Glad I bought my Raptor last year!

[jaredfink]

Kraky. I have been wondering if you might be onto something with mowing at 3/4 throttle. I haven't tried it but was already wondering about it before you even posted on this. I have been thinking about this ever since mooch tested the fasttrak on the other thread. My thought is that with a similar blade tip speed the biggest difference is probably the depth of the deck and maybe the opening size. I know that deck design does play a role in it but I wonder if having a high blade tip speed on the deck just causes more airflow than it can handle, so maybe running it at 3/4 throttle brings down the speed and turbulence to something the deck can handle. I am not complaining because I love my raptor sd but I can see certain things that people complain about. I notice on my lawn it has a tendency to miss some stringy weeds, I think because they get blown over and then pop back up. My other thought was using a different blade design. How do you like the gators. Not complain but just wondering.

 

[kraky]

I like the gators but feel the design drawback is the discharge opening. Depending on how much grass you're cutting will dictate how much throttle you need. I mow often but have nice thick grass so it has to "stand" and face the blades....the wind can't blow it down which can certainly happen like you describe. Even with the gators the deck doesn't have a ton of suction. When I trim next to the mulch bed the SD picks up less than my Deere lawn tractor and less than even my push mower. But I'm also bordered by a gravel driveway so its a good balance. I like the gators and how they work. I sometimes wonder if the deck on the sd's was designed not to be so perfect intentionally. If they put a deck on it like the fasttrac they'd be offering a crazy crazy amount of mower for $4k. They'd hurt sales on the fasttrac and never keep up selling the sd's.

 

[Carscw]

I like the gators but feel the design drawback is the discharge opening. Depending on how much grass you're cutting will dictate how much throttle you need. I mow often but have nice thick grass so it has to "stand" and face the blades....the wind can't blow it down which can certainly happen like you describe. Even with the gators the deck doesn't have a ton of suction. When I trim next to the mulch bed the SD picks up less than my Deere lawn tractor and less than even my push mower. But I'm also bordered by a gravel driveway so its a good balance. I like the gators and how they work. I sometimes wonder if the deck on the sd's was designed not to be so perfect intentionally. If they put a deck on it like the fasttrac they'd be offering a crazy crazy amount of mower for $4k. They'd hurt sales on the fasttrac and never keep up selling the sd's.

Gator blades are for mulching. Not high lift.
If you want a lot of suction as you call it. Then you need high lift blades.

I use to run only gator blades. But went back to high lift. But I also cut a lot of yards with thick grass.

 

[kraky]

There are different lifts in different gator blades. The gators for my deere lawn tractor don't have alot of lift in them. The lift area in the ones for my raptor are totally different and have alot of lift built in. I haven't ever run hi lifts on my raptor but there have been alot of posters on this forum who've run the gators AND the high lift and felt the overall discharge and performance went to the gator. Everyone's grass and needs are different so the only way to know is to try them.
Fwiw...I bought the steel discharge mulching cover alone for my raptor. I played with it a bit and find if i follow the 1/3 rule in dry conditions it works OK w/the cover and gator blades. Any moisture though and things build up under the deck....and I have to mow at about 3" so clippings can escape. But the real reason I bought it was to experiment w/fall leaf grinding. It attaches w/just one bolt n wingnut. I figure on doing a pre-grind and" round up" w/the side discharge.......then put the cover on for a fine grind....then take it off and drop the deck one notch for another pass that I think will make em disappear. Sounds like alot if monkeying around but no more than getting the bagger out....putting it on.....hauling crap a cross town to the city composite pile...cleaning up the bagger and putting it away. And I can tackle leaves a couple times before they double/triple layer.

 

[turboawd]

i've tried all the blades on my raptors sd 54. i cut really tall grass and weeds with my machine. the gators worked best as far as keeping the deck clean and discharging grass. i did cut the deck opening a bit bigger which helped a lot.

 

[jekjr]

I have the 22 hp Kawasaki's on two Scags. One has around 600 hours and one a little over 400. Neither is using oil and both run great.

I know of several mowers of different brands running Kohler engines who have had problems.

 

[bradmc]

Turbo, would you mind sharing pictures of you discharge chute modifications?

Thanks.

 

[kraky]

Got the response back from hydro gear. It was sort of weird. Their first response was the drives would perform at their best at wot. So I asked if running 85% throttle would cause premature wear. The response was "I cannot say but it would be best to run wot and use the controls to slow ground speed".
So...I guess they like wot but aren't really saying why specifically.

 

[RetiredGuns]

This is what Toro says on the subject:

What are the benefits of running your riding mower on full throttle?

-Cleaner cut on the grass
- More power, less likely to bog down
- Less stress on the engine
- Engine runs cooler
- Slow engine speeds can result in hot spots on the cylinder

In addition, many of these machines have hydrostatic transmissions that generate heat during operation. They have a fan that keeps them cool and the fan is driven directly by the engine. Running the engine less than full speed will frequently allow the transmission to overheat. The first sign is usually a lack of power on hills. Permanent transmission damage can result. By keeping the engine at full speed the operator will keep the fan at full speed. This will maximize the air flow for the transmission keeping it cooler and preventing premature failure.
Riding products should be at full throttle at all times.

 

[jekjr]

This is what Toro says on the subject: What are the benefits of running your riding mower on full throttle? -Cleaner cut on the grass - More power, less likely to bog down - Less stress on the engine - Engine runs cooler - Slow engine speeds can result in hot spots on the cylinder In addition, many of these machines have hydrostatic transmissions that generate heat during operation. They have a fan that keeps them cool and the fan is driven directly by the engine. Running the engine less than full speed will frequently allow the transmission to overheat. The first sign is usually a lack of power on hills. Permanent transmission damage can result. By keeping the engine at full speed the operator will keep the fan at full speed. This will maximize the air flow for the transmission keeping it cooler and preventing premature failure. Riding products should be at full throttle at all times.

The only time we run mowers at a reduced speed is when we are in close quarters. They do not seem to throw things as bad
Iike rocks and and so forth. Also places where there is bare ground and dust is a problem is another area we drop the rpm's. Other than that it is wide open.