Throttle setting while mowing

[Confused99 2]

Reading the "48 deck on a 310-8" thread brought up an interesting questions to me. Some people are saying they only mow at 3/4 throttle and some said they mow at full throttle. I personally mow at full throttle for 2 reasons. The first being the grass seems to discharge further at full throttle and since I mow with an 8 speed and 1st gears seems too slow for 90% of the mowing I do and 2nd is too fast for 90% of my mowing, I just run in 1st and want to make 1st gear go as fast as possible. What are your thoughts and throttle settings?

[nylyon-(Admin) 8,566]

I looked through the manuals for my 416-H and didn't see any recommendation regarding throttle. In the Eaton-11 manual however, it clearly states to run at full throttle and not less than 3/4.

With a manual trans, I don't see a huge issue with running less than full, but I have to believe that the mower will operate better at the higher speed.

[Rollerman 290]

I'll copy my last post to that thread & put it here too.

Maybe someone will offer a better, clearer explanation.

Also most twin cylinder engines are pressure lubed & able to take the slower engine speeds, but the fan, shrouding & cooling fins need WOT to be efficient.

I see some of you mentioning running at lower RPM's thinking it's less stress on your engine or tractor.

All the Wheel Horses & implements are designed to run at wide open throttle.

Not only are you running the deck, snow blower, tiller, etc,etc slower than what it's designed to....you could also be causing premature engine wear.

This is probably especially true with the splash lubed singles.

Keeping up on the oil changes, keeping the cooling fins clean & free of debris, plus avoiding extended idleing will go a long ways in makeing a small engine last years......much more than in theory cutting the RPM's & going easy on an engine.

Sorry I'm not trying to be preachy & don't mean to hijack the thread.

[Jim_M 179]

I agree with Stephen. Wide open throttle, that's the way they're designed to run.

[WheelHorse_of_course 100]

Here you go - straight from the horse's (Toro's) mouth:

From the Toro FAQ:

What are the benefits of running your riding mower on full throttle?

* Cleaner cut on the grass

* More power, less likely to bog down

* Less stress on the engine

* Engine runs cooler

* Slow engine speeds can result in hot spots on the cylinder

* In addition, many of these machines have hydrostatic transmissions that generate heat during operation. They have a fan that keeps them cool and the fan is driven directly by the engine. Running the engine less than full speed will frequently allow the transmission to overheat. The first sign is usually a lack of power on hills. Permanent transmission damage can result. By keeping the engine at full speed the operator will keep the fan at full speed. This will maximize the air flow for the transmission keeping it cooler and preventing premature failure.

* Riding products should be at full throttle at all times.

:thumbs2:

[WheelHorse_of_course 100]

Here is a link to Toro's interactive manual "Quality of Cut". It is well done.

http://216.213.143.2/ProAuthor/ManProc.cfm...Skill=1&Lang=-1

Hopefully this long link will work, other wise go to Toro.com and choose customer care. A new window will open and the click on interactive manuals.

Quality of Cut is listed twice, but only the second link works. :thumbs2:

[WheelHorse_of_course 100]

Weird, rereading this quality of cut manual, Toro recommends1/2 to 1 inch for Zoysia grass.

If I do that the lawn would be brown.

I guess that proves that I do have a thatch problem. Time for a new attachment!

Hmm, how do I tell the wife

:ychain:

[Confused99 2]

I should also add that when pushing snow, I do not use full throttle. I usually run 1/2 or so as I will run out of traction way before I run out of power. Another reason I run it slower too is it is quieter so I don't wake up the neighbors.

Jason

[Ken B 3,202]

When its heavy snow I'm wide open. With a little rolling speed you'll gain momentum and will be less likely too lose traction. My little Wheel Horse 604 pushed its guts out this past winter. Of course the bigger the tractor and the more ponies it has you can tone it down some.

[WHC-125 4]

I agree with Confused99, I am out plowing sometimes at 5:30 in the morning for some people and I run at like 1/2 throttle. My C-125 has enough power at that for anything, and I run at like 3/4 to full throttle when crusing around or plowing the piles at the end from the plow truck

[gwgdog66 23]

The owners manual for my 1975 C-160 8 speed states full throttle and second gear for normal mowing. Second gear is too fast for me in some area's so I use first gear full throttle. Works just fine and discharges the grass with no problems. Plus full throttle charges the battery at the proper rate. :thumbs2:

[Ted Wendel 0]

I must have thin grass,I cut full throttle in third gear.

[pfrederi 19,290]

I must have thin grass,I cut full throttle in third gear.

....and a very smooth yard!!

Most of what I mow is too bumpy for 3rd gear...some is too rough for 2nd....

For most of the season it is roughness of the ground as opposed to thickness of grass that determines mowing speed for me

[Mattbg79 1]

I honestly run mine at 3/4 while mowing mostly because its alot smoother taking off and shifting while turning around at the end of my passes. My dad runs his the same way, and hes got well over 3000hrs on his motor. Again, we may both be wrong, but we also use the best of synthetics, and maintain these things as if they were the finest of european sportscars. If i get 3000hrs before a rebuild as he did, ill be happy. Especially considering his didnt even need it, hes just anal and wants it perfect.

[bo dawg 536]

Thats why I love automatics, you can run full throttle and with just the slight adjustment of speed for turning, or areas of yard too bumpy or too tall of grass, and not to mention how easy it is to back up and move on while trimming. But full throttle a must for proper running and cooling.

Plus the faster you go helps with moving more air through my hair and cooling me while sitting on the tractor in the heat of the day :thumbs2:

[Mattbg79 1]

Thats exactly why I bought my 520. It was a junker, but its almost back to life, i ordered the last of the parts last night so i guess in about 3 weeks(seems to be the norm turn around from mowpart ) ill be using the auto for mowing. Ill definately run that one at full throttle to take care of the pump.

[travisg84 1]

Maybe it is because mattbg79 and I are brothers and learned our mowing habbits from the same man, I mow at about 3/4 trottle also, I only use full throttle around the latteral lines in the yard since it's alittle thicker in that area. The old 12 is in fine form and never been rebuilt.

[Duff 206]

Heck, I might as well jump in here, too, since I just came in from mowing - great seat time!

There's a field behind our house that the absentee owner has stopped mowing and poison ivy has taken over . Not wanting that crap to creep onto our property (the wife is very sensitive to poison ivy), I decided to knock it down with my Horse (312-8) and its 37SD deck.

We've had a wet spring so everything has grown amazingly around here. The grass/poison ivy/weeds in that field are between 2 and 3 feet high (measured it) and pretty well matted together. Taking 1/2 swath with each pass and the mower deck lifted up on the high transport setting, I ran full throttle and never even lugged the engine (3rd gear, low range). I did some of it in 1st gear, high range and still never lugged the engine. The PTO did slip once or twice so I feathered the clutch, but only very briefly. The engine showed no signs of overheating over about an hour and a half of steady, hard work. Dang, that M12 is a power house!

I also mow my regular lawn at full throttle because it seems to maximize the lift and give the smoothest cut. So my vote is for full throttle - and keeping your blades sharp!

Duff

Oh yeah - I did hit the shower immediately after finishing mowing. I'm not terribly allergic to poison ivy, but I also don't want to tempt fate! :ychain: