How much damage am I likely to have done to my new tractor?

[CausticUrbanCoast]

Nm does not pertain to thread objective

 

[gejandsons]

Ok thanks folks. I'll pull the mower deck off and have a good look as suggested. I'll definitely be walking my fields before mowing in future. It's actually only been 2 weeks since I last mowed, but its been so hot and humid here the grass is already 18 inches high!

Aside from the strain on the mower, can someone please explain to me what having a tractor stop-dead like this can do to the tractor/engine? What tractor parts are being stressed exactly? What kind of repairs might I be up for if they keep doing this? (hypothetically...I WON'T keep doing this!!)

Also, why doesn't this brand new Kubota mid-mounted mower attachment have a slip-clutch or shear pin??

You dealer should be able to answer why not question in clutch

my 45 hp John Deere has a built in clutch and my 6’ rotary cutter has a slip clutch as well. Most exposed slip clutches rust and no longer slip anyway unless frequent maintenance is done. That requires loosening the bolts and making it slip then re tighten the bolts to specs

if your pto is manual engagement like mine. Read up on adjusting it.

 

[JWR]

gej and sons ... Your 45hp JD built in clutch -- is that on a mid-mount nower ?

On my 7' Bush Hog the standard slip clutch that comes with it squeeks when you engage it which means it is slipping due to the very sudden force against the inertia. My ear is tuned to that being the same each time and I know all is well with the slip clutch setting. I rarely ever need to adjust it but then it stays in a dry garage so does not rust a lot either. Very same thing with the slip clutch on my flail mower.

 

[Tony H]

To talk about your original question..... Any rotating part in the engine could get unhappy. Not likely but, twist the Crank. Break a piston rod, any gear in the trani is stressed by the shock of sudden stop.

 

[Kimberry]

Other than likely damage to blade and mower deck, tractor should be fine.

Your mower has belts, right? Belt slips on initial contact and acts like slip clutch.

 

[Texasmark]

The saving grace are the V belts which absorb the initial shock impulse on both types of machines mentioned. If you ever saw time lapse of a driven spindle impact an object, with a V belt loose enough you can actually see the belt deform as it absorbs the shock. On PTO driven rotary mowers (bush hogs) the blades are movable from the stump jumper driving them and absorb the shock. Course here you have the time lapse thing....does the blade move out of the way before the energy is transferred to the drive shaft, shear bolt or slip clutch when provided.

Wear if you want to locate it, would be in the main and rod cap bearings attached to the engine's crankshaft if your oil doesn't do it's job in keeping metal parts separated, or in your ball bearings if your gear lube doesn't do likewise...to a lesser degree.

 

[Jac65]

If you are asking what damage you could have done, well you "could" have grenaded the entire mid pto, sheared gears, bent shafts etc. You also "could" win the mega millions lotto, but the likelihood of either is pretty small. If you are asking what is likely to have happened, not much to the tractor and a few bent parts on the mower. Congratulations on another item you can cross off on the tractor ownership learning curve. We've all been there, or will be...

 

[ruffdog]

Is the OP running the engine at PTO rpm while mowing?

 

[tallguy104]

Is the OP running the engine at PTO rpm while mowing?

I'm not sure what the PTO rpm is exactly (it's a B2301 in case anyone knows), but I was running about 2000RPM.

 

[tallguy104]

Thanks for all the comments, folks.

I've had a good look at the mower deck. I removed the belt and checked the spindles for alignment. The blades are all within 1/16" of being on the same plane so I don't think I've bent any spindles. The blades themselves look ok, if a little dull. The belt has sustained some damage...it has a massive tear right across it at one point, even though it's only done a dozen hours of mowing - I expect it will probably break very soon. I will be ordering a new one.