengthen each of the rear chains to adjust deck height. A pivot rod allows the deck to tilt forward, backward, or sideways 7 to 10 degrees. Two lengths of 1-in. sq. tubing that bolt onto the rear of the deck hold it in the forward position. They can be telescoped outward to move the deck ahead in order to tighten the drive belt. Wilder removes the mower from the combine by loosening four bolts, unhooking the drive belt and chains, and backing away. The mower is equipped with the combine's 4-step ladder and a rear hitch for pulling a trailer. Contact: FARM SHOW Followup, Bob Wilder, Rt. 5, Box 92B, Mankato, Minn. 56001 (ph 507 625-7544).

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