MOWER RPMS

At the PTO indicator on the dash

2100

This has been discussed before a lot. Everyone's yard/situation is different. 3200 engine RPM will get you 2100 mid-PTO RPM. Many run at that RPM. I don't. I run mine at ~2900 engine RPM to get ~1900 mid-PTO RPM. My yard doesn't need anymore than that. But then again, I have a yard not a lawn. Experiment to find what works best for you.

I always run at max RPM-full throttle. Especially helpful when mulching.

Dave

Just finished cutting w/ my 54" deck. I run with the rpm at the PTO symbol. And I get a great cut.

No real lawn or yard for me, just pastures. And I run at the indicated max RPM for the MMM indicated on the tachometer. I actually could use a bit more mowing muscle in thick winter ryegrass forage. It is not your petite-bladed ornamental rye grass. Even if I have to mow at a really low forward speed,and mow year-round, I am happy to have nice grass growing all winter. I didn't even buy any hay this past winter; the horses did fine on winter forage plus a ration-balancer pelleted feed.

I run it at the mark on the guage.

I don’t have a mulcher but I’ve been mowing at 2000 mid pto rpm. I also have a yard not a lawn.

I run at ~3200 Engine RPM, 2101 PTO RPM is usually what I see on the display. The higher RPM gets higher blade tip speed.

ddinham said:

I always run at max RPM-full throttle. Especially helpful when mulching.

Dave

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There's no reason to run at any less than WFO....that's what the governor is for.

AJgrn78 said:

There's no reason to run at any less than WFO....that's what the governor is for.

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I run WOT when "commuting" and back it off 100rpm when I reach a hill (That I'm going down) that might cause an overspeed. Also try and keep mid PTO RPMs less than 2130, since they drop when power is diverted to drive wheels, which isn't WOT and when moving puts my PTO at ~2100.

Edit: Fixed autocorrect "overspend" to "overspeed" and noted that I'm going down the hill when I pull the throttle back.

MattL said:

I run WOT when "commuting" and back it off 100rpm when I reach a hill that might cause an overspend. Also try and keep mid PTO RPMs less than 2130, since they drop when power is diverted to drive wheels, which isn't WOT and when moving puts my PTO at ~2100.

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Overspend. That is a new one. You do realize that you are cutting down on your power that way. Would you back off on your gas pedal in your car when you come to a hill?

Dave

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Depending , I've mowed at Engine RPM speed at 26-2800 and at 28-3000 but usually at 3200 Engine RPM

I've just been throttling up to about 3100-3200rpm and that's been working for my 60" deck, even with tall somewhat wet grass.

Best,

ddinham said:

Overspend. That is a new one. You do realize that you are cutting down on your power that way. Would you back off on your gas pedal in your car when you come to a hill?

Dave

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Autocorrect- should have said "overspeed". I pull back a bit on the throttle because I'm going down the hill, not up it.

'Overspend' is something that I do on a daily basis according to my wife. But really, she is the credit card queen... not me.

MattL said:

Autocorrect- should have said "overspeed". I pull back a bit on the throttle because I'm going down the hill, not up it.

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I was going to ask what overspend meant too...i thought it was something related to a hydrostatic transmission that I was unaware of...
When I was cutting grass with my 1025 most of the time I kept the tach right about at the "PTO rated" line. Later on I decided to just go WOT when blowing snow etc because it was just slightly more throttle.

MattL said:

Autocorrect- should have said "overspeed". I pull back a bit on the throttle because I'm going down the hill, not up it.

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I have never reduced throttle going down a hill. The governor will take care of that. Tractors are designed to run at full throttle all day long. Forget your car mentality and go WOT when working it. The mower deck needs WOT to cut it's best. Don't worry about PTO speed exceeding 540. My 4066R runs 562 RPM on the PTO at WOT, but pulls down to 540 or whatever speed it can maintain. I don't pay much attention to it.

Dave

I have a 60D with mulching kit. In the spring and fall when the lawn is growing fast, thick, and healthy, I end up using full throttle (which gets you the rated 2100 PTO RPM). In the summer when the grass is not as thick or hearty, I can back it down to 2700-2800 engine RPM, which IIRC gets me around 1700-1800 PTO RPM, and still get a perfectly fine cut. Anything more than that in those conditions is just making noise and wasting fuel.

So you certainly CAN back the throttle down when conditions simply do not require full power to do the job.