FIXING a PROBLEM with our BRUSH MOWER

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We're a DIY family building our "forever homestead" from 15 acres of raw undeveloped land in Tennessee. All of our content is family friendly and safe for everyone to enjoy.
In today's video I convert our trail mower to a ball hitch so that it stops disconnecting from our ATV four wheeler while mowing trails.
#farming #diy #greenacrehomestead
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[@jerrydixon9343]

Great job! You took their product and made it better, we should say you “Sam’d it up” or “Samgenuity “! Very impressive!

[@pamelavasquez4961]

That was very creative on your part Sam. When life threw you lemons, you make a pitcher of lemon aid. God's blessings to you and your family 🙏 ❤

[@sam-and-angela]

Thanks!! I'm glad it was an easy modification. :)

[@lindajc123]

What makes good into great? An inventive jerry-rigger (constructed in an improvised manner). Good job Mr. Smart!!

[@deannaoverstreet4146]

Great idea! Great solution! You the man Sam!

[@mikenunley2106]

Sam you should have mirrors on your ATV, so you can keep an eye on your mower that way, when you get close to trees like that!!!👍👋🙂

[@sam-and-angela]

Good idea!!

[@mikenunley2106]

@@sam-and-angela thank you Sam, good luck with your new property. I'm anxious to see what you're going to do, and God bless👍👋🌞🙏🙏🙏

[@angelacross2216]

Genius! And done super quickly too.

[@RumMonkeyable]

Necessity is the mother/father of invention. Well-done! 👍😎💕

[@jsecure1569]

Thanks for the video. Wanted to do this last year but my engineer buddy had to juryrig a way to couple it to my Mule MX SxS. When that failed a few weeks back I went and bought the coupler and am a whole happier. The Earthquake is a beast, I run over all sorts of small bushes, pine trees and stuff. Been great to use plus it's taken down the time my buddies used to mow with their garden tractors by 2/3's the time it took them. Deer love the clearings also which is nice when the season comes along.

[@auntlouise]

Thinkin' beyond the box - which is why we watch and learn from y'all! Always awesome to learn what you teach!

[@sam-and-angela]

Aww, thanks!

[@fava7753]

Why didnt the manufacturers think of that in the first place . Now you have a lot more motorised towing options , a simple fix . Hope the manufacturers are going to fix you up with some sort of real appreciation and restitution for fixing their overlooked design flaw . . And for advertising their product . They may ask for your services as, a tester for new products in future . Keep up the great work and content Sam . .

[@sam-and-angela]

I think they're thinking of what would be most universal for all types of machines pulling it. I lucked out that the ATV hitch height matched that of the mower to keep it level. :) We've been in contact with Earthquake Outdoors and are working together on things. :)

[@janetkoball44]

Yo really did out it thru its paces. Looks like a really nice heavy duty mower. Glad it works for you now. See you on your next visit.

[@lynnobrien9429]

Awesome idea Manufacture needs Sam's creativity. Hands down Sam's the man!

[@karendominguez2747]

I’m so glad that fixed your cutter.

[@542Moose]

Try putting a large nut in the square opening. Then thread the bolt through it and lock it down with the lock washer and smaller nut. This will eliminate a wood block from deteriorating over time and breaking out. It will eliminate any play in that opening too. Also, remember to put a snap pin in your ball hitch lever to avoid any brush from popping it open and possibly jumping the hitch off the ball.

[@michaelault3180]

A block of wood in the square hole with the bolt hole drilled through the middle will eliminate your slop without modifications to the original part.

[@deborahplyler6528]

Very cool creative thinking on how to make things work better, thanks for sharing, take care.

[@hnhardin1217]

I lol'd when you said, "so good so far" 😂 great idea to fix the issue.

[@sam-and-angela]

😁 I mess up my words all the time. LOL

[@rubberdc]

Tickled pink.....lol.....Sam , you DO choose some good old english humour !

[@kellypetsch6453]

WTG!!!!! Sam you the man jack of all trades get ur done

[@snakeboren4814]

PURE GENIUS SAM!!!

[@mikenunley2106]

Good job with the ball mount Sam, I just now saw that part

[@HomesteadOnThePreserve]

Earthquake realized this issue and the ones sold today actually come with a 2" ball hitch. Maybe they made the change after watching your video? Whatever the case I'm glad they did because the Acreage is a beast and I will be getting mine next week.

[@marycgarmon7140]

You inspired. Me to fix my wagon problem in a similar fashion. Thanks

[@ilovelucy7073]

That was a great idea 💡 how you fix that. 👍🏻

[@mlm7598]

Love that you were able to get this accomplished and making it more useful and with no frustration to be had. It can get old having to stop every little bit to hook things up again. Great job and with your ingenuity I know it was right up your alley! Good job! Blessings

[@sam-and-angela]

So true! Thank you!

[@Robertfishes62]

Thanks for Posting the Earthquake Mower videos. I plan on ordering one soon.. I need to mow some thick growth between 5 year old planted pine rows, around some wetlands and old logging roads. I have a old 4x4 Polaris 500HO to tow mower... .

[@Robertfishes62]

Ordered it, should be here in 2 weeks.. going to go ahead and buy the hitch next time I am in town.

[@ninabooker2904]

Sam has “Mad Skills” ! Awesome 🤩

[@watahyahknow]

think the reason the pin hitch broke so often is that it didnt alowed for the machine to tilt independent from the pulling vehicle (like driving with one wheel over a stump ) the ballhitch gives it a lot more freedom , should work fine one idea that miight help with the stump thing is adding skidplates or wedges (cut some out of firewood stumps with a chainsaw and bolt them under the metal triangles in front of the wheel so you can ride over higher obstacles , think right now if an obstacle manages to only just get under the triangle it takes a lot of force to drive the wheel over it , the wedge should help some lifting the wheel before it drives over the obstacle making it feel a lot lower

[@FowlerFamilyFarm]

Easy fix good job Sam

[@sam-and-angela]

I can't complain. :) Thanks!!

[@squirrellyacres]

You did a fantastic job of modification on that mower. I'm really surprised that the mower doesn't have an option for a ball hitch.

[@steveterry7981]

The property is looking good Sam.

[@sam-and-angela]

Much nicer with the beans harvested! :) Getting "turbo tilled" this weekend (I only quote what I was told) then will be re-seeded for us.

[@djterry1218]

Mr. Fixit at it again!👏🏼👍🏼👊🏼

[@danielheartsill4269]

Where the bolt goes through the square part you could make a wooden shem to fit the square and run the bolt through the center of it. That would take away any movement. Great idea to put a ball hitch on it.

[@sam-and-angela]

If I had it at home and in the workshop I could have made the shims quickly -- that's a good idea. Thankfully it's stayed put so far. :)

[@minniedease7477]

Good thinking.

[@haydenuk02]

Great work and thanks for sharing this with us take care

[@nihtum]

I just bought this mower and mine came with a ball hitch, glad after watching your video! (maybe they saw your video! hah!)

[@sam-and-angela]

That is awesome!

[@margiechansler7988]

Spray paint the carter pins a bright color that’s easy to see when it pops off.

[@denisewilson8367]

Glad you could come up with a solution for your p.i.t.a. hitch pin problem. I like the ball hitch better on my old lawn tractor too. I use it for my rubbermaid lawn cart with is very versatile since all 4 sides can be removed to make a flatbed trailer or keep them on and use the tailgate as a dump trailer bcuz it swings up like one also. The ball let's me move my rowboat & trailer out of the way to mow too. And when I still owned my 2 horse horse trailer I could move it too. But now I've traded that off for my gooseneck 4 horse horse trailer and of course that's too big and has no ball hitch, LOL. Someday (soon I hope) I hope to find some land like yours to build my new homestead. I'm waiting for parts, but covid has slowed them greatly, to come in for brakes on my motorhome. Then I'll be headed south from Michigan and start my land search & hopefully also start my KZbin channel.

[@sam-and-angela]

I wish you great success and hope you find your place soon!

[@christelstrifler7799]

Paint the cotter pin with a bright glow in the dark paint, had to do it for my horse trailer.

[@dircia7754]

Sam you are clever. Great job!

[@sam-and-angela]

:) Thanks!

[@JBNetBreaker]

All mowers and attachments should have the ball hitch. I like your solution Sam, I would also put the locking pin in place, just in case.

[@takeitslowhomestead5218]

Great solution!

[@lindapeterson7166]

Hi Sam & Angela,your property is looking very good.Take care & have a good week! 👍👏😊

[@rickbarnett9729]

Could put small wood blocks in square whole so won’t move right or left

[@jesusislord2457]

Pretty in pink! 🤗 What? You started it. 😁 Git-r-done! ☮️💖🙏

[@nightsailor1]

You got a Hitch Pin there. Maybe you could use a Square Wire Lock Pin. Lowes You can take a puinch and bend over a couple threads to keep those fasteners together with the rough duty they get.

