Is this normal?

[ericm979]

You can also take a partial cut in that area of thicker grass.

 

[bearthebruce]

I run into this problem as not only do I get into thick patches, but I am often climbing relatively steep slopes when the engine bogs under load. I never ride the clutch.

I gear down.
I use the foot pedal to add more fuel/power
I cut a smaller path where I know this is going to happen.

I find that one has to learn the limits of the machine, the lay of the land, and the grass/weeds/growth being cut....

 

[EarPlug]

Nobody asked - What RPM are you running at for mowing? Your engine RPM should 1800 to have a 540 RPM PTO speed.

 

[garry1p]

What range L-M-H, what gear and what RPM?

 

[jyoutz]

Nobody asked - What RPM are you running at for mowing? Your engine RPM should 1800 to have a 540 RPM PTO speed.

540 pto speed occurs at different engine RPMs on different machines. But the RPM meter always indicates 540 pto speed.

 

[chim]

As mentioned, drop a gear in the thick stuff and keep the RPM's up. Or your next post will be "How much does it cost to split a tractor and replace the clutch?"

 

[5030]

Why my Kubota's have hydraulic shuttles as in NO DRY CLUTCH. I can slip the wet pack and not hurt anything. I would never have a tractor with a dry clutch.

 

[Fixastuff]

Why my Kubota's have hydraulic shuttles as in NO DRY CLUTCH. I can slip the wet pack and not hurt anything. I would never have a tractor with a dry clutch.

I used to do work for an Ace hardware that had a clutched tractor. Put 3 clutches in it over 2 years. They’d put a new guy in and he’d burn the clutch up in one day! After the third one they replaced it with a hst machine which I suggested after the 1st clutch job. lol.

 

[LouNY]

I used to do work for an Ace hardware that had a clutched tractor. Put 3 clutches in it over 2 years. They’d put a new guy in and he’d burn the clutch up in one day! After the third one they replaced it with a hst machine which I suggested after the 1st clutch job. lol.

Speaks much of the mentality of the instruction the operators got.

 

[sequoyah101]

I have a New Holland 3930 that I use mainly for cutting grass in pastures. When I get in A particularly thick area, I notice that the engine will start to bog down and smoke comes from the exhaust. Usually I just hit the clutch to slow down until I get through the thick section and everything returns to normal - ie no smoke.

Is this smoke normal or does it indicate a potential issue with my tractor?

Thanks

After having a peek at several of the posts today I am further convinced that tribal knowledge of things mechanical has nearly come to an end for many and does not exist at all for some. You don't ride clutches they aren't speed controllers, black stacking under load is normal for diesels you need to downshift, tractors do over heat and unattended to you will warp the head, a squeak means a bearing is probably going out and you need to fix or grease something etc. These things are just simply tribal knowledge I learned with instruction from my Dad and others before I was between 5 and 10 years old. I passed them on to my own son. People that don't know these simple basics are way behind the curve, have too much to learn, owner's manuals simply can't cover all they don't know and they should probably spend their money on hiring work done instead of owning a tractor.

It is a sad state of affairs that we are now in. No wonder people in North Carolina have fallen apart when cell and internet service ended. I once doubted the disastrous forecasts of a post-apocalyptic world but now I don't. Just too many people don't know how to do things that are essential to recovery and survival. Truth hurts.