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Operation questions


swede

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I have a couple of questions on how you guys operate your tractors. I have read in tractor manuals of various makes two things that I don't do. First is some manfacturers state to turn off the ignition while at 1/2 to 3/4 throttle. I have always known to idle it down for a bit before shutting down. The other is engaging the PTO. Some say to have the engine at mowing RPM's before engaging the PTO. I usually have it a bit above idle when I engage it. It seems to be the smoothest there. My neighbor has a JD that has the stupid "no mowing in reverse" feature that sounds like it is tearing up the machine as he kicks the PTO in and out all the time at full throttle. (That would be my first candidate for an overide fix) Just wanted to know what you guys thought about this.
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Shutting down, I usually just put the throttle as low as it can go and kill the engine. As far as engaging the PTO goes, I've always done it at full throttle. Don't rmember reading anything about that otherwise. If you have concerns, I'd just figure out the lowest throttle position that won't cause the engine to stumble when it engages. Most of my tractors take more punishing loads than engaging a mower deck anyway.
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Interesting questions never thought of shutting the tractor off or engaging the PTO either one one way or the other.
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I let my tractors idle for a few minutes and cool down before shutting them off. If I don't have the rpms up before engageing the PTO it will sometimes stall the engine. As for the "stupid no mowing in reverse" you talked about, these safety features are there to protect you and others that may be around you while your working! I heard of a guy that lives in Cape Cod Ma. that backed over his very young son and killed him while mowing last Fall! I'll bet him wishes he had that safety feature on the mower he was using! Whenever I'm using my tractors for blowing or mowing I make sure there's no one around me and if someone comes near me I stop what I'm doing and inform them to stay away from me when I'm working! These tractors can pick up a rock and do some damage real quick!
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I understand what you are saying. I don't have any kids, if I did, I would make darn sure they were not around me when cutting grass. My wife will come up to me chute side sometimes and I have to remind her not to do that. (I shut off the deck right away) I just think that the operator needs to be responsible and aware of what's around him/her. You can still kill a child by just backing over them regardless if the deck is on or not. I added a switch on the dash to over-ride the seat switch on my tractor. That way I can still hop off and move a branch real quick yet still have the option to turn it on while mowing my hillside. If anyone else was to use my tractor, I would set it back to factory.
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My father wqas a mechanic and always told me not to rev up my car engine and then turn it off. He said it would pull raw gas into the cylenders and wash oil off the cylinder walls. Then when you start up you have a dry cylinder causing excess wear. Sounded right to me and I still idle down before turing off the ignition. I engage my PTO at the lowest speed I can and not dog the engine down to much. For what it is worth ----- Dan
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I always idle down,and turn off the fuel,before shutting down. On engaging the PTO,a dealer told me on my 3410 with a cone clutch to have the throttle at less than half before engaging.FWIW
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I always run mine at idle for a bit before i turn my off or they make the big bang from igniting left over few in the muffler. My Prestige manual says to turn the electric clutch on at wide open throttle.
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On my 7117, I pretty much HAVE to idle down for about 30 seconds before I turn it off, or I get what someone on this forum called the "Brown Seat Syndrome." If my kids or wife are anywhere within earshot when I turn off my tractor, they instinctively hold their ears. :)
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I always engage my PTO with the engine a little above idle. There's no sense of slipping the clutch/belt any more than needed. You just want to make sure you don't stall the engine when engaging. After engaging, I throttle up and mow. I also allow for a cool down period of a minute or so before shutting it down at idle.
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