Brush Hog Setup - assembly

[kckndrgn]

Hello all,
First off, I apologize if this has been asked before, but I didn't see anything in a search.

i'm trying to figure out if my dealer assembled my LandPride RCR1248 brush hog correctly, as it doesn't look like it according to my manual.

I'm concerned about the floating top hitch connection, it doesn't look same in the manual compared to the actual item.

In the picture the front of the BH is on the ground while the read is on the wheel. Trying to read the manual for setting up the BH it just seem like the bars coming up from the lower 3pt pins to the top-link will ever be vertical.

Any Help will be greatly appreciated.

 

[85Hokie]

If you could take a picture of the manual ...that would help.

the BH "floats" - the front end is placed at the level you determine and the rear is set a bit higher, if you run across something, the rear can kick up a bit ( when you come out of a valley - the rear will bind into the ground if there is no allowance to move up). Notice you have two holes that are on the bottom of the cutter, the lower link pins could be dropped down if you wish.

Sometimes - people will place stop chains on the three point - so that you always lower it to the exact same spot.

 

[MadMax31]

Just to expand, never use chains in place of your top link. It would certainly float far better but if you start to roll back over for any reason, the top link is the only component to hold the front of the tractor down...

I think looks good. I like your top link swivel connector. Mine has 2 separate plates and theres a lot of movement in it. I also run a quick hitch and it doesnt allow much float. I've got a better idea for my top link mount now. Ill elongate the holes with my plasma and then Ill have better float.... Ha, just thought of that typing this up...

 

[TripleR]

Pretty much what Hoakie85 said, I have an RCR2672 and with it set at cutting height the top plate looks close to mine, I have about a 45 degree angle so it allows for movement up or down.

As mentioned, set the desired cutting height with your 3 point lift arms then adjust your top-link and tail wheel to have the front just a bit lower than the back, inch or so and you should be good to go.

For those interested, you can get a PDF download from LP.

 

[kckndrgn]

If you could take a picture of the manual ...that would help.

the BH "floats" - the front end is placed at the level you determine and the rear is set a bit higher, if you run across something, the rear can kick up a bit ( when you come out of a valley - the rear will bind into the ground if there is no allowance to move up). Notice you have two holes that are on the bottom of the cutter, the lower link pins could be dropped down if you wish.

Sometimes - people will place stop chains on the three point - so that you always lower it to the exact same spot.

Attached a couple of shots from the manual.
I don't think I could ever the the top-link centered over the bottom pins (looking from the side, like in one of the photos).

 

[TripleR]

I can understand your confusion, never saw one like that.That is definitely different than mine. It sure looks like you have it on wrong, you have the top-link hooked to it, where the diagram shows the support down braced attached to it then attached to your front braces with the top-link hooked to the front braces rather than the pivoting link.

Download the PDF on the 2672 and you can easily see the difference.

The dealer set mine up.

 

[Diydave]

I think the link in your picture needs to be moved forward one hole. Don't be concerned about the drawing in the manual, sometimes parts change shape a little as a machine is manufactured. You want the back end of the BH to be able to flex up and down, as others have said...

 

[85Hokie]

I am with TripleR - never seen anything like that......I would prefer the top link in place!

The chains I WAS referring to were NOT a replacement for the top link - rather limiter chains, you set up the rotary cutter to get dead balls the height you want and basically you tether them at that heights using chains.....

check out picture:

http://s7.photobucket.com/user/farmerdan/media/LimiterChains-1.jpg.html

 

[Dave_eng]

I have a land Pride finishing mower and the top link arrangement is the same as your brush mower is now. I think the second hole in the floppy piece is just in case your top link is too long. I always saw the design as intended to not put any of the tractor's weight unto the mower such as when crossing a ditch.
Dave M7040

 

[Russell King]

I really think it will work the way it is. It can not be assembled like the manual since yours does not have two holes. If you turned the link towards the back like the manual then you couldn't hook up the top link due to closed end of link.
Are there holes at the rear end of the braces that could be used to adjust to vertical?
On mine the front part is vertical and is rigid. After you get it all set up you loosen the top link so it is slack. This allows the mower to float on the lift arms and the wheel. The top link is really only used to lift the mower if necessary, which is infrequent.


Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

 

[Grandad4]

My brush cutter likewise has the same "U" shaped swinging bracket for attaching the top link. Unfortunately, the only photo I've ever taken of it does not show the 3 point hookup, but the other comments here are generally right... you use the two lower arms to set the height off the ground for the front of the cutter, then you make the top link longer or shorter to put some "slack" in the U shaped bracket so the tail wheel on the cutter can ride up or down as you mow across uneven ground.

In your photo, the U shaped bracket is tightened up so there is no slack. If you go over a hump, the tail wheel will go up in the air; if you go across a small dip or gully it will bind or possibly bend something because the tail wheel is held rigidly in place by the toplink.

There is a sweet spot in getting the right amount of slack in that U shaped bracket. If you have too much slack (top link too long), you can't get the back of the cutter off the ground when you raise the 3 point lift; if there's not enough slack (top link too short, as in your photo), there's not enough up and down flexibility to accomodate uneven ground. Getting it right on a BX is a challenge because it doesn't have a position control type lift for the 3 point. That makes it harder to get the lower 3 point arms adjusted back down to the same correct height after raising them.

Also, the jam nut on your toplink is not tightened, which will allow the toplink to get longer as you mow and it can eventually unscrew itself completely. Don't ask me how I know this can happen

Sorry for being long winded... hope some of this is helpful.

 

[kckndrgn]

Grandad4, thanks for the info. I was not running the BH yesterday, basically I was trying to figure out setting it up prior to heading off to our hunting property, which has no internet so if I had questions I could only rely on the manuals.

One other question, I guess this is more BX related, but I set the height of the BH with the 3pt. All the way down puts the front of the BH on the ground, so I come up slightly on it. Now I noticed while driving around my home that the BH tended to drift down, like the weight was slowly lowering the BH. Is this normal? I wouldn't think that I would need to keep resetting the height of the 3pt. This would also be cumbersome to have to re-raise the BH every so often.

Thanks for all the info!

 

[TripleR]

Yes, settling on the BX quarter inching is normal, that's what 85Hoakie was referring to with the limiter chains, other wise you just need to reach back and bump the cutter up every once in a while.

I haven't put chains on my BX and LP cutter as it is used for small areas only, for anything else, I use a different tractor.

 

[Grandad4]

To be honest, my cutter goes on a larger tractor but TripleR is right about the BX's tendency to drift down some. I see it with other implements like the box blade. For that sort of implement, you're constantly fiddling with the height adjustment anyhow, so it's not an issue, but for mowing any large area, rigging up some kind of stop would probably be pretty handy. On mine there are a couple of tabs welded to something several inches above each lower 3 point arm. I'm wondering if it wouldn't be pretty easy to attach a small hunk of chain of the right length from one of those to the 3 pt link beneath it.

 

[TripleR]

Land Pride offers check chains for their cutters, or the are easily fabricated.