Home-Built Pull-Type Mower

Home-Built Pull-Type Mower MOWERS Mowers (31H) 23-4-30 "We like it a lot more than the riding mower we used before, in part because it's fitted with flotation tires on the rear that let us mow in even the muddiest conditions," says Tom McKee, who built a 5-ft. mower deck for doing extensive trim jobs around his fruit and vegetable farm. The Ramsey, Ill., farmer built the 3-bladed mower to attach to a 3-pt. tractor hitch. The upper frame is built from square tubing and the lower frame is made of angle iron. The mower deck itself is made from steel plate. A rebuilt 11 hp Briggs & Stratton motor off an old riding mower mounts on the upper frame in front. The motor belt-drives the three overlapping blades with a single long V-belt. A long mechanical clutch arm behind the operator engages and disengages the belt. A 12-volt battery powers an electric starter on the mower. The front of the mower is raised and lowered with the 3 pt., while rear height is controlled by a screw jack mounted on the frame. The rear can be adjusted up to 4 in. above the ground, McKee says. The deck is fitted with rear wheels and flotation tires off an old lawn mower. It has small-diameter rubber wheels mounted on each side of the deck to act as rolling bumpers to keep the mower frame from damaging buildings and trees when cutting close. "We built it two years ago out of scrap and it's ideal for our purposes," McKee says. Contact: FARM SHOW Followup, Tom McKee, Rt. 51 South, Ramsey, Ill. 62080 (ph 618 423-9376).

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