Someone Tore up Their Bush Hog!

Рет қаралды 19,716

2 жыл бұрын

Got a viewer question from T.C who wanted to know how high to keep the tailwheel on his brush hog when driving across his fields. You're asking the wrong guy.
A while back, I was out using my bush hog and when I got back to the barn, the tailwheel was gone. It had broken off the spindle. I had to go out in the field and find it, then take it to a buddy who is an excellent welder and get it repaired.
I determined at that time that I was doing a bad thing to the tailwheel assembly by keeping it a couple of inches off the ground when driving around. That's what you don't want to do. What I was doing was bouncing up and down on rough areas, and the tailwheel was occasionally impacting the ground with some serious downforce. Hence the failure.
So, there are three "takeaways" from today's video. First, you need to have the tailwheel in one of two places; either keep it so high it never touches the ground, or, let it down with all of the weight off the three point and allow it to follow the contour of the ground. Either way should be okay, just don't keep it slightly raised where a sudden dip will cause it to crash into the ground. You'll be fixing it like I did.
Second, if you're going to raise the cutter all the way up, go slow the first time and watch to make sure the deck doesn't bind with the PTO shaft. I've seen a few tractor and cutter combinations where that could happen and it doesn't end well. Just a slight tweak of the PTO shaft and it won't go in or out anymore, and you'll have difficulty getting hooked and unhooked.
Finally, if you're going to have to change a tailwheel, and it's held on with a roll pin, get a set of roll pin punches like the ones on this page: www.amazon.com/shop/tractormi.... They're inexpensive and make those roll pins much easier to remove. That's a link to my Amazon Affiliate page and anything you buy off there helps support my channel and is much appreciated.
So T.C., all the way up or all the way down with the tailwheel. Absolutely not somewhere in the middle like I did.
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Пікірлер: 89

@janepipkin8139 2 жыл бұрын

I love how you left the pollinators!

@HighRoad317 2 жыл бұрын

Excellent looking wildlife habitat!!!

@mvrosa8704 2 жыл бұрын

bee's balm, also now as bergamot, is the flavoring in Earl Grey tea. The flavor is in the pink flowers, which can also make a herbal tea.

@drgnner6028 2 жыл бұрын

Great pasture mowing idea!

@dickwestheimer 2 жыл бұрын

So pleased you are promoting preserving native pollinators.

@earlyriser8998 2 жыл бұрын

good advice on wildflowers

@jbmortensen 2 жыл бұрын

Your fields look great. Really like the idea of leaving some of the natives. I will try that.

@jakejake708 2 жыл бұрын

I like that, leaving clumps. I'm gonna do that from now on

@mattmosier7713 2 жыл бұрын

Hello Mike, I'm a fellow SW MO resident. Something else that almost caused me to have a bad day is my bush hog gearbox bolts got loose. I noticed that my bush hog seemed to be vibrating when I got down to check all 4 bolts were loose. I bet most people don't ever check this on a regular basis.

@TractorMike 2 жыл бұрын

Howdy neighbor! I've covered that in a couple of videos and will make a point to hit it again soon. That's a much-too-common issue.

@buzzsah 2 жыл бұрын

Our fur boys would love it.

@4932gb 2 жыл бұрын

I noticed the hanger straps were bent on the cutter. Had the same problem. I cut the straps and created a clevis in the middle so they may hinge rather than bend.

@dukeman7595 2 жыл бұрын

Great point leaving some of the wild flowers for the honeybees. They are becoming scarce and I want them around.

@malamberson 2 жыл бұрын

I actually bent the fork of my tail wheel while bush hogging the ditches around my property. As I was backing the bush hog over the ditch I would rise the bush as to not ram the tail wheel into the other bank, most the wheel would swivel around and ride up the bank, but 1 time it only turn side ways and bent the fork. So now I have to try to straighten it up or buy another one.

@stevewarner8880 2 жыл бұрын

Hi Mike, as a retired highway maintainer in Illinois. I’ve seen 6’,10,’ and 15’ mowers tore up anyway you could imagine. The moral to the story is, have good welding skills and a good metal supply near at hand. Keep up the good work

@profdave2861 2 жыл бұрын

Thanks for the tour of your pasture field, Mike. I totally agree with leaving pieces of field to support wildlife. If we don’t have bees, we don’t eat. Regarding that tail wheel fracture, I suspect that was a fatigue induced fracture. Your brush hog looks like it’s got some long hours on it, and all the stresses from bouncing, twisting, and side loading add up to hundreds of thousands of cyclic variable stress episodes. That eventually initiates microscopic cracks that continue to grow (usually unseen), and eventually all it takes is one good bump, twist, etc, and the remaining material breaks off. Apologies for the hypothesis… just the ramblings of an old engineer!

