ampsucker
Platinum Member
i'll mention something no one else has yet. part of it has to do with the gear box on the mower, the blade length (tip speed) and belt and pulley system on the mower.
my little 42" deere/scotts has two blades and is driven by a 17 hp kohler engine that runs the mower as well as provides the forward motion for the tractor. it is very hard to bog down and has lots of power. gas engine runs at higher rpms. the blades length (lever arm) makes a big difference in heavy grass.
generally i would prefer to have fewer, longer blades to get faster tip speed, but of course, that takes more horsepower since you rapidly loose the leverage advantage. also fewer blades to sharpen and replace. beware of narrow three blade decks due to the shorter blades.
our kubota has a 60" belly and works great. it also runs off the mid pto which is about twice as fast as the rear. have never bogged it down, even in heavy grass. 17 pto hp, diesel engine. it does tend to lay down heavy wet grass as opposed to lifting it and cutting it.
i would see if you can test drive some different configurations on your tractor to see what works best for your combination of pto speeds, terrain, and mowing chores.
my little 42" deere/scotts has two blades and is driven by a 17 hp kohler engine that runs the mower as well as provides the forward motion for the tractor. it is very hard to bog down and has lots of power. gas engine runs at higher rpms. the blades length (lever arm) makes a big difference in heavy grass.
generally i would prefer to have fewer, longer blades to get faster tip speed, but of course, that takes more horsepower since you rapidly loose the leverage advantage. also fewer blades to sharpen and replace. beware of narrow three blade decks due to the shorter blades.
our kubota has a 60" belly and works great. it also runs off the mid pto which is about twice as fast as the rear. have never bogged it down, even in heavy grass. 17 pto hp, diesel engine. it does tend to lay down heavy wet grass as opposed to lifting it and cutting it.
i would see if you can test drive some different configurations on your tractor to see what works best for your combination of pto speeds, terrain, and mowing chores.
