Tow-Behind Mower Fitted With 2 Steering Axles
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“It used to take four to six hours to mow our yard. Now I get the job done in about half the time, and trimming around trees and other obstacles is easier because of the tight turning radius,” says Zach Jensen, Irene, S. Dak., who built an offset hitch to pull a Sears LT100 riding mower behind his Sears Craftsman DYT 4000 riding mower.
The front mower is equipped with a 48-in. deck and the tow-behind mower a 44-in. deck. The 2 mowers cut a 92-in. wide swath with an 8-in. overlap.
To create the staggered effect, Jensen fabricated an offset hitch and welded it to the rear mower’s right front spindle. He also removed the mower’s rear transaxle and replaced it with the front steering axle off another Craftsman mower. The new rear axle faces backward from the front axle, so the rear axle’s steering arm that connects to the steering box is on the mower’s right side of the rear axle. The drag link for the rear steering axle was reused and lengthened in order to reach the original steering box’s pitman arm.
“In effect, the rear mower has 4-wheel steering which allows it to do a better job of following behind when turning,” says Jensen. “Other tow-behind riding mowers I’ve seen follow like a regular trailer. Depending on the situation, the driver either has to swing wide or make a loop to turn corners in order to prevent skipping grass between mowers.”
As Jensen turns, the hitch tongue pulls on the right front wheel and the rest of the axle turns with it. “Because both axles are connected to the steering box, when the front axle steers it forces the rear axle to steer in the opposite direction. This allows the rear mower to maintain its position behind the front mower when cornering without leaving any uncut grass,” says Jensen.
The only limitation to the system, says Jensen, is that the offset hitch and the rear mower’s all-wheel steering design makes the rear mower difficult to back up. To see the mowers in action, go to YouTube and search for “self steerable tow behind mower”.
Contact: FARM SHOW Followup, Zach Jensen, 44226 SD Hwy. 46, Irene, S. Dak. 57037 (ph 605 660-0854; zachman57037@yahoo.com).
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Tow-Behind Mower Fitted With 2 Steering Axles FARM HOME Lawn Mowers 31h 38 “It used to take four to six hours to mow our yard Now I get the job done in about half the time and trimming around trees and other obstacles is easier because of the tight turning radius ” says Zach Jensen Irene S Dak who built an offset hitch to pull a Sears LT100 riding mower behind his Sears Craftsman DYT 4000 riding mower The front mower is equipped with a 48-in deck and the tow-behind mower a 44-in deck The 2 mowers cut a 92-in wide swath with an 8-in overlap To create the staggered effect Jensen fabricated an offset hitch and welded it to the rear mower’s right front spindle He also removed the mower’s rear transaxle and replaced it with the front steering axle off another Craftsman mower The new rear axle faces backward from the front axle so the rear axle’s steering arm that connects to the steering box is on the mower’s right side of the rear axle The drag link for the rear steering axle was reused and lengthened in order to reach the original steering box’s pitman arm “In effect the rear mower has 4-wheel steering which allows it to do a better job of following behind when turning ” says Jensen “Other tow-behind riding mowers I’ve seen follow like a regular trailer Depending on the situation the driver either has to swing wide or make a loop to turn corners in order to prevent skipping grass between mowers ” As Jensen turns the hitch tongue pulls on the right front wheel and the rest of the axle turns with it “Because both axles are connected to the steering box when the front axle steers it forces the rear axle to steer in the opposite direction This allows the rear mower to maintain its position behind the front mower when cornering without leaving any uncut grass ” says Jensen The only limitation to the system says Jensen is that the offset hitch and the rear mower’s all-wheel steering design makes the rear mower difficult to back up To see the mowers in action go to YouTube and search for “self steerable tow behind mower” Contact: FARM SHOW Followup Zach Jensen 44226 SD Hwy 46 Irene S Dak 57037 ph 605 660-0854; zachman57037@yahoo com
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