Frequently Asked Questions | Enviroquip Equipment Support

Rough Cut Mower F.A.Q

1. What is an AcrEase Rough Cut Mower?

The AcrEase Rough Cut Mower is a commercial grade self-contained mower that has been designed to cut tall grass and brush which far exceed the capabilities of a finish cut mower.

2. What can be used to pull an AcrEase Rough Cut Mower?

In general, an AcrEase Rough Cut Mower can be pulled by many different tow vehicles. The majority of AcrEase Rough Cut Mowers are towed behind ATVs and utility vehicles but we do have customers using small tractors, pick-up trucks and SUVs.

3. How big of a tow vehicle is required to pull an AcrEase Rough Cut Mower?

Most any 350cc ATV and larger will pull an AcrEase Rough Cut Mower without any trouble at all. On hilly ground or steep terrain a larger ATV with 4 wheel drive may be necessary. There are some customers using 2 wheel drive 250cc ATVs to pull the AcrEase Rough Cut Mowers.

4. How steep of a slope can an AcrEase Rough Cut Mower be used on?

In most cases the standard ATV becomes very uncomfortable and dangerous on slopes greater than 20 degrees. If the tow vehicle is running on flat ground the AcrEase Rough Cut Mower can be positioned on greater slopes. The Briggs & Stratton Professional / Intek engines should not be used on angles greater than 20 degrees for any length of time because the engine may lose lubrication. The Kohler and Briggs & Stratton Commercial Turf engines are equipped with excellent pressure lubrication systems and are rated for slopes of up to 25 degrees.

Note: Most slopes appear to be steeper than they actually are. From our experience a 25-30 degree bank appears to be approximately 45 degrees. Caution should be used when mowing on steep banks. Most tow vehicles will become unstable after 20-25 degrees.

5. How fast will an AcrEase Rough Cut Mower mow?

It really depends on the type of grass or brush that is being cut and where the deck height is set at. There are far too many variables with rough cut mowing to give an exact answer but in general the mowing speed of an AcrEase Rough Cut Mower is between 4-10 MPH. There are exceptionally harsh conditions that might slow the AcrEase Rough Cut Mower down to a crawl. The video clips on our website do a great job of showing how fast an AcrEase Rough Cut Mower can run in a heavy grassy area.Click for the Video Page

6. Why does the AcrEase Rough Cut Mower deck pull at an angle?

The 30″ (on 57″ rough cut models) and 23″ (on 44″ rough cut models) blades under the deck are in a straight line. These blades are not timed because of the problems associated with timed blades. In order to get the necessary blade overlap, the deck is pulled at a slight angle.

7. How safe is the AcrEase Rough Cut Mower?

The AcrEase Rough Cut Mower has been designed with safety in mind. The deck design is basically fully enclosed and prevents objects from being directly thrown out. The front of the deck has a rubber safety flap, the sides of the deck are totally enclosed and the rear of the deck has a discharge chute that extends below the blade height. We also have a 10″-11″ safety zone in front of he AcrEase Rough Cut Mower to prevent a person from contacting the blade should they accidentally place their foot under the deck from the front side. All of the AcrEase mower decks pass all of the OPEI safety standards.

8. How easy is it to convert the AcrEase Rough Cut Mower from offset to direct behind mowing or vice versa?

Very easy. The AcrEase Rough Cut Mowers can be switched from offset to direct behind towing by simply unhitching from the tow vehicle, unpinning the tongue, flipping the tongue over, re-pinning the tongue and re-hitching to the tow vehicle. This procedure does not require tools and can be performed in less than 1 minute.

9. Does the AcrEase Rough Cut Mower use a standard ball hitch to attach to the tow vehicle?

No. The AcrEase Rough Cut Mowers use a standard farm clevis. This is a C shaped coupler that provides an excellent freedom of motion in all directions. A ball hitch is restricted to 12 degrees of motion from side-to-side and up and down. The AcrEase Rough Cut Mower is far more capable of handling situations greater than 12 degrees and the tongue would bind up with a ball hitch.

