Using a series for what it was intended: Farm work!

[hackneyed1]

Hello fellow series heads.
I have recently bought a house situated on five acres in the metropolitan Baltimore/DC area and now I have a quandry. I have a 2 acre field that needs to be mowed once a month. Solutions include spending a few grand on a new mega-mower, many grand on a new tractor/mower combo that'll barely get used, a couple of grand on a vintage tractor (ala Ford 8n) that'll need more love than I'll get back from it OR trying to use the Series IIA PTO setup. The IIA is not a show queen and it needs more exercise and I already have the hand throttle....So how do you find/adapt a PTO and three point mounting point?

[TSR53]

Great Idea!

FYI... just remember that it won't be a "live PTO", ie; everytime you slow down in the Land Rover and or push the clutch in, the PTO is speed sensitive as well and will stop if you stop. However, if you have a large section and can maintain good speed, it will work.

[not a Series, but you get the idea]

http://www.greensladesgroundsmaintenance.co.uk

[leafsprung]

no pto needed just get a gang of reel mowers. (like the ones in the pic which likely are friction driven not pto powered) I used to use them behind my 2a 88 diesel works fine. 2 acres isnt too much, should go quick.

[TSR53]

Yup, that's true Ike, good catch. Looks reel fun!

[Tim Smith]

Here are some northern-tool gang mowers for you:

http://www.northerntool.com/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/category_6970_99+143+764941

Seems a bit expensive but there you have it. FYI, I used to have a lock mower for my yard. Although the reel type mower gives you a superior product, you need to keep up on the maintenance much much more than your average blade mower.

Also, if you let the grass get too far ahead, you might find that it's too much for a reel mower. Although I can't remember if this ever happened to me so this might not really be an issue.

Good luck and be sure to post pictures if you do this. Lately I've been having a similar idea of turning the rover into a mower.

[Les Parker]

Here's a Series busy mowing.

[hackneyed1]

EXACTLY! Now what was required to make that happen? (from what I've learned a reel mower would really only work well with an often manicured lawn-not an occasionally cut field)

[leafsprung]

The PTO isnt really an agricultural PTO its really intended for stationary work because its not live. They dont make especially good mowers. If you want to try it, get a PTO unit and a mower. The PTO gear is outlined in the optional equipment catalogue. By the time you are done outfitting your rover you could have gotten a cheap cub which makes a better mower anyway.

[jp-]

If you mowed in Low Range, would it make the mower blades spin faster?

Never had a pto...

[luckyjoe]

Not to take the wind out of your sails, but Ike's "cub" is right on the money. I looked into this several years ago for a "Lawn Rover" project. My determination was it simply was not worth it in the end (w/a little over 4 acres to cut). I also set the gang reel set-up aside as I have to many ground undulations to deal with.

Have a 54" walk-behind (me) and 25 year old Gravely (wife) and we do just fine.

Regards,

[hackneyed1]

I realize that it must be the difficult solution since you rarely see it being done, but since I dread having yet another internal combustion maintenance obligation...and I keep coming across images like this:

[leafsprung]

If you dred maintenance you shouldnt have an old rover. The mower thing has been done many times, its just not all that practical. . . . Doesnt mow that well, isnt very manoeuverable on a small 2 acre parcel. It would likely take a fair bit of time and expense to get all the pieces together and install them, by then your grass will be 4 feet high. Getting a cub or, a riding mower even a push mower is actually LESS hassle.

[adkrover]

I think if you want to rig the series for mowing you should go for it. If the PTO dissengages everytime you use the clutch it will be very hard on the drivetrain. The blades in large mowers are very heavy and if having to repeatedly begin rotation from a dead stop while also trying to propel the vehicle forward, it will be very jarring to the drivetrain and could smoke the clutch. Tractors with manual shift often have a 2 stage clutch. Half way to the floor, it cuts out the tranny for shifting but allows the pto to continue rotation. All the way to the floor and it stops the pto. I suppose if you're a real gearhead you could find a way to do that but I've never heard of it in a vehicle (although I understand the new Porsche 911 coming to market next year will have one of these clutches for smoother shifts under extreme power).

If you are set on having a true three point hitch set up, you would also need a hydraulic or electric hydraulic cylinder to raise and lower the 2 lower arms. You could get one of these from an old snowplow blade or search Northern Tool's website. They have lots of that stuff. Another thing to look at are the sites that focus on Unimog's. They truly are built for farming and have factor setups like you're looking for. Maybe you could get some ideas from them.

Personally, I think if you aren't inclined to do a lot of custom work on this project, order one of the tow behind mowers that come with a self contained engine (trailmower) so all you need is a good trailer hitch. Get one with a good quality engine and it should last your lifetime and you can always tow it behind your wife's car if the Series breaks down. Northern Tool is a good place to start. They have about a dozen different ones to chose from for under $2K.

http://www.northerntool.com/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/category_6970_99+143+764791

[Dubv1980]

Farm Work

I routinely do farm work with my Series III and my range rover classic. Sadly I have an overdrive, so no PTO activities, but it pulls hay wagons and moves balers and rakes around very well. Mostly it tows my hay wagon when I go to pick up bales out of the field. I think people get a kick out of seeing it doing "work".
I'm also in the northern VA/DC area too.

Chris