Can We Make This DR Trimmer/Mower Work??

[@DannyGriffin-n1d]

Wow. You guys brought a bright spot to my day. That was my DR. I used on on a Mahindra 1526 so I had easier control. I was using it for mowing ditch banks and was generally pleased. I quit using it because looking back kept my neck in the chiropractors office on a routine basis. It actually worked better going backwards but I had no posts to spring around. The air filled tire was a pain so I replaced with solid My biggest issue was uneven spots in the ditches and several times the guide wheel would fall in a hole and when the cutting head grounded out I broke the belt like 3 times. I finally quit using it in float mode (pin out) and that helped for my situation. For me it replaced a 1940’s McCormick sickle hay cutter that had younger shortened for use with a tractor. Glad you got Randy smoothed out. Sorry I did not get to see you when you were here.

[@bradleycummings6751]

I have one of these. I got it to mow a road bank. I run it behind a Kubota B3200 to mow 300 ft of road ditch. I was going to get an offset flail to do the job and use it in offset of my mmm to mow my yard until in your tractor forum you said it wouldn't give me the quality cut on the yard. You are right about all of the issues. They offer 3 different types of string. The book suggests soaking the string in water I think 30min. Before using to make more flexible. I have the same issues he has. My ground is more unlevel than his. I found moving the head wheel from the back to the front mounting holes allowed it to follow the tractor along better in the dips and humps for scalping. The slower you go the better. It took me 2hrs to weed-eat and 2 hrs for the DR, but at the end of the day I didn't brake a sweat and I didn't get a bad case of poision ivy.😂

[@HCH9990]

I love the look of ponds which are dug-out, with a water level at the surface of the surrounding land (as opposed to cut-and-fill ponds which have steep sides formed by the spoil, as often seen in barrage ponds/reservoirs). The latter are definitely cheaper to build (you have to move the spoil somewhere else for a dug-out pond), but it makes maintenance of the steep pond edges much more difficult - even with Vinny as you've shown on the channel. Are you looking to build a pond with the same aesthetic as this one at home Tim? The scalping I'm sure would be eliminated with enough time behind the attachment, too - I was talking to the screen saying 'why not walk with a weed whacker?' until Johnny said he was 77! 😆

[@Kcolby47]

I enjoyed watching you folks figure that out and how it answered an issue for him, even if it wasn’t the do all end all. Besides all that, what a beautiful pond and property, and nice drone shots Christy. Blessings.

[@beezie22dub]

Ideal pond, wish my pond stayed at this level. What a pond.

[@PastorDavidFranklin]

Absolutely lovely pond to work around and to sit and relax by. Charming and serene.

[@photocontrol]

That's a nice pond! Looks like the trimmer will work well for doing the edges.

[@Lackieestatesfarm]

I’ve got one of these. The belt is the only part of it that I haven’t had trouble with. The mechanism that hold the twine has give me grief. The tire has given me grief. It’s an absolute pain to hook up. Every time I use it I say I’m going to sell it but I don’t. It’s just handy enough doing around all of my fences that it redeems itself. The learning curve on it is real steep. One thing that helps is when it starts to scalp, lower your lift arms. Use that wheel like a balance point. And it’s hard to drive a straight line with it

[@phild9813]

Love the video and can’t wait to see more pond videos! No shoreline, wetland vegetation type habitat means no frogs…always trade offs to everything we do. We like things to look pretty and park-like, but that usually means much less wildlife, as we’ve taken the habitat. Sorry, I’m a nerdy biologist and can’t help myself lol

[@JohnDeere1025r]

I have one of these machines and I think it’s nice for roadsides around my family farm. It is also great for mowing around obstacles like trees, poles and fences

[@chrisrexroat3240]

For that pound, (which is beautiful by the way) an old sickle bar mower would also work pretty well. I have the Titan version of that mower for mowing under fences on our horse farm, but haven't used it in a couple of years since I don't have a tractor small enough currently to get in between some of our lines, so I'm back to a Husqvarna weed eater.

