Gravely mowers

[js5020]

A few months back I got a Gravely 2 wheel tractor and a few attachments free for the taking, tractor is in good condition but the two mower decks need work. I have the 30" and the 40", the 30" is in the better condition, my question is will the 30" deck work for grass? Do I need to put crossed blades on it or will the single blade set up work fine? What about those skids do they mark things up bad? Not going after a manicured looking lawn, just cutting the grass.

 

[Nasty135]

jss5020 Hi, sounds like this unit is more of a brush cutter than a lawn mower, A friend of mine has the same unit and thats what he uses it for. But I'm sure it will cut the grass also ,does it have one straight blade or two swinging blades attached to a center disk?

I guess the slides will want to gouge the grass somewhat if your not careful..

 

[js5020]

It has one long thick blade, I have seen where they remove this style blade and replace it with two blades that are stacked on top of each other and placed at a 90 degree angle from each other. I was wondering if this set up works for grass.

 

[Spiffy]

The one single blade should be fine; unless it gains mulching or tall grass cutting capabilty, I don't see where crossing 2 blades is an advantage.

If it was swinging blades then it was definitely intended for "hogging", even then a little tinkering (or changing to a solid and sharp blade) would give a fine grass cut.

If it wasn't so awkward for wider widths, I think fewer machines would use mutiple blades, so don't see any reason to worry about that either.

Small side note: I saw a Swisher ZTR at TSC the other day. Probably a very good machine, but it humored me how it looked to be a ZTR built around one of their trail mowers instead of the other way around! /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif

 

[XmasTreeGrower]

You can use the 30" mower head as is, and you will be amazed at the cut.

It will take down foot high plus grass, and not miss a single blade. There is no advantage to using the crossed blade setup.

I use this head to mow the steep areas of my Christmas tree farm. and constantly marvel at the perfect cut it gives. Bonus for also chewing up anything else you might run over; rocks, branches, etc., just like a regular bush hog.

I believe it works so well because of the high blade tip speed. Run your transmission in the high range to maximize blade speed.

Sharpen your blade up to anything reasonable looking, it isn't fussy. Check the slip clutch springs, they should be lightly seated, then backed off 1/2 turn each.

Just finished up from cutting the upper pasture which contains 2,000 trees with the Gravely. Definetly a workout, but nothing else gets the job done like the old Gravely.

Take some time to get used to the machine. They do not like to be "manhandled", and will just wear you down. Be careful with the old girl., there aren't any OSHA type devices on these babies. and nothing will stop it, even if you want it to.

You will quickly become a convert to the "Secret Underground Society of Gravely Lovers".

Good Luck!

Bill

 

[js5020]

I will give the single thick blade a try, all ready have one of those. So far I have used the open reel snowblower, and the rotary plow. The snowblower is amazing and I prefer it over the blade on the CUT, the rotary plow is wicked when it hits a rock. And you are correct, with that 12 hp Kolher on the back I haven't found anything that slows it down. Figured I would try some mowing with it, to cut down on the hours put on the CUT, plus it is more maneuverable in tight spots than the CUT.