3 Engine Suspension Mower

3 engine suspension mower FARM HOME Lawn Mowers (31h,38) 13-4-21 "My three-engine, 5-ft. wide `suspension' mower cuts grass and weeds up to 12 in. high. It works great for mowing not only my yard but also fence lines, ditches and water-ways," says Dean Scheel, Dysart, Iowa. Scheel's brother-in-law, Mike Grace, Elberon, Iowa, built the mower by removing the engines and blades from three new 20-in. wide push lawn mowers, then building a steel deck to enclose the blades and to support the three 3 1/2 hp Briggs & Stratton engines. The entire deck is carried by a 2 by 4-in. steel arched framework that rides on two 12-in. dia. wheels. Scheel pulls the mower with his garden tractor or 4-wheel ATV. "I had been cutting grass with a riding mower but I wanted something larger that would also cut tall grass and weeds around my farms. The unique design of this mower lets me cut lawn grass down to 1 1/2 in. high and also mow weeds 3 to 12 in. high. There's nothing like it on the market and it was relatively inexpensive to build." Scheel found that buying three new lawn mowers and rebuilding them into one unit was less expensive than buying three separate new lawn mower engines. "We paid only $99 for each push mower, but the engines were priced separately at $135. We spent less than $500 to build the entire mower whereas a single 11 hp engine would have cost about $500 alone, before you even bought the spindles, blades and belts," says Grace. Mower height up to 3 in. is controlled by adjusting a pair of hand cranks attached to the front 3 1/2-in. dia. caster wheels, and by moving pins on the wheels at the rear of the mower. Mower height from 3 to 12 in. is controlled by a hand-cranked winch mounted on the framework's tongue. Cable is suspended from the framework and attached to the mower deck. A pair of 4-in. dia. anti-scalp wheels are mounted at the rear of the deck, along with six polyurethane rollers, to prevent gouging. A washing machine roller mounted just ahead of the mower prevents gouging up front. A rubber deflector mounted on the right side of the mower deck protects the driver from flying debris. Contact: FARM SHOW Followup, Mike Grace, RR 1, Elberon, Iowa 52225 (ph 319 444-2906) or Dean Scheel, RR 1, Dysart, Iowa 52224 (ph 319 442-3239).

To read the rest of this story, download this issue below or click here to register with your account number.