Highbeam
Minister of Fire
I suppose it depends on the aerator. Some are so easy to pull that you forget they are back there. Gear trannies seem to not overheat. My last JD mower was a hydro and I am happy to have a 6 speed now.
first lawn tractor, any tips?
- Thread starter maverick06
- Start date
-
Active since 1995, Hearth.com is THE place on the internet for free information and advice about wood stoves, pellet stoves and other energy saving equipment.
We strive to provide opinions, articles, discussions and history related to Hearth Products and in a more general sense, energy issues.
We promote the EFFICIENT, RESPONSIBLE, CLEAN and SAFE use of all fuels, whether renewable or fossil.
- Status
Ashful
Minister of Fire
Assuming the typical 40" - 48" plug aerator. If you're using a spike aerator, save yourself the time / don't bother!
I've owned plenty of gear and hydro tractors, and while the geared garden tractors are handy for pulling a spreader at a constant speed, that's about the only advantage they have. I would not want to plow, mow, operate a front-end loader, or anything else without hydro!
I've owned plenty of gear and hydro tractors, and while the geared garden tractors are handy for pulling a spreader at a constant speed, that's about the only advantage they have. I would not want to plow, mow, operate a front-end loader, or anything else without hydro!
Sprinter
Minister of Fire
I guess the only reason they even use hydrostatics on tractor mowers is to provide a variable speed feature if they just steer from the front. But if you don't take care of them, they can fail. My current mower is a big ZTR, but if I had another tractor mower, I also would prefer conventional gearing. Just old school, I guess.
Edit: I'm thinking a simple lawn tractor here. A real garden tractor with implements may be a different story. I've never used one.
Our Craftsman with a Kohler 18hp motor, manual trans is on year 7. All I do is change the oil, oil filter, and air filters once a year. I suppose I should invest in new belts and a spark plug for next season, but this thing has been rock solid. The only repair was a spindle replacement when I hit a hidden rock in a dug up area. That area has now been leveled and turned into our main garden.
We have a lot of mega blackberries with spikes the size of small nails. They're razor sharp and can puncture tires easily. I put a brush guard on the front and added Green Slime to the tires. The slime is almost a necessity out here. We have the large Craftsman dump cart which does come in handy for moving brush and storm fall to the burn pile. For moving wood I use my truck, mostly because it has so much more capacity which equals a lot less trips to load the wood shed.
.
We have a lot of mega blackberries with spikes the size of small nails. They're razor sharp and can puncture tires easily. I put a brush guard on the front and added Green Slime to the tires. The slime is almost a necessity out here. We have the large Craftsman dump cart which does come in handy for moving brush and storm fall to the burn pile. For moving wood I use my truck, mostly because it has so much more capacity which equals a lot less trips to load the wood shed.
.
Sprinter
Minister of Fire
I had to replace the belt on my old Craftsman after three years, so I'd think you're due. One thing I had to do on mine every year was to remove the heads and scrape carbon off or else it would diesel.
Glad you mentioned that. I hadn't really given any thought to blackberry thorns as a tire hazard, so maybe I'll put slime in my tires also.
Highbeam
Minister of Fire
The newer craftsmans, like my 3 YO model, have a fuel shutoff solenoid on the carb to stop dieseling. It must have been a problem.
These days, with overhead valves, you don't want to pull the head off. You would have to remove the intake system and exhaust system plus deal with whatever pushes on the valves to open. The last thing I am worried about is the engine. I see the deck being the first point of failure due to rust.
I had to do the same on my previous Craftsman. It was a base-model with a lighter deck. After a few years the belt pulley tension system broke a weld. It took me a year of replacing the belts before I finally found the problem. I got it welded and all was fine again. The new, heavier deck seems much more solid as is the Kohler engine. So far there never has been any dieseling. Are they running the newer units leaner?
Sprinter
Minister of Fire
Yeah, I don't know why that happened then. It was a model from about '92. I'm sure it's not a problem these days. Removing a head was so easy to do on that engine, I didn't even mind.
One thing I'm really careful about is keeping the deck clean and the mower under cover. In this climate, sometimes you just have to mow wet and that requires cleaning right after. At over 5 grand, I really want this ZTR to be my last mower.
That brings up another point for the OP. Keep the deck clean, top and bottom, but don't use a power washer. The spindles can get ruined if water gets in.
Ashful
Minister of Fire
I usually run around with the hand-held leaf blower, blowing grass off walkways, porch, and patio, after each mowing. It only takes an extra few seconds to blow off the top and bottom of the deck, around engine cowlings, etc. Helps the mower stay dry, clean, and rust-free.
brobrandonb
Member
If you are going to leave it sit unused for any period of time, drain the fuel and run it dry. The ethanol in fuel these days is killer on engines. Enjoy it!
Highbeam
Minister of Fire
I find this to be a myth. I do use regular red sta-bil but I don't bother running engines dry or draining tanks for many months at a time.
PapaDave
Minister of Fire
I keep Stabil in the gas can over winter (it gets used faster in summer, so I don't use it then), and it gets put in the tractor all winter.
I just leave whatever gas is in the push mower all winter. Starts right up the following spring.
Same for the splitter, whether it gets used much or not.
I just leave whatever gas is in the push mower all winter. Starts right up the following spring.
Same for the splitter, whether it gets used much or not.
