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Turbo Twister

Homemade mowers/brush hogs

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Let's see photos of any homemade pull behind (or infront) mowers you guys have. Looking for inspiration for a new project that will be compact and easy to manoeuvre/store when not in use.

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I’ve seen a few like this they work quite well. Trying to talk my wife into getting either the disc or the pull behind garden tiller. I have a tiller but man is that thing a pain to operate. 

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you need a motor that aint affected by tilt of ground for hill's. been thinking this for a while, and i got hilly ground. oil may run away from sump.

Edited by LedFTed
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On 3/23/2020 at 1:28 PM, Loosemarbles said:

I’ve seen a few like this they work quite well. Trying to talk my wife into getting either the disc or the pull behind garden tiller. I have a tiller but man is that thing a pain to operate. 

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I have made a purchase on an old Countax Westwood 36inch mower deck. It doesn't come with any motor, belts or wheels. I intentionally wanted this so I can make my own custom frame to raise and lower the deck depending on what I intend to mow/mulch.

 

The above is very similar to my idea, but I don't like the idea of exposed belts!

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On 3/24/2020 at 2:55 PM, LedFTed said:

you need a motor that aint affected by tilt of ground for hill's. been thinking this for a while, and i got hilly ground. oil may run away from sump.

 

Would a standard 4 stroke vertical shaft ride on mower engine not suffice? I wouldn't be climbing steep terrain with the mower, maybe 30-35degrees at most? I know 4 stroke engines don't like being on their side compared with a 2 stroke engine but is it even possible to source a 2 stroke vertical shaft engine with enough power for something like this?

 

My thinking is to get an engine with at least 9 or 10hp, anything less would just bog down with the sight of thick grass or rushes etc..

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Most stationary motors use a splash type oiling system so they don't work well in hilly terrains. You would need a motor with a full pressure oiling system (pumped). That's why they have a low oil shut down on most motors like that, they are the splash style oiling system.

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22 minutes ago, toodeep said:

Most stationary motors use a splash type oiling system so they don't work well in hilly terrains. You would need a motor with a full pressure oiling system (pumped). That's why they have a low oil shut down on most motors like that, they are the splash style oiling system.

Would I be right to assume that a full pressure oiling system type engine would be somewhat more expensive and possibly a good bit heavier than a stationary engine?

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My purchase arrived this afternoon! It turns out it's actually a 42inch deck, which is the same width as the bike so I'm pretty happy about that!

 

First thoughts on it upon inspection:

 

The metal condition overall is good, there are no visible rusty holes or weak points.

 

It's missing a plastic wheel and two brackets got bent during transit but I will be removing both.

 

The pulley wheels are loose ontop but the drums beneath are solid, it probably just needs new bolts or bearings or both.

 

I think I did pretty good for €46 plus postage which brought it up to around €80. I'm going to scrape off all the paint and straighten out the underside first, then start taking it all apart to see what the hidden parts are like.

 

Keep you all posted with photos, that's what seems to keep everyone interested!

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look like it's made of decent metal, thick enough also. can you run 8 blade's instead of 4?

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Those drums ... (Or what you call drums) are what we call stump jumpers .... Al tho ... I've never seen those on a small deck like that, looks like you can add 4 more blades ... And with high lift (angled)  blades the vacum should make the grass stand up good ... That's the reason for those gear sprockets (timing the blades so they will not strike each other) .... I'm curious as to the rated rpm ... 

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1 hour ago, LedFTed said:

look like it's made of decent metal, thick enough also. can you run 8 blade's instead of 4?

I had a good look at that option even before I bought the deck. As @_Wilson_™ said in the next post, if I fit 4 more blades, there's a really good chance of blades striking eachother. As is, I would say 4 blades is plenty and it would put less pressure on the engine than 8 blades.

 

I spent about 4 weeks searching for this deck, it's off a mower made sometime between 1988-1996 so none of that plastic crap.

 

@_Wilson_™ I came across the rpm for this particular mower, I'll have a look back and see can I find it again.

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@_Wilson_™ according to the manual, the engine is rated at 3600rpm for all models of this type deck. They made them from 1985 onwards and still make them, but the particular model I have, I think was made for 6 years between 88' and 96'.

 

Trying to find the exact manual for the deck I have but there are lots of variants of models.

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Turbo , that is a heavy duty looking deck , nice project 

 

 

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Yeah, its sturdy, the deck is about 2-3mm thick. I just got an email from my boss to say we are all temporarily laid off for minimum 2 weeks to combat the Coronavirus so I'll have plenty of time on my hands to get stuck into the project. Unfortunately that also means suppliers will be closed so I'll have to use whatever I have lying around!

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7 hours ago, _Wilson_™ said:

 I've never seen those on a small deck like that, looks like you can add 4 more blades ... 

I only came across 1 other deck with a similar underside, all the later decks seem to just have 2 or 3 full length blades like a normal push mower. 

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I picture you putting ,  say a 25 hp vertical shaft engine with a belt pulley on it , then a spring loaded adjuster arm maybe ---- I think you are planning to pull this with your atv ? if so you planning some kind of three point hitch set up ?? 

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46 minutes ago, Fishfiles said:

I picture you putting ,  say a 25 hp vertical shaft engine with a belt pulley on it , then a spring loaded adjuster arm maybe ---- I think you are planning to pull this with your atv ? if so you planning some kind of three point hitch set up ?? 

