Why doesn't my MX6 suck?

[ddivinia]

Would you change the tailwheel setting for that or just raise the mower with the arms?

D.

 

[Lou66]

So the idea here is for ALL of the weight of the cutter to be on the 3-point? I have been purposefully leaving slack in the top link so the wheel is almost always on the ground thinking it would deliver a more even cut through the ups and downs. But that's not really how I should be operating her?

I leave slack in the top link also.. I drop the front down to toe high,, where I can stick my boot under it.. both sides,, the back in maybe 3 to 4 inches higher.. I run about 4 to 5 mph,, but I keep my rpm at 2400.. I have never had a problem like you have unless the grass is real thin.. Lou

 

[econometrics]

econometrics
Have you tried mowing in the opposite direction than you previously mowed? The direction you mow verses the direction the blades turn gives the blades an opportunity to lift the mashed down grass.

This is what I have started doing when I've cut the last couple of times, and it has helped a lot, yes. Still leaving a good amount of stalks of grass standing from where the wheels on the tractor are crushing it down, but it DOES work better this way.

it may just be a condition with the height of the material, trying to take it from
2-3' down to 6-8" in 1 pass causes too much material to gather under the mower
preventing a good "suck" of all the grass.
I'd be interested to know if it does the same thing if you were to cut from 12-18 inches
down to 6-8 inches....

I think you're right that this is the biggest contributor to it all. My grass is pretty thick out there. I've never hayed it and I don't spray it with anything. I just shred it all and let it naturally decompose back into the soil. The 2nd of the 3 times I've cut this year yielded the best results in the finish of the cut. And that was because the grass was shorter when I started, like you suggested here.

I think that, overall, the mower is fighting too hard against the 2-3' grass that the tractor tires smash down. Most likely, if I want to keep cutting it at such high heights, I should get an MX8 or some other dual-spindle cutter.

 

[arlen4720]

I should get an MX8 or some other dual-spindle cutter.

Or some critters to eat it:licking:

 

[ddivinia]

I actually have a MX8 pull type on order for my wife. I hat a batwing, but she gets confused sometimes on levers, etc. I figure a pull type MX8 will be easier than anything for her to mow with. I'll report back when we have it up and running.

D.

 

[ovrszd]

I don't want to start an argument, but don't run your top link tight. That's not the builder's intent. When cutting on flat ground your top link should be slack. You should only tighten it enough to allow you to easily pick the tail wheel up off the ground at full lift. This allows the deck to run over uneven ground without picking the rear of the cutter up off the ground,,,,, which will leave a horrible looking cut. Best scenario is to run a hyrdaulic top link to gain even more height when carrying.

I would ask, are your blades "lift" blades or "flat" blades?? If you are running flat blades, you will leave an uneven cut. Especially over tall grass because the blades do not create any suction to pull the uncut, tall grass up into the blades.

 

[ddivinia]

I doubt buy it. The MX6 top link is setup to run tight.

If you leave it loose - I have seen people run their PTO shaft right into the deck.

D.

 

[ovrszd]

I doubt buy it. The MX6 top link is setup to run tight.

If you leave it loose - I have seen people run their PTO shaft right into the deck.

D.

Hmm,, I just looked at the picture taken with the trail camera. The top link setup is running loose. There's a hinged bracket fastening the flat iron braces that lift the rear of the deck to the top link bracket that is held by the quick hitch. The hinge is hanging loose as it should be.

If you shorten the tractor top link until this hinged affair is lifting on the rear of the deck when in the mowing position you will instantly lift the tail wheel if the front tires of the tractor drop into a low spot. This is not what you want to happen.

I guess in an extreme situation, such as no top link at all, and a very steep hump to drive over or ditch to drop the front tires in you could hit the PTO shaft on the deck. But that's certainly not what I'm talking about doing.

I'm just saying run it as loose as you can run it and still pick the trail wheel up a respectable height for transporting or turning around in the field.

 

[Tx Jim]

ovrszd

I agree with ovrszd that the top link should have some slack in it so the cutter can follow the contour of the ground better. I'll bet that is what is stated in the operators manual.

 

[ddivinia]

I think we are both right.


http://manuals.deere.com/omview/OMW49246_19/

Manual says to take all the slack out of the linkage but use the rear wheel to support the rear of the mower. I might need to adjust my rear wheel some.

D.

 

[brown40]

I always take all the slack out of the linkage on the MX5 on level ground, set the stop so the front is 0.5-1 inch lower, then back the top link a couple turns so the cutter can rise & fall with terrain unevenness. I see the same problems with this cutter regardless, but it doesn't have the blade tip speed the way the MX6 does. A friend that does a lot of cutting went to another brand & found it just worked better. I think the two layer top (intended to keep the top intact longer) eats into the space enough to restrict the uplift the foil on the blade is supposed to create. It may be worth checking underneath to see if you have the corner packed; that'd further restrict the uplifting, but it seems to be a common complaint with the 5 & 6 anyway.

