At what Groundspeed do you mow?

Glowplug

Glowplug

Member
I've heard different advice about at what is the best ground speed to mow. Sure it will vary according to the conditions. But I was just wondering what was most peoples' philosophy. One of my manuals says you should be between 2 and 5 mph. When using my rotary cutter in not real thick stuff I'm usually going along at 3.8-4 mph. But I've also heard some people say that you get a better cut by going faster. Now, for the life of me, I don't know how that could be. I CAN see how you MAY get a better cut with a faster blade tip speed but I DON'T see how you could possibly get a better cut with a faster ground speed. What do y'all think?
 
The faster I go, the worse it looks when I'm done. My little TC18 has Hi and Low range. I usually run it at max Low speed if using the MMM. With the RFM, I can go a little faster by bumping it up to Hi, but there again it doesn't look too good.
 
Ground speed is dependent on conditions...
Most important is to have your PTO turning at correct speed 540/1000 depending on your unit...:rolleyes:
Another point to consider is to make your cutting such that the uncut portion is on your right...(this is assuming your rotary mower blade turns counter-clockwise)
Adjustment aspects to consider...
1. make sure cutter is level side to side...if not, adjust draft links
2. make sure rear of cutter is 1 inch higher than the front of the cutter
3. make sure blades are not too worn, dull, or bent
 
I've no idea the ground speed I go. If I remember I could use my hand held GPS and get a reading. Like others have mentioned going faster on my conventional mowers gave me a sloppy cut. I have a ZTR now and I definitely go faster than conventional mowers, but I've never clocked it. The ZTR is capable of 11mph according to the manual, but I do not mow at top speed due to a rather bumpy yard that used to be a tomato field.
 
I go as fast as is comfortable on the tractor. I have high and low range with 3 gears in each. 3rd gear in low range seems to be the best speed, I can still get a good cut in 1st gear on the high range but my ground makes for a bumpy ride at the higher speed. My tractor runs the pto at 540 at 2400 rmp on the engine, I still get a good cut at 2000 rpm so that is where I run. No idea how many mph that is though.
 
It appears as though we are discussing two different cats on this thread:
  1. PTO driven = whatever ground speed that allows the cut to be even at given RPM at/for the blade, I run my tractor at around 2100 which gives something less than < 540 rpm blade speed but it also stays constant with the second notch of the cruise control that is sufficiently fast/slow enough to chew it up before it spits it out and looks well cut!
  2. Engine driven = (mid mount) mostly belt drives and Some shaft driven ZTR's depending on the make model about the same RPM as the engine about 3-4 times faster than a 540 PTO Brush Hog unit! You can cut with any ground speed that doesn't overload the engine (reduce rpm) and that you can comfortably hang on to!!
  3. I suggest that the lowest engine RPM that gives you a clean cut and does not stress the engine will save you $$ both in fuel consumption and wear and tear!!
 
Archdean said:
It appears as though we are discussing two different cats on this thread:
  1. PTO driven = whatever ground speed that allows the cut to be even at given RPM at/for the blade, I run my tractor at around 2100 which gives something less than < 540 rpm blade speed but it also stays constant with the second notch of the cruise control that is sufficiently fast/slow enough to chew it up before it spits it out and looks well cut!
  2. Engine driven = (mid mount) mostly belt drives and Some shaft driven ZTR's depending on the make model about the same RPM as the engine about 3-4 times faster than a 540 PTO Brush Hog unit! You can cut with any ground speed that doesn't overload the engine (reduce rpm) and that you can comfortably hang on to!!
  3. I suggest that the lowest engine RPM that gives you a clean cut and does not stress the engine will save you $$ both in fuel consumption and wear and tear!!
Click to expand...

Good point! But, I've seen that statement spark a whole mess of controversy and discussion before! Nonetheless, I think it's worth a rep boost to ya!

I am really mainly talking about at what speed you're moving over the ground when mowing. This is really independent of blade tip speed, engine rpms, or PTO rpms.
 
""""I am really mainly talking about at what speed you're moving over the ground when mowing. This is really independent of blade tip speed, engine rpms, or PTO rpms.""""

Well not exactly, with a HST transmission and the engine running fast enough to give you 540 PTO RPM (around 2500 RPM) your ground speed can be whatever you want it to be up to the max of that ratio!

And with a gear transmission assuming that you do not have a live PTO the gear ratio with a set throttle point will be the limiting factor for ground speed!!

What I should of said before about ground speed is this:

If your resulting cut is clean at a particular ground speed it can be increased till it shows a ragged look by either changing gears or by increasing the HST speed pedal, providing the engine does not decay in RPM due to load!

example: if you mow a strip of grass a 1000' long cleanly and it takes 2 minutes you are traveling (moving over the ground) at 5.5 MPH, about a mans average walk speed!

Hope this clears up what I meant to say re: ground speed and thanks for the rep point!
 
Archdean said:
What I should of said before about ground speed is this:

If your resulting cut is clean at a particular ground speed it can be increased till it shows a ragged look by either changing gears or by increasing the HST speed pedal, providing the engine does not decay in RPM due to load!
Click to expand...

Or 'til you start bouncing out of the seat!:ohmy: Whichever comes first!:biggrin:
 
Glowplug said:
Or 'til you start bouncing out of the seat!:ohmy: Whichever comes first!:biggrin:
Click to expand...
then I'm in luck - since i wear my seat belt when mowing, I can't bounce out of my seat!

on the other hand, today i was mowing in range 2, 3rd gear on the flats and 1st gear with diff lock on going up the steep part of the hill. live pto set at 540 rpm, but most of the grass was only about 1 foot or so high. When it's 3' or better, i stick 2nd gear or less.
 
In my experience it's been a mow-taller, mow-slower situation. But the lawn seems to be happier so I can put up with an extra 15 or 20 minutes of mowing time when I do it.
 
I mow in 4th Low, which the book says is good for 5.05 mph at rated rpm...

Can't tell any difference at that speed and any slower speed.
 
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