10. Can the AcrEase Rough Cut Mower be used for finish cut work?

We have quite a few customers that are using the AcrEase Rough Cut Mower for a dual purpose mower. The AcrEase Rough Cut Mower can do a surprisingly nice job on a finish cut lawn. One of the main features that helps the AcrEase Rough Cut Mower out in this situation is the style of blades and the twin blade design that the AcrEase Rough Cut mower uses.

11. How long do AcrEase Rough Cut Mower drive belts last?

We have performed many hours of testing to provide one of the best drive belt designs available for this application. If a belt is properly adjusted on a manual clutch version it is very common to go 75-100 hours or more. A properly adjusted belt on our electric clutch version can exceed 200 hours of belt life.

12. Why does the AcrEase Rough Cut Mower have twin blades?

The AcrEase Rough Cut Mowers actually have two totally independent blades mounted on two totally independent blade spindles. We have found that twin blades do a great job of reducing the grass clipping size and reducing bunching. This is due to the interaction that multiple blades create.

13. Why does the AcrEase Rough Cut Mower have fixed blades instead of swinging hammer blades?

As an engineering company we feel that swinging hammer blades are a gimmick on pull behind rough cut mowers and they do not prevent short term or long term damage under most conditions. We have two very real and major concerns with swinging hammer blades. First and foremost swinging hammer blades have the potential to be very dangerous if the pivot pins are not maintained properly. There are stories of hammer blades breaking free and people getting killed. Secondly a swinging hammer blade is impossible to balance without sophisticated equipment. This can lead to excessive vibration and an overall deterioration of the mower deck. The fixed blades that the AcrEase Rough Cut Mowers are equipped with are very easy to balance and don’t pose a safety threat with blades flying loose. We also feel that a fixed blade provides a higher cut quality due to it’s inability to swing back in heavy cutting conditions.

14. What happens if a large rock, stump or immoveable object is struck?

The AcrEase Rough Cut Mowers have a very heavy deck and blade spindles that have been designed to prevent bending under large impact loads. If a large impact load occurs and the object is struck directly it is not uncommon for the engine to stall out. The blades will typically only show mild denting and in some cases minor bending after hitting a large rock. In all the years and hours of testing we have NEVER struck an object that prevented us from continuing to mow. This includes partially buried rocks exceeding 100 lbs.

15. Does the AcrEase Rough Cut Mower use shear pins or slip clutches?

No. These features are entirely unnecessary on a self contained pull behind mower that is belt driven. These features are only necessary on large horsepower tractors that are transmitting power through shafts and gearboxes. A belt drive system has the ability to slip under severe situations and it is this slippage that prevents engine damage.

16. Does the AcrEase Rough Cut Mower have a stump jumper?

No. This feature is entirely unnecessary on a pull behind mower. A stump jumpers purpose is to prevent blade spindle damage should the blade spindle come in contact with an immovable object. On a tractor this is necessary due to the excessive amount of traction and pulling power. An ATV, utility vehicle or even sub-compact tractor does not have the traction to damage the spindle or deck on the heavy built AcrEase Rough Cut Mower.

17. How large of saplings will the AcrEase Rough Cut Mower handle?

The AcrEase Rough Cut Mower is rated at 2″ diameter saplings. The AcrEase Rough Cut Mower is quite capable of cutting much larger saplings but it is not practical to try and get a larger sapling bent over and under the mower deck. The tow vehicle in most cases doesn’t have enough traction to bend over a sapling larger than 2″.

