Mowing Converting BX Mower to Ground Contact Type?

[Henro]

Just wondering...anyone done this?

I've concluded that doing so might be better for my "lawn" as it is more like the ocean on a calm day than a Walmart parking lot.

I mean, it just seems to me that a floating mower would shine on a flat surface, but that a ground contact mower would be better on a surface that is wavy, both in the direction of travel and side to side as well.

Any one done it? Any thoughts or experience along these lines?

 

[Volfandt]

I dunno, a full floater would tend to even out the waves moreso than a ground contact does. Plus a full floater will withstand the pounding much better than a ground contact mower will on uneven terrain.

Lets see if'n I can 'splain.
The ground contact will rise and fall with the hills and dips which would seem to exaggerate these differences in terrain moreso.

The floater will drop somewhat when it encounters a dip as the tractor is dropping but since it isn't following the contour of the ground it won't drop as far as the ground contact. There by making the dip seem less deep and keeping the cut more even with thehigher spot(s).

When a floater encounters a hill or slight rise, it won't raise along the contour of the hill as a ground contact will, it'll only raise when the anti-scalp wheels dictate it too. So if the rise isn't enough to contact the anti-scalp wheels the mower's cut will remain more constant with the lower spots....

Clear as mud?

Volfandt

 

[Hootie]

OK Henro, you got me going. I will be watching this..........

 

[Barnboy]

My yard is rough. Many times I wish i had a floating deck becuse it sounds like i'm beating my deck to pieces.I think toolguy added a piece of chain to his deck to allow it to float.

 

[cabinfever]

I just switched from a Simplicity with ground contact rollers (continuous along rear of deck) to a BX2350. I have only mowed the lawn twice with it so far. One thing I was starting to see was that the grass seemed to get matted down with the ground contact rollers, especially in areas where I could not mow in a different direction. One plus to the ground rollers is that they do help with not scalping the lawn (already did that with the BX). So far I think the BX has a slightly better cut.

 

[wjmst]

I was considering that same question last night as I was mowing. I have several places where the right side of the mower barely cuts the grass and the right side of the mower is scalping the lawn. The 60" MMM is great on the level areas, but can really scalp the unlevel places.

My boss has a 60"mmm on his deere. It has rollers on the deck. His yard in not real level either. He says that he rarely scalps the grass, however, it doesn't always prove to be an even cut either.

I suppose the best solution for all is to level the lawn! I am interested to hear what everyone else here thinks.

Wes

 

[JWE]

I went from a ground contact mower to a 60 inch floater on my BX2200. My property is on a hillside with many angulations. My BX2200 gives a much better cut than the ground contact deck. I’ve never had a problem with scalping. If the anti-scalp rollers are set properly I don’t see how it could scalp anymore than a ground engaging deck. Maybe my ground is not as rough as I think it is! What may help more than ground contact deck is a smaller deck.

 

[teachdocs]

Float will give a better cut if adjusted properly.

 

[Henro]

A couple years ago I had a 60" RFM on my B2910. I remember that the cut was pretty good, but that I had issues with cutting around things.

So I traded in the RFM on a BX (still have the B2910) and bought into the idea that a floating deck would be better.

Now I am not sure. I am pretty sure that a floating deck would be best on a flat lawn.

What I have noticed is that I see places where there are lines that result from the tractor being at a different angle, going on direction as opposed to the other. I got to thinking that IF the mower ran on the ground like my RFM did, rather than be dependent on the angle the tractor is at, at any given moment in time, that the cut might actually be better. Better meaning less of those lines where the grass is at different hights.

I normall mow in the direction I am viewing from the back sitting area. I really noticed the "lines" when I once decided to mow across the direction that I view the pond from...

If no one reports doing such a conversion, I may just try it on my BX and see what I think. Won't be this year though...

I also wonder if some of us are actually running the BX mowers in a semi-on-the-ground mode. Reason being that I have no issue with wear on the wheels, but others have found the need to install axles with grease fitting due to wearing out their BX deck wheels.

 

[Henro]

Float will give a better cut if adjusted properly.

Why would this be?

Imagine a lawn that is like a checker board, with the center of each square being a fair amount higher than the edges. The tractor rolls and pitches like a ship on the sea. The mower being wider than the tractors amplifies the roll.

IF the tractor were much wider than the squares, or much narrower, that would be one situation. But if the tractor were about the same width as the squares, the outer edges of a properly adjusted mower might dig in and cause height differences in cut length of the grass. With lines resulting.

I am pretty sure this happens, but do not know how to adjust the mower deck to account for differnt roll angles that the tractor might find itself at.

Any and all insight would be appreciated...

 

[Tom_H]

I also wonder if some of us are actually running the BX mowers in a semi-on-the-ground mode.

Hi Bill,

Long time hearing from you, been on another trip or project?

Yep, I often run the MMM on the BX2200 half suspended, half in ground contact. I think it cuts well that way. In the spring, after the grass finally dries some, I have to do 2 or 3 cuts with no ground contact, taking off a little at a time to avoid choking. 'Bota advises not running with MMM in full up, but it works just fine for me.

 

[proudestmonkey]

I went from a ground contact mower to a 60 inch floater on my BX2200. My property is on a hillside with many angulations. My BX2200 gives a much better cut than the ground contact deck. I’ve never had a problem with scalping. If the anti-scalp rollers are set properly I don’t see how it could scalp anymore than a ground engaging deck. Maybe my ground is not as rough as I think it is! What may help more than ground contact deck is a smaller deck.

