pto forecart

[back-forty]

I am looking to add a engine to a homemade forecart to be able to run a Peqeua 710 tedder and a 7 foot New Holland trailer type sickle mower this year.

Any advice as to the minimum horse power that would be needed would be appreciated.

My plan is to purchase a gas engine with a 6:1 reducer on the engine to achieve a PTO speed in the 300 to 500 rpm range.

[carl ny]

I don’t know what HP you need but most all PTO equipment is designed to run at 540 RPM.

carl

[Donn Hewes]

Back forty, Those sound like fun projects. One place you might look would be to see what size motors I & J has put on similar sized equipment. I believe you could even call them perhaps. I don’t think eithier of those would be hard to run, but I would be truly guessing at the power needed. If I were making one I would say 12 to 15hp. but that is because I think in most conditions it would tedd or mow with 7 to 10 hp. but I would would want enough for the days when it was heavy hay or tedding a rained on windrow.

For most equipment having 540 be somewhere in the middle of the rpm range will be fine. you just throttle up until you like the results. I think that will work fine for that type of mower or tedder if you did the math right!

One other important question; what will you want to run with it in the next few years. Small is good because it is light and will make a nicer machine for horses, but it will be a bummer if you decide you want to run the baler next. Just thinking out loud! Good Luck

• This reply was modified 9 years, 11 months ago by Donn Hewes.

[back-forty]

Don,
Thanks for the input, I was estimating 8 to 10hp as well but your point that while that may work for normal conditions it would be frustrating to not be able to handle wet rained on hay, something I am all to familiar with these past couple of years. Few more horse power is a good idea.
I also have a call into Maynard at I&J for a catalog on his equipment. I would love to have get one of the ground drive forecarts but really need a new shed next year for hay storage and has I already have the spare cart adding an engine is a lot more cost feasible at this time.

Carl,
I agree that 540 rpm on the PTO is the norm and if the tedder was behind a tractor and moving at typical ground speeds for a tractor the higher rpm is necessary but at the typical ground speed of my team I anticipate needing to slow down the tedder so the reel speed more matches my ground speed.

Pretty hilly on my place in central MN for a baler and wagon and really do not like baling on the ground these days, I am afraid I am kind of stuck with using the tractor for this job.

[Donn Hewes]

I found the home made ground drive cart I made to be very satisfying. Of course it took me three tries to make it right. Finding the right older tractor to begin with is the key.

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