Archive through April 17, 2007

[dfrisk]

Ryan - To speed up the outer blades You make the outer pulleys smaller or increase the size of the center pulley.
What Kraig posted is what I understood Ken to say also. And on the short outer blades on 38" & 42" mowers the blades are so short they actually slash at an angle as opposed to chopping directly at the grass as the tractor moves forward. And Ken's correct....the faster the blades spin the better they will mow and the more suction or lift they will have to stand the grass up and clip it off. And a taller or longer lift wing on the back would help also. FWIW...the blades are made from 5140 steel....pretty good quality stuff...and they weld nice too. To improve performance of My trac-vac I welded tabs to the back of the wings about 3/4"-1" tall and the length of the wings. They pull hard but throw grass like the 50C on the 982!

 

[rwilke]

Kraig McC.,
Thanks for the great illustration! I understand now.

Guys,
Could a fella "fix" that 'laid back' condition by grinding/cutting the inner
cutting edge down to make the cutting edge parallel to the back edge?

Dennis F.,
Ahh, smaller pulleys at the two outer spindles and /or a larger pulley at the center spindle. As I recall, the outer pulleys are pretty small already and the center pulley can't be increased much bigger either. So not a whole lot of room for change in that area....... Hmmm.
I like your added wing idea. I suppose the additional wing height is limited by distance to the roof of the deck housing then, correct?
Interesting.....
Ryan W

 

[kweaver]

Kraig - Dennis - Yep, thanks for finishing what I left out.

Dennis - I think you shouldn't have told about welding tabs on the blades. That's something that should NOT be put on here for the public to read. There's great danger in doing any welding on mower blades and there are alot of "garage welders" out there not experienced enough to perform a correct weld. That's why I've never told what I've done to blades trying to get better performance.

People , Kids , Pets can be killed or mamed by a blade breaking or a secondary piece being welded to a fast spinning blade. Hit a rock or other hard object can cause it to fly apart! and be bad out of balance.

 

[dfrisk]

RYAN -
The leading cutting edge should be angled the other way I think...or at least straight. I think IH added the angle to help get rid of clippings from under the deck. Plus when You turn sharp You leave unmowed strips under the deck when the blades get worn.

 

[dfrisk]

KEN - Your probably correct.....Think I'll go back & do some "Editing!"

 

[cstewart]

This is good timing on the 42" deck discussion. I just tried attaching my later model grass catcher on my new (old) 147. With a little drilling, bolting, etc. I was able to get everything rigged up (didn't even have to use any duct tape!). The only problem is, I don't get enough velocity to move the grass into the bins - it just loads up the chute. Is there a high lift blade set available? With my previous 1110 mower, the dealer sold me little "wings" to bolt to the blades, but my newer blades don't have holes for them. The deck is a 42" with a 20" center blade and two 10" blades on either side and the deck ID# is 381 U 1113.

Also, the gentleman who just bought my 1110 was telling me that the front axle on my 147 has dropped. He said it was a common problem with 147's where the back of the pivot pin doesn't come with a proper bushing. He told me he has welded a heavy washer on the axle in the past, but there may be some sort of repair kit. Anyone know of any fixes for this?

Thanks,

Chip Stewart

 

[kweaver]

Chip - Do Not alter the blades by welding or heating !
20 + 10 + 10 = 40 ... how you figure a 38" cut deck is 42" ??

 

[rwilke]

KENtuckyKEN,
In these days of sue-happy folks everywhere, I can understand why you'd NOT want to even discuss such a blade modification.

I promise not to weld tabs on my blades...

So don't worry, be happy!

I'm merely trying to better understand the workings of these Cubs and how to get the most out of them.
Ryan W

 

[rwilke]

"...the dealer sold me little "wings" to bolt to the blades..."

Maybe this is the guy that should be worried about reading the "accident disclaimer fine print"...

Ryan W

 

[wheinsohn]

Chip, the 1st 2 digits of that model number tell you the width of cut, 381 = 38".