Is it possible to design this problem out of the equation before digging the pond? Any suggestions ?
If the pond water level stays relatively static, then a slope of 4:1 - 6:1 will allow easy mowing to the waters edge. You can go to 3:1, but the butt gets tired of staying puckered to keep suction forces in play for the operator to reliably stay in the seat.....
If the pond water level will vary a couple of feet from Spring to winter, then all bets are off. It's just too hard to keep wheeled machinery stable once you dip into the pond basin, even if it's 6:1. Once a machine starts sliding in the mud, not much will stop it from continuing into the water..........
I've put a riding mower into 4' of water by getting too close to the edge of a pond where the slope was greater than 2:1, and I remember seeing pictures of Ken's tractor taking a drink from the pond when it was thirsty.
Nice article Esshup, thanks for the info. I'm hoping my water level stays the same most of the year. If not, I will make it stay the same with my water well LOL... I'm going to have my digger make the slopes at least 4:1 if not more.
I use a Stihl sickle bar weed eater. Just like a weed eater but has an 18" sickle bar at the end. I walk slowly counter clockwise around the pond and everything just falls by the edge and nothing goes in the pond.
Tim, will that cut small brush, say 1/2" thick? If so, sounds perfect for me.
Yes, it cuts through stuff that thick. I tried a Ryobi one from home depot first but it didn't do the job. The sthil one is much more powerful. I trim my driveway hedges and lots of other stuff with it too. Very good tool.
Timinator how's that do for thick grass? I never thought of this idea but I have a stihl kombi motor and that's an attachment I might have too look into..
Last edited by Bluegillerkiller; 08/15/1408:12 AM.
I believe in catch and release. I catch then release to the grease..
That is funny you said that. After your first post, I bought the Ryobi one attachment as I already have the power head and am waiting on delivery so I can try it out. I shouldn't be surprised it doesn't work as well as the Stihl though.
Here was my solution I shared a while back. I have made some modifications since the video and pics. The best improvement was a chute that attaches to the rear discharge where the bagger normally goes that directs the clippings away from the pond and under the tractor. I am on my fourth year of using it and still going strong.
I thought about doing something like that with my DR walk behind string trimmer. I was thinking on putting it on an arm attached to my loader bucket so I could change both height and tilt with the loader. Also be out front instead of behind the tractor.
Looks like what you did works pretty well. Beats dragging it up and down the bank by hand.
DR makes a tractor attachment 3pt string trimmer, but it is very pricey.
I just finished helping with a full rebuild on a old worn out Ford 515 sickle mower for our shop owner to use on his levees. We tried it in a field yesterday and it had no problem laying down 24-36" tall bahaia with plenty of trash grass mixed in. Im sure he will try it on a levee this weekend.
I thought about doing something like that with my DR walk behind string trimmer. I was thinking on putting it on an arm attached to my loader bucket so I could change both height and tilt with the loader. Also be out front instead of behind the tractor.
Be careful getting it too far forward your front wheels. As you go over bumps or dips it will amplify the movement of the tractor being that far out will likely slam the cutter into the ground unless you take it very slow and work the bucket controls constantly. The ideal setup would be mounted center between the wheels like a belly mower but off to the side.
Quote:
Looks like what you did works pretty well. Beats dragging it up and down the bank by hand. .
It works better than the video. I did some tuning with the offset and chain settings so it floats and follows the slope better. I should be using it this weekend and will try to catch a video. If i had a remote on my smaller tractor I would have a hydraulic ram where the chain is to control the angle.
here are a few options if someone were to buy a setup new:
Good point on the amplification of the front wheel movement. In my case I have a pretty smooth rocked road all the way around the pond. I just traded small tractor this spring and the new one has a remote outlet so I can use an external cylinder if needed.
Here are a couple of other options, if money is little object.
The problem I see with both of them is they are made for flat ground. No provision for tilting the cutter head to match the slope of the bank.
We have three 15' flex wing mowers for bigger tractors, but it is a bit of overkill and a person has to try and control the wing laying over the bank with the wing cylinders.
Good point on the amplification of the front wheel movement. In my case I have a pretty smooth rocked road all the way around the pond. I just traded small tractor this spring and the new one has a remote outlet so I can use an external cylinder if needed.
Here are a couple of other options, if money is little object.
The problem I see with both of them is they are made for flat ground. No provision for tilting the cutter head to match the slope of the bank.
We have three 15' flex wing mowers for bigger tractors, but it is a bit of overkill and a person has to try and control the wing laying over the bank with the wing cylinders.
I like the idea of the tractor mounted one. It does have provisions to angle the cutter downward.
"The pivoting deck is ideal for roadsides, pond banks, and any other areas with uneven ground. It allows the trimmer head to follow the contours of the turf, leaving it trimmed and tidy. "
Take a look at the video and it shows it.
The only problem with it is it doesnt reach out very far. If your tractor is heavy, banks are wet and/or steep, your tractor may take a dip trying to get to the water line.
[quote=snrub]I thought about doing something like that with my DR walk behind string trimmer. I was thinking on putting it on an arm attached to my loader bucket so I could change both height and tilt with the loader. Also be out front instead of behind the tractor.
Be careful getting it too far forward your front wheels. As you go over bumps or dips it will amplify the movement of the tractor being that far out will likely slam the cutter into the ground unless you take it very slow and work the bucket controls constantly. The ideal setup would be mounted center between the wheels like a belly mower but off to the side.
[quote]
If the bucket has a "float" setting, it will automatically adjust up and down with the pressure of it on the ground.
The tractor mounted mower is an idea I had too. I'm stoked to see somebody built one. The chains are a great idea. I was thinking of welding a 2" hitch receiver to the top of the bucket then build out from there.
I never thought about the increased movement from mounting it up front though.
If I can get this to work from a 2" hitch, then I can also use it with the hitch on the back of my golf cart.
If the bucket has a "float" setting, it will automatically adjust up and down with the pressure of it on the ground.
I would be afraid that when putting it in float mode the weigh of the bucket bucket would possibly bend the attachment point of the mower or bust the wheels. I may be wrong though.
The tractor mounted mower is an idea I had too. I'm stoked to see somebody built one. The chains are a great idea. I was thinking of welding a 2" hitch receiver to the top of the bucket then build out from there.
I never thought about the increased movement from mounting it up front though.
If I can get this to work from a 2" hitch, then I can also use it with the hitch on the back of my golf cart.
Mine plugs into a 2" hitch that is on a 'trailer mover' I built for the three point hitch on my tractor. My original thought was to use my four wheeler to pull the mower behind it. Since my slope angles vary and bank to water distance is not constant, I quickly realized the need to have a means of lifting the mower. This feature is very handy for hovering the mower out over the water to take the top off grass growing in standing water.
However you go about it, try and build it in such a way that the mower supports just its own weight when in use. And along that line, try and utilize a mower that has actual ball bearings in the wheels.....those that make do with just the plastic wheel as a bearing surface will probably not hold up very long. Definitely not if they're holding up additional structure/metal arms.
"Forget pounds and ounces, I'm figuring displacement!"
If we accept that: MBG(+)FGSF(=)HBG(F1) And we surmise that: BG(>)HBG(F1) while GSF(<)HBG(F1) Would it hold true that: HBG(F1)(+)AM500(x)q.d.(=)1.5lbGRWT? PB answer: It depends.
![[Linked Image from i90.photobucket.com]](http://i90.photobucket.com/albums/k247/jmilczski/Fish/PBSubscribe.gif)
.gif)
![[Linked Image from corvettejunkie.com]](http://www.corvettejunkie.com/pb.gif)
