Mowing in reverse

[lmwashere]

So I have an LS R3039 and a 7ft Howse HD finishing mower. Originally it was going to be easy mowing with wide open spaces. My wife has however decided to plant a mine field of baby trees around everywhere. With these changes, I have found that in many areas around the house, it is easier to just mow forward, then mow in reverse for the next pass. Is there anything that I need to worry about as far as running this mower in reverse? It seems to cut just as well as in forward, but then I am just cutting a lawn so it's not exactly heavy work.

Thanks in advance.
Josh

 

[jpm1]

At my place i mow a lot in reverse sometimes, the only problem i have run into is things i have backed over, IE: bushes, shrubs ya know stuff your suspose to mow around. They work nice for shrubs and bushes and small trees that are in the way or are not wanted anyore if you get my drift . . .John

 

[TRR]

The clippings come out the back on my mower, if the stuff is tall enough the clippings don't come out when I back into the grass/brush/stuff. Just means the cut is a little rougher than mowing forward.

 

[ahoglen]

hey... looks like you are just across the border from me..

Are you asking if it is OK to go backwards with a PTO driven implement? Most of us do that all the time, just be careful not to mow over those "mines".

Just out of curiosity, you weren't thinking that by going in reverse that you reverse the direction that the PTO shaft spins were you?

 

[RoyJackson]

I've been mowing up and down a slope (forward going up, reverse going down) for about 11-12 years with 3 different tractors and finish mowers and one rotary cutter...so far, no problems...except that twisting around on the seat isn't so good for your back.

 

[Haywire]

I feel for ya. My wife did the same thing with trees and garden islands all over the place. We have since moved. I gently informed her that the same thing isn't going to happen here unless she wanted to mow the "minefield". She hates mowing and trimming.

Ian

 

[murphy1244]

Do what I did, mow them down once. She will be mad for afew days but your troubles are over.

 

[KennyG]

I believe the lawn tractors have been required to have a lock out to prevent mowing in reverse for quite a while now. I think the main reason was the greater potential for running over something you can't see while in reverse.

Obviously, this doesn't apply to our PTO driven equipment, but I think the same caution applies. As long as you are aware that you can't see as well, and take the necessary care, no problem.

 

[TripleR]

I use the mirrors and often mow quite a bit in reverse if I want to save a little time or mow without mashing the grass and weeds down with my tires.

 

[murphy1244]

I believe the lawn tractors have been required to have a lock out to prevent mowing in reverse for quite a while now. I think the main reason was the greater potential for running over something you can't see while in reverse.

Obviously, this doesn't apply to our PTO driven equipment, but I think the same caution applies. As long as you are aware that you can't see as well, and take the necessary care, no problem.

My Simplicity will mow in reverse with a switch.

 

[Haywire]

My JD LT180 had a switch also, my BX doesn't. Just step on the back pedal and mow.

 

[lmwashere]

Good to know, Thanks. My old mower automatically disengaged the blades when you stepped on the reverse pedal. Also I wasn't sure since the mower deck is angled slightly to keep the leading edge of the blades a touch lower than the trailing edge to help keep the tip speed up.

This is my first real tractor, and I don't want to mess things up by committing rookie mistakes. I have also learned that it is best to take the FEL off when mowing to avoid accidentally knocking over random items with the front end while watching the back.

I have thought about "accidentally" running over some of the trees, but she is excited about them. Seems rotten to spoil something that she enjoys. Plus about a third are Pecan trees. I am looking forward to those getting a little bigger. The flowering ones are the ones that would be in real danger.

I did hand her the trimmer after she finished with the shovel though. She made it about 30 minutes before she had to quit because her arms gave out. I told her she has wimpy girl arms and she was back out there the next day. That was the desired effect.

ahoglen: Yes, I was referring to the tractor direction, not the PTO direction. Not sure that it is possible to do that.

Another question:
If the gearbox has a bit much gear oil in it so that it seeps out of the overflow port when it's in use, will that hurt anything? Should I drain a bit out or just let it work itself out? I do spray it off after every mowing as the whole rig gets pretty dusty if it's dry out.