Custom Roller Adapter for John Deere Triplexes.

This past winter, we decided to move out our older Jacobsen GKIV triplexes and replace them with newer John Deere machines.  The main problem with doing this was that we have several attachments for the Jacobsen units that we commonly use that wouldn't work on the new John Deere.  So we came up with a plan to make some custom adapters to make it work, saving us considerable money by not having to buy new attachments made for the Deere's.  These adapters were made in such a way as not to modify the machine or the attachments, meaning that everything was left completely stock giving us a great deal of versatility.

Here is a look at some of the modifications made:

This is a pic of the brush reels we had made.  We had to remove the cutting blades from the reel and leave nothing behind other than the center shaft.  Then we had brushed welded on in place.  We use these units after topdressing greens to help pick up large particles and heavy areas.  They work well because being in a reel housing, you are able to set a height of brush, and accurately only pick up and remove what you want.  These have been crucial to our practices and will continue to be a regularly used item.

This is some round DOM steel that was used to build some adapters for using the Jacobsen rollers and spiking units on the Deere traction unit.  I had made a jig for the drill press and then used a hole saw bit to cut a notch into the tubing so that I could weld them together into a "T" with a perfect fit.  I was pleased with the result.

Here is the finished welded adapter.  The portion that is upright and has the "U" shaped notch cut out is what slips over the Jacobsen roller, and the post coming out of the side that was welded on is what slides into the lift arm on the John Deere machine.  It is all held in place with two pins, and is designed to pivot in all directions.  They can also be removed and stock John Deere cutting  units can be installed just as they normally would.

An up-close shot of the Jacobsen roller mounted onto the Deere tractor.

Here is the finished product.  Brand X and brand Y all brought together by some tubing stock, a little time at the drill press, and some  quality welding.  If your an early morning player, you might see this unit out rolling the greens helping to get the playing surface fast and true.  We have lovingly named this unit "FrankenRoller", you get the idea!