Why mow in first gear? (tach says 540rpm 1st)

[Snaker]

The one thing I will never understand is why they went from oil bath precleaners to paper cartridges. The tractor motor is actually a stable motor platform and the oil stayed in the bottom of the reservoir like it was supposed to and removed 95 percent or more of the contaminants.

When dad was mowing the old pasture the trash screen would load right up and then he always checked the oil bowl for junk when he cleaned off the chaff screen and you always new it was working because the oil in the bowl was black and you could see the dirt level in the bowl when you tipped it a little bit.


The oil bath air cleaner has gone the way of industrial hemp for paper use and of course the paper companies love that too. Perhaps its not to late to wake up..............................

Years ago I worked for a crazy North Dakota farmer. One day I was given a job to clean the oil bath using a rickety old chair. The air cleaner was the size of a five gallon bucket and weighed a ton. I ended up wearing the oil.

 

[Soundguy]

it's about money.

tractor dealer can sell you a pretty spendy paper element, vs selling what/ a quart of oil?

also a lil about ergonomics.

as a paper filter plugs, you can then use those nifty vacume gauges to turn an idiot lamp on.. ie.. change when needed.. vs draining an oil cup daily.. etc.

soundguy

 

[garc]

Back on topic I find this thread confusing but that's just me :confused2:.
Here's my take on first gear mowing.

On my Kubota B3030 engine speed has to be 2600 RPM
to get the required PTO speed of 540 RPM.
At 2600 engine RPM I need to be in LOW range
on my 3 speed hydrostatic transmission to travel at a reasonable speed for mowing;
MEDIUM or HIGH at 2600 results in too much forward speed for even mowing and safe operation in my case.

I would suspect that similar constraints apply to your Century 2028 tractor KenEmAll. With 12 gear ratios I'm guessing you have 1,2,3 X 1,2,3,4 ?
Like my hydrostatic transmission your range shift (AKA: shuttle shift ?) should be in LOW or 1st gear and then select a suitable gear on the shifting transmission for forward speed. In my case I have the hydrostatic 'pedal to the metal' (floored). That would translate to 4th or top gear on your shifting transmission I expect ?

 

[ynnadresoob]

I don't think it matters what gear you mow in as long as you have enough horsepower to handle the load . So you need to pick a gear that your tractor will do the job right and still maintain 540 rpm.