Mark42
Fleet Admiral
- Joined
- Oct 8, 2003
- Messages
- 9,334
Re: Towing my boat with a lanwmower...
I added a tow hitch to my '96 Sears Garden Tractor last summer (the grey & black square hooded model) . That's a big boy with 18 hp twin, 21" drive wheels, hi-lo range 3 speed trans. The problem I ran into was finding a spot high enough to mount the tow hitch. A piece of 2" x 1/8" x 18" steel was bent into a V shape with feet at the top of the V. This mounted horizontally to the back of the frame and the tow ball mounted on it. The location for the utility trialer mount was too low to use and the trailer jack would not lower enough to use it.<br /><br />In my earlier post the little Rugg mower was used when the boat was on the old trailer with no jack, so it was just a matter of lifting the tongue 12" to connect. BTW the Rugg is only 4 hp but in 1st gear pulled the 1200 gvw trailer just fine. Scary but it worked. I feel much better towing the boat around the back yard on a machine that I can't pick up and put on my lap.<br /><br />Just remember to check tire pressure and trans/axle lube levels first. With the Sears tractor, I can tow it in 1st just off idle and it seems happy even on the inclines. Of course you would loose a race to a snail at those speeds....
I added a tow hitch to my '96 Sears Garden Tractor last summer (the grey & black square hooded model) . That's a big boy with 18 hp twin, 21" drive wheels, hi-lo range 3 speed trans. The problem I ran into was finding a spot high enough to mount the tow hitch. A piece of 2" x 1/8" x 18" steel was bent into a V shape with feet at the top of the V. This mounted horizontally to the back of the frame and the tow ball mounted on it. The location for the utility trialer mount was too low to use and the trailer jack would not lower enough to use it.<br /><br />In my earlier post the little Rugg mower was used when the boat was on the old trailer with no jack, so it was just a matter of lifting the tongue 12" to connect. BTW the Rugg is only 4 hp but in 1st gear pulled the 1200 gvw trailer just fine. Scary but it worked. I feel much better towing the boat around the back yard on a machine that I can't pick up and put on my lap.<br /><br />Just remember to check tire pressure and trans/axle lube levels first. With the Sears tractor, I can tow it in 1st just off idle and it seems happy even on the inclines. Of course you would loose a race to a snail at those speeds....
