anyone have this problem?

[deerefan]

This may actually be normal...I really do not know! I just bought a 5103 and a mid-duty 6ft Bushhog brand cutter. I let the tractor warm up at about 1200rpm for about 60 seconds then slowly head to whereever i may be working. I throttle the tractor up to about 1500rpm and engage the pto. I noticed when I do this it shakes the entire tractor harshly. It seems to subside once it is warm. Is this normal? Thanks /forums/images/graemlins/confused.gif

 

[MarlandS]

You've got hinged blades right? It's probably just the blades swinging out and getting their balance.

 

[deerefan]

they are hinged...never thought of that! Checked everything on the cutter and found nothing out of balance.

 

[755inNY]

I suggest you keep the blade pivot point well lubricated. It will help the blades to swing out faster and may reduce the shaking.

Jeff

 

[deerefan]

will give that a shot...thanks for all input!

 

[Woody71]

Something my dad taught me as a kid growing up on the farm was to engage the PTO at idle then throttle up. He said it would minimize wear and tear on the PTO clutch. Not sure if it applies to modern machines but I still do it. /forums/images/graemlins/smirk.gif

 

[RoyJackson]

"I noticed when I do this it shakes the entire tractor harshly. It seems to subside once it is warm. Is this normal?"

As Woody mentioned, getting those big heavy cutter blades extended and rotating does result in some vibration.

I normally engage the PTO at about 1000-1200 RPM (keeping my foot on the throttle in case the tractor starts to stall) and leave it at that RPM for 8-10 seconds. By that time, the blades will be extended and rotating.

Then increase the RPM to PTO speed smoothly.

As mentioned, I have a foot throttle to "blip" the RPM (as well as a throttle lever). If your tractor doesn't have a foot throttle, just keep your hand on the throttle you have. If the tractor starts to stall, just increase RPM slightly.

You'll still have vibration. Untill those blades are extended, there will be an unbalanced condition. Keeping the RPM low during engagement just reduces the severity of the vibration.

 

[DrRod]

I have an JD LX4 brush mower and found that it was vibrating a lot more than usual this past weekend. I noticed the deck was obviously off level and, after adjusting things, the vibration settled down.

But.. later in the day I hit a rock /forums/images/graemlins/blush.gif /forums/images/graemlins/mad.gif /forums/images/graemlins/frown.gif and things started shaking a bit and then 5 minutes later they settled down. When I checked underneath, I found one blade would pivot (not easily) at the half-way bolt but the other wouldn't. I just assumed they should be fixed and the movable one got knocked loose by the rock -- but maybe that's the way they should be.

I suspect the manual would tell me but I don't have it in the same state at the moment so I appreciate your thoughts.

Thanks,

Rod

 

[Farmwithjunk]

They should BOTH pivot. They might still be a bit stiff if the mower is relatively new. Those blades are designed to move when they hit something solid. Centrifigal force keeps them extended when they are in "normal use".

The blade's movement should free up with some use. If not, then look to see what has the "stuck".

 

[Marko]

I am far from an expert or have not had as much experience as many folks on this forum however regardless of the vibration etc. I would suggest getting in the habit of what Woody71 indicated. Engage the PTO at low / idle RPM and then increase from there. This is the process I use and in my view is much better than engaging the PTO at an increased RPM.

Mark