Shouldn't a finish mower be able to take a little abuse?

[Axeman]

I was mowing the tall grass in my back yard and ran over a very low alder stump, maybe 5" in dia and sticking up about two inches or so. The mower made an awful noise and then it completely stopped working. This mower is brand new. I've used it three times and that is all. Heck, my old Craftsman riding mower took abuse like that for years and still kept on going. I hit big rocks with it and all I had to do was change the blades every year. I'm really thinking off asking the dealer to take the mower back and get me a MF MMM instead.....

 

[North Dakota]

I'm thinking there is a sheer pin busted some place on the mower. My guess is where the shaft comes out of the gearbox. A 5 inch diameter stump is a pretty solid object to hit. I just got a used finish mower (6 foot) I'm going to have to look to see if there is a sheer pin someplace.

 

[daBear]

I have used a RDTH 72 Bush Hog and I have a RDTH60 Bush Hog and there is no shear pin anywhere in mine. The belt serves that purpose. They will take punishment but not like a rotary mower. What brand are you speaking about?

 

[greg_g]

The mower made an awful noise and then it completely stopped working.

Didja remove the belt cover and see if it jumped off the pulleys?

//greg//

 

[J.Walker]

Hit a stump yesterday with my Brush Hog RFM, coming back by the spot on the next pass there was my blade and broken bolt on the ground.
It was just a little abuse!

 

[Axeman]

I have used a RDTH 72 Bush Hog and I have a RDTH60 Bush Hog and there is no shear pin anywhere in mine. The belt serves that purpose. They will take punishment but not like a rotary mower. What brand are you speaking about?

It's a Maschio. Yes, I did pull the belt covers and everything did look fine. What bothers me the most about this is it's only the 3rd time I've used the mower and this happens. I used my old Craftsman for years and dug up rocks and hit stumps and the thing kept on going. I have a lot of little alder stumps hidden in my backyard that I will have to mark and take care of I guess. I can rent a stump grinder for a weekend and do this but it's just something I never thought I would have to do.

 

[Wombat125]

This is nothing more than my opinion, but it seems like hitting a 5" stump would qualify as more than a little abuse.

The rotating blade set has a lot of inertia. Stopping it instantly introduces a tremendous impulse load on the system.

Not sure how your trusty old Craftsman held up so well. Perhaps it just slipped the deck belts when one blade stopped.

 

[Smokin Diesel]

"If the only tool you have is a hammer, everything looks like a nail."

A finish mower simply isn't designed to hit stumps. Your Sears survived probably because it was lighter-duty and would bend, deflect, and bounce around obstacles that it hit. Your newer, heavier-duty one won't. So ironically, the features of the deck that make it strong and durable for many years of (its intended) use are probably what did it in when you hit the stump.

 

[Charlesaf3]

I'm with wombat, I'm not sure that mowing stumps with a finish mower constitutes a little abuse...

 

[slowzuki]

Bush hogs don't like 5" diameter stumps either...