@bartonbob9840 2 жыл бұрын

Beautiful meadow Mike. My neighbors always bust my chops about not mowing the milkweed, wild carrot, and all the other wild flowers. It's a real pleasure to run through all those plants on the tractor and see all the bees, dragon flies, butterflies and other critters that call the meadow home.

@ncbranson2856 2 жыл бұрын

Its probably hard to get weld penetration for that wheel assembly. I had a wheel that broke off on my finish mower and it wasn't welded on both sides of the wheel because of the spacers. I ended up re welding the post to the bracket, then sacrificed one of the spacers and welded it to the top of the bracket. So far no more breakage.

@TheRealBobMills 2 жыл бұрын

Had the same thing happen on mine. Didn't have access to a friend who was a welder but my local Tractor Supply sells a replacement yoke & post assembly that was an exact duplicate. All I had to do was transfer the wheel and axle to it, slide the post back up in the tube and pin it, and then grease everything. Maybe a 30 minute job.

@dukeman7595 2 жыл бұрын

Invest in a welder and practice, you'll be surprised how handy they are.

@daronsmith2229 2 жыл бұрын

Hi Mike. Just food for thought. Running a tractor with a bush hog up my have other negative consequences. I have a bit larger tractor, a John Deere 5090R. I recently bought a Fontier MX 10’ shreader. It big but really does a good job. When traveling with this set up I was carrying it up. Well long story short one of the pins on the lower three point bent from holding all that weight. I went in to buy a new pin and from JD it was $120.00. (Heart attack). I had a local machine shop bent the one I had back and it’s working now. Just thought you might keep this in mind for those using heavier bush hogs.

@jamesmorrison1884 2 жыл бұрын

Hello Mike transporting it all the way up. Cutting, on a level surface with the wheel firmly touching. Have a great day

@rlmillercpa 2 жыл бұрын

For me, cutter is raised all the way when traveling. Speed must be reduced over bumpy ground. And keep looking back to see what’s going on. A stiff neck is cheaper than downtime and repairs.

@LongBinh70 2 жыл бұрын

Hm-m-m-m. ine doesn't have a roll pin, just a washer and a giant cotter pin. Never had a problem, and it's easy to remove. Had my own issues this late summer, though. The link from the rockshaft to the lift arm snapped. Tried to order another online and the part number was discontinued (15-year old JD). Superseded by a new number. Old number was $60, new number was $300+. But nobody had them. So I brought it to a local machine shop that advertised welding, and they welded it up. First time I raised the 3-point it snapped. Terrible weld. Brought it back and they did it right, but it took lots of travel time. Fingers crossed.

@d.a.ballou9740 2 жыл бұрын

That was a unique way to answer T.C.'s question. I enjoyed that.

@LifeofaCarnivore 2 жыл бұрын

Thanks for walk through your pasture I love country living. I bend my brush hog tail wheel just about every year

@txtpqb 2 жыл бұрын

oops, forgot. Thank you for the bee support. We have two very large hives that we are proud of and they survived our Texas Feb. 2021 ice and extreme cold onslaught. It is encouraging that there are more and more people setting up hives and doing things like you are in not cutting down wildflowers and other pollinating plants. Thanks again, Mike !!! love your videos and insights, keep 'em coming.

@threepointservices-tractor4832 2 жыл бұрын

Do you have a video on loading, and unloading, a tractor on a trailer, with a brush hog attached?

@peacefieldfarm_mn 2 жыл бұрын

I’m glad you found your tail wheel! Here in MN what we call milkweed blooms in the late spring / early summer and has purplish flowers that smell like lilacs. Interesting about your orange flowered variety. Cheers!

@TractorMike 2 жыл бұрын

I have that as well, I think it's common milkweed. It's not as common here as the butterfly-friendly orange stuff. I never can remember the exact names.

@DeniseSkidmore 2 жыл бұрын

We mow rotationally. At any one time at least a quarter of the pasture is a mature stand. But the whole pasture gets mowed once a year. I only mow more often where we have particular species I want to suppress. Your climate will affect how much you can mow without hurting pollinators. There is a lot more information available for rotational grazing, where animals are tightly packed and moved frequently to keep them well fed but still trample the weeds they don't eat. I'm trying to emulate this effect without daily fence moves.

