Ride, not walk
Instead of transporting their walk-behind green and tee mowers using turf vehicles with tow-behind trailers, Mike Hulteen, CGCS, and then equipment mechanic Leland Davis of the Salina (Kan.) Country Club, designed and built sulkies as a low-cost alternative to transporting them around the course.
The sulkies were built using surplus materials left over from other projects and locally available supplies, which cost about $50 for each sulky. It took as long as four hours to build each one.
The frames, supports, seat post and foot rests were built using 1.5-inch square metal tubing that was welded together. The seats and seat mounts (bolted to the seat and welded to the seat post square tubing) were recycled from old mowers. The tires and wheels, which were bought at a local hardware store, are replacements for wheelbarrows.
The sulkies are attached to the mowers with a U-shaped receiver hitch, which is made of one-quarter-inch-thick flat steel welded together and bolted to the walk-behind mower, and a single piece of one-quarter-inch-thick flat steel, which is welded to the bottom of the end of the sulky’s tongue. A three-eighths-inch-diameter hole is drilled for a one-quarter-inch bolt used as a quick-and-easy way to join the hitch and receiver together. They were painted a similar color to match John Deere green.
Each walk-behind green and tee mower has held up well and hasn’t had any mechanical problems when pulling the extra weight of the sulky and staff member.
Ride, part II
Another alternative to walking or using a trailer to transport a Toro HydroJect from green to green is using a sulky.
The same 1.5-inch square metal tubing (describe above) is used for the frame and supports. Three-eighths-inch-thick flat steel is used for the seat post, which is bolted and welded to the frame. The flat steel seat post is heated and bent in a near vertical position. A bracket is bolted to an old recycled mower seat and welded to the other end of the flat steel seat post, which has been heated and bent to the proper angle. The tires and wheels are replacements for wheelbarrows that were bought at a local hardware store.
A triangular-shaped piece of one-quarter-inch-thick flat steel bolted just above the drive wheel has a three-eighths-inch-diameter hole drilled into it for the sulky to be hooked up to it. The sulky has a U-shaped receiver welded to the tongue framework, which has two three-eighths-inch-diameter holes drilled into them that allow a one-quarter-inch bolt to hitch them together.
The cost for the materials, which were already in stock from other projects, was less than $100. Materials included a tool box, hose reel, pressure regulator, replaceable water filter and housing, and manufacturer’s metal bracket. The labor cost was as much as five hours of the equipment mechanic’s time.
The HydroJect has held-up well and hasn’t had any mechanical problems as a result of pulling the extra weight of the sulky and operator. GCN