Mowing new rear finish mower

89cummins174 · Jul 25, 2009

Well i bit the bullet and got a rear finish mower for a good price. i am happy with the cut that i got out of it but i only have one problem with it. When i engage the rear PTO it snaps the mower right on and jerked the tractor a little bit. Is there a easier way to engage the PTO so i don't get the whiplash effect? Is that going to hurt my tractor over time, I engage the PTO at a idle (1350 rpm) or should the rpms be higher?

Thanks in advance Shawn

MDM · Jul 25, 2009

Which tractor? I engage at low rpm and then throttle up. I can feather the clutch for a smooth engagement on my 2800, but you may have a different set up.

whistlepig · Jul 25, 2009

The PTO lever should engage with no resistance. If you feel resistance back off the PTO lever and let out on the clutch. You may have to do this a couple a couple of times (sometimes). Mine will jerk too if it is forced. This isn't good for the PTO gears and isn't doing the mower belt a lot good either.

89cummins174 · Jul 25, 2009

I have a BX24 and I think that it has a electronic PTO i am not sure b/c I don't know if i can feather it on or not. Does anyone with a bx24 MMM do the same thing?

whistlepig · Jul 25, 2009

Do you have to push the clutch in to engage the PTO?

89cummins174 · Jul 25, 2009

No I don't have a clutch peddle I have a lever that i slide down and lock in. It takes 3 seconds then the pto engages and jerks the tractor.

whistlepig · Jul 25, 2009

I apologize. I don't know about BX's. LeRoy Brown does. Maybe he can help.

savageactor7 · Jul 26, 2009

First of all props to you for recognizing that abrupt deck whiplash could be a problem. I suppose it could shear a pin or break a U joint on the PTO drive shaft.

Did you try to engage the PTO at a lower RPM? Also keep the deck a little higher so it not starting up and cutting grass at the same time.

Our 3PH has turnbuckles that adjust and lock down any side to side movement of equipment...does yours? If so once you mount up the equipment and hook up the chains drive forward and lift it up. After sliding the deck or brush hog left and right try and tighten the turnbuckles up at the same time so the deck is more or less 'squared up'...that should help limit and side 2 side movement.

radioman · Jul 26, 2009

I have a BX24 and what from my dealer told me, its a wet clutch for pto. What I do is have rpms down to 1600-1900 and then slide the lever down until there is an inch before it has to slide all the way down and over. I would hold it in there and then it would engage slower then slapping it into pto on. It allows the pto to start moving a bit before engaging in full rpm pto speed. Once the PTO starts moving, I would slide it all the way down then to lock position. Then up the engine RPM to the pto rated speed. This is how I do it without the engine feeling like it buckling under the PTO being slapped on and no black smoke. Nice and easy does it.

89cummins174 · Jul 26, 2009

OH OK so it is a wet clutch. I tried to slide it slow but i didn't find the sweet spot yet. I know i have had the bota for a couple of years but have not needed to mow with it yet i guess thats why i came straight to TBN when this rfm jerked my tractor around.