18. What advantages does a four tire design provide over the competitors’ two tire designs?

All models of AcrEase Rough Cut Mowers have a four tire design. The four tire design allows the AcrEase to float over rough uneven ground much easier than the competitors’ two tire design. Four tires also allow the AcrEase to be self sufficient and the AcrEase doesn’t have to rely on the tow vehicle to support a portion of the mower. This allows the AcrEase to use a free pivoting tongue instead of a rigid tongue which is what is necessary on a two tire design. A free pivoting tongue allows the AcrEase to traverse something as simple as a steep ditch. A two tire design gets bound up when trying to traverse a steep ditch. The other main advantage of a four tire design is the ability to place the tires within the width of the deck. This provides a trim edge on both sides of the mower and allows for close trimming along fence rows or around trees and other objects. The competitors’ two tire designs place the tires on the outside of the mower which gets in the way when trying to trim. In fact the 57″ AcrEase Rough Cut Mowers basically have the same overall width as the competitors’ 42″-44″ two tire designs.

Finish Cut Mower F.A.Q

1. What is an AcrEase Finish Cut Mower?

The AcrEase Finish Cut Mower is a self-contained mower that has been designed from the ground up as a wing mower to be pulled off to the side of a lawn and garden tractor or zero turn mower as a single unit, as left and right units, or as units in tandem. The AcrEase Finish Cut Mower has also been designed to be pulled with an ATV or utility vehicle when using the optional ATV Tongue.

2. What can be used to pull an AcrEase Finish Cut Mower?

In general, an AcrEase Finish Cut Mower can be pulled by most anything, such as lawn and garden tractors, small tractors, front mount or midmount zero-turning radius mowers, utility vehicles, and ATVs.

3. How big of a tow vehicle is required to pull an AcrEase Finish Cut Mower?

Each AcrEase Finish Cut Mower requires about 1 to 1.5 HP to pull it. Small 10 HP lawn tractors have pulled wing mowers very well on gradual slopes. As the slopes get steeper, heavier lawn and garden tractors are needed for traction. If the slope is unsafe for a lawn and garden tractor, an ATV could possibly be used.

4. How steep of a slope can an AcrEase Finish Cut Mower be used on?

If AcrEase Finish Cut Mowers are towed in tandem, they should not be used on slopes greater than 15 degrees because the back unit will pull the front unit sideways. If the units are attached directly to the side of the tow vehicle, they are stable on slopes greater than 15 degrees. The Briggs & Stratton Professional / Intek and PowerBuilt engines should not be used on angles greater than 20 degrees for any length of time because the engine may lose lubrication. The Kohler and Briggs & Stratton Commercial Turf engines are equipped with excellent pressure lubrication systems and are rated for slopes of up to 25 degrees.

5. Why does the AcrEase Finish Cut Mower deck pull at an angle?

The 20″ blades under the deck are in a straight line. These blades are not timed because of the problems associated with timed blades. In order to get the necessary blade overlap, the deck is pulled at a slight angle.

6. How easy is the AcrEase Finish Cut Mower to mow with?

The AcrEase Finish Cut Mower is extremely user friendly. Since it is extremely maneuverable, these mowers can give a standard lawn and garden tractor zero-turning-radius capabilities in the direction of the wing mower. Mowing around trees, under low branch trees, and next to buildings becomes easy with only a small amount of practice.

7. How fast will an AcrEase Finish Cut Mower mow?

In normal cutting conditions, the AcrEase Finish Cut Mowers will do a good job at 6 to 10 MPH. We do have customers that claim they are mowing around 12 to 15 MPH. We have found on any finish cut style of mower that the cut quality typically drops off over 10 MPH. The blade tip speed is approximately 17,500 feet per minute. The deep deck with the built in wind tunnel and a large side discharge gives the mower its high capacity.

8. Do the AcrEase Finish Cut Mowers scalp?

The four anti-scalp wheels in the front and the two in back located under the deck make the AcrEase Finish Cut Mowers one of the least scalping 60″ mowers on the market. The deck flexes as it is pulled over uneven yards giving an extremely level mowing job. Our optional Floatation Kit which consists of extra pneumatic tires can be added to the central section of the mower. This kit works great on extremely rough areas, road banks or to allow the end of the mower to be extended over a pond edge.

