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Old 05-21-2016, 09:02 PM
 
296 posts, read 567,307 times
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I have recently starting mowing my one acre property with a 21 inch self propelled lawn mower instead of my Agway 42 inch riding lawnmower. I have noticed a great difference in the quality of the cutting the self propelled performs versus the riding mower. Is it just me? Does anyone else have this experience too? The only issue is of course time. It takes me four hours to cut the lawn now compared to three. Is there a larger cut than a 22 inch as far self propelled mowers are concerned? I would appreciate all of your suggestions and help!
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Old 05-22-2016, 06:15 AM
 
Location: NC
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The narrower the cutting swath, the better you can follow the contours of your ground. That may be why the push mower is seeming to do a better job. But, your blades on the riding mower might need replacing, lowering/raising or both.

There are walk-behind mowers that professionals use that have a wide cut and you can get a sulky that allows you to stand up and ride behind it. But before you buy something else, consider that the quality of cut might improve by working on your riding mower.

http://i.ebayimg.com/00/s/NjAwWDgwMA==/z/I8wAAOSwpdpVcDpd/$_32.JPG

By the way, how does it take you 3 hrs to mow an acre? It only takes me 30 to 40 min.
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Old 05-23-2016, 12:23 PM
 
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Quote:
Originally Posted by luv4horses View Post
By the way, how does it take you 3 hrs to mow an acre? It only takes me 30 to 40 min.
30 to 40 minutes to mow an acre with a self-propelling (walk behind) mower? I have 3/4 of an acre and me and my Toro Super Recycler take well over 2 hours to mow the whole property. That includes having to mow around things like raised beds, but there are sections that are just straight back-and-forth runs.
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Old 05-23-2016, 12:37 PM
 
Location: Nebraska
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The mowing efficiency of the a mower (self propelled Vs Rider) has to do with blade tip speed and sharpness of the blade(s) themselves. Professional mower have a high blade RPM and most professionals sharpen their blade at least every few days and some sharpen the blades every day. Private citizens rarely sharp blades and they get the lawn to prove it.

I mowed lawns in high school for a small company and at the end of every day why removed the blades so the owner could inspect and sharpen and then the beginning of the day we put the blades back on.

BTW I mow 1.5 acres of grass (this time of the year, twice a week) with a professional Ferris 48" ZTR and a push mower for bushes and corners and it takes 4 hours from start to finish. If I wait too long between mowing then it takes an extra hour or two.
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Old 05-23-2016, 02:49 PM
 
Location: East of Seattle since 1992, 615' Elevation, Zone 8b - originally from SF Bay Area
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I found the opposite this weekend, when my rider threw a belt and I had to finish with the push mower. Both are mulchers, but despite a newer blade, the 22" push mower didn't cut nearly as nicely as the rider.
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Old 05-25-2016, 05:48 AM
 
Location: Swiftwater, PA
18,754 posts, read 17,966,022 times
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Garthur View Post
The mowing efficiency of the a mower (self propelled Vs Rider) has to do with blade tip speed and sharpness of the blade(s) themselves. Professional mower have a high blade RPM and most professionals sharpen their blade at least every few days and some sharpen the blades every day. Private citizens rarely sharp blades and they get the lawn to prove it.

I mowed lawns in high school for a small company and at the end of every day why removed the blades so the owner could inspect and sharpen and then the beginning of the day we put the blades back on.

BTW I mow 1.5 acres of grass (this time of the year, twice a week) with a professional Ferris 48" ZTR and a push mower for bushes and corners and it takes 4 hours from start to finish. If I wait too long between mowing then it takes an extra hour or two.

OSHA sets blade tip speed: https://books.google.com/books?id=3e...page&q&f=false. In that link you will see that they set the maximum blade tip speed at 19,000 feet per minute. The longer the blade; the slower your motor has to run to meet their requirements. Any shop or individual that would knowingly set the motor governor speeds higher, so that the 19,000 fpm maximum blade tip speed would be exceeded, could be sued or possibly criminally charged (in the case of an accident).


This was a big deal back in the 1970's. That is when they came out with this guideline. Before then all motors were set for 3600 rpms (I believe that our government originally had the blade tip speed set at around 21,000 fpm in the 1960s). But, when the 1970's ruling went into effect, 21 inch mowers could not run over 3457 rpms. Longer blades were even less. But the motor manufactures had not re-engineered their motors to produce the maximum torque at the lower rpms. So, to meet the federal guidelines, shops had to turn the motors back; even though the mowers did not perform as well as when they came into the shops. But, fortunately, the motor manufacturers did re-engineer to accommodate the new ruling.


Some of the problems with the riding tractors not cutting as good (besides dull blades) also comes from bent blades or bent spindles or deck. Most riders have more than one blade. If one is bent; then the mower can gouge the lawn on that side. The easiest way to determine that is to remove both blades and lay one on top of the other. See if they fit close together or not - they should be identical. If they are not; replace them. If they are identical; sharpen the blades while you have them off. If you are a do-it-yourselfer you could buy a cheap balancer like this one: http://www.gemplers.com/product/750-...160525103112:s. Also, for the D-I-Y's, try not to get the blade too hot and remove the temper - constantly dip the blade in water to prevent it from overheating. As far as the bent spindles or deck: always check if you hit anything hard and then your mower does not cut great. With the key removed and the sparkplug wire off (for safety) carefully look and turn your blades by hand. See if the tips line up. I know this is difficult if you cannot get the mower up on a table. Be careful you don't cut yourself on the blades; wear heavy gloves. If the blade tips line up on one side; turn one blade first and see if the tips line up on the other side - repeat that for the other blade. If there is any difference, first make sure the blades are not bent, then replace the spindle that is bent. Steel spindles will bend; the cast white metal spindles usually shatter when hit hard. Bent mower decks are a little harder to spot and usually are not the problem.
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Old 05-25-2016, 10:28 AM
 
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I don't see a difference.
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Old 05-25-2016, 11:21 AM
 
Location: Bel Air, California
23,771 posts, read 28,850,314 times
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any reason you couldn't bungee cord a lawn chair to a self-propelled mower and have the best of both worlds? you could probably steer by shifting your weight to one side.
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Old 07-06-2016, 07:46 PM
 
296 posts, read 567,307 times
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Thank You for the information. I appreciate it.
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