It’s called a pull-behind mower because you pull or tow them around your field with a vehicle rather than pushing them about.
You can attach it to your vehicle, and mowing will become easier.
Building a homemade pull-behind mower requires exact know-how. It is because, unlike many other farm tools, it is more mechanical.
However, you can still build one to help with all the information in this article.
Tools Needed To Build A Homemade Pull-Behind Mower
A homemade pull-behind mower needs more mechanical parts and knowledge than most homemade tools.
Everything you need to put together a homemade pull-behind mower is:
Tires: As you can’t drag the mower around on the bare ground, the tires are essential to keep everything moving. The size of the tires you’ll use will depend on the size of your deck.
Mower deck: This is the most important of everything you need to build a homemade pull-behind mower. Check websites like craigslist for a used mower whose deck can be utilized. It will contain the blades that will do the work of cutting and protect you from any accident. Also, it will ensure that pieces of grass don’t fly about after being cut.
Tow bar: The tow bar will connect the mower and the means of transport.
Motor: The work of the motor is to drive the blades when you need to.
Electric clutch: This will let you get total control of your mower when you build it. A mower without controls can pose a security risk. However, it is not necessary, and you can skip it if you can’t be one.
Belt: This is part of the transmission system. It’ll be used to connect the pulleys and the rotor of the blades. The interconnection of all these parts means your deck’s pulleys will determine the belt’s size.
Spindles: It is doubtful that the junked-out deck you’ll use will still have spindles intact. You’ll have to get some spindles from a hardware store, as it is crucial for the transmission system.
Pulleys: These are in the same league as the spindles. They are also part of the transmission system that will give power to the turning blades.
Painting equipment and paint: This is only needed if the deck you want to use isn’t physically appealing. Painting it will make it look good and make cleaning easier.
Bolts, nuts, and screws will be used to join parts of the construction that need them. These include the pulleys and other things in the transmission system.
With all these, you only need some tools like screwdrivers and spanners.
Step-By-Step Guide To Building A Homemade Pull-Behind Mower
Step One: Know What You Need
It is where you ask yourself questions about what you intend to build. After considering every factor, determine how powerful you want your motor to be.
Step Two: Get The Materials
Whether you have some lying around or want to buy, the second step is to have everything ready. Things like tires you can get at a hardware store.
Also, you can get the deck of a used mower for use. You can buy this from websites like craigslist or look out for a seller in your neighborhood.
Step Three: Put The Deck Together
With the deck, you either have a way to fabricate it or use a deck from a used mower. You can quickly get from scrap dealers for a low cost.
As a default, your mower deck should have blades with it. However, if it doesn’t, add the blades and screw them in place.
Ensure that the blade is sharp enough before screwing. Although you can permanently remove it for sharpening, it is better to sharpen it before mounting it.
In the deck, set up the arrangement of the pulleys and rotors.
Step Four: Set The Engine On The Deck And Secure It In Place
After the deck setup is in place, the next step is connecting it with the engine that will serve as the motor. Set the motor on top of the deck and secure it in place.
Presumably, your deck will have holes that can take bolts you will use to do this. If not, you have to drill holes in a suitable place yourself.
Step Five: Use The Belt To Connect Pulleys, Blades, And Engine
Is everything in place? Good. Put the belt in place to connect the pulleys and the rotor.
The way to do this is beyond the scope of this piece, and you have to check that out. Start the motor when you are done and see if the blade spins as it should.
If it doesn’t, check your connection and try again.
Step Six: Finish Up
It is the stage where you add any additional feature you want. If you can add an electric clutch to your mower, this is the point you’ll do so.
Also, you can paint your mower to make it more aesthetically pleasing.
Step Seven: Add The Handle
It is not done! It remains the means of joining the mower to the vehicle. The handle will be a pronged metal with an end attachable to a tow bar.
It must also be attached to the deck so it will be turnable. While these might seem complicated, you can get the handle of a spoilt mower for the purpose.
Alternatively, you could fabricate one yourself. Attach the handle to the deck and use the tow bar to join it to your vehicle.
Step Eight: Test Run
Now that you have it all built, take a drive along with the mower on your lawn. Engage every feature of your homemade pull-behind mower to ensure nothing is wrong.
Everything alright? You are good to go!
Considerations In Building A Pull-Behind Mower
The size and quality of your final mower will depend on many things.
Budget: A pull-behind mower is a bit more sophisticated than other farm tools you can build yourself. For this reason, the amount you can set aside to get what you need will matter a lot. While you might have some of the things you need for free, you will probably still need to buy a few.
Convenience: How easily could you get, say, a mower deck? When building something like a tow-behind tower, you must think about the best and most convenient way to acquire everything you need.
Intended use: The type of field you want to use the mower on ultimately determines how powerful you should make it. It is particularly pertinent with the motor that will power the blades.
These let you decide the structure of your homemade pull-behind mower. With limited resources, you will have to make inevitable trade-offs.
You, therefore, might use alternatives to what is on this piece.
The most important thing? It should work!
Conclusion
Building equipment that looks as sophisticated as a mower can seem overwhelming. However, it only looks so.
Following the guidelines, you can build on what will serve you for years.