9. How much time can be saved with an AcrEase Finish Cut Mower?

In general if a 60″ AcrEase Wing Mower is added to the left of a lawn and garden tractor with a 48″ deck, you can get time savings as much as a 3 hour yard reduced down to 1 hour. Normally a 7″ overlap is used. Since the 60″ wing mower has a 58″ cutting width, a 51″ additional cut is gained. In the above situation, you would go from a 48″ to a 99″ cutting width. Add another wing mower and your cutting width becomes 150″. Pull the pins and you go from a wide mower back to a 48″ mower, which can be used to get into those tight places.

10. Is the AcrEase Finish Cut Mower safe?

There are no voluntary safety standards that specifically cover pull behind wing mowers, but the safety standards for lawn and garden tractor mowers can be used. The AcrEase Finish Cut Mowers have passed the OPEI Lawn Mower Safety Test. For added safety, an additional safety zone has been built into the mower both front and back so the mower blades are not next to the outer layer of metal. It is in this safety zone that the anti-scalp wheels are placed. The discharge chute is also fixed so it cannot be flipped up to create an unsafe condition.

11. How available are parts for the AcrEase Finish Cut Mowers?

Many of the parts in the mower are standard parts that can be purchased locally. All bearings, belts, tires, and many other parts are standard. All nonstandard parts are available through Kunz Engineering, Inc or local AcrEase dealers in your area.

12. Why doesn’t the AcrEase Finish Cut Mower pull around behind the tow vehicle?

The fixed tires in the back determine how and at what angle the AcrEase Finish Cut Mower will pull. The front caster wheels along with the short coupled hitching system gives the mower its agility and maneuverability.

13. Do the AcrEase Finish Cut Mowers need a battery?

The AcrEase Finish Cut Mowers are equipped with an electric start engine and a battery box. The battery is not included. Information on where to purchase a durable dry cell type battery is included in the Owner’s Manual packet.

14. How easy is it to work on an AcrEase Finish Cut Mower?

If the AcrEase Finish Cut Mower is raised up vertically on its front casters, it is very easy to remove the blades for sharpening and to do other inspections. On our standard models this can be done by hand with the help of another person. On the Pro60K model an overhead winch will be required to raise the rear of the mower deck.

15. Can the AcrEase Finish Cut Mower be pushed in front of something?

There are several people pushing the AcrEase Finish Cut Mowers; however, we do not provide the brackets needed to push an AcrEase Mower. In most cases, front mowers on ATV’s make them very clumsy to operate. The best place to use a single wing mower with an ATV is behind and off to the side because then you can mow around trees and not have to look over your shoulder to see the mower. For people who have equipment other than an ATV that is capable of pushing the mowers up front, the wing mower can be equipped with casters in all four locations.

Tillage Equipment F.A.Q

1. What is a Till-Ease Model 543 Chisel Plow / Field Cultivator?

The Till-Ease Model 543 has been designed to be a very aggressive tillage tool in hard and soft ground conditions. The Till-Ease Model 543 can perform a number of tasks and can be used in applications such as deer and wildlife food plots, large gardens, new lawn seedings, small scale production vegetable farming and mechanical weed control.

2. What is a Till-Ease Model TP2148 and TP3272 Cultipacker?

The Till-Ease Model TP Cultipackers are a tool used to firm and press seed into freshly tilled soil. The Till-Ease Model TP Cultipackers are usually used in combination with the broadcast method of seeding to incorporate the seed into the ground. A couple applications are deer and wildlife food plots and new lawn seedings.

