LX5 versus MX5

[SteveH_CT]

Hey Mike, I may not be rich, but I do have a great dealer. I talked to him yesterday and he told me that he's throwing in a slip clutch at no charge (I didn't even have to ask for it). He said he won't sell a mower without them.

So I ended up paying $1075 for the LX5 with a clutch - not a steal, but it seems like a very decent price. And just think of the $$ I'll save not buying replacement shear bolts. /forums/images/graemlins/smirk.gif

 

[rockyridgefarm]

I am sending you a SASE for my share of the savings...

 

[timb]

Steve - the one downside to a slip clutch is that it requires some basic periodic maintenance to work as it should (unlike sheer bolts which are pretty much a hand's-off until they snap).

There will be a procedure in the manual - basically you just back off the clutch setting to force it to slip a bit and make sure the clutch faces haven't seized - then adjust it back to running position. I believe most folks have said once or twice a season is fine.

You don't want to run into a situation where it should have slipped to protect the driveline and/or tractor - only to find it has rusted up solid and isn't really offering any protection.

 

[SteveH_CT]

Thanks Tim - Believe it or not I'm one of the few folks who reads the manual first. I'll check it out more once I get to use it this weekend.

 

[KennedyDiesel]

So how much "shake" is normal in a cutter? I noticed prior to using my MX 5 that it looks like the stump pan is bent. Like forklifting it got it bent. It shakes pretty good, enough to make the PTO shield rattle...

 

[Kyle_in_Tex]

Usually, the stump jumper is folded at the edges kinda like a cowboy hat brim.

The blades can get pushed back and will vibrate due to the uneven balance. Sometimes, you'll have to stop the PTO and restart it to get them to swing out where they belong. This should stop the vibrating.

 

[KennedyDiesel]

Thanks, will check. The pan looked to have an irregular shap to the rim and possibly dip down before the blade pivot, but I didn't spend much time underneath it. I'll see about bringing it into the shop and picking up with my hoist and have a look see.

The blade thing makes sense.

 

[KennedyDiesel]

Took a closer look and discovered that the pan is indeed bent. Between the blade pivots and favoring to one blade it is pulled down like aforklift got wedged in. It's down far enough that I don't think the blade would rotate past it.

Dealer will take care of it no problem.

 

[SteveH_CT]

I'm glad you got under it to look. I had some vibration become apparent after I hit one of our seemingly limitless rocks out in the field. It did go away when I restarted the PTO. Of course I put a dent in the deck my first time out. Now that the field is cut down I've gone through and pulled out any offending rocks. This will be no suprise to anyone who lives in my area, but I had to use the BH to get some of them out... like icebergs they are. One turned out to be so large I had to lift it out with the BH and then push it off to my collection area - it was too big for the loader.

Overall I was pleased with the LX deck, it cut great. I think after using it that the 4310 could drive the 72" deck without much difficulty. I was cutting hay that was very dense, and higher than my hood - it went through it very comfortably. After denting the deck on my 1st try, I hope that the rock inci"dents" don't continue to be a problem. I believe the MX deck is a much heavier arrangement, and is probably a good idea if you plan to use the deck a lot. Mine probably won't be used more than 4 or 5 times a year on about 3 acres of field.