 

[Tx Jim]

This was snipped from the operators manual you posted.

 

[ddivinia]

Here is the rest of it.

 

[Gary Fowler]

Sadly, you guys have went off on a tangent that has nothing to do with what the OP asked. The cut is not going to be any different where the tires run regardless of how the top link is set. Running tires over Bermuda grass that is 3 feet high will press it down and no mower is going to pick it ALL back up, not even a finish mower. That is some nice grass and should be baled into hay. Your options would be to get a mower that cuts to the side of the tractor like a sickle mower or disc mower so you aren't cutting where your tractor runs. The other option would be to double mow it after waiting a few days to give the grass a chance to stand back up a bit. As suggested, mowing prior to the grass getting that high might not leave as much standing grass but it will still leave some. A wider mower would mean less tire tracks per given width but you would still have them even with a 15 foot batwing, that is just the nature of the beast.
NOW if you had a hydraulic powered mower pushing in front of your tractor like one TBN member built, you would be set for lawn quality mowing.

 

[ddivinia]

We went off on a tangent. Now lets tell him to bale hay....


D.

 

[ovrszd]

I think we are both right.


http://manuals.deere.com/omview/OMW49246_19/

Manual says to take all the slack out of the linkage but use the rear wheel to support the rear of the mower. I might need to adjust my rear wheel some.

D.

I mow on uneven ground. Even with respectable slack in the top link I still ocassionally pick up the tail wheels of my cutter.

 

[econometrics]

Get ready for a flurry of replies from me (the OP) :laughing:

I actually have a MX8 pull type on order for my wife. I hat a batwing, but she gets confused sometimes on levers, etc. I figure a pull type MX8 will be easier than anything for her to mow with. I'll report back when we have it up and running.

Yes, feel free to PM me and let me know, or just post up a review! I'd like to hear about it! I think the extra 2' of cut and the dual spindles, along with the better contour of the mower from a pull-type cutter would really work nicely!

Or some critters to eat it:licking:

Haha, this is actually what has stopped me from getting an MX8 already! Knowing that we will run some "natural" grass eaters on the pastures sometime in the next couple of years! :thumbsup:

I would ask, are your blades "lift" blades or "flat" blades?? If you are running flat blades, you will leave an uneven cut. Especially over tall grass because the blades do not create any suction to pull the uncut, tall grass up into the blades.

I have the OEM lift blades on the cutter.

If you shorten the tractor top link until this hinged affair is lifting on the rear of the deck when in the mowing position you will instantly lift the tail wheel if the front tires of the tractor drop into a low spot. This is not what you want to happen.

This is exactly why I decided to run it loose in the first place. I was noticing the mower picking up and slamming down a LOT when I was mowing over uneven surfaces. Loosening the top link really helped keep the mower on the ground more often.

Sadly, you guys have went off on a tangent that has nothing to do with what the OP asked. The cut is not going to be any different where the tires run regardless of how the top link is set. Running tires over Bermuda grass that is 3 feet high will press it down and no mower is going to pick it ALL back up, not even a finish mower. That is some nice grass and should be baled into hay. Your options would be to get a mower that cuts to the side of the tractor like a sickle mower or disc mower so you aren't cutting where your tractor runs. The other option would be to double mow it after waiting a few days to give the grass a chance to stand back up a bit. As suggested, mowing prior to the grass getting that high might not leave as much standing grass but it will still leave some. A wider mower would mean less tire tracks per given width but you would still have them even with a 15 foot batwing, that is just the nature of the beast.
NOW if you had a hydraulic powered mower pushing in front of your tractor like one TBN member built, you would be set for lawn quality mowing.

We went off on a tangent. Now lets tell him to bale hay....

Lol! I was actually bracing for this response from the get-go. I am surprised it took so long! :laughing:

I don't have any haying equipment right now, and no need for the hay itself since we have no animals to feed, nor will we for a couple of years. And I realize I can sell it or someone might pay me to hay my pastures, but I like keeping the grass tall and thick in the summers without spraying any kind of chemical on it. For trying to grow the grass completely naturally, I have found that shredding it a few times per year really helps keep it strong and healthy - and adds good stuff back into the soil, too!

Thanks for all the input, everyone!

 

[ddivinia]

Here is how I run my mx6. Cleaning up stump infested pastures.

D.

 

[econometrics]

Here is how I run my mx6. Cleaning up stump infested pastures. D.

That's a nice cut! But you sure have yours set wayyyy lower than mine, wow!

 

[ddivinia]

I am clearing stumps with my compact loader. Then grinding up the remains from the mulching with the mx6.

D.