Slowhand again, this time my pull-behind mower project

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I finished this project yesterday and wanted to wait for good weather to get outside to take some pics but the snow is here now so I decided to post my project anyway instead of waiting. lol  So here it is,  my pull-behind mower.As you know I just finished my Husqvarna pulling tractor (my pulling tractor project http://weldingweb.com/vbb/showthread.php...light=slowhand)  and had the mower deck from it left over so I decided to build a pull behind mower out of it.My requirements were tough to say the least.  I wanted it to be able to be pulled like a normal run of the mill pull behind mower and off to the side like a wing mower.  Its a 54" deck in itself and with the  54" deck on my new Craftsman 28hp Professional garden tractor I got this summer in theory I could now mow 108" of cut width in one pass. .  But when you figure in what is considered a normal lap of 8",  this twin mower setup in reality would have about 100" of cut instead. So 100 inches ain't too bad.Besides being a wing mower I also wanted to be able to pull it as a rear-mount mower.  This required a completely different setup and also a different hitch.  In this configuration it would need to be on full casters and hooked solid to the back of the tractor.   On the back of the Husqvarna it would be a normal rear mount finish mower, but on the Craftsman it could be used as a second-pass finish mower if the grass was too high to cut in one pass with the onboard deck to my tractor.  The finish mower behind could cut the grass to the finished height.  Besides,  hooked solid to the back of my Husqvarna on casters it would be one heck of an experience to mow with it, to say the least.I wanted to build a hitch that I could use either on my Husqvarna or my Craftsman as I wanted, so a universal hitch that would fit them both was needed.These two very different mowers made my project much harder than it should of been and also different from any pull behind I've ever seen before.  Also I have hills on my place and I didn't want a heavy pull behind to drag around, so my build had to be as light as possible.  This also posed yet another problem.  Steel is heavy, so I used as little of it as I could.As it turned out I had to use casters on all 4 wheels then make the two casters on the rear lockable because in a wing mower setup they had to be locked straight ahead, but in rear-mount they had to be full caster,  so be unlockable.  The engine is the original 2005 22hp Briggs that came on the Husqvarna tractor and it seems to be running strong.  Actually with these slightly open exhaust pipes it seems to run better than it ever did.   And a manual belt clutch.  I wanted the electric clutch but the length was a problem so I went with a straight 6" pulley and a manual clutch.  It works ok. lolI had to get a new throttle, choke, and starter solenoid.  Most came from NAPA.  For the ignition switch instead of using a key switch or a DPST toggle I used the old Husqvarna electric clutch switch.  It worked out great.  Its a heavy switch for sure and will do the job, besides it was now free. haha.  The rest of the parts either came from NAPA or Tractor Supply,..... or Walmart.I painted the deck Lincoln Grey Metallic (actually Rust o leum charcoal Grey metallic) with black trim because that's what paint I had on hand.   The second and final coat on the deck took me 4 cans of paint.  My son ask me why so much, I said I had to keep it wet to get all the way around, so 4 cans it took.  The truth is that its hard to spray that paint because of dark streaks you can get.  To keep from having them you spray it then mist it, but to be able to mist it without leaving it dull from overspray it must be wet.  To keep it wet you haft to mist the whole thing enough so it won't show the overspray.  That takes a lot of paint.  4 cans in my case on his deck to get over it...... Now for some build pics.Thanks for lookingSlowhand  Attached Images
Reply:more project pics  Attached Images
Reply:caster locks and a few others. Thanks for lookingSlowhand Attached Images
Reply:My hitch.... Ok thats all.ThanksSlowhand  Attached ImagesLast edited by slowhand; 01-03-2012 at 08:28 PM.
Reply:Looks real nice should cut down on mowing time. I might turn the mufflers up on a 45 degree angle get the exhaust away from the grass just a thought.
Reply:Keooowal!   What a great project!  Nice job.  By the way, for a minute I thought you had a nitrous powered garden tractor with FAT tires!  Then the closeup showed it was a fire extinguisher canister.TonyMiller Maxtron 300Miller Spoolmatic 3Victor Journeyman II"Twern't my ignorance done me in, but what I knowed that wasn't so."  Uncle Tom's Cabin
Reply:You're starting to remind me of Tim Taylor, the Tool Man! “More power”! Don’t pay any attention to meI’m just a hobbyist!CarlDynasty 300V350-Pro w/pulseSG Spool gun1937 IdealArc-300PowerArc 200ST3 SA-200sVantage 400
Reply:Top quality job as always.  Awesome finish for rattle cans! MM200 w/Spoolmatic 1Syncrowave 180SDBobcat 225G Plus - LP/NGMUTT Suitcase WirefeederWC-1S/Spoolmatic 1HF-251D-1PakMaster 100XL '68 Red Face Code #6633 projectStar Jet 21-110Save Second Base!
