"Sears 3 Bag Grass Catcher - Suggested Modifications"

By Ron Stultz

6 September 2010

Summary: modification to rear bagger bracket to allow it to remain in place when using non-Sears lawn attachments. Not a difficult modification but requires metal cutting and hole drilling.

Background:

Sears DYS4500 lawn tractor with Sears' 3 bag grass catcher.

Grass catcher attachment has a very sturdy bracket that hangs on 2 pins on the tractor chassis and has a hitch pin wielded to it that fits through a hole in the tractor chassis BUT the entire bracket has to be removed to use non-Sears attachments such as a dump cart, roller or aerator. And removing and then reinstalling the bracket is not easy.

Modification goals:

Simply want to keep grass catcher bracket on tractor chassis and use my non-Sears attachments.

Modification (1):

My first modification to the grass catcher bracket was to remove the wielded hitch pin. No idea why hitch pin had to be wielded to the bracket but it prevented my hooking up any of my current yard implements. To remove wield, I cut it off with a power saw and a metal cutting blade.

The modification above did allow to me hook up most of my yard tools without having to remove the grass catcher bracket but the pipe at the bottom of the bracket sticks out so far, I still could not use my lawn dump cart. Thus modification number 2.

Modification (2):

1. As going to keep bagger frame on tractor all the time, removed bolt on either side over which bagger frame only sort of half. Using the existing hole on each side, I inserted a carriage bolt with large flat washer and then on the inside of the tractor frame, another washer, then a lock washer and finally a nut. Once I had both sides nice and tight and the bagger bracket positioned correctly on the tractor, I drilled another hold through the bracket and then through the tractor frame sheet metal. Once again, I used a carriage bolt, washer, etc and tightened the new bolts on either side of the tractor frame. Now the bagger frame can not move at all.

2. Using a piece of stock metal, I cut off a piece to use as an extended "tongue". An extended tongue would allow me to use all my lawn attachments. I then drilled holes in my tongue extension. 1 hole for the implement hitch pin and the other to bolt the tongue extension to the bagger frame.

3. Using a carriage bolt, flat washer, lock washer and nut, I mounted my tongue extension to the bagger frame.

With this simple modification I can now leave the bagger frame on the tractor but still easily attach any of my yard implements such as roller, fertilizer spreader, etc.