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 | Umbro1
Join Date: Feb 2004 Posts: 4 Pueblo, CO 
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2004-02-19 77351
Has anyone rigged up a FMM for their CUT? My compact tractor has a front PTO that would be easy to connect to the gear box on a FMM. I see lots of nice decks with casters all around for sale on ebay, for not that much cost. It could be set up with a cylinder to raise it up off the ground as needed. Just need to figure out the pivot and bracing configuration off the front frame. Seems like it would have some advantages over MMM and RMM, including slipping under low trees and shrubs, seeing what your cutting, and cutting the grass before the tires mash it down. Also, steering it where you want would seem intuitive since it goes where you point the tractor, and the casters would support it so no load on the steering. Any thoughts or experiences? Thanks,
Bill in CO
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 | grinder
Join Date: Oct 2003 Posts: 677 central Maine 
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2004-02-20 77365
Sounds good.
How about a hyd powered attached to the loader arms, run it
in float? ....
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| Umbro1
Join Date: Feb 2004 Posts: 4 Pueblo, CO
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2004-02-20 77381
Grinder,
I just have a basic Iseki TS1610F with no loader. I would need a larger capacity pump and reservoir to run a hydraulic unit....but if you have those features, it could be a good way to go. Since I have the mechanical PTO with mechanical clutch and splined shaft drive, that's what I would have to go with. It would attach like a front mount snow blower, in my case. ....
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 | Murf
Join Date: Dec 1999 Posts: 7249 Toronto Area, Ontario, Canada 
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2004-02-20 77409
I've seen it done. The problem is that unless the ground is EXTREEMELY flat it doesn't work very well.
On a 4-wheel FMM the deck is mounted REALLY close to the front wheels of the chassis and it 'crab-steers' (back wheels turn, not front) and it is a short wheelbase. This means there is only limited flex required in the driveshaft, and the relationship between the chassis and the deck never varies to an extreme degree.
If you mount a FMM deck in front of a CUT the slightest rise or fall in the ground will make a BIG bend in the driveline. Also, because a CUT is front wheel steering when you tiurned a corner there would be a big arc on the inside which was driven over but not yet cut. The other problem is the length of drive-shaft that would be required and the speed it would be spinning, it would rquire carrier bearings to prevent some serious whip.
There are many good reasons why nobody builds a FMM for a CUT, this is just some of them. A MMM is the best you're going to get for overall advantages cutting with a CUT.
Best of luck. ....
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| Umbro1
Join Date: Feb 2004 Posts: 4 Pueblo, CO
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2004-02-21 77449
Thanks for the info Murf. I may need to rethink it some more. I do see though on the Iseki (Japanese) web site that they show a front mount mower atached to some of their smaller CUT's. This is where I got my idea. I guess available only in Japan and Europe? I would hope that a splined coupling and u-joiints at both ends would provide a sufficient amount of telescoping and angular freedom in the shaft to prevent any bending forces. My lawn is pretty flat so that would help. Thanks,
Bill ....
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 | earthwrks
Join Date: Dec 2003 Posts: 3853 Home Office in Flat Rock, Michigan
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2004-02-24 77774
As far as u-joints at the front end you really can't use a single-Cardan or single u-joint as they are only designed to run at only a few degrees off parallel to the other end--otherwise you will get a lot of vibration which will be transferred back to the the tractor drive line. You might consider a double-Cardan joint which has two u-joints in a casting (expensive), or better yet a constant-velocity joint (balls in a socketed race) like a front-wheel-drive car has. I know that when my PTO power rake is lifetd at such an angle or turned at an angle out of design it feels like it will shake the tractor apart. ....
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| Murf
Join Date: Dec 1999 Posts: 7249 Toronto Area, Ontario, Canada
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2004-02-24 77796
I saw one (home-made) version that worked VERY well.
To say it was an oddball would be an understatement, unique would be the polite way to describe it.
It worked like this. The FMM was hydaulically driven, the power came from a 'power pack' consisting of (rear) PTO-driven pump which was mounted to a frame on the 3pth, the frame also held a large reservoir and cooling coils and a 12v. fan.
At that point you might as well just mount a 12hp vertical shaft gas engine on the deck and be done with it. Or just buy a Trail-Eze and mount it out front.
Best of luck. ....
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| Umbro1
Join Date: Feb 2004 Posts: 4 Pueblo, CO
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2004-02-24 77798
Guys, check out this Iseki corporate site below. Click on "English," then "Products," and then the #5 or #7 tractor picture shown. There you will see that they do offer a standard PTO-driven FMM, in Japan. So it's been done, and I wouldn't be reinventing the wheel here...just trying to match their set-up. Thanks, Bill
http://www.business.com/bdcframe.asp?ticker=J.ISK&src=http%3A//rd.business.com/index.asp%3Fbdcz%3Dcp.l.cc.ml.e%26bdcr%3D0%26bdcu%3Dhttp%253A//www.iseki.co.jp/%26bdcs%3D8EB15EEC-B220-47D6-9429-EB6B78919D51%26bdcf%3De2ae6054-bbe8-11d4-90ff-00805fa7885a%26bdcp%3 ....
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