Off Road Casters

[9GUY9]

Does anyone have any experience with large , heavy duty casters, capable of off road punishment?

I help maintain the local mountain bike trails. We use a ATV to tow a brush hog through the woods to help with our ever growing weeds. I converted our clubs brush hog to a 4 wheel design, from it original wonky 2 wheel design. The new chassis is the same width as the mower deck, allowing it to fit anywhere the 4 wheeler does, and not hang up on trees. After a few hrs dragging it through the woods today I am happy with the overall design. But as I suspected, the front casters can not take the abuse. I folded one over with in the first 20 min of using it, so I pulled it off and replaced it with a new one. A couple hrs later they were both toast. The wheels on them are ridiculously thin metal, so they fold over with any sort of a side load. The caster frames are not a whole lot stronger, and they too bend fairly easy.

I have spent hrs searching the internet for any sort of better solution, and have yet to find anything. I am thinking something along the lines of a zero turn mowers front wheel set up, however those are not readily available. Anybody have any better ideas, or suggestions? Thanks.

 

[BruceMc]

Seems as if a simple axle would be a much better solution. Since you're towing with a 4-wheeler and just need something to match that in terms of maneuverability, you don't need the tight turning radius and independent positioning you'd get from casters.

 

[493 scamp]

Look at a Swisher finish mower or larger Zero turn for parts.

 

[kbs2244]

Check the local auto junk yard.
They build in the lot a-frame gantrys with front auto wheels as swivel, caster like, wheels.

 

[astroracer]

Google "zero turn front caster wheels" tons of stuff out there.
Mark

 

[topcok88]

Why not use what real agriculture manufactures use on cutting equipment - laminated tail wheels. The simple pivot points, robust designs, and laminated wheels are the reason you find them on brush hogs.


Sent from my iPhone using The Garage Journal mobile app

 

[txvwnut]

Why not use what real agriculture manufactures use on cutting equipment - laminated tail wheels. The simple pivot points, robust designs, and laminated wheels are the reason you find them on brush hogs.


Sent from my iPhone using The Garage Journal mobile app

This right here.

 

[bullnerd]

My local lawnmower/power equipment guy has a whole pile of used equipment siting behind his shop. Maybe you can find something similar in your area.

BTW, cool setup and cool that our putting in the effort.

 

[9GUY9]

Why not use what real agriculture manufactures use on cutting equipment - laminated tail wheels. The simple pivot points, robust designs, and laminated wheels are the reason you find them on brush hogs.


Sent from my iPhone using The Garage Journal mobile app

This is what I'd like to use. The issue has been finding a complete bolt on assembly. The wheel/tire assembly is readily available, and even the caster with the male portion of the swivel. Its the female portion that would be mounted to the machine and its related bushings that is proving tough to source.

 

[tab2]

Wow that is a great idea. I think the one on my Dad's tractor is an easy 30+ years old. Probably not on the cheap side, but definitely should last.

 

[topcok88]

This is what I'd like to use. The issue has been finding a complete bolt on assembly. The wheel/tire assembly is readily available, and even the caster with the male portion of the swivel. Its the female portion that would be mounted to the machine and its related bushings that is proving tough to source.

The female portion of the caster is simply a section of tubing or pipe. The male portion of the laminated tail wheel is placed into the cylinder and restrained using a pin or clip at the upper portion of the shaft. Ensure the inside diameter of the female portion is large enough to pack grease in/around the tail wheel shaft. It needs to be able to float and be loose. There is nothing more frustrating than agricultural assemblies that are machined so tight that they are not user serviceable when and if they break in use in the field.


Sent from my iPhone using The Garage Journal mobile app

 

[larry_g]

I'd suggest that you get a heavy front axle off of a garden tractor. That will give you articulation in the middle and if the hitch is connected correctly you get steering also.

lg
no neat sig line

 

[MikeF]

If your set on casters, find an older 3pt finish mower. Mine has wheels mounted on 1inch shafts that slide up through a sleeve welded to the frame. Hight is adjusted through spacers and held in with a pin. I drag it through all kinds of stuff with no issues. The solid mounting of the wheel gives strength ad the turning is done through the sleeve. Put a zirk fitting on to grease it.

