Storing Bush Hogs

[FarmerHR]

I do not have room in our barn for two six foot bush hogs. Thus they are stored outside covered with a tarp. Both have ribs welded to the top plate. Water always seems to get under the tarps and is trapped by the ribs.
Has anyone come up with an idea to prevent this ?
How do people store their bush hogs outside ?
Thank you in advance for any suggestions that will help me out.

 

[JMOR]

Chain them up to a tree, vertically. Leaves them in good positioning for sharpening next spring.

 

[notjustair]

I have very few implements outside. I have the fortune of having lots of indoor storage space.

The rotary mower stays out all summer since it goes behind other things in the shed. When I am done with it I blow all of the debris off and park it in the sun. If it rains the sun will dry it out quick and I don't have wet leaves on it. I never cover anything outside as I think that causes more problems than it prevents. Mine is older than dirt and has very little paint on it. If it has a chance to dry out it still ought to last forever.

 

[donjr]

Drill a 3/8 to 1/2" hole in each of the corners. It'll let the water drain off.

 

[retired farmer]

Back it up somewhere out of the way, unhook from tractor and forget about it.

 

[Ultradog MN]

I agree with donjr. Drill a couple of holes in it. That's what I did on mine for the same reason you state. You have to clean the leaves and chaff out of those areas that trap the water or the holes will plug and not do any good.

 

[Dave in De]

I leave mine out side but I take them off on top of a set of cinder blocks to allow air flow under them, and clean the top of leaves and chaff. don't need to put holes in mine, it already looks like Swiss cheese. LOL.

 

[Dr. Walt]

JMOR:

"Chain them up to a tree, . . ." Keeps them Bush
Hogs from runnin' away.

LOL

 

[Caryc]

You didn't mention anything about this but I'll add this fact in case anyone else needs to think about it.

My Woods #5 brush hog has a slip clutch that stays on the gear box even with the shaft removed. When I'm done with the mower for the year, I cover the slip clutch with a few wraps of aluminum foil then wrap it with shrink wrap to keep any moisture from getting to it.

It's a good idea to make sure your slip clutch is still functional each year. I usually just loosen the spring nuts and mark the two sections and take it through some brush to see if the marks are no longer aligned, then re tighten the spring nuts.

Mine was completely frozen when I finally ordered a new clutch disc and installed it. Before that I really didn't know anything about slip clutches. I found out from this forum that I ought to check it out and make sure it was in working order.

Lots of good knowledge here.

 

[FarmerHR]

Appreciate all the excellent suggestions.
I am reluctant to drill drainage holes in the deck because all them have stump jumpers. I was concerned the water would gather in the stump jumpers and they would rust through.
I also have found that all the mowing waste needs to be removed before storage to keep the water from being adsorbed.
really appreciate all the suggestions.

 

[NoNewParts]

park em on something
I have some thin 4x8 sheets of non-rusting metal
probably be too much $ today. keeps the weeds away too
pound a metal garbage can lid into the right shape to cover the gearbox.

JMO, but I feel that the water-moisture coming up from the ground does more damage than the water from the sky

 

[souNdguy]

got a loader and tree to stand them up against?

 

[Caryc]

(quoted from post at 20:25:03 09/08/13) Appreciate all the excellent suggestions.
I am reluctant to drill drainage holes in the deck because all them have stump jumpers. I was concerned the water would gather in the stump jumpers and they would rust through.
I also have found that all the mowing waste needs to be removed before storage to keep the water from being adsorbed.
really appreciate all the suggestions.

Below is a picture of a new stump jumper for my Woods mower. I'm waiting for the winter months to install it so I won't be sweating to death.

As you can see, it's not exactly water proof. it already has three large holes in it for clearance. Also the raised flange does not go all the way around. The edge is still flat where the blades are.

If you were really worried you could drill a couple more holes in the pan where you see the black Xs on mine.