[@freepatriot6313]

Wow.... what a pond!! I am feeding my catfish and fixin to aerate the pond by starting up my 2" trash pump. It's dry here in Texas. My pond is 3' down from full. We are under burn ban. Temps 102-106. Every day for a month now... and no end in sight ... nor any rain for that matter. My catfish are burying themselves in the mud to stay cool.

[@tn65s]

Tim, I bet a second caster wheel on the front of the arm would help with the scalping. Also with the steep bank work.

[@peterkoster5053]

I love my 1023e. Not having the position control is kinda nice to me because it brings me back to my child hood. The first tractor I learned to drive was a deutz 70-06 with a loader and 3pt and there was 2 levers beside the seat. One lever was for the loader and the other lever was for the bucket, and you'd unplug the hydraulic hoses to the bucket to plug in the hydraulics for the 3pt. I bought the 1023e because it was a great deal 5 years old with 123 hours and brand new condition with no pto hours, and upgraded 120r loader. Bought it and haven't regretted it.

[@WelshRabbit]

A spectacularly fine looking piece of property! The beautiful Tarheel State. Growing up in NC, despite living 40+ years in California, I still use similar expressions and speech patterns remarkably like Randy's.

[@scott5609]

I have a 60 inch dr mower I never had such a bad peace of equipment in my life there is no way of doing any research before you buy thank you for allowing me to comment

[@EK--ry3lr]

I'm also a Johnny inspired Johnny. 5 years strong now and only regret is not having it 10. Thanks for your videos.

[@TractorTimewithTim]

Lots of fun, and a great helping hand!

[@EK--ry3lr]

Hearted in under 60 seconds? You da man.

[@jpocketrocket]

I've seen this property before somewhere ,Cool ,enjoy all your video's Tim.That same belt system is on my 1992 john deere 322 50" mower deck

[@nathanbrodeur]

Tim if the spring was connected to a threaded rod with a eyelet for more tension that could help along with a can of belt dressing or maybe a stiffer spring

[@Slider68]

An offset flail mower is probably the best and most durable tool for the job. I bought our Titan 125FLAILDB offset flail mower in an online scratch and dent sale (there were no dents) for $2200. It had been returned but was unused and other than one scratch, was like new. It should work well behind a 1023E (with extra hydraulics for offset, tilt and top link). The cut height is controlled by the top link length (hydraulic is best for height adjustment from the seat).

[@lloydcrowder1283]

Nice video! I don't understand why there isn't a depth guide at the cutting head and another at the 3pt hitch. I would like one but I know I would need to modify the depth control

[@shanesherwood343]

What a beautiful pond he is so lucky with the natural springs

[@FelipeColby]

Great video...all the way around. Great pond too...all the way around.

[@SLCFarms]

Love it when yall come to my home state.

[@BrickyardPowerMan]

Such a beautiful pond!

[@martineastburn3679]

Flail mower would be best, but this comes close if one had time to do it. Nice job and nice pond.

[@ddupy]

I'm finding it's going to take seat time to learn how to use mine. Have to be patient. My first run with the box blade was 👎 . I watched more videos on how people use them and it made a big difference the next time. I got the results I wanted!

[@Owaheeguy]

That is a nice looking pond.

[@mi2tn]

I've always wondered about that DR Trimmer and how it would work for me here. I think an off set pull behind mower would do better for me. The DR is bigger than I thought it was. Glad to see it in action. Thanks!

[@TractorTimewithTim]

Good to hear from you! I think a sickle bar might be a good option.

[@bryanharden7265]

Book says to run 2mph for best results, depending on your situation of course. Enjoyed the video!

