operating at less than 540

[botakix]

my brushhog and finish mower, are rated for 540 rpm. i have a kubota 3130 and to maintain this 540 speed on equipment i have to run my tractor at about 2500 rpms. will it hurt anything to run the equipment at lower than 540, so i dont have to wind the tractor up so much?

 

[jinman]

If you keep your blades very sharp, 2000 rpm may be enough. You are lowering the PTO rpm by 20%, so your PTO is turning 436 rpm instead of 540. I don't think 2500 rpm will hurt your tractor, but if you get a good cut at 2000 then I would not worry. I do think your cutter will perform much better at the full 540 rpm as the manufacturer suggests. I know mine sure does.

 

[RWolf]

On my tractor I have a e-pto setting which is about 1600 rpm's. I use that when I'm mowing in lighter grass (pasture).

 

[Squeak n Itch]

If you are truly using the "finishing" mower for just that you can get away with 1,000 RPM. Basically it cuts OK but what you lose here is the better dispersal of clippings which, of course, relies on RPM. Happy Cutting!

 

[Squeak n Itch]

OOPS!! Wrong key, I meant 2,000RPM. 1,000 would be bad for everything.

 

[3RRL]

my brushhog and finish mower, are rated for 540 rpm. i have a kubota 3130 and to maintain this 540 speed on equipment i have to run my tractor at about 2500 rpms. will it hurt anything to run the equipment at lower than 540, so i dont have to wind the tractor up so much?

Personally, I like to run the PTO equipment at it's rated rpm like my brush hog. Or at least close to that to get the best performance and results for what it was designed to do. With that said, if your implement can get the job done with less rpm, than that is perfectly acceptable.
I agree it shouldn't hurt your tractor to run at it's rated 2500rpm like Jim points out, but it makes sense that running it less than wide open can have some benefits. Such as less engine wear over the long run and also fuel savings. I don't know about your 3130, but some tractors have a PTO speed selector. Mine has a 2 speed PTO. In one speed it turns 540rpm at my engine's rpm rating (2300) and in the second speed it turns the PTO at 720rpm. So what I do is use the 2nd PTO speed and run the tractor's engine rpm around 1725rpm. That then spins my PTO at 540rpm in the 2nd range. I do that when I don't need to use a lot of hp to get an heavy duty cutting done.
That does a couple things for me, like I said above. It reduces engine wear over the long run and saves on fuel. It also keeps the engine temperature in the "green zone" when it is super hot out here. Another interesting benefit is that my engine's torque curve happens to produce peak torque at around 1750 rpm, so I am now working at or near the maximum torque and the engine rarely bogs down.
But back to your question, I don't think it would hurt to run your implement at less than 540 PTO rpm if you can get it to perform with satisfactory results.

 

[radman1]

I usually run my mowers slower than rated pto speed. I will run them faster in heavy, tough mowing. Little less wear, little less fuel and a little less mower and tractor noise.

 

[actionaj]

I agree with radman1 I run my MMM or rotary cutter slower than PTO speed most of the time. Less wear and tear and less fuel used and still do a good job.

 

[AndyMA]

On my tractor I have a e-pto setting which is about 1600 rpm's. I use that when I'm mowing in lighter grass (pasture).

Doesn't e-pto still produce 540 PTO rpm, just at lower available PTO hp?

Andy

 

[AndyMA]

I agree it shouldn't hurt your tractor to run at it's rated 2500rpm like Jim points out, but it makes sense that running it less than wide open can have some benefits. .

We go around and around on this. Tractor engines are rated to run at PTO speeds all day long. In fact in manuals like the ones for my Ford 2120 rated PTO speed is called "fast idle".

Of course you can run at less speed if you so desire.

Andy