Loader Mounted Mower

"My front-mounted mower works great for mowing ditches, steep hillsides and it'll even cut the tops of 8-ft. high hedges," says Dean Kirby, Lohrville, Iowa, who mounted an old 7-ft. side-mount mower on the loader of his MFWD Deere 2940 tractor.

The mower, which attaches to the loader by means of a special-built bracket, is powered by a hydraulic motor that operates off the tractor hydraulics and is mounted on the mower's driveshaft. Kirby pulls a 3-ft. wide rotary mower behind to mow the bottom of the ditch as he mows the steep sides with the frontmower. "Having the mower up front makes it easier to see where I'm cutting, and I never have to look back," says Kirby. "I use the mower's hydraulic cylinder to tilt the mower up or down according to the slope of the ditch. I can raise the Mower as high as the loader will go."

Kirby used angle iron and sheet metal to make the 3-ft. high by 4-ft. wide mounting bracket.