120-In. Mower Built With Bean Buggy Frame
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“I didn’t want to spend thousands of dollars on a high-end riding mower because I have plenty of old iron and a few extra mower decks sitting around,” says inventor Virgil Davis of Humboldt County, Iowa. Davis, who practices what he preaches, built a riding mower that cuts a 10-ft. wide swath with three 42-in. mower decks. He says the new rig is so efficient he can mow his lawn in just 1 1/2 hrs. compared to 5 to 6 hours with his old 42-in. rider.
Davis started with an old 3-wheeled bean buggy that a friend said was too dangerous to ride. “The buggy was designed so the driver rode on top of the front wheel with two wheels at the back. Steering too short or driving into a small hole could cause the rig to tip over,” says Davis. “I flipped the configuration so the dual wheels were in front and the drive wheel was in the back. I mounted the 5-hp drive wheel engine behind the drive wheel and put a seat in front of and above it.” The drive wheel is connected to the main frame through a swivel. He steers the rear wheel through a geared shaft that provides the equivalent of power steering because it turns so easily.
Davis mounted three 42-in. mower decks under the buggy frame with 3 in. of overlap between each mower. “That way, I can turn 360 degrees and never miss a blade of grass,” Davis says. The mowers are belt-driven by a 19 hp Kohler engine removed from an old riding mower. He even fashioned an electric start for both engines, with the battery situated in a metal box above the main frame.
“It’s not the fanciest mower by far, but it works like a charm. I can even lift the two side mowers and hold them in a vertical position for storage. It’s fun to drive and not nearly as loud as some of the big commercial mowers you see nowadays. My height control is really good too, because each deck has rollers in front and back, and there are two swivel wheels on the front of the frame.”
Contact: FARM SHOW Followup, Virgil Davis, 2686 250th St., Humboldt, Iowa 50548 (ph 515-378-3344).
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120-In Mower Built With Bean Buggy Frame FARM HOME Lawn Mowers 31h 38 “I didn’t want to spend thousands of dollars on a high-end riding mower because I have plenty of old iron and a few extra mower decks sitting around ” says inventor Virgil Davis of Humboldt County Iowa Davis who practices what he preaches built a riding mower that cuts a 10-ft wide swath with three 42-in mower decks He says the new rig is so efficient he can mow his lawn in just 1 1/2 hrs compared to 5 to 6 hours with his old 42-in rider Davis started with an old 3-wheeled bean buggy that a friend said was too dangerous to ride “The buggy was designed so the driver rode on top of the front wheel with 2 wheels at the back Steering too short or driving into a small hole could cause the rig to tip over ” says Davis “I flipped the configuration so the dual wheels were in front and the drive wheel was in the back I mounted the 5-hp drive wheel engine behind the drive wheel and put a seat in front of and above it ” The drive wheel is connected to the main frame through a swivel He steers the rear wheel through a geared shaft that provides the equivalent of power steering because it turns so easy Davis mounted three 42-in mower decks under the buggy frame with 3 in of overlap between each mower “That way I can turn 360 degrees and never miss a blade of grass ” Davis says The mowers are belt-driven by a 19 hp Kohler engine removed from an old riding mower He even fashioned an electric start for both engines with the battery situated in a metal box above the main frame “It’s not the fanciest mower by far but it works like a charm I can even lift the two side mowers and hold them in a vertical position for storage It’s fun to drive and not near as loud as some of the big commercial mowers you see nowadays My height control is really good too because each deck has rollers in front and back and there are 2 swivel wheels on the front of the frame ” Contact: FARM SHOW Followup Virgil Davis 2686 250th St Humboldt Iowa 50548 ph 515 378-3344
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