Lawn Roller Questions

[cruzenmike]

When purchasing a lawn roller there are many sizes and weights to choose from. Setting aside ones that can be pushed​ or pulled​ by hand, what is a good size or weight roller for a homeowner with a riding mower? It all comes down to how many pounds per linear inch of roller in contact with ground. For example, a 18" x 48" poly roller loaded up with water weighs 420 lbs (according to manufacturer). With some simple math, you get 8.75 lbs per linear inch of ground being compacted. Now, I am not trying to dig too deep into this, but at what point is the rolling or roller for that matter, just not doing enough? I get that doing it when the ground is at its softest will likely yield the best results, but if you get to a point where you are making only 2-4 lbs per linear inch ground contact, how can it be doing any good? I ask because I paid last year to have my lawn rolled and to my surprise they used a machine typically used for rolling hot asphalt. The thing had to weigh a thousand pounds or more. Most of us do not have access to this type of equipment, not can pull a load that heavy with a riding mower. Please share your thoughts. Thank you.

 

[reynoldston]

LTX1050VT Cub is a light weight mower. 420 lbs. is pushing the limit on that mower.

 

[cruzenmike]

LTX1050VT Cub is a light weight mower. 420 lbs. is pushing the limit on that mower.

I have actually been looking at purchasing the Cub Cadet GT50 with the K58 hydrostatic. My understanding is that this axle can handle the demands of most homeowner attachments including rollers and plows. I did see the GT54D was just released. It has the K62, but I assume the only difference in the rear end is the diff lock feature. I have a 46" blade, the roller, the cart and I hope to get a dethatcher and aerator at some point. A bagger may be necessary too . . .

 

[cruzenmike]

Back in 2009, someone posted on another forum the following information:

"ID
444
Release Date
05/31/2006

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How much weight can my Cub Cadet tractor tow?
Question
What is the towing capacity of my Cub Cadet tractor?
Answer


This is a more complicated issue than it might appear, because "towing capacity" is more of a sales specification than a technical specification. If you picture yourself pushing a wheelbarrow full of dirt, weighing about 300 pounds, you would say that your pushing capacity was 300 lbs, but I doubt you would be able to push 300 pounds if it were on a flat sled with no wheels on rough ground. That is a simple analogy explaining why we don't use towing capacity as a technical specification.

Everyone likes to relate axle torque to draw bar force, but draw bar force cannot so easily be related to "towing capacity" due to all the variables involved. There is also a difference between a maximum axle torque (or draw bar force) short duration spike compared with what can be sustained over a long distance such as in towing. On most surfaces, unless you significantly weight down the tractor, you will generate tire slippage before you reach the transmission's ability to create maximum axle torque.

The 1000 Series & LT1500 Series can handle a typical lawn cart with a 750 lb. capacity and a lawn roller of 650 lbs.

The iSeries can handle a lawn cart with a 1500 lb. capacity and a lawn roller of 950 lbs.

The GT1500 Series can handle a lawn cart with a 1500 lb. capacity and a lawn roller of 950 lbs.

The 2500 and 3000 Series can handle a lawn cart with a 1500 lb. capacity and a lawn roller of 950 lbs.

CAUTION: You should also be cautious of "braking ability". These tractors have a single disc brake designed to stop the weight of the tractor on slight grades. When you are towing downhill your braking distance will significantly increase. As a general rule of thumb, using a single-axle wheeled trailer you should be able to pull half the weight of the tractor safely over level ground and slopes less than 5 degrees."

I know this information to precede my model by 3 years, but the numbers do show promise. Even at 420, I would be at ~65% of my towing capacity. I do not have any grade on my property either. So with that being said, a newer GT model would surely be okay.

 

[BlazNT]

Another thing to take into consideration is the weight of the water does not go round in circles like the roller does. It is considdered unslung weight. You can move more unslung weight than weight that moves up and over the axle.

 

[RDA.Lawns]

Interesting topic. Im reminded of a time when one of my older work trucks would not start after mowing a yard. Someone left the lights on . Not 1 of the 4 guys noticed. No way to jump truck off with a mower. Truck was a standard. I unloaded my oldest zmaster. Was able to actually push the truck and trailer up a small grade . Scott popped the clutch just over the grade truck started . Not advised to do this. The next week that mower broke drive belt and spring tensinor. But hey we got it started.

 

[cruzenmike]

Interesting topic. Im reminded of a time when one of my older work trucks would not start after mowing a yard. Someone left the lights on . Not 1 of the 4 guys noticed. No way to jump truck off with a mower. Truck was a standard. I unloaded my oldest zmaster. Was able to actually push the truck and trailer up a small grade . Scott popped the clutch just over the grade truck started . Not advised to do this. The next week that mower broke drive belt and spring tensinor. But hey we got it started.

That is quite a lot of work for a mower. I was looking into the specs on the K58 hydro and it makes 216ft lbs of axle torque. That's more than my car! The max static weight on axle is 628 lbs which is almost the entire weight of the machine. Out of the K46, K57, K58, K63, K66 and K72, the K58 is the only one that Kanzaki calls out as "heavy duty." Sure it's not the best due to other variables, but comparing to the Hydro Gear 310-0510 I have now or the available K46 on lesser machines, it is hands down a far better unit especially if I want to hook heavy accessories up to the mower. Now we get back to the original question, how much weight per linear inch of lawn roller will do the job?

 

[BlazNT]

I do not have the info but for moles I used a 450 lbs on a persons yard a couple days after a light rain and it worked well. It was a steel drum. I would never buy a plastic drum as the tend to conform to the ground compared to steel. Or in other words bend. I would also think that the math used is not quite correct. I would say you need to take 450 lbs and divide it by the width of the roller. To get a closer linear inch weight reading. Remember the water does not follow the circular motion of the drum it just pushes down only where the drum touches the ground. Lots of smarter people on here than me so let's see if I am correct or not.

 

[panabiker]

It depends on what you want to do with a roller. I use a plastic rollers filled with water right after seeding so the seeds make good contact with loosened soil. I don't think these rollers are heavy enough to flatten an area of uneven land.

 

[Tractor_fan23]

It depends on what you want to do with a roller. I use a plastic rollers filled with water right after seeding so the seeds make good contact with loosened soil. I don't think these rollers are heavy enough to flatten an area of uneven land.

Good tip thank you!