Mowing 60 inch mower

[funpilot]

I have used my 60 inch mower twice and it simply does not do the job for me. I am trying to cut grass and it just cuts unevenly leaving clumps that look like they were knocked down but not cut. And, it does not cut low enough. So, what mower would you recommend for 3 acres and does anyone want to buy my 60 inch mower with less than one hour on it?

 

[ClintBlake]

Check the blade rotation. I believe someone posted that when they received the brush hog from power-trac, the hydraulic lines were reversed so the blade rotated in the wrong direction.

 

[MossRoad]

I'd do that before selling the mower. I love the cut that mine gives. /forums/images/graemlins/crazy.gif It would only take a couple minutes to swap the lines at the hydraulic motor and give it a test cut. I believe mine, as you view it from the driver's seat, looking down on the hydraulic motor, spins clockwise. The windrow comes out the right, rear corner of the deck.

 

[Piedmont3]

I would have to agree that the hoses may be reversed, Mine cuts my weeds /forums/images/graemlins/frown.gif and some grass /forums/images/graemlins/smirk.gif very well.

 

[tracdoc]

Good recommendation on checking the rotation of your blades. I recall some earlier discussion about this and how, I think, PT changed their set-up. My '04 48" mower (sold) and my '05 60" mower both spin CCW looking from the top down (and obviously CW looking from the bottom). The grass gets shot out to the operator's LEFT side and rear. Clippings always accumulate between left front wheel and wheel well sidewall.

I'm sure you are already aware, and I don't want to insult anyone's intelligence....once the direction of blade rotation is confirmed, one then needs to check to be ceratin that the leading edges of all the blades are indeed the cutting edges. It's like the glass half full/empty, i.e., is the rotation direction incorrect, or were the blades somehow factory installed ba**ackwards??

Like MR and others, I love the cut of the PT finish mowers, and the neighbors do, too. I can cut 3 Ac in a different wavy pattern each time, and have it looking striped like a golf course fairway.

Don't give up on it just yet. /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif

 

[MossRoad]

<font color="blue"> My '04 48" mower (sold) and my '05 60" mower both spin CCW looking from the top down (and obviously CW looking from the bottom). The grass gets shot out to the operator's LEFT side and rear. Clippings always accumulate between left front wheel and wheel well sidewall.
</font>

EEEGADS, MAN! Now you have me doubting myself! I'm gonna have to get the finish mower out and check it again for rotation... Good grief! /forums/images/graemlins/blush.gif /forums/images/graemlins/tongue.gif /forums/images/graemlins/confused.gif

Anyhow, I would still check the rotation and see if the cutting edge of the blades is actually correct before selling it. I really, really like the cut mine gives. I used it for almmost four years and never sharpened the blades and still was happy with the cut. /forums/images/graemlins/smile.gif

 

[tracdoc]

MR,

It may just be that your year mower had a different rotation direction than mine. I just know that my LEFT front wheel always gets choked with clippings that pack in from the front.

I will be getting my mower out tomorrow (rain permitting), so I can double check the central rotor direction.

BTW, FOURTEEN, if you're reading this post, I am also going to swap the wheels as you have been preaching. /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif As I begin a 3rd great season with my PT, I am more than curious to see how stability is enhanced with that set-up, and it will eliminate the grass clogging problem, too.

 

[tlb]

I have had a similar problem with my 60" finish mower. It turned out to be that the belt had jumped off one of the pulleys such that only 2 of the 3 blades was spinning. Other than that it has done a good job of mowing except in tall (12"-18") thick grass., which is was not really designed to do anyway.
-Tim

 

[funpilot]

Next time I need to use it, I will check your suggestions out. Thank you all.

 

[MossRoad]

I went out today and re-arranged the order of my attachments in my shed. Put the plow in the back, followed by the brush hog, finish mower and nested buckets. While I had the finih mower out, I ran it and looked at the cutting edge. Mine does, indeed, spin clockwise as I thought. I also get the grass packed in between the left front wheel and the frame and it fills in around the wheel motor. I attribute this to the grass moving from the operator's right to the operator's left across the rear of the deck. It hits the inside leading edge of the left front tire and goes into the rim area, then packs up the area around the wheel motor. Here's a link to a picture of what my left front wheel motor looks like after mowing. There are several more photos in this post where I was shamed into showing the brakes on a PT425 by my fellow TBN members! /forums/images/graemlins/tongue.gif