Home Built Floating Hydrostatic Hillside Mower

Home built floating hydrostatic hillside mower FARM HOME Lawn Mowers (31h,38) 15-3-30 When Washington farmer Harry Alexander, of Reardan, needed a mower for his hilly farmstead and orchard, he decided to start from scratch and build his own 9-ft. wide, 3-WD "floating" hydrostatic mower. The low-profile mower, which has three 3-ft. mower deck sections, is powered by a 35 hp Wisconsin VG4D 4-cylinder air-cooled engine mounted directly behind the seat. Three 12.5 by 15 Terra tires drive the mower. The front two wheels are mounted on an auto axle chain-driven by a hydraulic . motor while the rear wheel is powered by a separate hydrostatic motor. The mower deck is supported in front by three 12-in. dia. ribbed caster wheels and in back by four 13-in. car wheels. A pair of 8-in. rubber wheels mount horizontally on each outside section to serve as "bumper guards" against trees. "It has great traction and floats over even the roughest ground," says Alexander. "The three drive wheels climb right up hills with-out slipping, and the low profile lets me mow across slopes without tipping over. It hugs the ground like a jeep. I go 3 to 4 mph and can mow my 2-acre lawn in one hour and 15 minutes. The hydrostatic drive makes it very maneuverable. I can go forward or backward at the same speed and can turn a 90 degree comer without having to backup. Part of my mowing area is inside an orchard, and the tire bumper guards help protect the trees from being damaged. The mower blades are driven by a pto shaft." Alexander mounted an old gearbox up-side down in front of the engine. A 2-ft. long pto driveshaft leads from the gearbox to a jackshaft mounted over the center section of the mower. The jackshaft belt-drives three 90 degree gearboxes, one mounted on each mower section. Two long belts drive the outside sections and run over idlers that keep the belts tight as the sections flex up or down. A shorter belt drives the center mower section. "I salvaged the 90 degree gear-boxes from the knotter drives off three old Minneapolis Moline balers," says Alexander. "I mounted the engine-driven gearbox upside down in order to provide more ground clearance for the pto driveshaft. I engage or disengage the mower by reaching down and activating a clutch built into the gearbox." Alexander salvaged the mower's drive axle and differential from a 1972 Oldsmobile car. A 15 gpm variable displacement hydrostatic pump operates a hydraulic motor that chain-drives the differential. Alexander salvaged the mower's drive axle and differential from a 1972 Oldsmobile car. A 15 gpm variable displacement hydrostatic pump operates a hydraulic motor that chain-drives the differential. The hydraulic motor driving the single rear wheel receives its hydraulic oil after it has passed through the first motor. Power steering consists of an old auto power steering pump, an orbit steering motor from a junked combine (used as a valve), and a hydraulic cylinder linked to a steering arm on the rear fork assembly. Both hydraulic systems share the same 25 gal. oil reservoir. A high-capacity hydraulic oil filter filters oil for both systems. Alexander says the mower's hydraulic system alone cost about $2,500. Contact: FARM SHOW Followup, Harry Alexander, Rt. 1, Box 2, Reardan, Wash. 99029-9701 (ph 509 796-3815).

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