Field Mowing Pattern - Side Discharge

[tshep]

So, currently 'cutting in' the perimeter, as non-discharge side allows, then counter clockwise in shrinking perimeter. I wanna' go the 9 miles an hour.
Problem is the corner radius does not work, pass to pass. Even a wide swept corner eventually becomes too tight a radius to cut., This leads to either K turns, 270's, or wide-swinging that leaves what becomes 'lobes to be cleaned up every few passes.

On 'paper', I think a short interior pass, K turned to another, and again eventually becomes a radiused rectangle for speed later in the day.

Like hdbikercouple suggested: Mowing - Efficient mowing pattern? anyone familiar?

BX23, 54 belly mower, right side discharge

 

[bmaverick]

Like hdbikercouple suggested: Mowing - Efficient mowing pattern? anyone familiar?

That will not last long with a tractor, wastes fuel. For a zero-turn it's great.

Now, the Zamboni pattern works really well. This is what they do to resurface a hockey rink. Method still applies to mowing a field.

See this thread.

let's discuss the best way to mow a field...

I recently purchased land with two large fields. I'm getting ready to mow with a 15 foot wing brush mower (a new model 100hp JD 5 series) and maybe a sickle mower at some point for hay. both fields are long rolling hills. What's the best mowing pattern? - outline the filed and spit it? just...

www.tractorbynet.com

 

[MossRoad]

The only problem with the Zamboni method is you have to know how far across you have to travel before turning up or down the field, or you'll leave either a wide or narrow strip that will have to be gone over again. I'm fortunate in that my machine at full steering lock makes an almost perfect turn to leave a strip that is exactly as wide as my mower deck covers nicely. You can figure out how far to travel across the field before turning by seat of the pants experience. I leave the ends and perimeters for last, as you're going to go over most of them while cutting the field anyway, so then you can see the little spots you've missed. Then, in your case, you only have to back into each corner once or twice and you're done. The rest of the day was spent moving forward, no backing. Better use of time.

 

[oosik]

What the hay are we doing here - field art or mowing your meadow? It takes more time/fuel to try to be perfect. Just mow the damn field and be done with it.

 

[Midniteoyl]

Am I the only one who leaves round(ish) corners?

 

[oosik]

NO - I round the corners on the meadow I mow. I mow in an ever tightening spiral. From the outside to the center. One time clockwise - next time counterclockwise.

Your field must be "pool table smooth" if you plan on/want to go 9 MPH. I would be thrown out of the seat - long before I hit 5 MPH.

 

[tshep]

That will not last long with a tractor, wastes fuel. For a zero-turn it's great.

I didn't get that (I did read the other thread). What wouldn't last and why?

 

[zoltanthegypsy]

Varies depending on what I'm cutting and with what, but when I'm on the GR with the belly mower, it's like this... if I can explain it w/out a drawing:

Two or three passes around the perimeter chucking the grass into the uncut area. Enough of a cut border for what I'm going to do next: slightly less that a deck width into the uncut area - leaving a strip uncut - I cut the length of the field. Then turn left and cut back the other direction, again leaving an uncut strip slightly narrower than the deck. Back at the beginning I now cut the first uncut strip. Then at the bottom turn into the uncut area and leave another strip. Rinse and repeat. In a rectangular field there's no "corner" issue and the cut strips are all the same length. Works fine on my non-rectangular lawn too.

One issue if the grass is heavy/tall is that the discharge may pile it on the next area to be cut and that can build up with multiple passes. I find that lifting the discharge chute a bit (I have a line on it for that and other reasons) can help when cutting into the uncut area.

Does that make any sense at all?

Z.

 

[GeneV]

What the hay are we doing here - field art or mowing your meadow? It takes more time/fuel to try to be perfect. Just mow the damn field and be done with it.

Yeh, I give it only a little thought, not much. Where I have lots of trees, I mow around them in increasingly larger circles, and then hit the spots between the circles. By the road, I mow with the discharge away from it toward my lawn, so that I don't have to go back to blow all the clippings back (I like to keep my side of the road tidy, that's how I roll). Open areas, I start at the outer edge and go in rectangles, round and round, into one small rectangle in the center.

I don't use a discharge shoot, so the clippings fly out in a wide pattern and don't build up much, unless I've let the grass go to long.

 

[tshep]

Zoltan, that made a lot of sense. Perimeter cuts, then with skinny Zamboni design. That gets the turns in the precut and minimizes recut of (wide) Zamboni. And does not require the precise guess of full 1/2 Zamboni.

Still has the waste of Zamboni though - may be the minimum.

All - other than an increasing spiral, what fixes radius creep without precut corners?