more speed in 2nd gear -3rd too fast for mowing

[tom ca. 0]

mechanic said wheel horse only made 1 drive belt pulley for my 310-8 tranny. where can i find a smaller drive belt pulley, to increase speed of transaxle.  - too much torque & not enough speed for mowing.

[WH nut 553]

 Im not understanding, Why do you want less seat time?

[tom ca. 0]

too many uneven bumpy acres to mow.  this old back starting to stiffen up after i mow.- takes the fun out of mowing.

[stevasaurus 23,456]

I'm not sure I get it either.  You are only going to go about 2 to 3 mph with that horse...it is a low compression engine.. The newer high compression engines are made to mow faster.  Changing the pulley will give you more of what you are talking about, but if you are mowing with a 48" deck, you may not keep up with it.  Changing the pulley will probably also affect the way the drive belt works under the belt guard...that is your clutch. You can find the pulleys, but the guys that do that are usually looking at pulling or something else that the horse was not made for.  Maybe a little more information is in order.

[W9JAB 156]

Less Seat Time? Not in these parts partner.

 

 

But that is a good question, The Wheel Horse manual dose suggest a mowing speed of a “walking speed†if I remember right.  

 

 

An if you got a lot of mowing to do (witch I would classify as more then six beers per sitting  ) I could see faster is better, but your in for a long ruff ride.

 

 

Normally I cut in first gear, in fact I found first too fast. I put a larger pulley on the transmission, I believe I went from a 5†to a 6â€. This gave A nice low speed for trim and close work, and on long straight a ways I now use second.

 

 

This mod. Worked out well for me.

 

Just my two cents.

[decksetter 50]

What size are your rear tires?  Larger rear tires will speed you up a little too.

[tom ca. 0]

thanks for replys "more info on 2nd gear too slow to mow "i had an old sears mower w/ 4 speed.i mowed in 3rd gear, 4th way too fast.- my grounds too uneven & bumpy to mow with a wide deck{scalps] so i'm happy w/ my 36"or38" deck. my wheelhorse has alot more torque & horse than my dead sears. so i think the narrow deck would allow for faster speed by using a slightly smaller drive pulley.

[tbbahner 28]

I've always thought there should be another gear between 2nd and 3rd for mowing, but I don't know if the blade speed would be fast enough, unless you're mowing short grass.

I totally understand what you're saying, Horses sort of plod along when mowing. I invested in a ZTR, cut mowing time in half. But, I still use a Horse for the hills and ditches to get my fix.

[Tankman 3,523]

Mow often. Take off less grass each time.

You can then speed 'round the lawns. And far less thatch buildup too. :smile:

[Fordiesel69 271]

Change engine pulley from 4" to a 5-1/4" and swap on a B-81 belt.  I am doing this to my C-121 as I busted the 4" and ordered the wrong one.