Mower Train Cuts A 15-Ft Swath

Mower Train Cuts A 15-Ft Swath FARM HOME recreation 27-5-44 As groundskeeper for Burnbrae Farms, a large poultry operation near Kleefeld, Manitoba, 72-year-old Aron Wiebe has a lot of grass to cut. And since he prefers to "groom" the grass, maintaining a park-like appearance, he needs to mow quite frequently. After thinking about ways to mow faster, he put together a mower train that cuts a 15-ft. swath of grass, but can also make sharp U-turns that allow him to snake around trees. "When I turn right, they overlap, so you'd be surprised what little nooks I can go into and out of again," he says. Wiebe drives an 18 hp, 42-in. riding mower and pulls nine 20 and 21-in. push mowers behind. Each small mower overlaps the next by a few inches. The handles are removed and the mowers are hitched to brackets on front and back. "I started out with only four small mowers and gradually just kept adding more," he says. "I found that nine is the maximum. At first I had them set up for a 16-ft. swath, but they would leave little uncut strips when turning left, so I re-set them for 15 ft." Wiebe says its easy to unhook the mower train or any individual mower, since they're held on with just one bolt and a snap pin. There are a few places he goes with just five of the small mowers. He cuts in second gear, which is a good, fast walking speed. Wiebe says he's pleased with how quickly he can get through all the acres of grass he's responsible for. It's a real head-turner, too. Contact: FARM SHOW Followup, Aron Wiebe, Box 296, Niverville, Manitoba, Canada R0A 1E0 (ph 204 434-6478).

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