@jifi-0178 2 жыл бұрын

Many great tips, here, Mike. I see so many fields where people are out to destroy and anniolate anything that grows or moves. Too little or no consideration given to the ecological balance of using the land but still keeping it viable for the little plants, bugs, and even critters that do their part as well. It's also nice to see you have a welding buddy to help out, especially in this simple repair. Glad it worked out and you shared the pain with the pleasure on this one.

@waydwnbama-way3089 2 жыл бұрын

Yep, please leave the wild flowers my bees will love ya for it.

@mekosmowski 2 жыл бұрын

If you're planning an orchard (growing one from seed), is it a good idea to purposefully plant some wildflowers between trees?

@rgriffith2006 2 жыл бұрын

5:50 You have a beautiful property. You should come to Florida. I'll introduce you to the wonders of Palmetto groves.....and the $20,000 its going to cost to clear them.

@smokerschuggin475 2 жыл бұрын

Best Tractor Mike video ever! You have a beautiful place! I hope to find something similar for my retirement.

@lostmanamiga38 2 жыл бұрын

I did the same thing to my property this past year after noticing a huge group of butterflies when I bush-hogged. I mowed that the flowers passed, but I am now wondering if I should try to keep the spots uncut till spring so the plants could disperse their seeds whit would also be food for the birds. Thanks for reminding me of this!

@dukeman7595 2 жыл бұрын

Butterflies lay their eggs on the leaves of certain plants that flower. I would leave them alone if you enjoy butterflies.

@TractorMike 2 жыл бұрын

Robert, I think if you mow it anytime after the first hard frost, the seeds will be ready to scatter and the insects won't know it happened. That's what I do anyway.

@patrickcorbett8361 2 жыл бұрын

We underestimate the amount of pollination that bees do...thanks for the reminder , you don't hear of the importance of bee preservation nearly enough ! pc

@lloydpainter1701 2 жыл бұрын

Very timely! I’ll tell the neighbors I’m doing it,for,the bees when they see my poor brush hogging job. Nice place Mike.

@stubbshomestead1316 2 жыл бұрын

I also brush hog "drunk" It helps my bees and I think it looks nicer. I have mine all the way up...I need to brush hog now.

@315-snoblow 2 жыл бұрын

Love it Mike experience is the best teacher. And I love your take on the video and how you explained it out and the comedy of taking the blame. I just wrecked up my brush hog pretty bad on my last job. It’s getting parted out now. Just picked up another today.

@johnthorpe1071 2 жыл бұрын

Thank you Mike!! Great info that I never thought of! I will have to keep an eye on mine when i use it. Thanks for saving something for the wildlife too.

@daletyler2758 2 жыл бұрын

Mine done the same thing the weld did not penetrate they might want to replace that welder

@gretaknebel8495 2 жыл бұрын

I let someone use my tractor and shredder similar to yours and they bent the driveshaft due to (?). It was a real job to get it off the tractor pto. Now to wait on new driveshaft!

@dukeman7595 2 жыл бұрын

I don't lend my tractor or chainsaw, seems they always come back ruined.

@bruceingram3439 2 жыл бұрын

I always learn something and enjoy your videos. My wife wants me to plant wildflowers in the field for the same reason.

@semco72057 2 жыл бұрын

I have not broken off my wheel yet and I travel with my wheel all the way up to prevent damage to the unit and so far it works for me. I hope those who have brush hogs have learned from your information and will save their equipment from damage.

@Buckinghamrabbit 2 жыл бұрын

Shout out to the critters- Tractor Mike is a decent man.

@stevemartinez6757 2 жыл бұрын

Lost the tail wheel on mine a while back. It is held on with a lynch pin. Luckily I noticed when I wasn't far from it and I carry a few extras of different sizes in my tractor's tool box. Stuff like that happens when working in the woods.

@ccthepope 2 жыл бұрын

Great video Mike!

@curtwhite876 2 жыл бұрын

I was just watching brush cutter videos and this popped up. Perfect!

@RichardGilbert2727 2 жыл бұрын

Mike, nice wildflowers! I agree with keeping them. I thought the orange flowers were Butterfly Weed. Milkweed has very distinctive thick, elliptical grayish leaves.

@RichardGilbert2727 2 жыл бұрын

And milkweed flowers are pinkish.