3. What can be used to pull the Till-Ease Model 543 Chisel Plow / Field Cultivator?

The Till-Ease Model 543 was actually designed around a small 350cc 4×4 ATV. Our thoughts where that if a 350cc ATV can pull the Till-Ease Model 543 then a larger ATV will be better yet. In many cases a 500cc 4×4 ATV or larger will work easier and prepare a deeper seedbed faster. This isn’t because of the larger engine but because the larger ATVs tend to weigh more and have slightly larger tires. In almost every case, traction will become a problem before horsepower. A smaller ATV can do a surprising amount of work if 75-100 lbs is added to the front weight rack.

4. What is a chisel plow?

A chisel plow like the Till-Ease Model 543 is considered a primary tillage tool and is designed to work in hard ground conditions. The main place that the work is done with a chisel plow is at the rear where the shanks are located. The shanks can have a variety of points or sweeps attached that are made to penetrate the hard surface and shear and heave the soil. This in turn breaks up the soil to help generate a seedbed. A chisel plow is also an excellent tool to help reduce soil compaction, retain moisture and reduce erosion.

5. Why does a chisel plow work better than a disk harrow?

For a tillage tool to work effectively the tool must be able to penetrate the surface and work the ground. A chisel plow, like the Till-Ease Model 543, creates all of it’s own down pressure. This down pressure allows the Till-Ease Model 543 to effortlessly penetrate hard ground. A disk harrow does not create any down pressure at all. Actually, the tool constantly tries to return to the surface. It takes a tremendous amount of weight to force a disk harrow in the ground just to create a shallow seedbed. A common misconception is that a disk harrow is a tool that has been designed for primary tillage. A disk harrow was never intended for primary tillage and was designed as a secondary tillage tool for following after the moldboard plow.

6. Why does the Till-Ease Model 543 Chisel Plow / Field Cultivator use rigid shanks instead of spring shanks?

Rigid shanks are the key to the successful performance of the Till-Ease Model 543. In order for a tillage tool of this style to penetrate and pull easily the chisel points and sweeps have to maintain a particular angle with the surface of the ground. If this specific angle is changed by as little as 5 degrees the ease of penetration and pulling load quickly changes for the worse. A spring shank is designed for shallow tillage in soft soil conditions. When placed in harder ground conditions a spring shank will drastically change the sweep angle. This in turn makes for very poor ground penetration and very hard pulling.

7. Are the cutting coulters on the front of the Till-Ease Model 543 Chisel Plow / Field Cultivator disk blades?

No. The Till-Ease Model 543 is equipped with straight blades. These blades are used primarily for cutting surface plant debris. This is a necessary feature to help prevent unwanted plugging or hair pinning around the rear shanks where the tillage work is occurring. A secondary function of these blades is similar to a disk blade in helping to reduce clod size on secondary passes. A straight blade is like a knife edge and takes much less pressure to penetrate the ground than a cupped disk blade.

8. Does the Till-Ease Model 543 Chisel Plow / Field Cultivator have a manual lift option?

No. We only provide the electric lift option on the Till-Ease Model 543. A manual lift system would be very hard to adjust properly and would be cumbersome on a chisel plow. This is because the Till-Ease Model 543 easily penetrates hard ground and may need periodic adjustments. The electric lift gives the operator the ability to make very quick adjustments while moving forward.

9. Does the Till-Ease Model 543 Chisel Plow / Field Cultivator have a 3-point hitch option for small tractors?

No, not at this time. This may be something that we will offer as an optional kit in the future. One of the advantages of a pull style tillage tool is that the tool does a much better job of following the contour of the ground. On a rigid mounted system, if the tractor front end drops down, the rear tool will raise up.

10. What is a field cultivator sweep and a chisel point?

The Till-Ease Model 543 comes with a set of 9″ field cultivator sweeps and a set of chisel points. The field cultivator sweeps are designed for soft ground or secondary tillage situations such as springtime of the year tillage or second passes. The chisel points are designed for hard ground conditions and they provide the least amount of resistance. The chisel points also work well in rocky soil. These two different types of sweeps simply bolt onto the shanks and are easily interchangeable.

