what gear do you use

[jimbo64]

what gear and range [low-hi] should i be using to pull a 4 ft.bush hog, i have a 4wd l2500. Low Range seems slow even in higher gears. also same question pulling a middle buster thanks

 

[repete]

What are you mowing? If it is a lawn then that is much different than heavy brush. I just play it by ear and set my speed to my need.

Watch the temp gauge. If it heats up then do not work it as hard.

 

[bpattie]

as repete said it depends on what you are cutting and how well the cut looks if it needs to be neat. I remember cutting grass lawn on a lawn tractor and if i went to fast it looked really bad, travel needed to be slow enough for cutting to look good. In regards to the middle buster I would guess low range for the power, and if you ever caught it on something that would stop the tractor, the slower you are traveling the better.

 

[captjack]

I keep mine in a gear that lets me have the pto at 540 and still cut ok. As others have said - it depends on what im mowing

 

[jimbo64]

What are you mowing? If it is a lawn then that is much different than heavy brush. I just play it by ear and set my speed to my need.

Watch the temp gauge. If it heats up then do not work it as hard.

just mowing flat pasture so it doesn't get overgrown- no brush-just maint= thanks for the inputs so far. Not sure power is an issue in either high or low range- wondering what is better for the tractor and if a little quicker is okay or can I cut in high range rather then low?

 

[Ken45101]

My Woods rotary cutter recommends 1-5 mph. But when cutting a mixture of tall weeds and grass, I get a lot of stripped weed stems left bent over at 4-5 mph. If I gear down, it looks better.

OTOH, if it's just 12" grass, I can mow in 4th or 5th gear (of 8) and it looks good.

Of course, we are talking looks. Even if it doesn't look good, I still probably accomplished the purpose, but I do prefer it to look good if I'm going to bother mowing.

Bottom line, I'd say cut at whatever speed gives you the results YOU desire.

Bush Hog does recommend keeping the PTO rpms at 540 to minimize wear on the blade mounts. I guess lower speed results in more blade swing.

Ken

 

[art]

It depends on the job you are trying to do.

Some mowers do have issues with the quality of cut at higher speeds. It is not like you have a heavy drive line load but a pto load against the engine.

I'd have no issues with cutting in high range if it looked the way you want it!

 

[bp fick]

On the middle buster. Low. Slow. First time over the plot. Checking for rocks and roots. Once you feel secure about all being clear, you can then re plow with more secure feeling.

 

[jimbo64]

what gear and range [low-hi] should i be using to pull a 4 ft.bush hog, i have a 4wd l2500. Low Range seems slow even in higher gears. also same question pulling a middle buster thanks

thanks for the inputs-biggest concern was damaging drive train in the tractor and wondered if having it in high range while using implements would do this.

 

[Ken45101]

thanks for the inputs-biggest concern was damaging drive train in the tractor and wondered if having it in high range while using implements would do this.

As long as you are not lugging the engine, the drive train should be fine. I would worry about cruising along at 10 mph with a plow and hitting something. Your drive train would probably survive, but I'd worry about your implement and 3 pt hitch

Most diesels develop their maximum torque at 1800-2200 rpm. That (or faster) a good range to run for heavy loads.

If you are mowing, and the engine isn't overloaded, then I wouldn't worry about it other than (as I mentioned earlier) Bush Hog recommends keeping the PTO rpms near 540 to minimize wear on the blade pivots.

Last year, I was digging a ditch for some 12v wiring using a single tooth ripper. I was going very slowly in first gear. Suddenly, I had problems. The top link twisted around and broke and the top mount of the ripper was heavily bent. I had hit an old buried fence post and the ripper tooth went sideways. The ripper is junk and Kubota toplink replacements are very expensive

Ken

 

[kthompson]

Anytime you have such as subsoiler it should have some sort of shear pin or trip on it to protect plow and tractor when (not if) you hit a strong solid object. Really any plow used to plow deep should. Some middle busters are and some are not made for deep plowing. If your plow does not and you are plowing with tree roots or rocks or such, SLOW is required. I have heard of people being thrown into the steering wheel and being hurt.