Reply:Hmnmm... That is good work and gives me ideas.
Reply:Originally Posted by cepyou're starting to remind me of tim taylor, the tool man! “more power”!
Reply:did you stick weld all of the project?
Reply:I see a lot of careful thought went into this. Nice work."The things that will destroy America are prosperity at any price, peace at any price, safety first instead of duty first, the love of soft living and the get rich quick theory of life." -Theodore Roosevelt
Reply:I think now you should take the brain unit off one of those vacuum cleaner robots for the house and let that thing go to town on the lawn!!JoeMiller 140 Autoset (2010)Miller Syncrowave 250 (1996)
Reply:Originally Posted by CEPYou're starting to remind me of Tim Taylor, the Tool Man! “More power”!
Reply:If? there were servo motors added to  the mower deck and a belt  drive? then could you not give it a robot brain and then just sit on the Husky and drive the mower around on it's own... ? Seriously, very keen.  Interesting offset hitch.  Well done. I was kind of thinking you'd go with a multiple gang rotary  since you had so much nice pull power  in the Husky.Please bale the grass and send it along, my goats arer always hungry Attached ImagesLast edited by PapaLion; 01-04-2012 at 09:04 AM.Lincoln Power MIG 215Lincoln WeldPak 3200HDLincon ProCut 25Lincoln WeldanPower 225 AC/DCIf all else fails... buy more tools
Reply:Originally Posted by PapaLionIf? there were servo motors added to  the mower deck and a belt  drive? then could you not give it a robot brain and then just sit on the Husky and drive the mower around on it's own... ? Seriously, very keen.  Interesting offset hitch.  Well done. I was kind of thinking you'd go with a multiple gang rotary  since you had so much nice pull power  in the Husky.Please bale the grass and send it along, my goats arer always hungry
Reply:Oh yea.  Stick welded with 5/32 5P+.  I was tacking with 1/8 5P+ but I ran out and had to switch rods.  They were like 2 years old and not very good, but its just a mower (I kept telling myself). I also messed up by only tacking everything and waiting to weld it all at once.  Also by not cleaning off all that baked on paint and power coat first while the deck was apart and I could get to it.  I just welded over all of it.  So if you're welding 11ga to 14ga (or to even thinner stuff) you need a 5.  Later manSlowhandLast edited by slowhand; 01-04-2012 at 09:34 AM.
Reply:LOL welding 14 ga with a #5 and with a p5 to boot is always fun stuff.  I remember having to weld 14 ga side walls on a dump trailer repair with that rod and my helper was making more holes than termites.  I finally had to put him to work making shade cause we would never have finished.
Reply:looks good ......that garden tractor wheels are huge.....do you take that thing to the drag strip?bobs77vet/37ford4drEastwood digital TIG200HH190Lincoln Invertec 155sLincoln weldpak 100sears/craftsman (lincoln) 50a 240v buzz boxO/A rig Harris gaugesnexion cut 50 dxchicago electric (HF) 240v spot welder
Reply:Originally Posted by Scott YoungLOL welding 14 ga with a #5 and with a p5 to boot is always fun stuff.  I remember having to weld 14 ga side walls on a dump trailer repair with that rod and my helper was making more holes than termites.  I finally had to put him to work making shade cause we would never have finished.
Reply:You're like a mad scientist. Putting a 22hp V-twin on top of that 54" deck? Talk about a frankenmower!
Reply:Nice work I dig it...Check out my Man Blog.  If you like it follow by email thanks!!!
Reply:Niiiiice dude!! [Account Abandoned 8/8/16 Please Do Not Attempt Contact Or Expect A Reply]. See you on YouTube! -ChuckE2009
Reply:Great Job.  I really like the detail you put into this.  I have the same casters under my Trailblazer 302.  I have been working on a way to lock them and I think I am done looking now.  Thanks for the idea.Walt
Reply:Originally Posted by stuk4x4Great Job.  I really like the detail you put into this.  I have the same casters under my Trailblazer 302.  I have been working on a way to lock them and I think I am done looking now.  Thanks for the idea.WaltAt first I thought your fire extinguisher was a NOS bottle on the back of the mower!
