Setting up bush hog?

[kevin in oh]

On the bush hog,do you adjust top link so no preasure is on it and all the preasure is on the tail wheel.or should they be no weight on tail wheel of bush hog.

 

[WESnIL]

My preference is a loose top link. Adjust so the blades cut 1/2 inch or so lower in the front than the back; otherwise you are cutting the material twice which increase horsepower required. There should be vertical height adjustments for the tail wheel to maintain height of cut and cutting lower in the front than the back.

 

[Tim in New York]

I think it depends on the tractor you are using. I cannot seem to get the mower on my little Kubota to float at all unless I raise the back wheel off the ground with the 3 pt. Otherwise the front of the mower digs in. I have the back wheel adjusted all the way up.

I will be watching this post to see what others have to say.

Tim

 

[Russ from MN]

My preference is a loose top link. Adjust so the blades cut 1/2 inch or so lower in the front than the back; otherwise you are cutting the material twice which increase horsepower required. There should be vertical height adjustments for the tail wheel to maintain height of cut and cutting lower in the front than the back.

I agree, there should always be weight on the tail wheel when mowing, unless it's an extreme situation, like crossing a ditch.

 

[47fivewindow]

On the bush hog,do you adjust top link so no preasure is on it and all the preasure is on the tail wheel.or should they be no weight on tail wheel of bush hog.

On our super C I replaced the top link with a piece of chain. The aftermarket 3 point has limited float and the tail wheel would unload the rear tires. I was worried about the drive shaft bottoming out, but it never happened.

 

[Steve in IL]

Based on my experience, each tractor and mower can be different. Reading the mower’s operator’s manual is a good start (even older mower’s manuals can often be found online).

I tend to run my mowers a little tilted down in front (rear wheel lowered, to hold back up a little).

Both 3 pt mowers we have, have a flexible top link connection to the mower, so that allows the back to float up further. I run the top link with a bit of slack, as I want the back to also float down, but no too loose, as I don’t want the back to sag when I raise the 3 pt.

 

[kevin in oh]

Thanks everyone for the help.

 

[Brian G. NY]

On the bush hog,do you adjust top link so no preasure is on it and all the preasure is on the tail wheel.or should they be no weight on tail wheel of bush hog.

I've seen different ways to do this including using a chain in place of the top link.
The deck should generally be a bit lower in the front with the tail wheel running on the ground.
The 3-PH arms must be set to hold the front of the deck at the desired height. This is sometimes a problem with older tractors with rams that tend to "leak down".
When I converted my trailer type Bush Hog to 3-PH, I basically started with a "clean slate" and designed my own sliding top link in order to traverse the rough terrain around my place. I also built an adjustable stop for the 3-PH lift arms so I didn't have to continually "play with" the
hydraulic control lever. This stop is adjustable in 1" increments by removing two 3/4" bolts.
BTW, the 3-PH was build by the previous owner and works pretty well.