Mowing mower deck stalling tractor

[studway]

I have BX 2350 with 60" mower deck. As far as I can tell, there is no safety system (shear bolt, slip clutch, slipping belts) to prevent damage when mower blades are suddenly stopped by a hidden branch in the grass or the like. About 10 times since buying the tractor (4 years ago) I've hit something causing the tractor to stall and spew out lots of black smoke from the exhaust pipe.

Although so far it doesn't seem to have caused any damage, I find this very troubling. Every time it happens I expect to hear a crunching noise and find out I've destroyed the gears. But the only option I have is to stop using the tractor to mow the areas I bought it to mow.

Does anyone have any advice or information on this?

 

[dodge man]

Yeah, don't hit anything. I have a BX2350 and have had the same thing happen a couple of times. I have also had the belt slip a couple of times. So far it hasn't hurt mine.

 

[keyman1808]

Mark what you keep hitting and remove it. If removal isnt an option mark it with a stake so it cant happen again.

 

[studway]

Avoiding and/or marking isn't an option. I use it to mow a small, completely rock-free apple orchard. The problems I run into are fallen branches hiding in the grass. Last week I stalled it by running over a sweatshirt someone left in the orchard while pruning this past winter.

I don't rely on the BX to mow the orchards. I also use a box mower on a bigger tractor, a swisher rough cut mower, and roundup. But when I have the swisher on the back of it I like to use the mid mount at the same time. I can do an 8' swath in one pass. I think a tractor that cost 11k ought to be able to hit the occasional branch without destroying the gears. Every other piece of equipment i have has a safety mechanism. Why doesn't the Kubota? Maybe it doesn't need one? I can't find anyone saying they destroyed their BX when they ran over a rock with the mower. You would think if it could happen it would have and people would be complaining about it.

Should I loosen the belts a little so they slip before they stall out the tractor? Is there a replacement drive shaft for the mid mount PTO that I could buy that has a slip clutch or shear pin?

 

[KeithInSpace]

Dunno. I've been mowing 4 years and have hit my fair share of sticks, stumps, twigs, leaves, rocks, and many other things that would have wrecked lesser mowers. Even with the PTO driven bagger running at the same time as the 60" deck, I can't think of a single time my tractor has 'bogged' or otherwise labored during mowing.

That said, I'd be extremely surprised if there was not a shear pin in the linkage. Not that I've broken it. Nor can I find it in the parts documentation (doesn't show 'accessories'). But I have never seen a PTO shaft for any implement on my tractor that didn't have a shear pin.

I'm quite certain there is no slip clutch in the linkage, however.

 

[TripleR]

Your belts on a MMM/RFM serves the same purpose as a shear pin/slip clutch. I have used MMM/RFM for longer than I care to remember and hit everything from tree stumps to a boat anchor and T posts without any mechanical damage. On bigger units, I have smoked the belts and on smaller ones like 425, 2305 and BX just stalled the motor.

 

[leonz]

Its no secret around here I like flail mowers,

There are a lot of happy Caroni owners here on the forum too.
Iron horse uses flail mowers in his land clearing and cleaning operations and
he is a great source of infomation.

type flail mowers in the search box and you will have a lot of items to look through.

Short of buying a flail mower your always going to have the mowers stall like that and the hydrostatic transmission will not stall as quickly as a gear transmission.

You will have wear spots on the belts, chipped mower blades, bent blades, etc. Another option for you would be the Gates Green V belts designed for high shock loads in V belt application. They cost a little more but are a very strong long life V belt.

The agrisupply folks carry the CARONI line of flail mowers and they have continuos internet sale price special on all their flail mowers delivered you your door.

Many small flail mowers used in orchard and vineyard settings use a hammer knife for each knive blade to cut and crush prunings and grape vines and they dont throw objects etc.

They also have the spring slip clutch PTO Shaft for the flail mowers too if the really start to get bound up with vines and brush which saves on the drive belts too.


Short of mowing highat all time with your belly mower you dont have a lot of options other than using a landscape rake to constantly clear the prunings before mowing with a belly mower.

 

[KubieTwo]

I think a tractor that cost 11k ought to be able to hit the occasional branch without destroying the gears. Every other piece of equipment i have has a safety mechanism. Why doesn't the Kubota? Maybe it doesn't need one? I can't find anyone saying they destroyed their BX when they ran over a rock with the mower. You would think if it could happen it would have and people would be complaining about it.

Should I loosen the belts a little so they slip before they stall out the tractor? Is there a replacement drive shaft for the mid mount PTO that I could buy that has a slip clutch or shear pin?

You indicate you have stalled the tractor numerous times with nothing more required than a restart, yet you say it should be able to hit occasional branches without destroying the gears. It appears to be quite capable to this point. It only stalls.

If I intended to use a finish mower for a bush hog task, which it seems you may be doing, I would probably try to cut a bit higher to avoid some of the limbs. I have a medium duty bush hog with slip clutch, far more sturdy than any finish mower, and I still do not like to hit large limbs if I can avoid it. I raise the mower immediately and disengage the PTO if raising doesn't eliminate the problem. I come back later and remove the limbs so they do not cause a problem on the next mowing. Others fall, but at least I am minimizing the hits, and I have still had some "events" significant enough to dent the deck.

Can you actually adjust how loosely the deck belt runs on your MMM? If so, slipping the belt might be preferable to stalling the engine and putting that much stress on drive line components. You can react as mentioned above and raise the deck and/or disengage the PTO, remove the object if necessary, and continue.

 

[studway]

I only use the mmm at it's highest setting when in the orchard. Since I've already gone through with a bush hog, the grass is never more than a foot high. The BX2350 has absolutely no problem with the thick orchard grass, it's just the occasional obstacles. A homeowner could hit a rock he turned up with a wheel. I'm just really surprised that Kubota doesn't seem to have included a safety for this.

I did find a link somewhere to someone saying that a BX 2200 had a slip clutch that allows the engine to stall slowly if a pto comes to a sudden halt. That seems to be what happens to me. It takes a few seconds and a few cranks for the engine to stop completely. So far it's always started right up.

Kubbietwo, I wouldn't worry too much about your bush hog. I've used them for many years and I can tell you they are nearly impossible to break. They're designed to handle big rocks and stumps without failing. They make some awful noises (the blades flopping around with a rock or log under the deck) and they can be covered in dents, but good luck breaking one.

I emailed Kubota, see if i get a response. I'm definitely going to look into loosening the belt a little.

 

[TripleR]

I only use the mmm at it's highest setting when in the orchard. Since I've already gone through with a bush hog, the grass is never more than a foot high. The BX2350 has absolutely no problem with the thick orchard grass, it's just the occasional obstacles. A homeowner could hit a rock he turned up with a wheel. I'm just really surprised that Kubota doesn't seem to have included a safety for this.

I did find a link somewhere to someone saying that a BX 2200 had a slip clutch that allows the engine to stall slowly if a pto comes to a sudden halt. That seems to be what happens to me. It takes a few seconds and a few cranks for the engine to stop completely. So far it's always started right up.

Kubbietwo, I wouldn't worry too much about your bush hog. I've used them for many years and I can tell you they are nearly impossible to break. They're designed to handle big rocks and stumps without failing. They make some awful noises (the blades flopping around with a rock or log under the deck) and they can be covered in dents, but good luck breaking one.

I emailed Kubota, see if i get a response. I'm definitely going to look into loosening the belt a little.

My John Deere 2305 and BX2660 are both the same, nothing needed beyond the built in shock absorbing effect of the belts and they do slip, just not enough for you to notice. I had a John Deere that did not have tight belts and I would smoke them on occasion; same thing on a RFM.