Re: Power Trac Mowing Performance
i better watch myself answering this one some of my former students from the ag. university where i was employed found me.
the first counter question is: which mower are you using rough or fine cut? 48 or sixty inches wide? what are you attempting to achieve?
1. lawn quality cut
2. just mowe
3. knock down the grass and start all over
1. lawn quality cut, depends on grass type, length, use of fert. and frequency of mowing.
if one wants this quality one should mowe at lest once a week to favor the under growth otherwise you kill all the new plants and the thickness and the look of your turf.
you cant' compare a belly mower (BX) cut with a free floating deck cut ... as far as quality grass mowing goes. Speed is of no essence in mowing. the height of the grass, the wetness of the grass, the density of the grass are what dictates the speed.
as posted by me before i can finish 10-11 acres in one our with my pt425 60 inch mower and two kunz acrease 57 inch trailing behind and charge 1 dollar per minute per mower and due an excellent job for my customer.
to your question of what to due because of your schedule. non rough mower spindles take a beating when you try to cut the long grass down to the expected height in one cut. this height in my area in spring is about 3.25 inches. the leftover of the grass when cutting long grass all at once, stunts the growth of the young, replacement grass and can cause a thatching problem.
if you have to cut long grass take it in increments of at least one inch at the time to restore your lawn to a nice even cut. also change direction by at least 15 degrees from the first direction of mowing.
we do horse pastures on estates even with larger mowers and we apply that same principle but with 5 inch intervals. for good density, broad leaf control and parasite control we only take contracts which allow us to mowe the pastures every 4-6 weeks during the spring and fall season.
the pt425 48 inch rough mower plus a kunz eng 5foot powered (14hps) eng. can knock down very tall grass at about 108 inches wide, (providing that you are not on a steep incline )at about 6 miles per hour without any problems.
remember most of these posted speeds by makers of mowers and tractors are to us in the mowing business hogwash. SORRY MOHAMMED i know i am cussing again.
straight line mowing has nothing to do with the tractor, mower. the operators experience is what counts. practice makes the master. fixing your eyes at a distant point and mowing toward is better then following a property or fence line.
good luck ... PLEASE stop comparing a lawn tractor with an articulated tractor .... not fair to either. kubota is great, we have several different types, very inexpensive to operate but they are not as versatile as a pt. i now have almost flipped all my kubota products trying to do what i can do with the pt425.