[@michaelstuckey7730]

It will work on level ground. My pasture fences aren't on level ground and controlling the cutting height is a pain. It's a poorly designed piece of equipment. I'm going to try adding more caster wheels to maybe stabilize the cutting height

[@jddriver9565]

love the 1023E! I hope to own one someday....:) In case I move to the states... because in germany its way to expensive and there arent any used ones available.(and we only can get the 1026R) And that trimmer for the tractor is a great tool.:)

[@randysavage8963]

Love my old new Holland 451 sickle bar mower for trimming such as this

[@nelsonsr.jenking725]

Tim , I think that would be the perfect machine if it would come as a Mid mount (like a mid mount sicle mower) so you could make easier adjusstments to your steering . ie less swing as you turn . Just my observation as you try to follow the pond bank. Also it would be easier to watch where the cutting head is in relation to where you want to cut . Just my observation as an 81 year old lol.

[@andysmith5220]

Tim its really an easy fix. Just needs an additional tentioner on top side pushing tension on top side. Main pully sand blasted again but really needs inner bevel wider

[@Marine-72]

I had that same trimmer and was excited to use it. But, it was a real headache. I tried using it around fence posts, it didn't work. It may work if you have a long ditch line with no obstructions. We had it for a few weeks and sent it back to DR.

[@tannerrider2527]

might be able to undo the stationary end of the spring for the tensioner and use a long threaded hook bolt. then you could hook the spring and tighten the bolt up to apply more force and tighten the belt more

[@erichedges2948]

I didn't really understand the difference between the 1023 and 1025 until this video. I knew about lights and accessories not being on 1023 but learned that hydraulics are different also. Thanks

[@randycarpenter2914]

Maybe I am wrong, but if you put a long arm on the front side with a swivel wheel like the trailing wheel to help control it better and allow you to see where it's at without looking backwards. Just a thought.

[@madtater5948]

thanks for sharing the video. you need a stiffer spring to keep the belt tighter. McMaster-Carr Has springs

[@treemonkey_ma1718]

I've been thinking about your pond! I'm not sure if you surveyed where the water table was before you drained it. I would probably say that you should attempt to contour the ground around the pond to the water table level. The current ground level may just be too high to accommodate the pond height that you would prefer. Plus, having some type of overflow at that level for water/rain runoff events would be ideal. Of course, you would need an actual location for that water to actually go, seeing that it's more of a flat property....

[@ODLife]

Yeah I stopped using my Dr trimmer. Now I use the adjustable head hedge trimmer on the Kombi system.

[@tomf9928]

hey tim wanted to add in reverse. always works better but i damaged that air filled tire doing that ,i ended up putting a solid tire on it, i used mine under my 2 acres of evergreen trees , much easier with a weed eater or walk behind good luck also it will not work with the I MATCH i use to use the kens hook with only 1 pin that flex let it hook into the dr

[@wickedcoyote271]

Watching you, I know if I were to try that attachment around that pond I’d have driven into the water while looking back at how it was cutting…

[@TractorTimewithTim]

Moving very slowly. Plenty of time to react.

[@cerberus2881]

Steering by looking backwards never made sense to me. This is why we pay more for the Ventrac. Grass Carp will keep the pond clean, that's what we use

[@timheyboer4786]

I remember reading something about building frog houses, I just don't remember where.

[@buffler1]

How about replacing the belt with chain? Dumb? too dangerous? Have you looked at the Titan version?

[@ronevans852]

That a nice looking property.

[@daddio7249]

I wasn't paying attention when I bought my 1023E, I did not see what I was losing for the cheaper price. Not that I use it that much so I can live with it. I think that mower needs a gauge wheel on the front.

[@royscarbrough3589]

I had a machine that had a belt that loose-we added another spring and then got a tighter spring. I love engaging my PTO with a clutch that I can ease on. The power engagement is so fast.

[@royscarbrough3589]

A second gauge wheel might help it ride better or a tandem wheel setup so it “floats” better

[@vomlande9112]

What do you think about a stihl trimmer?

[@dalemarshall9736]

How long can you go without replacing the strings on the head?

[@danwilkening888]

Fabricate a little stump jumper on that thing and it will work awesome!!

[@bobcatsmith246]

All you need is two people in a boat. One to drive the boat and the other person running a weed trimmer.

[@collinslawnmaintenance]

What about the ventrac boom mower?

