Grasshopper mower info

[biggmw]

Evening all

Bit of a silly question

What PTO speed should these mowers run at? Is the gearbox changeable and how would I work out which way?

I assumed it being of an age it was 540 and duly run at that..... It made a reasonable job bit couldn't get much forward speed and kept rattling the blades and sticking under the drum lip....

It is the nearest blades I could find to match but not exact either!!

Any advice appreciated as maybe thinking 1000 would be the answer

 

[avag]

1000rpm usually start of in 540 then shift to 1000rpm if the tractor has shiftable pto

 

[Badshot]

The two I used were both 1000, they fair fly

 

[biggmw]

It's a 1594 so sadly don't have the luxury..... Have to swap output shaft on tractor round to get 1000.... Puts me on small splines then so will need an adaptor on....

Were they always 1000??

 

[biggmw]

That makes sense.... Always expected a clean cut and fair ground speed.... I was cutting fine but slower than expected!!

Also explains blades chattering and sticking!!

Must fairly sing on the 1000 shaft mind you...

 

[Badshot]

That makes sense.... Always expected a clean cut and fair ground speed.... I was cutting fine but slower than expected!!

Also explains blades chattering and sticking!!

Must fairly sing on the 1000 shaft mind you...

The certainly do sing.
It'll cut as fast as you dare drive.

 

[Pebd99]

Used to always start in 540 run up then shift to 1000. Wasn’t good starting in 1000 with a biggish tractor because it could tear the belts with the initial torque if it didn’t stall the tractor.

 

[Dave W]

Puts me on small splines then so will need an adaptor on....

Try not to use an adaptor. They're made of cheese. And won't handle the torque needed to get those drums spinning up from stood.

 

[biggmw]

Try not to use an adaptor. They're made of cheese. And won't handle the torque needed to get those drums spinning up from stood.

That's the issue though the 1594 has a double ended shaft that you switch round to alter the speeds. It's the direction it's fitted that determines the speed leaving you with 21 spline for 1000 drive!

 

[Dave W]

That's the issue though the 1594 has a double ended shaft that you switch round to alter the speeds. It's the direction it's fitted that determines the speed leaving you with 21 spline for 1000 drive!

Swap the yoke on the mower pto

 

[biggmw]

Looks like that's the only option.... Tomorrow's first job then......

 

[biggmw]

Problem is like to keep the shaft as my multi purpose as it's a good heavy wa shaft...

 

[balerman]

Getting it spinning is the hard bit,take very little to drive once its going.I used to use one on a Ford 6600,only way to start it was to be moving in 6th gear then put the pto in using the inertia of the tractor to get it spinning.You had to have it fair revving to start it stationary,too much torque then.

 

[mixed breed]

Used to drive ours behind a 390t, starting it was a twit, would stall the tractor even with a 540 start. Went to the grassland event and saw a 7740 start one in 1000rpm easy as wink.. I asked the guy how he made it look so easy, he suggested our slip clutch was siezed. So I slackened it all off and ran it up to clean it out and retighted it to what the book said... it was better afterwards.

 

[holywell farmer]

Out off interest who brought out grasshopper as a company?

 

[mixed breed]

Agrimec built and sold them... I'm not sure if they're still going, k-two made a similar 2 drum machine after not sure if it was same design

 

[Dave W]

Always thought those grasshoppers looked a health and safety mans wet dream

 

[biggmw]

Well after getting a shim made up have converted tractor to 1000 on six spline.

Heading out to knock down five acres this pm so shall report back.

As an aside what was the conditioner like and driven by oil??

Anybody got a manual lying about for the mower still.... Or better parts book for bearing numbers etc

 

[holywell farmer]

Used to drive ours behind a 390t, starting it was a twit, would stall the tractor even with a 540 start. Went to the grassland event and saw a 7740 start one in 1000rpm easy as wink.. I asked the guy how he made it look so easy, he suggested our slip clutch was siezed. So I slackened it all off and ran it up to clean it out and retighted it to what the book said... it was better afterwards.

How wide was your mower

 

[bovrill]

Grasshoppers were 10' wide, but Agrimech made some self propelled too. There were a couple near here, one based round a Steyr skid unit, and one on a converted New Holland foragers. One was just two mowers side by side, and left two swaths, and was extremely cumbersome folded up to go down the road. The other was a better planned design, with the outer drums folding round behind, and leaving a single swath, but I think cut two or three feet less width, so that the grass would transfer from the outer onto the inner drum.

I've still got a mk2 trailed here, with the nylon brush conditioner. It needs a new drive belt on one side at the moment, but it's a beast when it goes!
I drove one with a row-over behind the conditioner for someone once, behind a 160hp MB Trac, that was a fair tool in a big field, but not the most maneuverable set up.