Ball Hitch for Zero Turn?

[yinpin]

In anticipation of purchasing a Countyline log splitter later today, I have been pondering how I will move the splitter throughout the yard. I would like to avoid having to use the truck and I do not have an ATV. I do have my Troy Bilt 50" Mustang but it only has a pin hitch.

I would not have to move it far but I have wood on both ends of the property. Does anyone carry a ball hitch accessory to be attached to the zero turn mower? The pin hole is too small to simply screw in a ball hitch. I could modify it but most of my attachments use the pin style.

I found a video where a guy had a ball hitch mounted to the front of the foot rest of the zero turn but I am not sure that is the best way to "push" the splitter 100+yards.

 

[jwfirebird]

they have a bolt on ball for quads at harbor freight. I got one for my old quad, I ended up welding it though, kept breaking loose and squirming

 

[yinpin]

Thanks for the tip. I assume you are talking about this one? https://www.harborfreight.com/atv-hitch-adapter-65961.html
I will stop by tomorrow and see if I can find out the size of the hardware. I dont know why that would not work for the occasional moving of the splitter

 

[yinpin]

I picked one up on my way home today and although the bolts are a perfect fit for the hole, it just doesn’t seem like it is sturdy enough to have a 400# splitter bouncing on it. Pic in the morning.


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[jwfirebird]

that's basically why I welded it. I have a wood trailer/splitter and such and every time I tried to back up it was all over/ the bolt kept sliding around
I made a hitch out of a different ball mount for the pin stuff, so I could just change between the two

 

[Jags]

Just a fair warning...
Not all zero turns are created equal. Many of the consumer models have wheel motors that are NOT designed to be traction engines (Think Garden Tractor). There are a couple of different designs of the wheel motors, some stronger than others. This is just a suggestion to be kind to your mower (I love my zero turn). There is a reason that it is a punched hole in a heavy gauge piece of tin. You might want to see if towing is covered in the manual.

Side note: wheel motors are expensive to replace.

 

[yinpin]

Good call and sound advice. It is a Residential use mower but I could not find anything at first glance to reference weight or towing capacity, only statement referring to not toe downhill.

I will probably have to use the truck and limit use to days where the ground is hard. I could get a cover for the splitter and leave it in position for a few days as well.


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[sportbikerider78]

Pulling anything with a wheelie machine like a zero turn, seems to be a bad idea. Unless we are talking down a driveway or very short distances w/o a grade.

 

[saewoody]

How unrealistic would a trailer dolly be? I know pulling it with a piece of motorized equipment is certainly easier , but this be a possible alternative to having to use your truck. You mentioned you don’t have far to go, but then mentioned your “property”. To me property sounds big. I have a 1/2 acre “yard”, so I just push or pull the splitter to wherever I need it by picking up the tongue with my hands. Hopefully you come with a simple and workable solution.

 

[yinpin]

Not unrealistic. Property is probably an overstatement compared to most cause I only have 1.4 acres. Although it’s not far, I would have to pull it about 85 yards or so across a sloping yard. If I had more, I would have a real tractor or ATV to pull it.

I was thinking the mower just because I am on it a lot and it would be easy.


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[rox3406]

At work we pull a 1200 pound air compressor around with a toro z master zero turn. Been about 5 years now with no issues. We use it fairly frequently to. Just bolted on one of those 2 inch receivers to it with a drop hitch in upside down to keep it level.
Just my 2 cents

 

[Jags]

The Z master is a commercial grade machine. Its kinda like comparing the difference between a garden tractor and a lawn tractor. Yeah - both can go out and mow your lawn, but they aren’t built the same.

ETA: I am not saying NOT to use the machine, but to be kind to it. There are folks on this very board that use lawn tractors (not garden) to move their machines. Yet I have known folks with the variable transmissions to smoke the friction disc just trying to mow up a ditch (thats how I ended up with a 14.5 HP Briggs on my little splitter).

 

[yinpin]

Definitely not going to work on my mower, just not enough metal back there to support it. Oh well.


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[Ashful]

I think you’re looking at this wrong. Now you have a perfect excuse to buy the atv or garden tractor that you’ve been wanting.

 

[greg13]

Old style cubs are on C/L for $3-500 all day. The old IH cubs were bullet proof and would drag a 3/4 ton truck with no problem.

 

[yinpin]

You are correct. I would love to have a more suitable tractor. I only have a 1.4 acre yard and as of right now I dont have a shed. If I acquire more toys, I will have no choice but to get a shed! What I need to do is find a tractor that can pull the splitter around the yard, has a plow for snow and can serve other purposes. The wife may be able to go for that. Of course an ATV could do this too since I do a lot of hunting. Then I need a trailer.

