The whatchamacallit

[kpinnc 12,053]

1 hour ago, pullstart said:

2 hours ago, kpinnc said:

Maybe the whatchamacallit needs a 3 point hitch...

yeah it does!

 

I was kinda toying with the idea anyways. I do have a set of arms that will work. Manual lift will limit how much it will pick up, but that never stopped WH from building the 520-8, and putting a 60 inch deck on them...

Edited May 10, 2021 by kpinnc

[kpinnc 12,053]

I've been really frustrated with my last (used to have 4 of them) 48 inch deck. It was rotted out bad underneath, so I used POR15 on it. Still has more craters than the moon, and two holes near the chute which is common. Then I had to replace a pulley. Then i pumped the spindles full of grease only to see it all sling out because the seals are gone. I'm done with that deck for now. The first two pics below are the WH 48.

 

I was going to set it to mow about 4 inches high to crawl over the bumps and rocks in the pasture to give the old Scag a break. Those hills are pretty steep and the hydros get hot back there on summer days.

 

Anyways- every time I fix something on this 48, I find two more issues. And then it hit me: I have a near new, commercial Exmark 48 walk behind that I'm never walking behind again. I am to old and fat for that silliness anymore. The Exmark deck has brand new blades and spindles, and a fully baffled 3/16 manufactured and reinforced steel body. It is a tank, and has a beautiful cut. At 3600 engine RPM it spins the blades at crazy high speed. Sounds like a jet taking off. It spreads clippings lile a champ no matter how much grass you put it in. No clumps ever. 

 

I think I'm gonna bolt a tachamatic rack on it and see what I can do with it. There won't be many fitment issues under this tractor, because it's almost identical measured spindle to edge, except in the middle where the front is 2 inches farther out. That won't be an issue on this tractor. Comparison pics below. The Exmark deck is 4 and 1/2 inches narrower than the WH deck, but still cuts 48.

Edited June 22, 2021 by kpinnc

[rjg854 11,361]

This should be an interesting project, gotta to see how this works out.

[Handy Don 12,230]

Following this. Could open a whole new avenue of upgrades! Good luck!

 

[kpinnc 12,053]

A little test fitting so I can set up the hitch rack.

 

Not the tractor it will go on, but I needed a functioning machine for proper fitment.

Edited June 26, 2021 by kpinnc

[Bill D 1,921]

4 hours ago, kpinnc said:

A little test fitting so I can set up the hitch rack.

 

Not the tractor it will go on, but I needed a functioning machine for proper fitment.

Based on your measurements, will it fit on a tractor without a forward swept front end and 8 inch front wheels?  None of my machines have forward swept front ends, and I to would like to do something like this.  Thanks.

[peter lena 8,627]

@kpinnc, might suggest you try this approach , for deck life , then again your open field situation is way different from mine. deck drying and metal lubrication feeding is vital for  deck life and stopping rot , would also recommend that you use, LUCAS EXTRA HEAVY DUTY GREASE , polyurea rated for extreme heat and anti slinging , walmart $ 5 . dropping a deck is easy and scraping it down and oil soaking it ,is what kills rot. leave upside down , like picture in sun to get hot and suck in oil, works for me , pete 

 

[cschannuth 3,816]

I was just curious if the pulleys on the deck dictate the very high speed those blades turn or is it the pulley on the drive system of the zero turn? If the pulley on your zero turn is extremely large to produce the high deck speed, the deck may not work very well for a Wheel Horse. It will be interesting to see how that deck performs if it is spinning at a much, much slower speed than it did before.

Edited June 26, 2021 by cschannuth

[Handy Don 12,230]

12 hours ago, cschannuth said:

curious if the pulleys on the deck dictate the very high speed those blades turn or is it the pulley on the drive system of the zero turn

Great question. What are the pulley size on the ZT that drive the deck?

 

[kpinnc 12,053]

18 hours ago, Bill D said:

Based on your measurements, will it fit on a tractor without a forward swept front end and 8 inch front wheels?  None of my machines have forward swept front ends, and I to would like to do something like this.  Thanks

I think it would. I'm planning on putting casters on all 4 corners, so the swept axle is a must for that. If you use a regular rear deck axle, you should be ok.

Edited June 27, 2021 by kpinnc

[kpinnc 12,053]

5 hours ago, Handy Don said:

Great question. What are the pulley size on the ZT that drive the deck?

The drive pulley on the ZTR engine was  almost 9 inches in diameter, and the deck pulleys were 6 inch. Definitely a step up in RPMs. I have dropped the deck pulleys down to 4 inches, so my RPMs will be a little slower. 

