Why mow in first gear? (tach says 540rpm 1st)

[KenEmAll]

I have a Century 2028 and it seems to be a great little tractor. It is marked on the tach "PTO 540rpm 1st"....which I assumed meant....only run in 1st gear while running the PTO?

I have bushhogged and finish mowed about 10 acres total with this tractor and it's ground speed is painfully slow in first gear !!! I use low 1st gear + 4th high gear. A regular 12hp lawn mower has a faster ground speed while mowing than this tractor. I have used my buddy's 35hp Mahindra tractor before and the ground speed on his is easily twice what mine is in the same gears.

Is there a particular reason I have to run in 1st gear when mowing? Is there a solution to my ground speed problem?

Thanks for the help!

 

[schoolsout]

I would assume that they state that so it doesn't bog down in thick stuff...I had to alternate speeds yesterday in ours when cutting near the road that hadn't been cut in a while...

Obviously, the faster you go, the more of a chance it will bog/stall in thick stuff. I run as fast as I feel comfortable with as long as RPMs don't drop.

 

[Snaker]

Is this one of those grey market asian tractors with a multi-speed PTO?

 

[Soundguy]

hmm..

I think I'd set tach rpm so that I had 540 on the pto, then choose a gear / ground speed that was safe and didn't bog down...

soundguy

 

[Wolfy]

As Snaker said, you might have a muti speed PTO. I once had a Kubota with 3 factory PTO speeds. Normally though, you should be able to mow in a middle gear. If the tractor disagrees it will bounce around and you will know.

 

[bp fick]

Century is a Kujke, Korean maker of Branson. A good tractor.

In spite of what it says, why not try a higher ground speed? It could do no harm. I run in Lo and Med on my HST. If the grass isn't really long, I doubt you'd see much difference and you would cover more ground.

If it bogs, slow down, but otherwise? Have at it.

 

[Snaker]

I have a little Yanmar with four PTO speeds. The 540 PTO mark on the tach only jives when the PTO is shifted to the 540 position. I'm wondering if your tach mark is referencing 1st gear PTO rather than the ground drive 1st gear.

 

[Soundguy]

have I missed it.. or has the OP indicated he has a multi speed pto yet?


soundguy

 

[leonz]

No you did not miss it,
as he did not say if he
has a multi speed P.T.O.,

The broblem as always is
simply that half the width
of cut is only doing the
work at any speed as one
cutting edge is only doing
the work at the same time
with the following cutting
edge is always trailing the
opposing brush blade.

 

[Baby Grand]

No you did not miss it,
as he did not say if he
has a multi speed P.T.O.,

The broblem as always is
simply that half the width
of cut is only doing the
work at any speed as one
cutting edge is only doing
the work at the same time
with the following cutting
edge is always trailing the
opposing brush blade.

Really? I always thought that each blade takes a little bite as the deck advances into the uncut grass at a uniform rate. In other words, each blade takes a turn cutting when it's in the leading half of the deck, then a turn mulching or just sightseeing when it's in the trailing half of the deck. Maybe we're saying the same thing?