2008 - Volume #32, Issue #2, Page #20
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Swather Converts To Mower/Blower
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"Thanks to its hydrostatic drive, it's great for mowing and blowing snow," says Anderson. "The biggest challenge was narrowing up each side. I got out the square and the cutting torch and went to work."
Anderson needed to narrow the axles by 40 in. to match his mower and snowblower. He also lowered the unit by 11 in. He also had to add brackets to the snowblower arms to match the arms on the swather. And he lengthened the power shaft about 10 in. to reach the swather and mower shafts.
"I cut down the arms on the swather that raised the header and attached 3-pt. hitch balls," says Anderson.
Narrowing the axle meant mounting new hydraulic lines. Anderson turned to his equipment dealer to cut the new hoses, along with the steel pipe that ran the width of the swather.
The pto shaft on the swather ran counter to the pto drive on the mower and blower so it needed to be reversed. Anderson used a gearbox from the discarded header, mounting it to the swather.
He also modified the mower so it could be used on the swather in the forward mode or as a traditional rear mount tractor mower. He can switch the 3-pt. around for pulling or pushing.
"I mounted the gear box on the mower so I can quickly turn it around to match the tractor shaft direction," says Anderson.
He says the winter spent adapting the swather, blower and mower was time well spent. He estimates his costs at less than $4,500. That includes $2,000 for the mower and blower, $1,600 for the swather and about $600 for hydraulics and other miscellaneous parts.
Contact: FARM SHOW Followup, Charles Anderson, 4320 Highway 67, Clarkfield, Minn. 56223 (ph 320 669-4804).
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