Tell me about 20 series PTO operation

Cargun · May 20, 2006

How high will a 4120 lift a mower? If I could pull my 6' hog 18" off the ground I could lift it to clear stuff.... but I can't recall being on a tractor that would lift a mower that high. I think our 4020 would... but that was in Iowa so there was never anything to clear.

Having to adjust the RPM's isn't bad... but I don't like the idea of a sudden engagement. What really blew my mind was having to stop the tractor and put it in neutral... since it seems a lawyer wrote that and not an engineer it's OK to ignore.

Cargun · May 20, 2006

How high will a 4120 lift a mower? If I could pull my 6' hog 18" off the ground I could lift it to clear stuff.... but I can't recall being on a tractor that would lift a mower that high. I think our 4020 would... but that was in Iowa so there was never anything to clear.

Having to adjust the RPM's isn't bad... but I don't like the idea of a sudden engagement. What really blew my mind was having to stop the tractor and put it in neutral... since it seems a lawyer wrote that and not an engineer it's OK to ignore.

Cargun · May 20, 2006

My mower's two lower attachment points are 21" off the ground. How high can you lift the lower links on a 4120... or any other compact tractor you have experience with? None of the manufacturers publish this.

Cargun · May 20, 2006

My mower's two lower attachment points are 21" off the ground. How high can you lift the lower links on a 4120... or any other compact tractor you have experience with? None of the manufacturers publish this.

Cargun · May 20, 2006

I found the info in the Nebraska tests... 30.5" for the 4x20's. So it'll lift my mower 9.5".... not enough. That'd be close on smooth ground, but add some uneveness and that 9.5" drops pretty fast, especially on a short wheelbase machine.

Cargun · May 20, 2006

I found the info in the Nebraska tests... 30.5" for the 4x20's. So it'll lift my mower 9.5".... not enough. That'd be close on smooth ground, but add some uneveness and that 9.5" drops pretty fast, especially on a short wheelbase machine.

Kyle_in_Tex · May 21, 2006

( If I could pull my 6' hog 18" off the ground I could lift it to clear stuff.... )

Better order an underbody protection kit if you are going to drive over 18" obstacles. There's expensive stuff that will get knocked off if you try to go over big rocks.

What do you mow with currently?

Kyle_in_Tex · May 21, 2006

( If I could pull my 6' hog 18" off the ground I could lift it to clear stuff.... )

Better order an underbody protection kit if you are going to drive over 18" obstacles. There's expensive stuff that will get knocked off if you try to go over big rocks.

What do you mow with currently?

Cargun · May 21, 2006

I don't have much of a problem with the tractor because I can place my tires on top of stuff. And the 18" isn't because of 18" tall obstacles, it's because of 8" obstacles and uneven ground. If the rear tires of the tractor are in a low spot, and the front tires are on a high spot... 18" of clearance at the mower becomes 6" of clearance really fast.

Assuming the ratio between the tractors wheelbase and the length of the of the mower behind the rear axle is 1:1 (it's be worse than 1:1 on a 4120) for every 1" the front tires are higher than the rears the rear of the mower is lowered 1". You can compensate for that some by shortening up the top link to pull the rear of the mower higher than the front when lifted, but that only gains a couple inches at the back. Now picture driving through a 6" depression. When the rear tires are in the depression the mower clearance is 18-6 = 12". And assume the front tires are not in the depression either, so they're 6" higher than the rear and the clearance is 18-6-6 = 6".

I'm mowing with an Allis Chalmers WD45. The previous owner had a Kubota... I think it was a L4400 (he offered it to me with loader, mower, and blade for $14k when I bought the house and like an idiot I said no). A neighbor had been running cattle on it every 3rd year... but I haven't talked to him yet and I still need to maintain the land the two other years.

Cargun · May 21, 2006

I don't have much of a problem with the tractor because I can place my tires on top of stuff. And the 18" isn't because of 18" tall obstacles, it's because of 8" obstacles and uneven ground. If the rear tires of the tractor are in a low spot, and the front tires are on a high spot... 18" of clearance at the mower becomes 6" of clearance really fast.

Assuming the ratio between the tractors wheelbase and the length of the of the mower behind the rear axle is 1:1 (it's be worse than 1:1 on a 4120) for every 1" the front tires are higher than the rears the rear of the mower is lowered 1". You can compensate for that some by shortening up the top link to pull the rear of the mower higher than the front when lifted, but that only gains a couple inches at the back. Now picture driving through a 6" depression. When the rear tires are in the depression the mower clearance is 18-6 = 12". And assume the front tires are not in the depression either, so they're 6" higher than the rear and the clearance is 18-6-6 = 6".

I'm mowing with an Allis Chalmers WD45. The previous owner had a Kubota... I think it was a L4400 (he offered it to me with loader, mower, and blade for $14k when I bought the house and like an idiot I said no). A neighbor had been running cattle on it every 3rd year... but I haven't talked to him yet and I still need to maintain the land the two other years.