Riding Mower Deck Converted Into Low-Cost Pull-Behind Mower

2001 - Volume #25, Issue #4, Page #07

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Carl Park, Hobart, Ind., turned a junked-out 48-in. deck off a Woods riding mower into a low-cost "towing mower" that he pulls behind and to the side of his 42-in. Sears Craftsman riding mower.
    "It lets me mow my one-acre lawn in only about 45 minutes, compared to 1 1/2 hours with just the riding mower," says Park, noting that his tow-behind deck could also be pulled behind an ATV.
    He paid $10 for the junked-out deck. He used scrap steel to build a frame around it and added an 8 hp electric start gas engine. The pull-behind deck rides on four 10-in. pneumatic tires. The front two are castor wheels. All four corners of the deck can be manually adjusted for height. The deck is attached to the tractor by a telescoping tow arm.
    The most unique part of the pull-behind mower is that Park can operate it without ever getting off the tractor. A remote control electrical "handy box" clips onto the tractor's right fender and contains all controls including the choke, throttle, starter button, kill switch, and a switch that controls two lights that he mounted on the deck.
    The pull-behind mower's blades are engaged by pulling on a rope from the tractor seat. The rope is connected to an idler pulley that engages the blade clutch.
    "The 12 1/2 hp Sears tractor has no trouble pulling it," says Park. "I can go right around trees and shrubs without missing anything. I overlap the two decks by about 6 inches so my total cutting width is about 7 ft. I use the telescoping tow arm to regulate cutting width. All I have to do is loosen two bolts.
    "The engine on the add-on deck has a built-in generator that always keeps the battery charged.    I wrapped all the wiring for the remote controls in black tape and then placed them inside a 1/4-in. diameter rubber hose that runs up to the control box."
    Contact: FARM SHOW Followup, Carl Park, 1310 East 6th St., Hobart, Ind. 46342 (ph 219 942-3644).

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Riding Mower Deck Converted Into Low-Cost Pull-Behind Mower FARM HOME Lawn Mowers (31h,38) 25-4-7 Carl Park, Hobart, Ind., turned a junked-out 48-in. deck off a Woods riding mower into a low-cost "towing mower" that he pulls behind and to the side of his 42-in. Sears Craftsman riding mower. "It lets me mow my one-acre lawn in only about 45 minutes, compared to 1 1/2 hours with just the riding mower," says Park, noting that his tow-behind deck could also be pulled behind an ATV. He paid $10 for the junked-out deck. He used scrap steel to build a frame around it and added an 8 hp electric start gas engine. The pull-behind deck rides on four 10-in. pneumatic tires. The front two are castor wheels. All four corners of the deck can be manually adjusted for height. The deck is attached to the tractor by a telescoping tow arm. The most unique part of the pull-behind mower is that Park can operate it without ever getting off the tractor. A remote control electrical "handy box" clips onto the tractor's right fender and contains all controls including the choke, throttle, starter button, kill switch, and a switch that controls two lights that he mounted on the deck. The pull-behind mower's blades are engaged by pulling on a rope from the tractor seat. The rope is connected to an idler pulley that engages the blade clutch. "The 12 1/2 hp Sears tractor has no trouble pulling it," says Park. "I can go right around trees and shrubs without missing anything. I overlap the two decks by about 6 inches so my total cutting width is about 7 ft. I use the telescoping tow arm to regulate cutting width. All I have to do is loosen two bolts. "The engine on the add-on deck has a built-in generator that always keeps the battery charged. I wrapped all the wiring for the remote controls in black tape and then placed them inside a 1/4-in. diameter rubber hose that runs up to the control box." Contact: FARM SHOW Followup, Carl Park, 1310 East 6th St., Hobart, Ind. 46342 (ph 219 942-3644).

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