MOWING IN HIGH RANGE

[bp fick]

Hi or Lo seems to be a matter of taste and likely relates to how smooth one's dirt under the grass. That old lawn vs yard kind of thing. Hi would cause my kidney's to revolt on my lumpy ground.

What is unanimous, however, is PTO speed!!!! 2900 to 3200/WOT.

In no case has anyone recommended RPMs of 1600-2200 to mow. In light of the R4 vs R1, dino vs synthetic or SUDT vs UDT debates, I'd say this thread has had remarkable unity. ooh-rah

 

[TheFlatlander]

Hi or Lo seems to be a matter of taste and likely relates to how smooth one's dirt under the grass. That old lawn vs yard kind of thing. Hi would cause my kidney's to revolt on my lumpy ground.

I agree with you that the kidneys and the lower back are definitely a concern but I try to compensate for the solid rear suspension with speed and angle of approach to the uneven terrain (and softer turf tires-Not to make this a tire thread though)

Hi vs low range if its for speed only you can run in high range and change speed with the hydro-stat pedal. Mowing by itself isn't that hard on the tractor.

Just checked specs for current model. BX1860 forward speed range is 0-6.2mph & BX25 and BX2x60 is a little faster at 0-8.4mph neither of these are really that fast. I really wished the tractor would move faster for snow plowing and transport.

Low range would be if you need additional torque to the tires. Steep hill, or pulling a monster roller or something. The main thing I use low range is for ground engagement or moving large trailers. neither of which I do at the same time I cut grass.

 

[funwithahoe]

Do what makes you happy! It will last either way. Nonetheless, if you are doing to make it easier on the tractor you are wasting your effort - If you want to run it at wide open throttle it will last that way too and give you a better cut! These tractors are designed to last well over 5000 hours or about a zillion years for home use.

 

[bp fick]

If the terrain isn't hilly, the only difference between HI and LO is that on some particular HSTs, for some reason, the whine is also worse in HI. FWIW

 

[Tom_H]

It all depends on the resitance of what you are cutting. If you can cruise along in high range with the throttle open and the engine does not lug down, there simply is no problem. You could be in low range, however, and in thick tall grass and have enough resistance to lug down. In this case, even though you are in low range, you will need to back off the floor pedal, go slower, and reduce the amount of material entering the MMM per second.

Just use common sense. Whomever told you that cutting in high range will damage the tractor regardless of circumstances is just flat out wrong.

Post Script: I always mow at wide open throttle. You want those blade tips going as fast as possible to get the best cut and minimize the ability of the blade stems to resist the cut. Allow the tractor to go at the highest forward speed that still gives a good cut and no loss of RPM.

 

[rdsaustintx]

All WOT. All the time.

 

[Transit]

What does the operators manual recommend? My King Kutter manual specifies 540 rpm at the PTO and to control the ground speed by selecting the transmission speed. Running the PTO faster than 540 rpm puts a strain on the blade carrier. Too fast a ground speed can overfeed the cutter. There are many factors to consider, the condition of the field, deck angle, height of the cut, brush or grass, density, hp available.

 

[corey9212]

My yard has no hills but is a little bumpy in spots and I run at full throttle and in high gear, the mower doesn't bog the tractor down at all. The biggest key I found was good speed control is essential. If you are running wide open in high gear and foot all the way to the floor you are going to get a crappy cut and bog down when you hit deeper grass.