Seat time

theboman · May 27, 2003

I got lots of seat time on the Bota this weekend. Cut all the grass towards the end of the week and then fixed a few concrete steps.
It's Bota time. I dropped my MMM and repositioned a blade that was leaving a streak (no lift according to the dealer). I attached my bush hog and attacked the hill. I'm getting better and I'm remembering where the holes and stumps are and the pucker power was not as often in past hoggin' runs.
I accomplished more in 4 hours than 6 in previous years, experience!
Scare. Coming down the hill I was cutting around some trees/stumps and my hydro pedal got stuck! I stepped on the clutch, disengaged the PTO, dropped the bush hog and the stump catcher (FEL), killed the motor and looked for damage.
No damage...just a stick!

RFischer · May 28, 2003

Boman-glad you got some seat time. The rain has come so often here in Kentucky that my seat time has been very limited. /forums/images/graemlins/mad.gif The ground is like mush. Got out yesterday for a few hours and then another storm came out of the north this time. Even got small hail for about 5 minutes. /forums/images/graemlins/confused.gif

Watch those sticks!!!!

Richard

GregJ · May 28, 2003

I had the same thing happen to me over the weekend. I came around a corner with a small load in my fel and when I started to slow down, same thing... the hydro pedal stuck. I was headed straight for my neatly stacked firewood. Fortunately reflexes took over and I hit the clutch right away before any problems. Same thing, a stick had worked it's way up into the linkage. It occured to me that if my son had been driving at that time, I think he would have run right into the pile because he has never driven a stick shift. I think I'd like to see a little more protection for that linkage.

Greg

theboman · May 28, 2003

A skid plate would work wonders.
I put in another 2 hours of bush hogging Tuesday evening, hopefully I'll get some more time this evening.

steveky · May 28, 2003

I'm in western ky and yes the rain is the pits for sure. I got some seat time in today before the RAIN came again. I almost got hung up yesterday racking hay...lol...Moved about 20 round bales of hay with the machine. I think I enjoy this tractor more everytime I use it.

Anonymous Poster · May 28, 2003

I wish I could get some seat time. Got all kinds of projects started before the beginning of May (culled some trees out and had the stumps pulled, graded some spots and was ready to seed) and I am now sadly watching it all mired in mud. I see that our forecast is calling for MORE of this stuff through this weekend. Normal conversation now includes how many inches of rain are expected in the next few days. Sort of like a liquid winter.
I knew it was going to happen since I wanted to get all this work done but when is it gonna end /forums/images/graemlins/confused.gif /forums/images/graemlins/confused.gif /forums/images/graemlins/confused.gif /forums/images/graemlins/confused.gif?
DaveL
P.S. Sorry about he rant but the frustration factor is hitting the top of the scale right now /forums/images/graemlins/mad.gif.

Casimir · May 28, 2003

( I knew it was going to happen since I wanted to get all this work done but when is it gonna end ? )

I know where you are coming from. I retired about 3 weeks ago, with plans to work on several projects. Have been cooped up in the house most of the three weeks - if it hasn't been raining, it was still too muddy to work /forums/images/graemlins/frown.gif /forums/images/graemlins/frown.gif /forums/images/graemlins/frown.gif.

sandyc · May 28, 2003

Look at the bright side.....the water table is almost normal here in Southern Maine and the dust level is low......I still manage to get a few things done in between the showers.....

Buster57 · May 29, 2003

It has been the rainiest spring in the Willamette Valley in Portland, Oregon in 50 years.
And this is the silicon rain forest!
It has been raining soooo much here, I’d move to Maine just to see the sunney weather!
Good thing is we do have the cleanest and most heavily polished tractors in the USA. Can’t see the paint because the wax is so thick…

theboman · May 29, 2003

Re: Seat time / B7500 MMM streaks

(
It's Bota time. I dropped my MMM and repositioned a blade that was leaving a streak (no lift according to the dealer). )

Okay, here's the deal. I'd put new blades on my 60" MMM. When I cut the grass I noticed that a streak was being made in the yard like the grass wasn't being cut. The higher the grass the more noticable the streak and it seemed to be around and under the where the left front tire track.
The dealer. Are the blades on backwards? Are the blades all the same size? Did any blades get bent/broken? Is the grass wet.
The blades were all on in the right direction. The blades all the same size and the same size as the ones removed. No blades were broken or bent. The wet grass vs dry grass wasn't an issue since it happened.
THE DISCOVERY! I repositioned one blade so they align up: Left blade aligns up with middle and right aligns with middle so you have lift. The blades should point at each other when they can, and each side will do it independently.

ethiojazz · May 29, 2003

Re: Seat time / B7500 MMM streaks

The Blades have to line up ???? No wonder I was not getting the cut that I expected. I had assumed that the blades should not be lined up so that they create a constant air movement, but I guess that makes sense.

Will try changing the alignment this weekend.

Thanks for the heads up. /forums/images/graemlins/smile.gif

DougM · May 29, 2003

Re: Seat time / B7500 MMM streaks

The Blades have to line up ????
As far as I know the blades will move out of alinement each
time u mow...
they are set on the belt not gears....

Doug

Anonymous Poster · May 29, 2003

Re: Seat time / B7500 MMM streaks

Not sure myself. Are you aligning the blades by sliding against the belt until they are lined up from side to side(blade tip to blade tip /forums/images/graemlins/confused.gif)???
It makes no difference if they are lined up like that or not. They will never stay in alignment anyway.
DaveL

theboman · May 30, 2003

Re: Seat time / B7500 MMM streaks

I'm no engineer, but they do stay in alignment. They may give a bit, and if you mow stumps and rocks they'll be pretty darn close to the way you put them on. I mowed for 4+ hours now and the streak I was getting is completely gone.
And I bet (if gambling was legal) the blades are exactly the way I aligned them.
Get the middle blade and align it with the left one and tighen them down, and then align the right one with the middle blade and tighten it down.
It's all about airflow and the blades lift the grass to cut, When the blades were not aligned there was not enough lift on the side where only blade was out of alignment.
I'm sure they were aligned when I first removed the blades, and remember spinning that one pulley without moving the other two, so when I originally put on the blades I had them exactly as the original blades but that one pulley had been turned without moving the others.
Now the outside blades will align with the middle blade and it cuts just as it did when it was new.

ethiojazz · Jun 1, 2003

Re: Seat time / B7500 MMM streaks

I agree with you. The belt is supposedly rotating all the blades at the same speed and therefore the number of revolutions that each blade goes through as well as the speed of each blade should be exactly the same. Unless one blade was slowed or stopped, they should remain in alignment.

It has been too wet to try that change but I will let u know if it is different when I go out to mow.

heith · Jun 1, 2003

Re: Seat time / B7500 MMM streaks

couldn't they individually slip.

DK35vince · Jun 1, 2003

Re: Seat time / B7500 MMM streaks

( couldn't they individually slip. )

Yes

Anonymous Poster · Jun 1, 2003

Re: Seat time / B7500 MMM streaks

Thats what I was trying to say (sorry if I was a little short with you folks). Unless the belts and pulleys are cogged to assure alignment (like a timing belt on an overhead cam engine) or the driveline is geared, each time you start the mmm the blades will slip a little bit as they try to come up to speed due to inertia. Also, even a miniscule difference in pulley diameter will equate to a very large relationship change between blades at the speed they are turning. They will never stay in postion relative to each other using a v belt drive, and were never designed to do so. Yes, if inertia and tolerances were not an issue, you would be right. But that is not the case here, unless the b7500 mmm has cogged belts or a gear drive (in which case I'm all wet).
DaveL