Riding Mower Decks Converted Into Low-Cost Pull Behind Mowers

Riding Mower Decks Converted Into Low-Cost Pull Behind Mowers FARM HOME Lawn Mowers (31h,38) 24-5-37 Bruce Barnes, Girard, Ill., turned a junked-out 54-in. belly mower off a Deere 455 riding mower into an aggressive, low-cost "towing mower" that he pulls behind his Honda 4-wheeler ATV. "It'll cut grass and weeds up to 3 ft. high with no problems," says Barnes, who operates a welding shop. He uses a Honda 300 4-wheeler ATV to pull the rig. He got the junked-out riding mower deck free from a local city. He welded a steel frame supporting four castor wheels to the top of the deck, and put a hitch on front. The hitch is designed to flex up and down and also from side to side, allowing the mower deck to closely follow the ground contour. "The hitch is flexible, yet is rigid enough that I can easily back up the mower without having to watch it all the time," says Barnes. He also bolted on a 12 hp Briggs & Stratton gas engine that belt-drives the deck's three blades. To lessen the noise coming out of the engine exhaust he rerouted the muffler down underneath the deck. Contact: FARM SHOW Followup, Bruce Barnes or Chad Burnett, Bruce's Welding, 302 S. Third, Girard, Ill. 62640 (ph 217 627-2241).

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