Fastrak Cuts Like Garbage

[bkeller500]

my guess is your ground is rough and at higher speeds the deck is bouncing up and down more than you realize. You say at half speed the cut is better which means the set-up may be OK.

 

[vintagefred]

Another good suggestion. And yes, I do run it at full throttle. I even bought an rpm gage to double check that it is running the rpm it should. It is as the manufacturer recommended. Sharp blades, blades installed correctly, throttle at full, . . . what else is there you can do. It is weird that the mower would cut so badly. Anyway, I will have to buy something else. Nothing like running half speed when you're looking at acres to cut.

Is it possible the deck and motor pulleys are not correctly matched to give the proper blade rpm? Doesn't matter how much you rev the engine if these pulleys are wrong size (or slipping). Also check deck belt tensioner.

 

[mow1]

Are the blades turning in the right direction? Sounds like a problem from the factory.

 

[Moparjoe499]

I have a new 60" Fastrak that cuts terrible. The dealer agreed and so did the factory rep. They installed a hi-vac system (baffles) and high lift blades. It cuts a bit better, but still cuts like cr_p. To get a good cut, I have to go at no more than half speed. Anyone else have this experience? Any suggestions (beside selling and getting something different, which is my current plan)?

Do yourself a favor and get your money back before it's to late.

 

[lbrac]

It would seem that if the mower rep has admitted the cut is poor, they and the dealer should be more involved in identifying a solution. If the rep isn't sufficiently experienced, a factory specialist should be involved. Let this be their problem to resolve. It isn't likely that you are the only person having an issue with this model if it is a design problem, but something could be out of spec on your specific mower. What mower were you using before getting this one? Was it cutting well in the same area? Can you show the rep/dealer a good cut with the old mower (if you still have it)?

 

[Its Me]

Moparjoe499, not being mean when I say this, is it the mower or is it you asking it something that it cannot do, meaning, is the field rough, wet, tall grass, cutting at a high speed, deck all the way to the ground, I have a repair shop and see these thing that will give all the mower a bad rap from the owners, no matter what brand you use you can use it for what it is not designed to do, consider taking a real assessment of what you have Infront of you and consider if it is rough the at high speed fast forward cutting the deck will be pulled back after it passes over the obstacle it will lung forward, (that breaks most of the belts) and to add if you are cutting down to the ground makes bites in the ground, consider the left blade cuts the grass and pushes to the center blade, it cuts and swirls the grass from the left side then sends it to the right one doing the same thing until it is discharged, hope this helps you to look through this and see if you see anything that might fit the description of what can cause your problem, I also cut 5 acres but have a Scag, Turf Tiger with a 72'' deck, now they are designed for commercial work so consider a home owner buying one and take care of it, it would last you a life time, I also have a 501 dixon that I sold to a fellow when I had a Mower shop in the 80's, he gave it to me and I cleaned it, painted it and still cut grass with it, it was the first Hydraulic mower that Dixon came out with, hope this information might help and you have some good grass cutting experience, Joe​

 

[texasvet]

I have a new 60" Fastrak that cuts terrible. The dealer agreed and so did the factory rep. They installed a hi-vac system (baffles) and high lift blades. It cuts a bit better, but still cuts like cr_p. To get a good cut, I have to go at no more than half speed. Anyone else have this experience? Any suggestions (beside selling and getting something different, which is my current plan)?

Buy a SCAG if you can handle the sticker shock. Be advised though, they are built like a tank &!can leave ruts if the ground is still wet from a heavy rain.

If you buy a SCAG, you will never have to buy another mower.

 

[texasvet]

Moparjoe499, not being mean when I say this, is it the mower or is it you asking it something that it cannot do, meaning, is the field rough, wet, tall grass, cutting at a high speed, deck all the way to the ground, I have a repair shop and see these thing that will give all the mower a bad rap from the owners, no matter what brand you use you can use it for what it is not designed to do, consider taking a real assessment of what you have Infront of you and consider if it is rough the at high speed fast forward cutting the deck will be pulled back after it passes over the obstacle it will lung forward, (that breaks most of the belts) and to add if you are cutting down to the ground makes bites in the ground, consider the left blade cuts the grass and pushes to the center blade, it cuts and swirls the grass from the left side then sends it to the right one doing the same thing until it is discharged, hope this helps you to look through this and see if you see anything that might fit the description of what can cause your problem, I also cut 5 acres but have a Scag, Turf Tiger with a 72'' deck, now they are designed for commercial work so consider a home owner buying one and take care of it, it would last you a life time, I also have a 501 dixon that I sold to a fellow when I had a Mower shop in the 80's, he gave it to me and I cleaned it, painted it and still cut grass with it, it was the first Hydraulic mower that Dixon came out with, hope this information might help and you have some good grass cutting experience, Joe​

I agree, I have 2 acres that I cut with my SCAG Cheetah 60” cut. I put my headphones on & get it done in 1 1/2 hours if I’m in a rush; 2 hrs if I’m taking my time.

$11K was a lot for a mower, but I should never need another mower.

 

[mdupre07]

Moparjoe499, not being mean when I say this, is it the mower or is it you asking it something that it cannot do, meaning, is the field rough, wet, tall grass, cutting at a high speed, deck all the way to the ground, I have a repair shop and see these thing that will give all the mower a bad rap from the owners, no matter what brand you use you can use it for what it is not designed to do, consider taking a real assessment of what you have Infront of you and consider if it is rough the at high speed fast forward cutting the deck will be pulled back after it passes over the obstacle it will lung forward, (that breaks most of the belts) and to add if you are cutting down to the ground makes bites in the ground, consider the left blade cuts the grass and pushes to the center blade, it cuts and swirls the grass from the left side then sends it to the right one doing the same thing until it is discharged, hope this helps you to look through this and see if you see anything that might fit the description of what can cause your problem, I also cut 5 acres but have a Scag, Turf Tiger with a 72'' deck, now they are designed for commercial work so consider a home owner buying one and take care of it, it would last you a life time, I also have a 501 dixon that I sold to a fellow when I had a Mower shop in the 80's, he gave it to me and I cleaned it, painted it and still cut grass with it, it was the first Hydraulic mower that Dixon came out with, hope this information might help and you have some good grass cutting experience, Joe​

You are right. The FasTrak is a residential mower with commercial hydros. Not designed for 6 acres. You need an X-One or a Super Z for this amount of grass.

 

[Moparjoe499]

Aside from checking on the blades being installed correctly, are you running the mower at full throttle for the entire mow? This may seem to be a dumb question but I've known a few people run the mower at half throttle to save gas and complain about the cut. These machines are designed to be run at 100% for proper cooling.

Run your mower wide open. That's what the governor is for. Don't run a vacuum. Let the grass fertilize your lawn instead of spending money buying fertilizer. People get all anal about the way their lawns look just because their neighbors spend extra money just trying to impress their neighbors. And here is the fall, they have to have a leaf blower and a vacuum. BUY A CHAINSAW AND CUT THE FREAKING TREES DOWN. NO MORE LEAVES IN YOUR GUTTERS EITHER, THERE, PROBLEM SOLVED !!!!!!