A HARD PTO PROBLEM TO SOLVE

[DJ54]

I'm going to take a wild guess here, and say originally, the LH gear box has a CCW rotation. The RH side is a CW rotation. With the grass mashed down forward, and the direction the blades were turning in the original set up, they could not lift the grass up to cut it off, rather since it is pushed forward, the blades couldn't get underneath it, basically going over top of it.

However, reversing the boxes makes the blades turn in the correct directions to get under the grass to pick it up, and cut it off.

Go back to the picture of the directly behind shot, and imagine the LH side turning CCW,and RH side turning CW, and I think it may become evident.

 

[xtn]

Maybe the blades were turning backwards? Are the gearboxes "handed" to spin in opposite directions, and so swapping them would reverse the spin direction of the blades?

Otherwise this is still a mystery. We don't just give up on mysteries around here (check the pallets in fields thread).

 

[Soundguy]

No, sorry sound guy but it is not the operator. In fact a technician came out and used my tractor and he cut with it and no changes. Full throttle did not change anything. Off setting the mower did not change anything, going in reverse did not change anything, but what did was the swapping of the gear boxes, that fixed the issue. That recommendation came from the manufacturer. It worked that's all I know and now I am happy.

Well, I'm just sayin.. these are YOUR words:

I connected this mower to another tractor and it did fine, no streaking in the grass

seems like the gearboxes were fine on the mower for the other tractor.. right?

Maybee some garden gnomes switched them that night?

 

[SPYDERLK]

No, sorry sound guy but it is not the operator. In fact a technician came out and used my tractor and he cut with it and no changes. Full throttle did not change anything. Off setting the mower did not change anything, going in reverse did not change anything, but what did was the swapping of the gear boxes, that fixed the issue. That recommendation came from the manufacturer. It worked that's all I know and now I am happy.

,,,, ... magic is bliss

 

[stuckmotor]

Maybe the blades were turning backwards? Are the gearboxes "handed" to spin in opposite directions, and so swapping them would reverse the spin direction of the blades?

Otherwise this is still a mystery. We don't just give up on mysteries around here (check the pallets in fields thread).

If the blades were turning backwards and the dull back side did the cutting, the smaller tractor might not have had the power to swing them out straight in heavy grass, causing the streak, while the more powerful tractor would have swung them out eliminating the streak. The small 65 hp tractor seems marginal to pull that big mower anyhow.

 

[SPYDERLK]

If the blades were turning backwards and the dull back side did the cutting, the smaller tractor might not have had the power to swing them out straight in heavy grass, causing the streak, while the more powerful tractor would have swung them out eliminating the streak. The small 65 hp tractor seems marginal to pull that big mower anyhow.

Even so; large or small its a matter of whether the tractor held 540 pto speed. No mention of a bog down issue.

 

[DJ54]

No, the blades were facing in the right direction, in reference to the gear box rotation. But, the grass in your wheel tracks is mashed forward.With the original set up with rotation being CCW on the left, and CW on the right the blades when spinning are also rotating towards the front, in those wheel tracks. Switching side to side makes the blades cut towards the rear in the wheel tracks, and being able to pick up the grass and cut it.

As for it working OK on the other tractor, I'm betting the wheel spacing is different, and probably its wheel tracks are either at least on center, with the outside mower gearboxes, or wider, where you're getting a sideways cutting action, or blades making contact in the opposite direction the grass is mashed down.

 

[DJ54]

I went to Landpride parts, and checked the gearboxes for folding deck mowers. They have one listed as Std., and the other as Rev.. So I'm assuming those mowers do have the CW & CCW rotation gear boxes, supporting my theory.

 

[Soundguy]

But if the tech only swapped the gearboxes ( per op ), then that makes the blades backwards right?

 

[stuckmotor]

Even so; large or small its a matter of whether the tractor held 540 pto speed. No mention of a bog down issue.

I don't have a way to measure my pto speed but it sure seems to speed up and slow down with the speed of the engine. I know 540 rpm is standard but at what engine speed?