Rear Mount Mower in Reverse?

   / Rear Mount Mower in Reverse? #1  

Hook

Bronze Member
Joined
Aug 8, 2001
Messages
53
Location
Milford, NJ
Tractor
Kubota L3010
I have a Land Pride 72" rear mount finishing mower. The dealer told me it was ok to back up & cut in reverse (very useful to get into difficult areas).

But the manual says not to do this.

Thoughts?

Hook
 
   / Rear Mount Mower in Reverse? #2  
Hook,

I wondered about it too when I took delivery of a LP 60" rear mower. Dealer said the same thing as your's. I've experienced no problems mowing in reverse. Not sure why the manual advises not to do this but I suspect it may be for some liability reason.

Mow On!
Dave
 
   / Rear Mount Mower in Reverse? #3  
I agree that it's probably for a liability reason. I back up with my FDR2572 all the time. The only thing you have to remember is that the anti-scalp roller (if you have one), is useless when backing up.
 
   / Rear Mount Mower in Reverse? #4  
Hook

I've got a Sitrex 72" finishing mower, and I often use it in reverse, especially around trees and corners. It says nothing about not doing it my manual, but mine is a rear discharge, I don't Know if this makes a difference ?

Chris
 
   / Rear Mount Mower in Reverse? #5  
Mine is a rear discharge LandPride 2572. My manual also says not to mow in reverse. My thought is this is to minimize the chances of damage by backing over something bigger than the mower can handle. In the early days I disregarded that warning entirely, backed over a rock, and bent a blade big time. /w3tcompact/icons/shocked.gif I still back up around trees, but a lot more carefully these days!

Pete

www.GatewayToVermont.com
 
   / Rear Mount Mower in Reverse? #6  
I have a mmm, not a rmm, but I think of one of the advantages of a rmm as being the ability to back under trees and bushes, into corners, and onto the edges of ponds and creeks. I am certain I would do that if I had a rmm.

I will report here some very expensive lessons I have had backing up with my 2910's 72" mmm. To explain, I'll define some terminology, since I dont know how to draw pictures. Each of the 3 blades on the mower rotates in its own circular chamber. At the rear of the mower, this circular chamber is formed by a semicircular wall or "baffle". (At the front of the deck, the rest of the circular chamber is formed by the deck housing itself.) Thus the blades rotate within these circular baffles at the rear of the deck. Switching to the outside of the mower, the lower edge or lip is reinforced by circular tubing. But this edge reinforcement is only on the front and sides of the mower; it is omitted on the back of the mower deck housing. Thus, on the rear of the mower, the unreinforced blade baffle is the only thing between the blade and the outside environment.

What has happened to me three times is this: There is a little root or stump or rock protruding an inch or two out of the ground. Going forward, the reinforced lip on the front of the deck bumps over the root, the blades may or may not shave it, and then it bumps slightly over the concavity of the rear baffle wall. No real problem.

But then I back up a couple of feet. This is usually because I am jockeying while trimming around around a tree. Backing up, the little obstruction hits the convexity of the unreinforced baffle and dents it inward. Then the blade starts hitting the dent and ripping the metal baffle wall to shreds. By the time you figure out what has happened, due to the loud clattering, you have damaged the baffle and your blade.

Three times this has happened, and twice I have had to have the dealer repair it with hammers and welds. (He did it for free the first time because it happened the first day I owned the tractor.)

This infuriates me because I think it is a design deficiency, but Kubota doesnt agree. I think a deck that costs almost $3000 and weighs almost 500 lbs. shouldn't break on a tiny root when you are trimming around a tree--a standard mowing maneuver. The whole problem could be avoided in any number of ways. One is to have extended the reinforced bottom edge around the the back of the deck. Another is to have filled in the cavity on the outside of the baffle wall so that it could not dent in a rear (or forward) maneuver. I ended up paying the dealer to weld reinforcing plates on the backsides of each of the three baffle chambers, as a remedy to a problem the Kubota should solve.

The moral of this long story is: inspect the design structure and reinforcing on the back of your rmm or mmm before you start backing into things. Ask yourself whether your baffle would hit and dent if you hit a 1" pipe or stump sticking out of the ground. Then be careful.
 
   / Rear Mount Mower in Reverse? #7  
Now which way is reverse?? I love watching those four caster wheels lining up in a direction change. Why else would there be grease fittings on the caster's shafts if they were always suppose to point forward?? Got a couple hours on my new FDR2560. Greatest thing I've mowed with yet. The tires take 50 psi according to the book; a surprizing amount considering their size. Still got the old RM59 when the job might nick up the blades. SteveV
 
   / Rear Mount Mower in Reverse?
  • Thread Starter
#8  
Poster: ChrisR
Subject: Re: Rear Mount Mower in Reverse?

> I've got a Sitrex 72" finishing mower, and I often use it in
> reverse, especially around trees and corners. It says
> nothing about not doing it my manual, but mine is a rear
> discharge, I don't Know if this makes a difference ?

Mine is also a rear discharge, so that ain't the difference.

One thing I noticed is that it looks like there is less clearance at the rear & one could catch the rear "lip" on an obstruction, which might tip the mower upwards. If one were not watching, this could cuase some serious damage, I would think.

Hook
 
   / Rear Mount Mower in Reverse? #9  
I don't find any mention of not mowing backwards in my Bush Hog rear discharge mower manual. I can see how damage could be done by backing over a root or something, as previously mentioned, but I do mow backwards with it quite a lot.

Bird
 
   / Rear Mount Mower in Reverse? #10  
My Land Pride FDR2584 manual says no mowing backwards. Generally I don't mow backwards except to get into a tight spot or get a spot I missed. The mower seems just fine going backwards. The wheels just swivel around and no problem. I do go very, very slow however.
 
 
 
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