11. How much weight needs to be added to make the Till-Ease Model 543 Chisel Plow / Field Cultivator work properly?

A good weight to add to the Till-Ease Model 543 is around 150-200 lbs. This weight can be placed in the provided weight racks and is solely used to help the front cutting coulters penetrate the ground. If the Till-Ease Model 543 is used in an application where the cutting coulters have either been removed or adjusted up then no additional weight is needed. The rear of the Till-Ease Model 543 does not require weight to work and actually provides all of it’s own down pressure.

12. What options does the Till-Ease Model 543 Chisel Plow / Field Cultivator have for leveling the seedbed?

By the sheer nature of a chisel plow / field cultivator the ground will be left uneven and slightly furrowed. To make a smooth seedbed the ground will need to be leveled with another device. We do offer the optional drag harrow for the Till-Ease Model 543. This is a spike tooth drag harrow that simply mounts into two rear receivers on the Till-Ease Model 543 frame.

13. How hard of ground will the Till-Ease Model 543 Chisel Plow / Field Cultivator perform in?

Very hard. With the chisel points installed on the Till-Ease Model 543, it is capable of penetrating something as hard as a dirt road. The Till-Ease Model 543 is by far the most aggressive ATV tillage tool on the market.

14. Does the Till-Ease Model 543 Chisel Plow / Field Cultivator have an optional seeder?

No. We feel that seeding directly behind a tillage tool before harrowing is an incorrect practice for most applications. The ground needs to be leveled with a harrow before seeding should ever take place. With smaller seed such as clover, if the ground is leveled after seeding then a large percentage of the seed will be buried too deeply. Using a seeder on the back of a tillage tool skips far too many very important steps. The best order for planting is to first create a seedbed with a tillage tool, harrow the ground to make a level seedbed, cultipack to firm the seedbed, seed and then cultipack to place the seed in the ground and provide seed-to-soil contact.

15. Why does the Till-Ease Model TP Cultipacker help to improve seed germination?

In order for a seed to germinate and grow properly the seed has to come in contact with soil. When the broadcast method of seeding is used the seed is simply scattered on the ground but not incorporated into the soil. The Till-Ease Model TP Cultipackers are used to roll over the seed and press the seed into the ground. This provides excellent seed-to-soil contact allowing the seed to absorb moisture and germinate.

16. Why are the Till-Ease Model TP Cultipackers better than a smooth lawn roller?

The Till-Ease Model TP Cultipackers are made up of 21 individual cast iron packer wheels on the TP2148, 27 packer wheels on the TP2760 and 32 packer wheels on the TP3272. These packer wheels have knobs positioned around the circumference of the wheel. When rolled across the ground the knobs on the packer wheels leave dimples in the soil. The dimples in the soil conserve moisture and provide an excellent location for rapid seed germination. Also the Till-Ease Model TP Cultipackers use packer wheels that have been designed to provide a particular pressure on the ground. A smooth lawn roller provides a smooth uniform surface with no dimples or grooves in the soil. A uniform surface has a disadvantage because it will dry out at the same rate. It is always an advantage to place a seed in a moisture rich environment. The other problem with a lawn roller is that it was never designed for achieving a particular pressure to firm the soil. There is a fine line between firming and compacting. A heavy roller can easily create a compaction situation.

17. Will a drag harrow provide the same results as a Till-Ease Model TP Cultipacker for incorporating seed in the ground?

No. On the smaller seed plants such as clover it is critical that the seed be placed in the top 1/4 inch of soil. If the seed is too deep it will not grow. Using a drag harrow after seeding is very risky and will over-bury a percentage of the seed. The Till-Ease Model TP Cultipackers will uniformly press the seed into the ground and prevent over-burying. On larger seed plants where depth is not as critical a drag harrow can be used to incorporate the seed into the ground but a cultipacker, like the Till-Ease Models, is still an excellent tool for providing good seed-to-soil contact.