He Built His Own Mini Batwing Mower

He Built His Own Mini Batwing Mower MOWERS Mowers (31H) 31-4-10 "I built it because I wanted something that was big enough to cut a large area of grass, yet small enough to fit through my garden gate," says Jim Ellson of Hampshire, England, about his mini batwing mower. The mower has a 56-in. cutting width. However, when folded it's only 35 in. wide. It's powered by a Briggs & Stratton 10 hp, single cylinder engine. It rides on a pair of large wheels off an old Toro riding mower and has a metal skid at the end of each wing. The wings fold and unfold by hand. A pin is used to hold the wings in the up or down position. "I came up with the idea because I wanted to mow small fields with long grass and weeds. I couldn't use my riding mower because it was worn out," says Ellson. "Most of the time I use a Wheelhorse GT garden tractor to pull it, but I can also tow it behind any vehicle equipped with a tow ball hitch including an ATV, garden tractor, golf cart, etc. If I want I can cut grass with the two outside wings folded up, in which case it'll cut a 30-in. wide swath. I have to remove a belt in order to raise the wings. "It didn't cost much to build. The pulleys and blade mandrels are off a Wheelhorse mower deck. The frame is made from 2-in. sq., heavy-walled tubing that I already had. If I did it again I'd use smaller tubing to save on weight. I used stainless steel sheeting off an old sink to form guards over the blades." Contact: FARM SHOW Followup, Jim Ellson, Hampshire, England (ph 011 44 07908 947-250; mithral_j@hotmail.com).

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