convert Finish Mower to bush- possible?

[coachgeo]

remembering a thread or two where one fabricated their own bush mower... Im wondering if one could just switch their Finish mower to Bush Hog by:

1. make sure there is a clutch, belt that would slip, or shear pin. If not fabricate one into system.
2. remove finish blade
3. replace with same over all length:
(a) Bush Hog blade
(b) chain
(c) ??
4. maybe weld some reinforcement to the mower housing?

What am I missing?

 

[North Idaho Wolfman]

What am I missing?

Your missing the fact that they are 2 completely different designed units!

The finish mower has multiple fixed blades that are direct driven, a brush mower has several swinging blades on a centrifugal plate to maintain speed, and that move when they hit a solid object.

No real feasible or logical way to make a finish mower into a brush mower.

 

[coachgeo]

Your missing the fact that they are 2 completely different designed units!

The finish mower has multiple fixed blades that are direct driven, a brush mower has several swinging blades on a centrifugal plate to maintain speed, and that move when they hit a solid object.

No real feasible or logical way to make a finish mower into a brush mower.

Yes I am aware that the bush mower does not use a fixed blade but one that can fold back on impact that is too hard for the umph of the drive mechanism.... while slicing thru it if there is enough umph. There may be some increased forces for cutting from when a blade gets folded back from one impact and just prior to reaching second object if the blade has gotten slung back out to full length at same time it reaches that second object (or second impact of same object) the forces imparted by that part of the blade will be significantly higher than a straight blade alone.

Good point that a longer blade over all may be a big part of it (higher tip speeds).

My thoughts though where based on the unit someone home built in here that did not use typical bush blades but instead a chain. My guess is it works like a weed whacker on steroids. There in lies my idea.

Increase blade speeds of the finish mower and replace the blades with chain or maybe even wire. though guess one could make shorter swinging blades too.

Might also require a flywheel of sorts. AKA a weighted spinning (balanced) object on the same shaft as cutter to help keep the forces moving.

 

[Tooljunkie]

Seems to me that it would be a large investment in time and materials. Another thing, using a flexible cutter, the overlap between blades would no longer be effective. With the increased speed the projectiles would be something short of deadly.

On that note,something similar to swinging blades is do-able. But the spindles are too small to take the pounding. Bearings are for speed not impact.

Im aware of the euphoria one feels when succeeding to a challenge such as this, but putting the effort into finding a more suitable mower at the right price is almost as rewarding.

I had an Agri-72 given to me, fixed it up and used it as a finishing mower.
Worked ok, but its hard on my clutch on the old cockshutt. So now it sits.

 

[Daren Todd]

We used to have a make shift rotary cutter/ flail mower when i was a kid. Had a stump jumper like a bush hog, and the cutter was a piece of chain linked to a piece of sharpened flat steele. Can't remember if there were 3 or 6 chains. Having trouble remembering the particulars since it was almost 30yrs ago. Didn't really work to well, so dad ended up trading it in on a bush hog. Seems like all it would do was beat the grass into submission, and forget using it in brush

 

[coachgeo]

Good input folk. Thanks. On my budget being able to double duty something works best...

Apparently this is not one area I can do this.

 

[BotaDriver]

Good input folk. Thanks. On my budget being able to double duty something works best...

Apparently this is not one area I can do this.

Indeed, find a cheap hog. Trying to use the finish mower as a hog will result in having neither a hog, nor finish mower!