Mowing Pto speed brushhogging

/ Pto speed brushhogging #1  

7879fordman

Gold Member
Joined
Apr 17, 2013
Messages
348
Location
gillham arkansas
Tractor
1969 massey 135 and a 2013 m7040hd 4x4 2013 L3800 HST 4x4
Ok should the pto speed gauge be around 540 or am I running to high a rpm .
M7040 with 1872 landpride

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Last edited:
/ Pto speed brushhogging #2  
Chances are the mower is rated at a 540 max rpm. Running a little slower won't hurt it but running to far over speed can cause premature wear on it.
 
/ Pto speed brushhogging #3  
Check your manual. My Kubota's PTO 540 RPM is obtained at max engine RPM. The newer machines have a governor that prevents over speeding. Max RPM (throttle wide open) is what they are designed to do. I only run my PTO stuff at Max unless I need max Hydraulic pressure (rare). Max Hydraulic pressure is also obtained at Max engine RPM. Poer is relative to RPM.

Ron
 
/ Pto speed brushhogging #4  
Run 540 on your PTO and gear the tractor up or down.
 
/ Pto speed brushhogging
  • Thread Starter
#5  
Ya the landpride operating instructions says maintain 540 rpm pto speed and 2-5 miles a hour or slower for dense stuff .

So the gauge shows the pto rpm right . So I was a little over there in the one pic at 560 pto rpm . And I had it slow in the other .

I'm used to the one only tractor I have 135 mf . And was taught to bushhog it at 1500-1700 engine rpm. And that is about 3/4 throttle .

And in the pic were I have the kubota at 560 pto it's at 3/4 throttle . So watch the pto rpm gauge and keep it at 540 .

Thanks guys as I have no one else I can ask .

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/ Pto speed brushhogging #6  
We run our L5740 and M8540 at 540 plus or minus a bit, may bog down a bit in tough stuff going up hill. We use a LP RCR2672 on the 5740 and Woods DS1260 on the M8540. On the M8540 if it bogs down a bit I will use the foot throttle temporarily to kick it back up a bit, but only if it drops quite a bit.

The Kubota seems to really be running high RPM in comparison to the old Ford, Case, Massey Fergusons we have, but you get use to it.
 
/ Pto speed brushhogging #7  
It all depends on the tractor. IIRC, the MX5100 only reaches 540 at WOT. My M5040 and M9540 are way overspeed on the PTO at WOT (something beyond 650 rpm) and I have to pay attention to avoid overspeed.

That was one of the things I didn't like about the MX5100, I don't like running engines at WOT.
 
/ Pto speed brushhogging #8  
I set my pto to about 560 rpm unloaded. When I pull into an uncut area, pto will drop to 540 rpm (2650 engine rpm). If I get into heavy stuff and the pto drops to 500 rpm, I will slow travel speed and bring pto back up to 540 rpm. I get best cut at 540 pto rpm. Philip.
 
/ Pto speed brushhogging
  • Thread Starter
#9  
Thanks guys .

Sent from my iPhone 5 using TractorByNet
 
/ Pto speed brushhogging #10  
ive always ran my pto at 1800 to 2000rpms .never have i ran it at full 540 pto speed.
 
/ Pto speed brushhogging #11  
ive always ran my pto at 1800 to 2000rpms .never have i ran it at full 540 pto speed.

That is a pretty high pto speed! So, what does your 'engine' rpm of 1800-2000 translate into pto rpm? Philip.
 
/ Pto speed brushhogging #12  
I suppose it varies quite a bit from tractor to tractor and also what you're cutting at the time. Around my place, we seldom need to get the cutter wound up to 540 rpm... it cuts just as well at a somewhat slower speed. If there's no difference in how it cuts, there wouldn't seem to be much need to add the extra engine rpm just to reach 540 on the pto. I think part of it is that the tractor we use has a reserve of power for the size of the cutter. The engine speed for 540 on the pto is 2700 rpm, but we've found once you get above 2200-2400, there's essentially nothing we can mow that will pull down the rpms. On a tractor with little or no power reserve it would probably be more important to keep the engine rpm's at or near the magic 540 pto speed.
 
/ Pto speed brushhogging #13  
I never run mine at 540 pto rpm. 1500 engine rpm on the big tractor and 1800-2000 on the smaller one.
 
/ Pto speed brushhogging
  • Thread Starter
#14  
You can see in the pics my pto and engine speeds in the pic. I set in the higher pic at 2200-2300 for a 540 pto speed in 3rd fear low . But in the pic I have shifted down to 2 gear low that's why it was 560 pto .

The main thing I'm gathering here is the m7040 and landpride will be ok if ran at a 540 pto speed and a little under is ok also .

Remember I have the 75 engine hp m7040 64 pto hp . And the landpride they sold me the 1872 its rated 20-65 pto hp .

Sent from my iPhone 5 using TractorByNet
 
/ Pto speed brushhogging #15  
You can see in the pics my pto and engine speeds in the pic. I set in the higher pic at 2200-2300 for a 540 pto speed in 3rd fear low . But in the pic I have shifted down to 2 gear low that's why it was 560 pto .

The main thing I'm gathering here is the m7040 and landpride will be ok if ran at a 540 pto speed and a little under is ok also .

Remember I have the 75 engine hp m7040 64 pto hp . And the landpride they sold me the 1872 its rated 20-65 pto hp .

Sent from my iPhone 5 using TractorByNet

Pretty much, I run right at 540 as mine, like yours have a readout, but on others "around 540" was fine, we even have some tractors without working tachometers and I just run it at a speed that gives me good cut.
 
/ Pto speed brushhogging #16  
I run my MX 5100 at engine rpm 2,100 to 2,300 when mowing. I also like to stay a bit under and gear down to let the mower do the work.
 
/ Pto speed brushhogging #17  
I have always brush hogged at 540 rpm at the PTO. I always adjusted speed based on gear selection with my L39. With my L45 I just started brush hogging today. I was running 540 PTO rpm and using the HST to adjust speed.

Maybe tomorrow I'll try a slower speed. What advantage does a slower PTO speed have? Reduced fuel consumption?

ac
 
/ Pto speed brushhogging #18  
Probably a bit less fuel used, but I wouldn't expect it's enough to make a big difference. Someone might argue there's only so many revolutions in the life of an engine and it'll last longer, but I also doubt that would make any difference. Heck, that tractor is going to outlast me no matter what I do to it!

For me, it's just less frantic and noisy running it a bit slower. HST is a bit easier to feather for turns, etc. If I can mow just as quickly and effectively at 2300 rpm instead of 2700, why not do it?
 
/ Pto speed brushhogging #19  
Just make sure you don't run so slow that the blades start folding back in heavy cutting. These machines rely on rotational speed to keep the swinging blades at full extension. Any speed fast enough to cut clean and not load the engine down is good. Don't worry so much about a specific RPM.
 
/ Pto speed brushhogging #20  
ive always ran my pto at 1800 to 2000rpms .never have i ran it at full 540 pto speed.

Bush Hog advises NOT to run at low RPMs, it causes more wear and tear on the cutter. My understanding is that the blades do not have as much momentum and get pushed back and forth more than if they are running at design speed (540).
 

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