Dauntless

Member
Hi everyone,

What do you think of this idea?

I have a 10hp Tecumseh vertical shaft engine, which has done about 50 hours since we bought it brand new about 5 years ago. I have been thinking, I could buy a 38-44" mower deck, and weld on brackets to connect to a 3 point linkage, and then use this behind my Ferguson TEA20.

How difficult would it be to adjust the height on this setup? Would I need to make a structure which skids along the ground, and then have the deck adjust its height from that? Or would the 3PL on the tractor do a good enough job? I still need to be able to lift it up off the ground, so putting wheels on it and dragging it along is not an option... is it?

This would be used for mowing, not slashing. I will get a PTO powered slasher for that.

Any input appreciated, thanks.
 
I don't see why it wouldn't work....and if you have everything on hand to try it, why not? I'd suggest engineering some form of a clutch (be it as simple as the ride-on mower style tensioner for the belt), so you can start the small engine, and not have blades spinning. Something you could activate from the tractor seat wouldn't be too hard to engineer, I wouldn't think.

40-some inches seems awfully small for behind a farm tractor, though....I mean, between the wheels on a Grey Fergie must be at least 4-feet, no? Now....if you could offset it so it cut, say, beyond the outter edge of the right wheel, you'd probably be better off. Think offset like a roto-tiller. The almost non-existant weight of the deck being offset could be countered by the weight of the motor being offset towards the center of the tractor (the other edge of the deck), but it hardly seems worth it, considering exactly how light a 5-horse single-cylinder and a 40-some inch mower deck is going to be.

Final comment....using a 5-horse motor for that seems almost unnecessary when the Fergie comes with a mid-twenties horsepower motor with a trailer load more torque. It would make more sense in my books to use the motor in the tractor....one less thing to maintain, etc.

Cheers,
AR
 
(quoted from post at 13:33:50 10/23/08) I don't see why it wouldn't work....and if you have everything on hand to try it, why not? I'd suggest engineering some form of a clutch (be it as simple as the ride-on mower style tensioner for the belt), so you can start the small engine, and not have blades spinning. Something you could activate from the tractor seat wouldn't be too hard to engineer, I wouldn't think.

40-some inches seems awfully small for behind a farm tractor, though....I mean, between the wheels on a Grey Fergie must be at least 4-feet, no? Now....if you could offset it so it cut, say, beyond the outter edge of the right wheel, you'd probably be better off. Think offset like a roto-tiller. The almost non-existant weight of the deck being offset could be countered by the weight of the motor being offset towards the center of the tractor (the other edge of the deck), but it hardly seems worth it, considering exactly how light a 5-horse single-cylinder and a 40-some inch mower deck is going to be.

Final comment....using a 5-horse motor for that seems almost unnecessary when the Fergie comes with a mid-twenties horsepower motor with a trailer load more torque. It would make more sense in my books to use the motor in the tractor....one less thing to maintain, etc.

Cheers,
AR

Good points, thanks. I intend to offset mount it just like slashers are mounted. FWIW, most slashers on Fergusons are 3'6" or 4'0", though I have occasionally seen larger.

I thought a 40-44" mowing deck would do the job nicely, though 38" seems to be a more common size.

As I previously mentioned, the engine is a [b:6127cae7c9]10[/b:6127cae7c9]hp Tecumseh, I think it's 360cc or so. I was more concerned that a 10hp engine might not have enough power to turn a 38"+ deck, though ride on mowers with that size deck usually run 12-15hp engines, so I guess it should be OK as it doesn't need to power anything but the deck itself in this application.

I don't think the Ferguson's PTO speed would be anything close to fast enough to achieve a clean cut using a mower deck.

Is it possible with a 3 point linkage to have the rear end of the deck running on wheels, and the front end of the deck attached to the lower arms? Could I then somehow lift the back end of the deck for transit? Do other implements use a similar arrangement?
 
Your TEA-20 has no position control on the hydraulics so you won't be able to 'carry' the deck at a constant hieght. Best to mount the deck on 4 caster wheels so it cuts at a constant hieght, use the 3 point to raise it for transport.
 
Yeah that's what I thought, but if I just have wheels at the back, and make the height roughly correct when the 3PL is in the fully down position, then all I need to do is lift it for transport? I thought maybe some chains to give it a bit of slack, so it can follow the angle of the ground, but still allowing me to lift up easily.

Oh, and the rear track of the tractor is currently 52", but will be 56" when I adjust it.
 
why not go to a lawn mower shop buy a used lawn treactor that needs and engine and put your oon it. probably get it for 50 bucks or less and you'll spend more than that on wheels tsc puts 10 hps on their tag along 44 inch cut mowers. that tractor is so wide that you would be going over the same paths so many time you'll really pack the ground.
 
(quoted from post at 22:24:34 10/23/08) why not go to a lawn mower shop buy a used lawn treactor that needs and engine and put your oon it. probably get it for 50 bucks or less and you'll spend more than that on wheels tsc puts 10 hps on their tag along 44 inch cut mowers. that tractor is so wide that you would be going over the same paths so many time you'll really pack the ground.
aha, this is Australia... good luck picking up a used mower for less than $1500 from a mower shop. The tractor is only 8" wider than a 44" mowing deck.
 

We sell tractor parts! We have the parts you need to repair your tractor - the right parts. Our low prices and years of research make us your best choice when you need parts. Shop Online Today.

Back
Top