Ck3510 hst brush hogging

[kawakx125]

Is it better to mow in M range or L range? It’s been fairly hot here, and noticed when unhooking the brush hog that the fluid and transmission is pretty hot. I have been mowing in M, wondering if it’s better to mow in L, would that keep temps cooler or have no effect. Seems to work fine in M, doesn’t seem to whine or strain much. If I were mowing in L, itd be pretty much at max speed for that range. I don’t remember it being that warm previously, but also wasn’t 90 out the first time I mowed with it. Also, do these have any sort of hydraulic cooler?

 

[TractorTYMe]

Yes, most all HST tractors has a hydraulic oil cooler on the front. I'd say you're safe to mow in M range, oil gets a little temp in hot weather.

 

[Roadworthy]

Most of your power is being used to power the mower, very little is used to move the tractor. The range selector is mostly for the ground speed range of the tractor. If your Kioti is like my Kubota you set the RPM to correspond with the 540 rpm of the PTO. The HST selects the ground speed within the range selection used. That's the extended version of saying I always mow in the M range as ground speed is set with my HST pedal. I could probably mow in H but have never tried. Hydraulic fluid should be warm or even hot to the touch. In normal operation it should not get hot enough to break down. If it's a real concern you can measure the temperature versus breakdown temperature of the hydraulic oil.

 

[kawakx125]

Just was curious, first time I’ve really used it working it hard for extended period of time in warm weather. Most of the hours on it are moving brush or dragging trees with lots of breaks

 

[crashz]

A poster on here once said that HST transmissions like high flow / low stress. So for a given ground speed if you can maintain the same speed in a lower range and maximize the flow (by flooring the HST pedal) fluid flow causes the temps to lower and stabilize. So I pick the range based upon comfortably being able to "floor" the HST pedal. Smooth ground is M, rough and hilly ground is L. H is just to fast for mowing in my opinion.

 

[oldnslo]

For just mowing on reasonably flat ground M is probably a better choice since you are now spinning the hydraulic motor a little slower so less splash created heat. In a hard pull like ground engagement running lower gear range reduces the system pressure and will generally run a little cooler. There are more variables but this is kind of a generic overview.

 

[TN8Man]

I mow in M all the time and on very hot and humid days on 15+ degree hillsides with the a/c on for hours on end.

 

[kantuckid]

I only bush hog in fall and L is mandated by the brushy stuff like shumacs and tall iron weeds, etc..