home made tree cutter

[sula bob]

Well, I've come up with a plan to make a home made brown manufacturing style tree cutter deck. I've got access to a machine shop with a water jet, so making the blades and various deck plates isn't an issue. My only concern is destroying my tractors pto shaft. I've got an older mower deck that needs to be rebuilt, so I figure why not convert it.

Anybody have any concerns I might be over looking?

http://www.brownmanufacturing.us/node/970

 

[Tooljunkie]

A good pto slip clutch, gearbox they use is good for 145 horsepower.
Hope your tractor has a cab,might want to guard it from widowmakers- saw branches go right through a roof of a building when tree fell.

I wouldnt subject my machine to that kind of punishment. To each his/her own.
It is an effective way to clear brush.

 

[Dave_eng]

I think that you are going to be subjecting your pto SYSTEM, the internal parts that are expensive to repair when broken to extreme shock loads that occur before the slip clutch slips.

Is the old mower deck from a grass cutting machine or a bush hog style. If it was designed for cutting grass you could shatter the gear box with the new use.

Been there, sickening feeling when you look back and the gear box casting is rotating is pieces at the end of the pto shaft.

Dave M7040

 

[cabu]

Building your own equipment is a good decission. You will be proud of it.
Please do not forget to make a lot of photos and post them here...

carl

 

[skeets]

INdeed lots of pictures, that way we can all learn sumthin

 

[sula bob]

I think that you are going to be subjecting your pto SYSTEM, the internal parts that are expensive to repair when broken to extreme shock loads that occur before the slip clutch slips.

Is the old mower deck from a grass cutting machine or a bush hog style. If it was designed for cutting grass you could shatter the gear box with the new use.

Been there, sickening feeling when you look back and the gear box casting is rotating is pieces at the end of the pto shaft.

Dave M7040

In theory, as long as the engine or PTO RPM's aren't dropping, I shouldn't tear anything up. If I back in slowly and let the momentum of the blades spinning on the 3/4" plate do the work it should be fine. I'm not planning on tackling a 12" pine tree with this. I want to build this to be able to take down trees greater than the 1.5" that my current brush deck allows. I think anything less than 6" should be easily cut and mulched.

The deck I'm going to use is an ancient Brush Hog deck.

Please talk me out of this if it's a terribly stupid idea. It certainly won't be the first time.

 

[Diydave]

In theory, as long as the engine or PTO RPM's aren't dropping, I shouldn't tear anything up. If I back in slowly and let the momentum of the blades spinning on the 3/4" plate do the work it should be fine. I'm not planning on tackling a 12" pine tree with this. I want to build this to be able to take down trees greater than the 1.5" that my current brush deck allows. I think anything less than 6" should be easily cut and mulched.

The deck I'm going to use is an ancient Brush Hog deck.

Please talk me out of this if it's a terribly stupid idea. It certainly won't be the first time.

I built one for my ASV RC30, took an old 4' bush hog that the deck was rusted out on, pulled the gearbox and blades. Ditched the frame and PTO shaft. Used a plate made of 1/4" steel for the deck, and reinforced with some 3/4" steel, behind the gearbox. (used the original gearbox mount from the old mower) Then put a hyd motor in place of the drive shaft, and made a mount for it, and welded the mount to the 3/4" steel. Braced it with heavy 2X3 tubular box steel, for the quick attach plate, and some 1/4" angle iron along the front edge. Has about 6" sides with skid plates along their full length.

In retrospect, I wish I had checked out the stump jumper off the old mower, cause the holes were wore out on it, so I had to replace that, for about $125, if I remember the price right. It is heavy enough that I can push down 3-4" trees, and chop them on the way down. Much bigger than that and it's easier to just cut the trees with a saw, down low, when you come to them.