[@burnindaylite]

I just got mine, the belt jumped off in the first 5 seconds of running. Now it's 95 degrees out and I get to repair my new mower. The hitch modification was working good though. I upsized the bolt through the hitch square tube to a 3/4" diameter and had zero problems. Update: I put the mower belt back on and mowed all kinds of nasty stuff for 4 hours, trees, thorny vines, fallen brush, etc without a 'hitch'. Also mowed on hills I 'd not take my tractor or zero turn on. This thing 'cut' my mowing time in half.

[@sam-and-angela]

I had the same issue!! Check your main pulley set screws. I had one work loose and the whole main pulley was very loose.

[@ridermak4111]

My friend had a similar problem. First thing he tried solved it. He swung the tongue clear out to the side so he didn’t have to twist his head clear around to see it very easily. He also liked not driving the ATV through the tall junk.

[@sam-and-angela]

This mower has an offset function, I just have yet to use it.

[@rondahoward5341]

Great job Sam! Progress!

[@estellaknox4488]

Great job it holding.

[@LS11971]

Have you thought about doing an offset trailer tongue so that you're not having to drive through the brush before the mower cuts it. Maybe a next upgrade idea. Only drawback would be that you could only cut in one direction.

[@sam-and-angela]

It has one, I just have yet to use it (or show it to you all) in that fashion. :) For wood cleaning, the ATV didn't have enough power to pull it offset. But for weeds/grasses I'm sure it will be great.

[@chuckraines4962]

Good job Sam

[@carlossmith3316]

great idea

[@ChilledJil2010]

I truly appreciate a good MacGyver!

[@ronaldclemons5520]

Looking good. Now you can cut over the bean field to cut up debris leftover so grass can grow back better

[@HoneyDoHomestead]

nice tool hack! I'm kind of surprised that such a heavy duty brush mower would be pulled on a hitch pin. Also, to take out the "slope", you could try to insert a bushing that fits over the front bolt to eat up some of that slope space, or just add nut that squeezes just inside to close the gaps.

[@DLRyoung]

Was getting dizzy.. good job on the mod! God bless

[@brendahamilton4426]

You are a problem solver. Goo job 👍

[@mattlattanzi1289]

Use a bolt with the nylon locking nut and a couple big washers if you need them. Your hitch won’t come apart and you won’t lose any pins brother

[@parsonroy]

Near the beginning of your "test drive" there appeared to be a black part in the lower bottom of the picture that was loosely bolted on. You might want to check the bolts on the mower for tightness when you get the chance. My experiences through my 75 years have told me to check everything after I've used it for a while.

[@sam-and-angela]

I've looked twice and don't see anything loose -- unless you're seeing the tow bar for the mower? If so, it's not bolted down -- it uses a pivot point and spring loaded pins to lock it in place left/right for the offset mowing options.

[@parsonroy]

@@sam-and-angela That must be what I saw. Glad there was no problem.

[@SandraCrockett]

Fixed!

[@calebwilliams7393]

How is this machine holding up? Are you having any problems with it? I am thinking about buying one this spring.

[@kirbycreekmo]

Are you still using the mower? Would you recommend it? Thanks for your videos.

[@georgemitchell9114]

Good fix, thank you for sharing this. Have you tried towing the mower at an offset instead of running over everything with your 4-wheeler?

[@lorenmeyer5290]

That hitches so much better! Sam how far is your property from your brother's place?? Love watching both you channel!

[@sam-and-angela]

Thanks!! Our land is very close. :)

[@kyleball4004]

Do you still have this? And would you still recommend it? I’m between zero turn or a pull behind. We have 11 acres with a lot of uneven ground.

[@Hollybank5]

Sam da Man , once again !!! 👍❤️

[@stevenmoomey2115]

Know this is from Two Years ago. They used a Brush Cut, that had an offset hitch, so the Four Wheeler Road on already the cut land. Brush Cut was off to the side.

[@CindyLuMcMorrough]

How does this brush mower do when trying to mow sides of ditches?? The angle it can get is a concern. Like I don't want it floating on air because of lack of angles.

[@sam-and-angela]

Out of the box, there is not much flex in slope with the pin hitch. With this modification the ball hitch will allow more flex of the mower. That being said, it also depends on your ditch size and layout.

[@CindyLuMcMorrough]

@@sam-and-angela gotcha. That’s exactly what we were thinking. Still pondering….thanks!

[@jamescannon4917]

How do you like your brush mower an would you recommend buying this particular one.