[@philiplynch7736]

So do you think the spring needs to be replaced with a tighter one or is the belt too big?

[@tacticalrabbit308]

A heavier spring for belt tension would help keep the belt on and a swivel wheel for when your backing up at the three point hitch area , never knock older equipment it gets the job done .😊

[@bruceknowlton8691]

Wonder if you put a marker off of the front loader like is used on corn planters

[@jimconnor8274]

That is a pretty niffy attachment. another gauge wheel on the back end. Seem to do a good job doing what it's meant to do with the straight rigid arm. I had problem with belt coming off. It ended beibg the tension spring. A few dollars problem solved!

[@mstrickk1]

That ponds needs a little leveling work, needs the sharp bank corners cut down a little bit too, and that attachment would be so easy and perfect.

[@TractorTimewithTim]

This is the best pond bank I have ever been seen!

[@sinclairpages]

I wonder if a circle bar would work on that pond.

[@Anterak123]

Interesting video. I like this old man. Reminds me of Mister Rate in the Shooter movie...

[@rick9031]

I think you can have a pound too. Boone pond not too far from you is reallynice. Just need to finish digging it and do your research on making it healthy. PS saw you mowing ditches yesterday.

[@countrymankdx200]

Aren’t those for fence lines to cut the grass under the fence and go around the post

[@hpw59]

BEAUTIFUL POND

[@noelstractors-firewood57]

Neat tool. Just needs some extra thinking to make it work.

[@chris3m98]

I have a thought: You know how many feet to the edge of the water 4Ft?) Instead of looking at the mower look to the front of the tractor and drive the tractor that same 4Ft. looking forward.

[@sparksandchips]

Gentlemen, I need a fence line trimmer and have looked at several. I have a mile of fence line to trim on a private airstrip, no hills or uneven area would it fit my needs?

[@TractorTimewithTim]

I personally do not think so.

[@williamgaines9784]

Convert it to a FEL mounted. Get a Harbor Freight or similar engine, or even a hydraulic motor, to replace the PTO. In front you see where you're going better and have better tilt and trim. Or just get more seat time. 🤷‍♂️ The belt slipping/jumping could be solved with a stronger idler spring or even a second idler on the return side...that is one looong belt😮.

[@richunger8806]

I don't know everything about tractors but could you reverse your hydraulic lines for this application? that way up will actually mean up and down will be down

[@TractorTimewithTim]

No, not with the 3 point.

[@floydferguson5366]

Great video!

[@miker8915]

Amazing video, thank you for sharing 😀

[@adamwagner1987]

Wish they could make something like this Dr but telescopic so you can easily adjust length towards the pond

[@10rcoleman]

Looks like you need a stiffer spring it looks like the only think that keeps tension on the belt

[@Southalabamaoutdoors]

Tim he needs a push style weed eater. It looks like a little mower with the same head as the DR you replace the strings but push it like a mower. It's lightweight for a 77 yr old but you control it like a mower.

[@markcalhoun9480]

This DR thing on the tractor takes too long. Using the push version you would be done in half the time.

[@WelshRabbit]

@@markcalhoun9480 That was my thought, too.

[@Southalabamaoutdoors]

@@markcalhoun9480 that's what I thought. Lot less hassle to. The one I have is not hard to use.and perfect for ponds as the whips( strings) are 15" long reach out there.

[@brianworley7705]

​@@SouthalabamaoutdoorsTo me the challenge with a push style trimmer is you would struggle to walk the bank to trim over the edge. The wheel would be in the water. Fighting that at 77? Or one would have to push the trimmer head towards the water and pull back away hundreds or thousands of times. What am I missing in the idea of a walk behind trimmer being an easy option?

[@Southalabamaoutdoors]

@@brianworley7705 the whips go 15" out from center so as long as you keep the wheels dry you. Can walk along the edge and trim

[@melaniekeen3611]

You were in NC and didn't come visit us. Come on Tim you got to let us know so I can meet you.

[@WelshRabbit]

Ditto!!!