@johnhenry8325 2 жыл бұрын

You messed up how far you have to carry that thing?

@DKrage01 2 жыл бұрын

Mike, Love your videos and appreciate your insights. You my friend have the perfect property for a batwing rough cut mower. My property is like yours and I appreciate the flexibility of the batwing to adjust to varying terrain. You might too.

@BillTheTractorMan 2 жыл бұрын

This could be said for A lot of things. Good video Mike!

@brucewiley5252 2 жыл бұрын

Beautiful property

@jimputnam2044 2 жыл бұрын

I leave some plants around the edges of our yard(wife does not agree, looks raggedy.) In my opinion we have les and less native bees each year. I blame a lot on mowing everything down to look pretty. I also think all the non native bees the bee keepers bring in to put all over farms to help pollinate crops are in direct competition with our native hives. This will end in disastor sooner or later. We have to stop messing with mother nature.

@foghorn13 2 жыл бұрын

I am glad to see that I am not the only one who lets milkweed and thistle stand until it blooms. I always feel bad when I run over a thistle plant that is full of monarch butterflies and bees. I usually mow them down when they are dead. I have learned a lot from you. Thanks.

@christopherwalker6415 2 жыл бұрын

Weld it on both sides

@lcee6592 2 жыл бұрын

Learnd me some things today! Looks like you should have taken a utv/atv save some walking. Good information and appreciated!

@douglaspost5097 2 жыл бұрын

I do a lot of custom brush hog work, some years as many as 40 fields but usually closer to 30. The older I get the more it bothers me tho mow over milk weed plants because of the monarch butterflies. One time a woman wanted me to mow around any stands of milk weeds in the early summer. I do her fields twice a year so in the fall when the butterflies are gone I mow them off. They grow back in the spring so there's no problem. I kind of wish other customers would agree to doing that too but most want their fields cut clean. I had the same problem with the tail wheel on my Bush Hog several years ago. I had to weld it a couple of times but the second try lasted. Those wheels take a lot of abuse. You've got some nice looking fields, beautiful fences too. Good video as usual, thanks.

@georgeinczauskis7871 2 жыл бұрын

Great video.Had to make my own pin driver as I couldn't find my punch set..Good to have in the box.Heating both bracket and pin to correct temp is key to durable weld.Step down also helps.

@me1assassin 2 жыл бұрын

Mike, thanks again for the info. I wonder if you could do a series on "PTO Shafts". I men an A-Z, types (series 3,4,6 etc)(Different Ends, smooth w/shear, 6-spline, 20 spline, U Joint with integral Slip Clutch,) Ways to build up, modify (Shear to slip by changing U-Joint, or Whole End, or Adding a Clutch with Splined ends on and on). There is a LOT of stuff about PTO Shafts and it seem everyone just wants to do videos about how to cut to size, or repair the disconnect. No one has a full comprehensive series on Shafts with examples for purchase from Amazon, Georgia Equipment, etc etc. Surprise most of us that have used equipment do not buy the 500 dollar shaft from a dealer. Anyhow, I've answered many questions on PTO's to folks and it always seems like they had come to me the hard way and with no real idea. A multi-part series would be great.

@Flyfish325 2 жыл бұрын

Beeman says thank you for leaving flower plots for pollinators including honeybees. Golden rod blooms have an excellent late season honey flow, which is great for honeybees. Golden rod honey crystallized quickly in jars, so isn’t the best nectar flow for beekeepers. Good tips as always, on using farm equipment. Beautiful piece of property!

@kevinashby3784 2 жыл бұрын

Great info. Especially since I just started having bees on my property

@tominsc9909 2 жыл бұрын

If you have rear remotes, invest in a hydraulic top link, that way you can retract it and get that wheel way off the ground for transport, then quickly extend it back when you start mowing again.

@txtpqb 2 жыл бұрын

Thanks Mike! I just had to rebuild, rather replace, my wheel hub. Was my fault anyway because I didn't take care of it and grease like I should. Anyway, it was an easy fix ... unbolt and slap the other one back in and grease it up. Much smoother now.

@dwayneloftice2326 2 жыл бұрын

Great points of reminders, Mike. Some of the most "innocent" manuevers can cause you patronize your local welder!

