Archive through March 02, 2009

[lbuttke]

Charlie (digger)
Thanks for the infomation.

I gave the gentleman a good spare PTO I had laying around here and a new fibor button.

I will relay the information to him.

 

[lhinds]

Bruce; I didn't have a weight problem with the 127 but i don't like a vac system. I only got this one because it came with the deal. I like the quick attach one pin hookup. I did notice it stops up easy in heavy grass.I use a large back pack blower for my leaves. Blow them to the garden or burn pile. Saves a lot of time.

 

[fcurrier]

For the sake of argument this morning, these 2 149 pto actuators are different:
...and I just got reminded I can't post a pic under "edit". I bet it's time for the Archive Bug to hit, too.

 

[dfrisk]

Thing I've found that works best with any kind of collection system when trying to collect heavy wet clippings is mow them and let them lay for 2-3-4 days and dry. Then run the mower/vac, or sweeper. Nothing handles wet grass clippings well.
I've had the yard "Get Away from Me" a couple times in the ten yrs I've had My vac, like during long rainy spells. They just won't handle wet grass.
Like David C. says, a standard CC 3-blade deck doesn't throw the clippings with enough force to get them into any kind of non-powered collector, and they need help getting them into a container even with a powered unit. I made a specal set of blades for My 38" deck on the 72 with added wings 4" long & 1" tall on top of the normal kick-up bent into the blade. For comparison, a stock set of blades normally plugs the discharge chute in tall heavy damp grass and only throws clippings about one mower width beyond the end of the dis. chute in dry conditions. My 38" deck with those special blades throws clippings clear into the second mower pass and sometimes even the third. And they pull harder than %#$%&! They actually pull easier with the vac installed & running, less material inside the mower deck.

RYAN - Bet Your Aunt gets a LOT of seat time every fall. I've only got 3-4 small Oak trees but about 8 BIG Maples, couple Birch, Locust, Linden. All the Willow's are just "Stumps" now. Quite a few Evergreens too. They've all grown a Tremendous amount in the 16 yrs We've lived here. Oak leaves seem to be one of the hardest leaves to collect, because of their size & shape they seem to blow away from the mower deck, and acorns really wake You up when You get one of them in the blower.

 

[fcurrier]

As I was saying:

Good morning, Dennis!

 

[dtanner]

Frank C ( China) i think that you could use the bronze button as long as you used washers to get proper alignment with the pto when going from the brake style to the button style. I do like the brake style best.I use the brake style on my 129 and with all the use with the loader it was no ware after a years use. I have changed a pto to the brake style after changing the center piece. just my .02 Later Don T

 

[rpalmer]

I'm new here and would like to add my 2 cents.... I read somewhere about guys going through up to 5 coils and they don't know why. I will bet a cup of coffee that they are running an automotive coil wire. As you know OEM coil wires are a solid wire. A solid wire has approximately 1k ohms
resistance/per foot. And automotive coil wires are a carbon composite which has a resistance of approximately 1 ohm resistance/per foot. I did a search but could not find the post so I must have read it somewhere else. Any way I would like you to know that I can make contributions to the form but you guys really have a handle on what is going on and I enjoy reading it nightly.
Richard Palmer
Toledo,Ohio

 

[jcartwright]

Thanks again everyone for all the great info and insight on collection systems. I never noticed that one unit didn't have a blower on it. I'll need that part for sure. The tow behind Trac-Vac would probably work just fine. As far as trees are concerned, I make a lap with the push mower first to create clearance around all my trees and landscaping. That seems to work pretty good. I think I should take a trip to the local lawn & garden center and see if they have anything different to offer as well.

 

[dfrisk]

Good Morning Frank.....I'll trip the Archive bug for You....

 

[jfsirois]

I have a a 782 with an H-42 thrower on it
I replaced the chain sprocket and all the bearings
which were mostly available from cc, and the rest were easy to match thru mcmaster. Soon after I damaged the non replacable drive shaft u joint. the half I needed is nla. after a bad fix by a machine shop I ended up having a SPICER shaft assembly built. It is quite a bit heavier but it fit and worked fine thu last winter and the first 5 storms this year. Then the shaft came undun on the sprocket side three times. each time I upgrade the 1/4 20 from fully threaded standard to grade 8 with short threads. I think it will hold but I wish i could find the correct diameter shaft,for safety of me and the machine.Any advice would be great as my wife is questioning the old cub's prowess and my sanity. grrr