I'm with you. Last year, ground contact Deere. This year, floating Kubota. I live on a big hill, with lots of "undulations" and I much prefer the floating mower. With ground contact, you still scalp if you are riding a crest (which is pretty much unavoidable on my property no matter which direction you are mowing). But with floating, I know longer fear that I am beating the heck out of both the mower and the frame of the tractor.

I just end up leaving the grass a little longer with the floating mower (3.5 inches instead of the 3 inch setting I used on the Deere), which lets me get the effect that Volfandt mentioned (although truth be told I leave it higher to avoid scalping the grass and degrading the blades).

 

[jeffmazz]

Henro,

I would be concerned with the PTO shaft assy. being able to take the punishment of a ground engaging deck. I certainly don't know for sure that it would be an issue but I think it may be something to consider.

You don't want to be watering the lawn with that precious SUDT fluid due to a failed PTO shaft.....that ripped off your hydro filter.......or worse, took out the hydro case.......

 

[ovrszd]

My JD has a floating 54" deck. My Kubota has a 60" ground contact deck. The Boss (wife) says the Kubota does a much better job of mowing in the uneven areas and especially when mowing along the side of a steep grade. When doing that the JD leaves very defined lines because of the tilt of the tractor. Also she says the Kubota mows the low and high spots better because the deck follows the ground, where the JD leaves the grass in the low spot long. In extremely rough spots she likes the JD deck better because it's not bouncing around so bad. She says if you want a fast mow, go with the JD. If you want a quality mow, go with the Kubota.

 

[Volfandt]

"I normall mow in the direction I am viewing from the back sitting area. I really noticed the "lines" when I once decided to mow across the direction that I view the pond from..."

I noticed this very same thing a few weeks ago. Ends up my MMM was "way" outta wack. The right side of my 60" MMM was almost 3/4" lower than the left!
I know that I've wacked the left side a few times trying to get too close a cut and I guess I somehow knocked the left side up which put the right side down.
Anyways I readjusted the MMM at the 3" setting I normally use and I haven't seen these lines anymore. The side to side measurement ain't exactly the same, the left side is lower by about the width of the sharpie mark on my handy dandy blade tip measureer

Lowering of the anti-scalp wheels sounds like a good idea to kinda get the best of both worlds. According to the MMM manual they should be adjusted to where they are about 1/2" off the ground.
I ran mine like this at 1st and the wheels seemed like they were taking a pounding on my rough uneven former pasture and garden. The cut was nice but I got to be concerned that I was gonna have to start stocking extra wheels and axle parts.
So what I do is run my anti scalps to where they are about 1" below the bottom edge of the MMM. At the 3" depth the MMM doesn't scalp, the wheels only seem to spin due to contact with the grass and the cut still looks good enough. Course I ain't talking golf course good , just good enough

In pondering this alittle more, you know, I guess it all depends on the terrain.
I used to go through all kinds of wheels on my Wheel Horse's gound contact mower and had to weld the axle/depth adj on several occasions due to it getting pounded. My ole Howse 5' bushhog went through several shear pins due to hitting hills etc and it was routine to see large clouds of dust behind it when it scalped.
My full floating 60" MMM just doesn't seem to have any of these problems after 2 yrs of weekly mowing, so in my case a full floater is best for both finish cut and equipment manitainability.

Volfandt

 

[brinet]

I know exactly what you mean about uneven "overlaps". I have a lawn that I mow front to back every other time, and left to right the other times. When mowing left to right (on a slight hill) I used to get an uneven overlap. I couldn't figure out why since the overlaps were being cut by the same edge of the deck!

However, I did find the solution. If you are not getting a smooth cut, inspect your deck. Make sure it is level front to back and also left to right. And before attempting to level the mowing deck, check the pressure in all 4 tires! (This is the voice of experience!)

I level the deck by "dialing in" the height I mow at most frequently (usually 3"). Then I check front to back height, making sure they are at 3". Make sure the blades are parallel with the tractor and measure from the cutting edge tip. Measure front to back on both sides until they are the same. Then rotate the blades perpendicular to the tractor. Again, measure from cutting edge tip on each side.

THE MOST IMPORTANT PART: My manual (54" deck) states that the anti-scalp rollers should be betweek 1/8" to 1/4" off the ground. I have found that as close to the garage floor as I can get without touching is good. It doesn't hurt the wheels to spin or slide, but if you do this you are guaranteed a lawn that is exactly the height you specify on the dial, even on the side of a hill.

I have found that when mowing on a hill, the deck seems to favor the lower side of the hill, but with the above fix, this is eliminated.

Anti-scalp wheels are cheap, but a good looking lawn is priceless!

 

[AceDeuce]

I have a warning for those folks talking about lowering their anti-scalp wheels on floating decks to acheive partial ground contact. DON'T DO IT! My deck developed a fatigue crack where the bracket that holds the antiscalp roller is welded on. As sturdy as they look (the bracket), they just aren't designed for the beating they will take if they are in near-constant contact with the ground. My advice? If you want a ground engaging deck, just get a RFM.

 

[n3qik]

The Cub I use to have was used as a ground contact mower. In 10 years of use, I fixed the deck twice due to cracks, replaced the wheels three times, and the lift linkage was fixed onced and needed a compleate replacement when I sold it. Also on wet/muddy ground the deck would sink in and cause the tractor to get stuck. I saw no differance in cuts between the Cub and the Kubota.

 

[twodogs]

I was having a difficult time getting an even cut on a Crapsman mower a few years ago. A local guy told me to drop it down and let it run on the gauge wheels. The cut was fantastic - well - pretty good! Anyway, the MMM on my B7800 rides on wheels and I think it makes a significant difference. It allows the deck to ride on the ground and gives you as level of a cut as you can get. IF your deck can handle it - go for it!