[@rubberdc]

Good evening Sam .

[@hollystarr274]

We did the same thing!

[@johncampbell6884]

Just Saying, A 5/16 pin for the hitch would be good, Plus You need to grease the hitch ball every time it is used or it will wear out, But it does seem to be working fine.

[@nickmorlang1124]

I have the same mower. Was thinking about shortening the pull bar. I feel like it's to far behind my atv for mowing trails . Thoughts on that

[@johnsteinhagen8455]

A common complaint with these is when you disengage the belt it come off the pulley, have you had any issues with that?

[@billdodd118]

GREAT FIX a ball hitch IS the Best from my personal point of view Great minds think alike I guess. I was going to suggest that very thing. I pulled a 4x8 utility trailer behind my 2x4 ATV even a 1/2 ton of gravel

[@jsecure1569]

Sent an email to "customer service" Monday asking if the part will come this decade or next. Two days later and no response. Prime example of their service. Ardisam is the parent company, always check who owns your next product to be sure you're not getting one of theirs.

[@leisurefields]

Thanks for the idea. We ended up doing the same thing to ours! Makes it so easy to hookup, and we don't have to worry about it coming disconnected. Checkout our page to see it in action.

[@HoneyHollowHomestead]

A cotter pin does not seem like the right choice. They make a hitch pin (used for many farm equipment/wagons) that is like a heavy pin with a handle on one end and a hole for a cotter pin on the other end. They come in a variety of sizes. But, your conversion seems to work just fine.

[@yycfoamwars6557]

I agree with a comment below, a bolt with large washers would fix this.

[@chriscampbell1376]

You need a simple offset hitch. Keeps the mower left or right of you. You would no longer have to drive over what you are cutting either

[@richardroyles1423]

Looks like you Gotter. God bless. Kansas

[@daveclarke1733]

should have put spacers on the sides with the large hole in the front it will loosen up

[@ericjohnson1008]

Now you need two more to attach to both sides of the mower and you could get 3 times as much done. LOL

[@sam-and-angela]

There ya go!!!

[@michaelg7230]

I have been looking at this mower and they now come with the ball hitch in a 1 7/8 I think

[@glenschumannGlensWorkshop]

Nice mod. Just a thought about the bolt which runs through the square iron. Would 1 or 2 pieces of short pipe of different diameters fill that enough to stop movement? Also thought of a block of wood, but that might not stand up to the forces.

[@raguisedeekmd7590]

Hi Sam I’m about to buy this mower from Home Depot and it only has three bad reviews specifically about the drive belt snapping off frequently. Have you experienced issues with the drive belt on this model ? Thank you for your videos

[@OldCritters]

At our house you would get serious MacGyver points.👍💞

[@loissaedder2214]

Just a question - would it be better to put the bolts the other way around, with the nut facing up, so you can see easily if anything loosens?

[@sam-and-angela]

Not in this case -- with lock nuts they should not loosen at all. I rather not have the bolt sticking up to catch pant legs or skin as you walk around it or hook it up.

[@amma3536]

Cool!

[@jeffreybrown8430]

Hi Sam i need to change the deck belt on my rough cut mower have you done this yet any tips ? thanks

[@sam-and-angela]

It's a pain! It's been a while but if I remember right, you take the main pulley bolts out of the middle (allen key set screws) and the pulley separates apart. I also had to take the back panel off where the key start is to route the belt around the guides back there.

[@linamatthews512]

Can your ATV haul your trailer when it's loaded down with hay or feed for the sheep?

[@beckypage6041]

Well that fixed that! A good ol’ Sam’s Solution.

[@beckypage6041]

Well that fixed that! A good old Sam solution.

[@daveschram2654]

You might want to apply a little grease on the ball hitch. Friction ya know!!

[@bobbyspencer8102]

why not mount the ball hitch directly to the original clevis , you done away with the telescoping height adjustment feature if you want to use a different vehicle such as a side by side that the mount may be higher or lower .

[@JohnThomas-gj2zg]

That Bruch mower can you be nice enough to let me know were you got it ???

[@douglasharlos4113]

I say we need to introduce you to Step bits

[@sam-and-angela]

Of all the tools and things I've ever had... never have I ever had a step bit! :)

[@DavidWilliams-wj4sc]

drill a hole in a 2x4 and then cut it out, and shove it up in there to stop the wiggle.

[@ericjohnson1008]

LOL, your brother lets you drive like that on his farm??? Hahaha test runs are always important.

[@sam-and-angela]

He may have not known about the drag race in the back 40. :)