[cschannuth 3,816]

5 hours ago, kpinnc said:

The drive pulley on the ZTR engine was  almost 9 inches in diameter, and the deck pulleys were 6 inch. Definitely a step up in RPMs. I have dropped the deck pulleys down to 4 inches, so my RPMs will be a little slower. 

 This is a very cool idea. I’ll be looking forward to see how it goes once you get it all put together. Good luck.

[Handy Don 12,230]

9 hours ago, kpinnc said:

The drive pulley on the ZTR engine was  almost 9 inches in diameter, and the deck pulleys were 6 inch. Definitely a step up in RPMs. I have dropped the deck pulleys down to 4 inches, so my RPMs will be a little slower. 

No wonder they can zip along and still get a good cut, 4800 rpms at the driven shaft on the deck! Need very solid bearings and perfectly balanced blades when things are moving that fast.

 

[Crazyredhorse 295]

[kpinnc 12,053]

My casters finally showed up, so I got some test fitting started on one side at least. Still gotta make the adjustment hangers, but this is the plan.

Edited July 3, 2021 by kpinnc

[kpinnc 12,053]

Got alot going on lately, but the deck is ready for testing. The large idler pulley will come out when I get an appropriate belt. The one on it is about two inches too long, so I added the idler as a stopgap.

 

The idlers make moving this thing a breeze. It easily weighs 200lbs, and it can be moved around with a finger. Prolly won't fit under anything without a swept axle. A traditional WH adjustment bar would have been easier to get under any tractor, but that would have been rough considering the weight.

 

Cut adjustments are 3 and 4 inches by moving the pins. 1/4 inch increments can be made anywhere in between by changing the spacers on the spindles. 

Edited July 22, 2021 by kpinnc

[Crazyredhorse 295]

Nice work.now make some feet to slide in ends so you can stand it up against a wall when not using it 

[19richie66 17,508]

Nice work Kevin!

[Snoopy11 5,714]

On 6/28/2021 at 1:18 AM, Crazyredhorse said:

You realize that this is a John Deere saying... right...? 

 

Don

[Bill D 1,921]

I love it.  Can't wait to see pictures of it on a tractor.

[Crazyredhorse 295]

😁no I didnt work buddy sent it to me in a text.

[kpinnc 12,053]

I've built alot of stuff for my tractors over the years. Some looked good, some worked pretty well. This thing is the best contraption I've come up with yet! It isn't perfect- there are a couple small things that need tweaking, but I have never owned a WH mower that cuts like this, and I have had the 37 and still have a 60. Neither compare with this thing! It is a billy goat. 

 

Some of the previous concerns were blade speed and room under the tractor. Neither is an issue. On the blade speed, I actually ran it on the smaller groove on the PTO. It ran so fast on the inner groove that I was afraid to open the Onan up to 3600. Those 4 inch pulleys were a lucky guess, but the deck screams like a turboprop. It's downright scary. As far as room under the tractor, it is tight but fits the 520-H with no issues, even with the casters rotating 360 degrees when I had to back up. That being said, it is NOT fun getting it under the tractor to start with. The casters make it light work, but it requires some southern shoe horn work to be sure. 

[kpinnc 12,053]

So far as performance- we've had alot of rain, and I was determined not to mow the inner front yard until I finished this thing. The grass was downright embarrassing. It was about 18 inches in a few spots. The oversize belt would occasionally slip, but otherwise this thing chews it and spits the clippings about 15 feet. No clumping whatsoever. And no I did not rake up any clippings.

Edited July 25, 2021 by kpinnc

[kpinnc 12,053]

I still have to get a correct belt for it. The one on it is way too big. I also need to adjust the rear of the deck up just a little. The rubber bumpers on the deck hitch have to be added, because I know what they are for now. Also I think the hitch itself is about shot. It came loose without adding a pin, but it does that with every deck I have ever put under this tractor. 

 

Long story short- it's probably better to stick with a traditional gage wheel setup if you do this. Even the 520 barely straddles this thing as it is. But if you can find a commercial deck, they absolutely work as well under our tractors as anything else! Without question- the tractor this deck is for will have to get a 520 axle. Luckily I have one left...

 

One more thing- not one time did I have to clear clippings from the Onan. The deck is high lift and nothing blows out on the left side. The right side was another story. I had grass from my feet to my ears. 

Edited July 25, 2021 by kpinnc

[Bill D 1,921]

I love it.  I'll keep looking for a deck to do something like this.