Ashful
Minister of Fire
Sprinter
Minister of Fire
Okay, I was going to leave this one alone, but I'll put in my 2c. All modern engines are designed with 10% ethanol in mind. Only if the fuel is exposed to excessive water, like in a marine environment is it a real problem.
As for the oxidation problem, it should last at least 6 months without treatment. It helps a lot to keep the tank full to keep oxygen from getting to it and as cool as possible. With Stabil it should last a year.
If you are going to store an engine for more than a year, even with Stabil, then draining the carb and fuel lines is a good idea. Essential, even.
sorry i guess i just didn't know what to call it. it's a spiker that is under the spreader. and it's a old murray 5 speed with a 16.5 hp motor. does more than i expect from it.
If you can find a gear tranny in entry level machines these days, it's crap, I'd rather the hydro. They've gotten to the point of omitting any kind of bearing/bushing, even on the input shafts!
Thanks for all the feedback! I really appreciate it! I had not thought of the chains, but likely will do that. In the spring the soil stays quite wet as there is a lot of clay in it. They would certainly help.
I mowed the backyard 2 days ago, it worked great, a few challanges with the hill in the backyard. it took a few tries to get it up the slope, but have that figured out. I did realize that i want to get mulching blades on it, it just throws a lot of grass around. i have always mulched it and prefer that. I also found that even on the highest setting, the grass is cut a bit shorter than i would have liked. however thats ok. its shorter than I would like, but not too short. Mulching will be nice
I mowed the backyard 2 days ago, it worked great, a few challanges with the hill in the backyard. it took a few tries to get it up the slope, but have that figured out. I did realize that i want to get mulching blades on it, it just throws a lot of grass around. i have always mulched it and prefer that. I also found that even on the highest setting, the grass is cut a bit shorter than i would have liked. however thats ok. its shorter than I would like, but not too short. Mulching will be nice
Ashful
Minister of Fire
Definitely go with a mulching deck, if it's an option. The previous owner of my machine got them to remove the mulching deck and swap a standard deck onto the machine at time of purchase (they refunded him the $1700 difference in price between the decks, according to the sales receipt), and it's a major bummer for me. I'm forever having trouble with heavy windrow clippings laying on my lawn, which seems to be growing about a foot per week, right now.
I've never seen how a mulching blade works on a standard deck. Anyone got any real experience with them?
I've never seen how a mulching blade works on a standard deck. Anyone got any real experience with them?
Wow, $1700 for a mulching deck is hywy robbery. Try partially closing the exhaust shoot of your existing deck. Theoretically it will force the blades to re cut the first cuttings again. You need to have enough hp to drive the blades harder. Make sure the grass is very dry.
So Joful, you originally had a 757 with the MOD option? (Mulch On Demand) They were a nifty concept (pull a lever and switch between mulching/discharge) that was a disaster in the field apparently. Lots of moving baffles and hinged push/pull mechanisms.
Not your everyday mulching deck, see above. Turns out you were better off using either a dedicated mulch kit or an OCD (Operator Controlled Discharge, basically a flap that would cover the discharge when you needed to, like when mowing near an inground pool, garden bed, cars, etc.) device. Either option was a lot cheaper than the MOD deck.
Ashful
Minister of Fire
MasterMech... I thought ALL those 7-iron decks were MOD. I did not know they even made a dedicated mulcher for that chassis.
gzecc... we're talking about a different class of mower, here. This is a $10k commercial mower, typically configured. The previous owner of mine had it stripped down to $7600'ish by dropping a few of the options the dealer had ordered with it.
gzecc... we're talking about a different class of mower, here. This is a $10k commercial mower, typically configured. The previous owner of mine had it stripped down to $7600'ish by dropping a few of the options the dealer had ordered with it.
I'm currently enamored with toothed sail high-lift blades. They retain the lift needed for excellent quality of cut but still shred clippings better than regular high-lift blades, which pretty much cut once and throw. Mulch blades without all the extra baffling a mulch kit provides will also give much finer clippings but you sacrifice the lift. Note that if you're getting heavy layers of clippings, no blade will make them disappear but making the clippings finer will help them break down much faster so you are not re-processing last weeks clippings this week.
Something like these:
They're Mulch compatible (with the proper kit) but the actual MOD deck is a rare bird.
Looks like Deere has been doing some homework, this design is much improved from the prototype decks I saw in FL several years ago. From a mechanical standpoint, much better/simpler. Cutting performance will vary by region and conditions of course.
Ashful
Minister of Fire
Hmmm... I've been thinking of picking up a spare set of blades for that deck (not cheap!). Maybe I should consider those? Will have to check availability / pricing.
My issue is just growth rate, given how much I fertilize. Normally, it's just an issue in the spring, but with the damage done by my spreader malfunction this summer, I hit it with some high-N fertilizer last month. Now I'm seeing an inch per day! I mow every 5th day, weather permitting. With a growth rate around 1 inch per day, it's like bailing hay, if I let it go longer than that.
My issue is just growth rate, given how much I fertilize. Normally, it's just an issue in the spring, but with the damage done by my spreader malfunction this summer, I hit it with some high-N fertilizer last month. Now I'm seeing an inch per day! I mow every 5th day, weather permitting. With a growth rate around 1 inch per day, it's like bailing hay, if I let it go longer than that.
- Status
Similar threads
