dsholler 54 #1 Posted June 18, 2012 Forgive my ignorance on this topic, but I am new to tractors in general. I have a 414 with a 48 inch SD deck, and have had some challenges with slipping PTO. Now that I have rebuilt it (and got the belt on the correct pulley) it cuts the grass beautifully. However, the grass was pretty long with all the rain we have had in CT. I usually cut most of it in 3rd gear low.. when I went through the tall (6") grass, I could hear the engine RPM slow just a bit. the question is, am I doing something bad by doing that? I have nearly 2 acres of lawn with lots of rocks and things, so it is pretty time consuming to mow. (lots of retracing my path). and I am hoping I am not doing something bad by making the engine work that hard... it already takes a long time to mow in 3rd gear low.. I would hate to have to slow down.. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
bowtiebutler956 650 #2 Posted June 18, 2012 Having the RPM's drop is perfectly normal, and just means the engine is working a little. I was designed to work, so I wouldn't worry about it. 3rd low is plenty slow enough. Matt :flags-texas: Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
AMC RULES 37,196 #3 Posted June 18, 2012 You're working it with the throttle maxed out, correct? Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
decksetter 50 #4 Posted June 19, 2012 Forgive my ignorance on this topic, but I am new to tractors in general. I have a 414 with a 48 inch SD deck, and have had some challenges with slipping PTO. Now that I have rebuilt it (and got the belt on the correct pulley) it cuts the grass beautifully. However, the grass was pretty long with all the rain we have had in CT. I usually cut most of it in 3rd gear low.. when I went through the tall (6") grass, I could hear the engine RPM slow just a bit. the question is, am I doing something bad by doing that? I have nearly 2 acres of lawn with lots of rocks and things, so it is pretty time consuming to mow. (lots of retracing my path). and I am hoping I am not doing something bad by making the engine work that hard... it already takes a long time to mow in 3rd gear low.. I would hate to have to slow down.. Make that horse work! It should be fine. You might want to check and make sure compression is still good, but you should expect it to bog a little in taller / thicker grass. A 48" deck will take a lot of power to run. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Fordiesel69 271 #5 Posted June 19, 2012 As long as the carb is adjusted correctly and the exhaust pipe is not turning red, then it is fine to lug it down. 3rd low is too slow for that setup unless you are using your deck as a brush hog. High 1 or 2 is what you will want. If it lugs down too much then you are letting the grass get too high. I would say if it looses more than 50% RPM then it is too much. My B-100 cut 2 months of overgrowth in 2nd high. It worked real hard and was about 50% RPM drop most of the time. It even puffed some black momentarily upon recovering from working hard. I ended up recutting the next day in 3rd high as it looked terrible. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
can whlvr 994 #6 Posted June 19, 2012 ya i think 3rd low is too slow also,i can run 2nd high allways,but im only running a 42 with my 414,and they will hit the governor when under load Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
dcrage 630 #7 Posted June 19, 2012 I am going to chime in and say there is nothing wrong with cutting in 3rd gear, low range -- I have put dozens of hours on my 310-8 in 1st and 2nd gear, low range just because I could NOT get to the yard being cut more than monthly -- You will off course have to adjust your speed to fit the job -- I also left my deck hanging off the manual height control lever used to adjust for snow plowing and not dropped fully to the ground -- I assume this meant it wasn't cutting level, but it lessens the load on the tractor -- For these severe cases you end up making mutiple passes over the same spot to get the grass cut -- So yeah it would be more efficient to cut your grass more often -- But hurting your tractor because it opens the govener up, no; at least that is what my 310-8 experience has been Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
dsholler 54 #8 Posted June 19, 2012 thanks.. I am glad to hear I am not doing anything. I always run it at full throttle, except if I have to stop and get off for some reason. I will continue to make it work.. no smoke, no red exhaust, so all is well. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Fordiesel69 271 #9 Posted June 20, 2012 A good example: A 5 KW generator running at 1500 watts will use a little governor. This engine will last a very long time under this load condition. Low EGT's, low load, lower oil temp, lower head temp. A duplicate model run in another building under a 3500 watt load will run with the governor open more and will have much higher EGT, head temp, oil temp, etc, and with proper maint will still last, but just not as long. So you are not "hurting the engine" just keep in mind the less load the less wear. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
can whlvr 994 #10 Posted June 21, 2012 sorry guys,i may not have come across like i meant,i can do 2 high because i am lucky enough to get my lawn every week,but i agree that every situation is different and of coarse if the grass is high you need to adjust,but i find its normal fot the governor to be working now and again Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