 

[9GUY9]

The female portion of the caster is simply a section of tubing or pipe. The male portion of the laminated tail wheel is placed into the cylinder and restrained using a pin or clip at the upper portion of the shaft. Ensure the inside diameter of the female portion is large enough to pack grease in/around the tail wheel shaft. It needs to be able to float and be loose. There is nothing more frustrating than agricultural assemblies that are machined so tight that they are not user serviceable when and if they break in use in the field.


Sent from my iPhone using The Garage Journal mobile app

Right on! Thanks for the info. I think I may just make my own. A trip to the steel supply is in order for tomorrow.

I'd suggest that you get a heavy front axle off of a garden tractor. That will give you articulation in the middle and if the hitch is connected correctly you get steering also.

lg
no neat sig line

I had considered that. Being as this is drug through the woods its whole life, there is a fair bit of backing up to avoid obstacles. I don't want the funky steering dynamics that would include. I also want it to be able to turn tighter circles than that would allow.

 

[hammerhead611]

Look at how the wheels on a finishing mower are attached and adapt to fit the frame on your mower setup.

You can adjust the cut height by moving the bushings on the wheel spindles to the top or bottom as needed. Just keep the spindle sleeves greased up and they will rotate and spin freely.

 

[BukitCase]

This might help (except for the socket you'd still need to fab)
https://www.highgrademfg.com/

Steve

 

[9GUY9]

Thanks for all the suggestions. After I realized there was one readily available option I decided to make my own.

I started with a couple Harbor Freight 13" wheels, some 3/8"x2" flat stock to make my forks. Then used a couple schedule 80 1" ******* drilled out to fit a 1" OD bushings. I used 3/4" bolts for the pivots. some left over 1.5x3" tubing for the mounts. A little reinforcing on my mower frame, and hopefully I am done thinking about this

 

[matt_i]

I was going to recommend looking at a Woods L59 mower for front wheel parts. The OEM parts won't be cheap but they will last a long time. Its a similar technology to the zero turns and the Land Pride finisher pictured above but they had been running a long time before zero turns came to be the thing.

It runs on a kingpin of approx 1" diameter, grease zerked bushing, straight roller bearing axle which runs on a hardened sleeve inner race, also grease zerked. 1/2" bolt is the structure for the axle but not the inner race if that makes sense.

 

[Strouty]

9GUY9, those are definitely stronger, but I think you may still fold them over if not careful. It looks like you have plenty of room to add a gusset to the tabs that attach the wheels to your swivel. The heavy duty ones gain some strength from the arch, where yours are welded at a 90, does that make sense?

 

[bad_idea]

On an unrelated note, awesome drill press. Any more pics/details on it?

 

[9GUY9]

On an unrelated note, awesome drill press. Any more pics/details on it?

I believe it's a 1936 Walker Turner. When a neighbor passed away her family gave it to me. It had been sitting in her garage unused for decades. I'm a powdercoater, so I cleaned it up and coated it. Since I took these pics I added a second belt and pulley on the center post to slow it way down. I mostly use it for spinning hole saws and big slow stuff.

 

[maxpat82]

I would give them a bit more angle on the caster fork.

look on the mower: they are about 45deg!

 

[jonshonda]

I lol'd when I saw you tried HF casters on that beast! Not a snowball's chance in hell anything from HF is going to stand up to that abuse. I would hazard a guess the bearings (if there are even bearings in them) are only going to last a few times before they sh!t the bed.

Take a look on McMaster Carr for a good idea of how much good quality casters go for.

 

[bad_idea]

I believe it's a 1936 Walker Turner. When a neighbor passed away her family gave it to me. It had been sitting in her garage unused for decades. I'm a powdercoater, so I cleaned it up and coated it. Since I took these pics I added a second belt and pulley on the center post to slow it way down. I mostly use it for spinning hole saws and big slow stuff.

Beautiful piece of equipment. A work of art. They understood function and form back then.

 

[bfdladder10]

https://casterstore.4casters.com/Casters/Pneumatic-Semi-Solid-Pneumatic-/Pneumatic-Casters

 

[timewarp]

Your original casters would have been fine if used as designed, you need to allow the towbar portion to swivel at both ends, having it fixed at the rear causes movement that the casterswivels can't handle when you back up, that's why they folded the way they did. As you said in your first post, they aren't designed for any side load but that is what you are putting on them when you back up.