Side-Mounted Mower "Does A Beautiful Job"

Side-Mounted Mower Does A Beautiful Job HAY & FORAGE HARVESTING Mowers 38 It goes down into ditches and under low hanging branches where 3-pt mounted mowers can t go says Daniel Van Dam South Kortright N Y who converted a used 3-pt mounted 60-in Land Pride mower to a side-mounted unit He modified the pto-driven mower to run on hydraulics
    He built a steel frame to support the mower The frame bolts to a steel beam that mounts under the tractor A hydraulic motor replaces the gearbox that was originally located on top of the mower and runs off a pto-driven pump on back of the tractor An 8-in hydraulic cylinder is used to raise and lower the mower An ATV winch that operates off the tractor battery is used to fold the mower upright for transport A hydraulic reservoir tank mounts on front of the tractor
     Moving the mower to one side of the tractor makes it fun and easy to operate says Van Dam and I can see everything well without having to look back My Massey Ferguson 2625 tractor has power steering so I can turn the mower around on a dime Also with the mower on the side I can use it to cut grass over gullies where a 3-pt mounted model couldn t go
    The Massey s hydraulic system didn t have enough capacity to handle the 3 000 rpm motor that drives the blades so he had to install the pto pump He used a Jacobson hydraulic motor which is typically found on riding mowers used by golf courses
     In normal grass the pto-driven pump allows me to do a nice cutting job without revving up the tractor engine I can operate the engine at idle or about 1 000 rpm s If the grass is real heavy I speed up the engine
     It all turned out quite well says Van Dam I use it on my 6-acre lawn and alongside a long driveway with ditches on each side I couldn t mow them with a zero turn mower without getting hung up at the bottom of the ditch I like not having to worry about maintaining gearboxes and belts and pulleys
     I built it after I retired Someone who saw it told me they had never seen such a beautiful piece of machinery
     I bought the mower used for $700 The mower frame allows it to float up and down to follow the ground contour To fold the mower up for transport I just push a button on the dash
     I paid $300 for the hydraulic motor and $500 for the pto-driven hydraulic pump I already had most of the steel that I used to make the mower frame
    Contact: FARM SHOW Followup Daniel Van Dam 332 Mountaincrest South Kortright N Y 13842 ph 607 538-1107; big danvandam@gmail com

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