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Mowing at 2600RPM with the 54" MMM

5K views 29 replies 15 participants last post by  genesusie 
#1 ·
I'm new to the tractor world so I have been reading a lot and noticed several threads about reducing RPMs since these tractors have a radiator and do not need full throttle for cooling. I decided to experiment and reduced my 1023R with 54"MMM to 2600 RPM just because it sounded good at that RPM. After 5 times of cutting grass I plan to stay at this RPM because I see no difference in the cut quality and the fuel consumption reduced significantly. Also a noticeable lowering of the temperature.

I have a flat yard with a mixture of grasses, not a lawn, but I take pride in making it look good and I am very pleased. So unless the more knowledgeable say there is something harmful to the tractor you may want to experiment with your yard and tractor.
 
#2 ·
There is no harm that can come of running lower rpms, I've noticed the same thing you have and have continued to mow at around 2700. Contrary to popular belief just because they have an icon of a pto shaft at a certain rpm doesn't mean that every pto implement requires that much. My tiller is probably the only implement that I run wide open with, even my rotary cutter doesn't require that unless I'm into some very heavy stuff.
 
#3 ·
I'm curious at what speed cut quality decreases. I always run my mid PTO at 2100 RPM (I.E. Max engine RPM) in high gear at a speed as fast as I can travel without the tractor getting thrown around too much by my not-so-smooth yard.:greentractorride:

I know it seems to cut fine when the PTO rpm bogs down to 1850 when driving up a hill... I try to go a little slower then.
 
#10 ·
I've only got one flat spot, which will soon be a deck. Low gear is just too slow! :hide: I don't have my foot planted in high gear on these hills. Now, If I could get the turbo engine out of a 2038r.... I'd be running flat out!
Why would you do that to your tractor :banghead:

Don't take any offense to this, but things like this are exactly why I have always been cautious about buying used.
 
#4 ·
FWIW, we mow our yard at about 1700-1800 mid-pto rpm. Does a good job and I don't see any need to run it faster. Plus fuel consumption is better.
 
#5 ·
You guys in posts 1 thru 4 are finding and doing what I said a couple years ago that the rpm’s don’t need to be high to cut grass. I run at 1900 to 2200 all the time cutting grass. The blades are kept sharp and they cut no different than when the rpm’s are high. A real myth to be at full throttle making unwanted noise and wasting fuel.
:quiet::quiet: best keep this quiet or the non believers will go berserk.
 
#7 ·
I just run the PTO @ 2000 which puts the engine at I would say 3000RPM, my theory was if the max PTO is 2100, i'm not always running it full out. Works well for me and NEVER bogs down and throws the grass a good distance nice and clean, but often wondered if I needed to run it that quick. Honestly I don't know if I'll change it though. I'm suspecting i'll run the blower close to the same RPM's...again so it doesn't bog down. We will see in a few short months. :(

Kevin.
 
#8 ·
JEESE! If I tried mowing my lawn in high range I would be peeing blood by the end! Too hard on the equipment unless you got a really flat lawn.. IMO.. I mow low range and mid PTO around 2100 and that's with mulching.
 
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#11 ·
No offense taken! I have the same issue with buying new since I don't know how others treated it *or* maintained it. Mostly its a question of time, it takes me about 1.5 hours for mowing (mostly due to lots of obstructions). Also, I figured if my gas cub cadet XT2 (very entry level GT, no locking diff...) can hit that speed, surely a 3 cylinder diesel with a much stronger drive train can do it too.
 
#13 ·
Is there a good rule-of-thumb for maximum RPM drop prior to the operator decreasing engine load? I generally lift off the pedal (but stay in high gear) if indicated PTO drops by 100 rpm. Engine rpm will of course be dropping by more than 100 rpm, but I'm not sure exactly what that would correlate too - its much easier for me to see the digital PTO speed dropping from 2100 to 2000 rpm.

Love this forum, always learning tips from more experienced owners since I only have 2 years / 90 hours on this tractor.
 
#15 ·
The gear range and RPM you mow in is all based on the surroundings and circumstances. You literally have to listen to your tractor. Hi range works great when things are flat and you'll both hear and feel when you should be in low. On a slope in high range, the tractor will whine and struggle and you'll know it's time to downshift. The same holds true of speed; can you hear your deck bouncing around and can you feel your kidneys bouncing like paddle balls? Time to slow down. Or is your lawn glass smooth where you can feel the wind in your hair at full speed with nary a bump to be felt? It's all circumstantial and only the operator will know what is appropriate for their lawn and surroundings.

My flat lawn allows for mowing in high range all the time at about 1/2 speed (5 mph). I tend to use a higher RPM because I'll go a number of weeks between mowings and have to cut 6-12 inches at a time. I can back off the RPM quite a bit when I mow on a weekly basis. It's all circumstantial.
 
#19 ·
I have hills. I have rough ground. I have NOT smooth ground. Yeppers you guessed it. I mow in low gear. The RPM's are where it's comfortable for the engine. If the grass is taller then normal then I increase the RPMs to throw the cut grass out farther so it will spread out more. I don't like windrows so that also means I raise the MMM chute where it can be done without doing damage of any kind. It's called mowing, how hard can it be?
 
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#26 ·
I’m terrible about mowing on time so I’m usually a bit tall. I find noticeable difference in the degree of mulching if I lower the rpm. I mow in low gear and I’m slow and methodical but if I’m not close to full bore on the thick stuff I get much more noticeable clumping. Where as at full throttle it just disappears.
 
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