A crazy thought, your input please.

[MattA]

I have some issues with plugging my RM deck in heavy/thick grass, mostly due to the shoot deflector not clearing. I've seen alot of decks with the deflector removed but if you launch something, you may regret it.

Are you clogging your hydravac boot or just the deck chute? Are you having issues with your deck motor and or hydraulic fluid heating up and thinning out?

My hydravac boot clogs too. Its typically when I'm in deep thick grass and my little vanguard motor cannot keep up.

I don't have much trouble with my Hydra vac boot plugging, over loading with white pine needles and when the bags or trailer are full and everything plugs.
My shoot plugs when I get in really thick stuff and there's no place for the grass to go. Shh, don't tell anyone, I usually keep blowing the cuttings inward, so I'm recutting alot and I'm blowing into tall/ uncut grass. Ya I don't follow rules well.
My old deck motor would stall, the one I put in last year from the snow caster will slip the belt in the deck.

I've been running Gates Hi-Power II belts. Seem to work good for the past few years. The OEM belts I've gotten from several different dealers seem old and dried out.

[DavidBarkey]

Are you clogging your hydravac boot or just the deck chute? Are you having issues with your deck motor and or hydraulic fluid heating up and thinning out?

My hydravac boot clogs too. Its typically when I'm in deep thick grass and my little vanguard motor cannot keep up.

I don't have much trouble with my Hydra vac boot plugging, over loading with white pine needles and when the bags or trailer are full and everything plugs.
My shoot plugs when I get in really thick stuff and there's no place for the grass to go. Shh, don't tell anyone, I usually keep blowing the cuttings inward, so I'm recutting alot and I'm blowing into tall/ uncut grass. Ya I don't follow rules well.
My old deck motor would stall, the one I put in last year from the snow caster will slip the belt in the deck.

I've been running Gates Hi-Power II belts. Seem to work good for the past few years. The OEM belts I've gotten from several different dealers seem old and dried out.

I run the same belts on my stuff with great success . I get mine from the local Carquest dealer , they treat me well there .

Dave

[Timj]

As I don't have one, and didn't find a concrete answer quickly. What is the diameter of the clutch pulley on a Case or Ingersoll and has the size varied?
Tim

[propane1]

In my extensive research a while ago putting a 7” pulley on the Jack shaft / driveshaft on the Case 224 snow caster, I found that the engine pto pulley was 6” or 6.5” , if this is the one you are referring to. I believe it was 6” thou Tim. It’s the same on my Case 446 too. Now, both my tractors have electric clutches, so I don’t know if they are a different size if they were manual pho’s.


Noel

[propane1]

Interesting thought, Noel but I wonder if the stepped increase would have an advantage over just increasing all evenly?



I guess my thinking was Tim, that if the outside one was spinning faster, it could handle its own grass, plus take some from the other two. And same with centre one of it was speeded up faster than the right blade but slower than the left blade. It could handle its own and take some from the right blade. Kind of like the middle one is a booster and the left blade was extra booster. Your thought would make it throw a little farther, I think.

I believe I’m rambling again. Hehe.

Noel

[thebuildist]

I think it'll work, I suspect you're thinking along the right lines.

But I have counter proposal for you to chew on.

What is actually throwing the clippings out is airflow. The blades have a fan/propeller twist to them that induces air to be sucked upward from the lawn, producing pressure at the "ceiling" face of the deck. Since the side discharge slot is the only opening at the "ceiling" level, the pressure pushes the air out at that slot. And the air carries clippings with it.

I suppose there's at least a little centrifugal force involved, especially on the outermost blade, but my sense is that the airflow is where the real action is at.

You're right that increasing the blade speed should increase the airflow. But I think that you're talking about the wrong blade(s)!

I think you need to increase the airflow, the pressure, at the innermost blade the most. Then the middle blade a little bit, . and leave the discharge blade alone.

If you increase the speed of the discharge blade and middle blade, I think you'll force the innermost blade to essentially just mulch, because its lower pressure discharge air won't be able to push into the higher pressure of the middle blade chamber.

So I say you increase the innermost blade speed by, say, 20%. And increase the middle blade speed by 10%. And leave the discharge blade alone.

That's my story, and I'm sticking to it

Bob

[propane1]

Well now, that’s a new thought to chew on for sure.

Thanks.

Noel

[propane1]

So, I’ve thought about what Bob said, and I’ll give my 1 cents worth here on this this topic. Could be a good ramble.

Air flow is mentioned. In my thought, my blade closest to the exit is the one mostly speeded up. In Bobs, it’s the blade farthest away from the exit. My thinking is that my idea would create a vacuum in the deck to help suck clippings out. Bobs idea would create extra pressure in the deck at the blade farthest away from the exit. In order for that to work, the exit would have to be enlarged to allow for more exit air flow. Or the clippings could start coming out from under the deck because it can’t get out the exit.
And do not the blades do the throwing of the clippings out the exit along with the air pressure. When you clean your deck, grass builds up on the bottom sides as well as the ceiling. And especially where two blades meet.

Not a bad ramble, even if I do say so myself.

Any way, no wood work today. Son is getting rock dust for his driveway, so the Ferguson tractor and or the MF 14 will be on duty to level the rock dust. But they are so good at spreading it, it won’t take much leveling. And I’m getting my caliber put on today too. Hopefully.

Have a good day gentlemen.

Noel