@MichaelHamptonPhotography 2 жыл бұрын

My suggestion, keep the wheel(s) on the ground. I just went through 2 sets of bolts that hold the lift arms to the tail section on my BH297 because I had it raised while driving across my field and hit a sizable rut. As soon as I did, I heard a loud pop and looked behind me to see the two wheels suddenly on the ground. Yep, snapped both of the bolts. I keep both wheels on the ground now when driving across my fields. (hog damage in Texas can be pretty bad)

@Dan-oz4qb 2 жыл бұрын

Your neighbor sounds like a real peach. 😳

@thegreatnorthwoodswithbb2863 Жыл бұрын

Yeah lift the thing up in the air if you're going to travel.. TC must be first-time tractor owner

@Rless45 2 жыл бұрын

Hi Mike, Randall Harless here to ask a question. I’m in the market for a new tractor and I have read your book so my question actually concerns the tractor I have. I want to get the best possible price but I’m not sure how to properly gauge the value of that tractor. It’s a 1990 John Deere 2555. It has a front and loader on it and is in pretty good condition. I’m not totally sure how many hours it has but I was hoping maybe you could give me some tips on how to properly gauge a reasonable price to sell this tractor. Thank you

@TractorMike 2 жыл бұрын

Randall, I actually did a video about that a while back, here's a link: kzfaq.info/get/bejne/bM2Rl6mI29vJZ6s.html. They've changed the link for all of Craigslist, here's the new one: www.searchcraigslist.org/. If it's in good shape, don't hesitate to start really high, even above the averages, if it's rough, you may have a little more difficulty selling it. Clean it up good and wax it (if the paint is good) and stick it on Craigslist and I'd bet you get it sold. Good luck and thanks for your business!

@MDellen 2 жыл бұрын

Hey Mike, thanks for another great video. I've lost a tail wheel from my rotary cutter, too. Different cause, but I too took a long walk in my fields trying to find it. Not a big deal to get it fixed once it's back in hand. Thanks as well for putting in a plug for keeping some of the native plants around to support pollinators. Finally, anything to say about orchard tractors?

@TractorMike 2 жыл бұрын

Funny, I grew up on an orchard and we never had an orchard tractor. There were several orchards in our area when I was a kid and the local IH dealer ordered an orchard tractor thinking someone would buy it. My dad took one look at it and said, "That looks funny" and wasn't interested. Couple of things about them, often times, the orchard tractors are completely different than the regular production tractors. So, parts may be a little trickier to access. Most have everything built low to the ground with under-hood exhaust (to keep the exhaust pipe from whipping limbs back in your face). If I found a deal on a used one I wouldn't be afraid of it.

@TheStablehorse 2 жыл бұрын

Mike... You have horses.... Fastest way to find something lost in a pasture is on the back of a horse :)

@TheStablehorse 2 жыл бұрын

That's a GREAT looking pasture and I've broken a wheel the same way ;)

@TractorMike 2 жыл бұрын

I've never been on one of our horses because I think they hate me. They seem to like my wife and my daughter and are nice to them. I just think if I got on one of them they'd let me know rapidly that they're not into bonding with me. I'd better stay on the tractor :).

@garrytalley8009 2 жыл бұрын

Hasn't your pasture got grass worth baling? I have a farm with a renter that just bales hay two or three times a year. Cuts down on my maintenance costs and his rent helps pay the taxes which in turn is invested in the farm. It seems such a waste to just cut grass that can be baled hay and not use it.

@phpdreams 2 жыл бұрын

Good info as usual Mike. So do you mow it all down at the end of the year or after the first frost to be sure you don't get more saplings, etc.?

@TractorMike 2 жыл бұрын

Yeah, I'll usually hit it after the first hard freeze or before things start greening up in the Spring.. It's not uncommon to see me out there finishing up in November, in the dark, in light freezing rain. My neighbors think I've lost my mind but it doesn't bother me.

@jerrysadler6100 2 жыл бұрын

Hello Mike do you sell a slope meter on your website, I have a farm in some very hilly area , if you sell one I will buy it!! If not can you point me in the right direction to get one ? I have a John Deere 5065 E need to add one, thank you

@TractorMike 2 жыл бұрын

Jerry, I don't mainly because of liability. I'd like to because it would help a bunch of people but it won't prevent a rollover and the first person that puts a tractor on its side with one a slope meter with my name on it is gonna sue. I talked to these guys in the past: suncompany.net/products/lev-o-gage-tilt-gage, they were really nice and open to selling to the tractor market. I'd contact them.

@jerrysadler6100 2 жыл бұрын

@@TractorMike thanks