I have just been off the phone with a friend who works with lawnmower repairs every day and he has told me he has a 13.5hp Briggs and Stratton engine with a battery and key start off a donor ride on mower, I just have to wait for covid 19 to blow over so I can get it off him. The original mower this deck came off only had 10hp so 13 is a bonus!

 

The same friend told me I'd have to have a spring loaded pulley so I can start the engine and then engage the blades, so I plan to make a long cable system I can operate from the quad to save getting on and off when I need to turn it on or off. 

 

My intentions for towing it are to make a detachable and adjustable hitch so I can have the mower either directly behind or to either side of the quad. This will be a similar system to my trailer hitch, removable with a pin.

 

I am trying to figure out the rear wheel adjustment height system at present, I want to incorporate s hand winch and 2 pins to secure it, I'm open to ideas..

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I was thinking 25hp cause that is what my 54 inch zero swing has , but you don't have the drive system to turn ,  so I could see a 13.5 doing the job ,

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I did some digging , and located that  timing belt  no luck on finding a manual just yet .. Actually 2 also located some blades ... But not for 36 inch deck .... These blades kind of remind of disk mower blades... Altho disk mower blades are much shorter, and have more of a twisted angle ...

 

https://www.ebay.com/itm/COUNTAX-WESTWOOD-BLADE-TIMING-BELT-CONTRA-CUT-DECK-36-22807600-2659-MOWER/201163961116?hash=item2ed64e731c:g:vo0AAMXQyfFR~jGg

 

https://www.ebay.com/itm/42-Contra-Cut-Blade-Set-Fits-WESTWOOD-RIDE-ON-3770-3771-16806901-16806902/390570752164?epid=1358514774&hash=item5aefd4b8a4:g:As8AAOSwEeFVAaSP

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21 minutes ago, _Wilson_™ said:

I did some digging , and located that  timing belt  no luck on finding a manual just yet .. Actually 2 also located some blades ... But not for 36 inch deck .... These blades kind of remind of disk mower blades... Altho disk mower blades are much shorter, and have more of a twisted angle ...

 

https://www.ebay.com/itm/COUNTAX-WESTWOOD-BLADE-TIMING-BELT-CONTRA-CUT-DECK-36-22807600-2659-MOWER/201163961116?hash=item2ed64e731c:g:vo0AAMXQyfFR~jGg

 

https://www.ebay.com/itm/42-Contra-Cut-Blade-Set-Fits-WESTWOOD-RIDE-ON-3770-3771-16806901-16806902/390570752164?epid=1358514774&hash=item5aefd4b8a4:g:As8AAOSwEeFVAaSP

@_Wilson_™ the deck was incorrectly advertised as a 36inch deck, its actually a 42inch deck, this might help your search. I couldn't find much on a 36inch deck either but when I changed the search to 42 inch, I got lots of results.

 

I have been busy cleaning the paint off the top and sides, aswell as cutting off the old mounting points..I found a few rusty holes around the outfeed chute area, this is kind of expected I guess!

 

While the deck was upside down I tested the bearings of both drums by using a battery drill and wire brush. The free wheel drum bearings seem to be perfect, and look like they could have been replaced in the last few years. The driving drum however is quite stiff and doesn't take much to stop it spinning. 

 

I then had some fun removing the free wheeling drum (belt driven by the other drum). I had to hammer a section of 1 inch box steel over the washer that holds the shaft in place. This turned out to be too big when I got down to the top bearing so a trolley Jack handle was sacrificed!

 

The results so far..

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Forgot to mention that the 4x bearings that sit opposite eachother at both pulleys are also seized. Can someone tell me the purpose of them? Is it to stop the belt from jumping off the sprocket?

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Glad to help! That deck right there has my attention ... Lol .. Just wish i knew more about those .... This is a great thread! 

 

heres a 42 inch timing belt https://www.ebay.com/itm/COUNTAX-WESTWOOD-BLADE-TIMING-BELT-CONTRA-CUT-DECK-42-22807800-2660-NEXT-DAY/172746193800?hash=item283879bb88:g:HZgAAOxy-j9SRtYj

 

you might also try here .. > https://www.gardentractorspares.co.uk/help/westwood/step3

 

And yes those gear sprockets  ... Are made like that to keep the belt from walking off.

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9 minutes ago, _Wilson_™ said:

Glad to help! That deck right there has my attention ... Lol .. Just wish i knew more about those .... This is a great thread! 

 

heres a 42 inch timing belt https://www.ebay.com/itm/COUNTAX-WESTWOOD-BLADE-TIMING-BELT-CONTRA-CUT-DECK-42-22807800-2660-NEXT-DAY/172746193800?hash=item283879bb88:g:HZgAAOxy-j9SRtYj

 

you might also try here .. > https://www.gardentractorspares.co.uk/help/westwood/step3

 

And yes those gear sprockets  ... Are made like that to keep the belt from walking off.

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It's good to have followers to bounce information off!😁 considering my bike is almost fully complete along with my trailer, I had to find something else to do with myself (apart from the carpentry).

 

I had a quick look at the 2nd link you posted last, wow there are so many variants of that mower haha! I'll have to hop on the laptop later and suss out which models/years had this exact deck and I can accurately get parts for my own off a parts diagram.

 

I have given up for today, my face is filthy and everything around me is red/orange in colour lol ! I would love to find out the original paint colour, although I'll probably end up painting it all black like my trailer.

 

I did manage to clean the bearing housing and get 2 coats of etch primer on it. I'll update you with more progress on Monday, going to take the day off tomorrow🙈

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