On and On and On

 

[walhondingnashua]

I obtained a hand me down Wheel horse 520 with 20hp engine. I have very little invested in it and now it moves my yard, hauls wood to the house from wood yard, drags logs and I even put a converted atv blade on the front. Just like suggested above, if you shop around you can easily find one of these old garden tractors by wheel horse, international cub (owned one of these too and it was a tank), bike a, JD etc. Because garden tractors were so popular, there are loads of cheap attachments for them. Many might even come with a blade, snow blower etc.
Then build your wood shed a little bigger and keep it in there.

 

[Ashful]

Again, now you have an excuse to get that shed you’ve always wanted. It’s just a matter of perspective.

I just planted another 50 trees, and converted another 1/4 acre of lawn to garden. It’s going to increase my usual 40 yard mulch delivery to close to 100 yards, for this year. So, in keeping with the motto that every project should require the purchase of at least one new toy, I just finished building something this morning:

 

[Kevin Weis]

Zero turn mowers except for very very few are not designed to pull anything. They're hydro transmissions (drive motors) are not made for that at all. That's why you see no provision for a hitch there. For some reason pushing dosen't seem to be as much of an issue as some can have push blades attachments for snow used with them. Kevin

 

[greg13]

I obtained a hand me down Wheel horse 520 with 20hp engine. I have very little invested in it and now it moves my yard, hauls wood to the house from wood yard, drags logs and I even put a converted atv blade on the front. Just like suggested above, if you shop around you can easily find one of these old garden tractors by wheel horse, international cub (owned one of these too and it was a tank), bike a, JD etc. Because garden tractors were so popular, there are loads of cheap attachments for them. Many might even come with a blade, snow blower etc.
Then build your wood shed a little bigger and keep it in there.

Kind'a like this.

 

[Chuck the Canuck]

here's what I use to move my splitter from the shop, up a steep little grade created by years of chainsaw cuttins, to one of it's staging spots. I ask very little from my sears ride-on lawn mower, except that it cuts the grass well, and moves that bloomin splitter up the hill for me so I don't have to wear myself out trying to push, or pull, it up there....

 

[Sprinter]

Zero turn mowers except for very very few are not designed to pull anything. They're hydro transmissions (drive motors) are not made for that at all.

Yeah, it's the hydro's that are at issue. My 61" ZTR with fairly high end hydros is rated to pull 500 lbs and I do use it with a 12 cf dump trailer.

But those weight ratings are a little misleading because it depends on how fast you're going, if you jolt it, go up any kind of incline, trailer wheel size, etc. As Jags said, be kind. Hydros are vulnerable to abuse and expensive to replace.

 

[Ashful]

All of this talk of being gentle on hydros, makes me wonder what life is left in mine. I've been pounding the ever loving crap out of my ZTrak for six years, accelerating and decelerating as quickly as traction and horsepower will allow in every turn. It's a commercial unit, and rated to do each week the 65 hours I put on it each year, so maybe I'll continue getting away with it. Anyone ever actually blow out a hydro drive, having used the mower for nothing but mowing? What did it take?

 

[Easy Livin’ 3000]

Again, now you have an excuse to get that shed you’ve always wanted. It’s just a matter of perspective.

I just planted another 50 trees, and converted another 1/4 acre of lawn to garden. It’s going to increase my usual 40 yard mulch delivery to close to 100 yards, for this year. So, in keeping with the motto that every project should require the purchase of at least one new toy, I just finished building something this morning:

View attachment 225185

What was the build?

 

[Sprinter]

All of this talk of being gentle on hydros, makes me wonder what life is left in mine. I've been pounding the ever loving crap out of my ZTrak for six years, accelerating and decelerating as quickly as traction and horsepower will allow in every turn. It's a commercial unit, and rated to do each week the 65 hours I put on it each year, so maybe I'll continue getting away with it. Anyone ever actually blow out a hydro drive, having used the mower for nothing but mowing? What did it take?

A high end commercial grade ZTR is likely to be equipped with pretty good hydro's. If only used for mowing and not a lot of pulling, I would think you're in good shape. My mower is semi-commercial grade and I'm not really worried about it. I use it with a dump trailer for hauling rounds and for garden soil as well as mowing about 4 acres. Yours is rated for much more abuse than you are putting it through it sounds like. My place is rough and my mower gets pounded pretty hard too. So far, so good (six years now also). Like you, my hours are pretty low. Way lower than rated.

A high end mower is built for rugged use, but IMO it's like anything else. Use it as intended, don't abuse it, fix it when the time comes and don't fret it in the meantime.

Well, my front tire leaks air, but that may have something to do with that steel wire sticking out of the sidewall...