Tow-Behind Mowers

Tow-Behind Mowers FARM HOME Lawn Mowers (31h,38) 13-4-11 "It makes a super lawn mower," says George Vanhie, London, Ontario, who built a hitch from la-in. pipe to pull two old 20-in. wide push mowers behind his 36-in. wide riding mower, giving him a total cutting width of 6 ft. 4 in. "The hitch doubles my cutting width so I can mow in half the time," says Vanhie. "Each push mower is powered by its own 3 1/2 hp engine so it's no problem for my 8 hp riding mower to pull them. I can even mow up steep hills as long as there's traction. The nicest part is that no matter how rolling the lawn is, each mower follows the ground contour evenly. The push mowers are fastened to the hitch both at the front and rear so the rig backs up like a two-wheel trailer. If I need to cut grass in tight areas, I simply pull the pin in the riding mower's drawbar to unhook both push mowers. If I need to do trim work, I simply unhook the mower that's still equipped with handles." Caster wheels, removed from a discarded lawn mower, support the entire hitch. Short lengths of old manure spreader chain, which serve as hinges, allow the hitch's drawbar to float freely up and down. "My only complaint is that when I turn real sharp corners, the inside trailing mower leaves a strip between it and the riding mower so I have to circle back around," notes Vanhie." Contact: FARM SHOW Followup, George Vanhie, RR 7, London, Ontario, Canada N6A 4C2 (ph 519 453-6592).

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