"I got the idea one day while looking at my handheld, gas-powered string trimmer. I thought I could use the same idea on my 3-pt. mounted, 5-ft. bush hog mower by shortening the blades and welding chains onto them. The chains hang down and just bounce off rocks, without causing any damage to the machine or the blades," says Lynn Taylor, Tecumseh, Mo.

Taylor came up with the idea because he has a lot of rocks on his small acreage, none of which is cultivated. "I have to do a lot of mowing in order to keep grass, weeds and brush down. If the vegetation grows too tall I can't see the rocks as I mow, and they can cause a lot of damage," he says. 

The bush hog came equipped with a pair of blades which he cut down to a 9-in. length. He then welded lengths of heavy 1/2-in. dia. log chain onto the blade ends, welding the top link on each chain horizontally to the blade. 

"I made the modification years ago and am still amazed at how well the chains chop up the material," says Taylor.  "They smash brush and leave soft, splintered stumps, whereas blades leave stumps with sharp edges that can puncture tires." 

Taylor says the combined length of the chain and the portion of the blade that it's welded to is the same as the length of the blades before they were shortened. "Anyone who tries this idea should make sure all the chains are the same length so everything stays balanced," he notes.