Reply:I like it. I bet the neighbors think you're crazy.I can destroy a steel ball in a rubber room
Reply:Originally Posted by Redneck WelderI like it. I bet the neighbors think you're crazy.
Reply:That is a real awesome mower I the big tires.
Reply:Wow Great craftsmanship.TA Arcmaster 300CM3XMT 304S22P12 suitcase feederX-Treme 12VSOptima pulserTA161SMaxstar 150STLHypertherm PM45OP setupStihl 020AVP, 039, 066 Magnum
Reply:Thanks guys Slowhand
Reply:Very nice job on that trailer mower.   Now I need to find a big deck like that and see if I can do one similar.  Thanks for all the great pics.
Reply:Very nice work !Mastering others is strength, mastering yourself is true power.
Reply:Thanks guys for the comps.The pull behind mower has shortened my mowing time by a huge amount I can say.  I've had a little trouble out of those rear wheels though.  I had to re-weld both so far this summer cause the factory welds broke.  But since I'm a welder that wasn't really a biggie. haha  I'm thinking about changing the rear end anyway and use 15x6x6 tires and wheels.  All the weight is back there and those narrow tires are cutting in the grass and leaving lines that I don't like.But all in all the mower is doing good.  Since I've been using compost tea and all the re-seeding and lime deals I've done every fall my grass is really thick and that 22hp actually isn't enough.  I've got it set for 2-1/2" cut height and even in only a week it'll bog out enough that I must slow down for it.  30hp would of been perfect I think.  But, oh well. lolI'm glad I built it and I use it every time we mow.  My wife trims and I do the big stuff.  When she's done I'm also done.  And I'm getting better driving it I think.Later manSlowhand
Reply:Did a couple mods on the mower the other day. I put dual wheels on the rear and made casters for the front.I found the weight on the back was a little much on single tires and bearings and didn't want to go with taller tires so this idea. Larger tires would of ment major changes necessary.The casters on the front were wearing too fast I thought so I bought spindles and hubs from surplus center real cheap and used them for casters. It took some modifying but was easy todo.It seems better to me. Next moving season will tell I guess. Lol Attached Images
Reply:Thats impressive.  I bet it would be quite a sight to see it all in action.How bout twin engines? That would solve your power problem. Haha
Reply:Slowhand, that is a fantastic rattle can paint job!!Safety 3rdGump
Reply:Thanks gump. And thank all you guys. LolYea i had her wet.  Real wet man. About ready to run but i kept it up.  I dont remember how many cans it took to get it all wet on that last pass but it was a few.  Like 3 i think. HahaSlowhand
Reply:Me again.  Just a line to let u guys know the pull behind is still working. Done another year man. Had a few bads so once again in the shop for a few mods. Nothing big. Ok, that's all I got.Later guysSlowhand Attached Images
Reply:Originally Posted by slowhandMe again.  Just a line to let u guys know the pull behind is still working. Done another year man. Had a few bads so once again in the shop for a few mods. Nothing big. Ok, that's all I got.Later guysSlowhand
Reply:Hey man, that is a bad arse mower build! I love them fatties that you have on the back of the mower too!RC mower.. been eyeballing this design for a couple of years. The guy has some nice little units built.http://www.remotemowers.com/http://www.remotemowers.com/#!ztr-34/c1ii6Last edited by NicheFab; 04-28-2015 at 10:02 PM.
Reply:That's way cool !!  Nice build...If not for the fuel tank would look factory built.
Reply:Originally Posted by slowhandMy hitch.... Ok thats all.ThanksSlowhand
Reply:I use it every time we mow and its still working.  The spindle mod is great. No issues.  The solid front tires are also great, the rear tires are still air tires and I haft to add some air every once in awhile.The engine had an issue last year. Its a 2005 with lots of hours and an exhaust valve guide loosened and moved up bending the pushrod.  Instead of buying a head I removed the valve guide and trimmed off about 1/8" and peened it in place by pounding the aluminum head material around each end of it locking it in place.  That fix is holding up (to my surprise) and saved me some $$. I love my pull behind and wouldn't want to do without it.  I mow pretty wide strips. hahaSlowhand Attached Images
Reply:Originally Posted by roadkillbobbSUPER COOL!!! when I went through your pulling tractor build, I first thought the fire extinguisher on the rear was a nitro bottle... LOL..great build on both..what mods did you do on the lawn tractor running gear to beef it up?