Mowing 2520 Engine speed

[smalltown]

I have only mowed a few times with my new 2520 equipped with the 62D mower as I have been busy with moving dirt and other outside projects that are suddenly so much easier with a loader.

The first couple of "mows" I wasn't happy with the cut and chaulked it up to my lawn not being level enough and/or the possibly the big 62" deck might not be that effective on such a lawn. Yesterday I verified that my blades were installed correctly by the dealer.

Thinking that I might not be getting enough lift out of my blades I increased my engine speed from about ~2,000 RPM to 2,200 and was pleasantly surprised with the difference in the cut.

I somehow had it in my head that the "PTO" speed was meant more for the rear PTO. Moving up 2,200 RPM made me feel like things were really speeding up, and I know if I mow at 2,550 that deck will sound like a hover craft to my novice ears.

Not wanting to mistreat my deck should I run at 2,550 RPM?

 

[wooden]

The 62D MMM is rated at 2100rpm ( Blade speed ) at 2,500 engine RPM . Your Tac has a rated marking on the dash. This engine RPM will deliver 540 rpm on the rear PTO and 2,100 on the mid PTO. Cutting slower than that don't seem to do as good a job.

 

[tmshort]

I run mine at the rated PTO speed on the tach ... I wear ear protection of some sort (plugs or headphones), so it doesn't seem to loud to me.

I get a great cut with the 62D.

 

[Henri88]

I also run mine at PTO speed for the same reason the OP mention, nice even cut. It is also the recommendation of my dealer when I first bought it.:thumbsup:

 

[smalltown]

Thanks everybody just wanted to be sure :thumbsup:.

 

[Runner]

I agree with running it at/near PTO speed as shown on the tach. I usually run it a little on the low side (2400 or so) if the grass is not too tall and it doesn't seem to be lugging. However, if I notice any lack of performance, I push it on up to 2600 PTO speed.

 

[urbandeere2520]

I run mine at the rated PTO speed on the tach ... I wear ear protection of some sort (plugs or headphones), so it doesn't seem to loud to me.

I get a great cut with the 62D.

Yep, I get a decent cut at rated PTO speed and hearing protection is a must...

 

[glc24]

Yep, I get a decent cut at rated PTO speed and hearing protection is a must...

DITTO and DITTO
I have found the 2520 with the 62D to be an awesome grass cutter:thumbsup:
Greg

 

[tomd999]

Hiya,

Yep, if you don't run 'em at the rated speed, the blade tip speed is too slow to get a clean cut. Your also ripping the grass off rather than cutting it and that makes your grass very unhappy.

Tip speed is why commercial mowers give such a great looking cut, the tip speeds are about 20-25% higher than retail mowers. This allows the mowers to travel faster on the lawn while giving the "professional cut", making the landscape company more money.

If you get a set of "Gator" or mulching blades it's very important to run at rated speed as these have very little lift and will leave "standers" in the yard if your running slow.

I "hear ya" about the noise, my 2520 with a 60"RFM is about 2x louder than my Wright Stander or Walker were.

Tom

 

[urbandeere2520]

Yup - my little Troy-bilt tractor has a 38" mulcher deck and I run it full throttle to get the best results. I also purchased the mulcher kit for the 62D mower deck on the 2520 and agree that the higher RPMs (2,500+) work best.

I do wear hearing protection, which I didn't need with the smaller tractor, because those fast turning 62D blades make a lot of noise. Lastly, I purchased the Deere mower deck leveling gauge thingy and had to re-level the deck/blades, side to side and front to rear to get a good cut. The deck came from the dealer out of adjustment and really F'd up my lawn the first time. Be sure to set the anti-scalp wheels correctly to avoid mowing dirt. Since I have a mechanical lift, I marked the exact position of the 3 PTO lift lever thingy so I'll get a consistent cut each time.