[@10rcoleman]

The hogs and the assent gave it away where you was at im from Virginia

[@paulbianchi1567]

Hey Tim, What is up with that ROP? Straight up and down and it looks short enough to fit in a 7' garage door!

[@TractorTimewithTim]

Pre 2018.

[@t.8130]

What part of North carolina was that

[@napooda846]

Use a 1x2 piece of wood and a small C clamp or 2 and use that as your stop

[@alanmcgregor4909]

One way to make it easier, put a pvc tube on the loader bracket as a gauge.

[@johndavis7273]

I wish I could use something like this to pull behind my zero turn. I have a ditch I hate to weedeat

[@rinardman]

Just taking the cover off fixes any drive belt issues. "A watched pot never boils." 🙃

[@buffler1]

that long a belt will have some potentially nasty resonances causing it to jump off.

[@peterkoster5053]

That pond needs a accent bank... like a zero entry one that has bullrushes and plants. It would make a sheltered habitat for frogs and smaller fish to hid from the big fish and the birds, cant complain about not having frogs if they dont have a habitat to thrive in.

[@robertkrause4769]

If that was my trimmer, I think I would add a second wheel on the front side opposite the existing one.

[@dog01b52]

I wonder if anyone has used this product with an iMatch or Quick hitch system on the 3 point hitch? One reviewer commented on the DR site saying it doesn't work. No other proof if it was operator error or a design issue. Like post hole diggers are not compatible with iMatch. Thanks

[@TractorTimewithTim]

I can’t remember for sure, but I do not think it is I-Match compatible.

[@medlinlandmaintenancellc]

I live in NC, what part of NC was this? Sure is a pretty place!!

[@TractorTimewithTim]

Between Williamston and Washington

[@ronnieferguson5706]

If you have fish in your pond their is a need for so much high growth around the pond for the fish as a food source

[@stokesjo82]

Could you do a review on a Dr pull behind tiller with an ATV? I’m interested in buying one, but don’t want to spend $2k without knowing it will work.

[@TractorTimewithTim]

If I find one cheap, or if someone has one they want to show on our channel, yes. I will NOT be contacting DR asking for a demo. I am not confident enough in DR products to take a chance on endorsing them. Overall, in my opinion, the brand is under-designed and under-engineered.

[@stokesjo82]

@@TractorTimewithTim that’s good to know! Thanks.

[@Thedon01959]

Those are made for fence lines

[@traj00]

The belt guides on both sides of the large pulley should be right up against the pulley. That's where your slack is coming from.

[@John1911]

We bought a Laneshark FEL cutter that offsets for applications like this. But I am doubtful you could get that mounted on such a small tractor.

[@henrymeinzer392]

Tim , do you think the z trimmer would work. A trimmer that's mounted to a z turn.

[@rickvaughan8993]

No on the Z trimmer. I had one would not recommend. It to me is next to useless. Not enough power. You must constantly adjust the angle and height. And that is not an easy task.

[@BG-vq9fd]

I have added mirrors to see where my land scape rake is in the sand. It's difficult for me to watch behind.

[@TrentRushton]

I am in the market for my first tractor, and I am trying to think what I exactly need that weed trimmer might work better for me then a bush hog

[@TractorTimewithTim]

I doubt it!!

[@TrentRushton]

@@TractorTimewithTim Thanks I am thinking of getting a Kubota 1880:or 2380 and what mowing attachments for about 1 acre field and lawn

[@richunger8806]

could the 1023e be retrofitted from parts for a 1025r?

[@TractorTimewithTim]

Not cost effectively. Lots of parts required.

[@mxpxdrums]

you want a real crazy pond, travel about 20 minutes north of Lebanon and see ours. It's depressing

[@TractorTimewithTim]

Uhoh. Worse than ours?

[@andrewgee241]

A hand held string trimmer or a push type with the two rear wheels would be better. Running this off a tractor is more hassle than benefit.

[@andrewhricovsky2633]

i have dr power equipment in the past, and I’ve never been happy with it. It’s really cheaply quality designed.