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Do You Guys Always Mow at Full Throttle

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Dan

05-28-2002 13:12:15




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I don’t have a perfect lawn- grass is thin in places (lots of trees), bare spots, etc., but my Simplicity Broadmoor owner’s manual says to always mow at full throttle. I know that under maximum loading you need to develop the full hp, and that the deck was designed for optimum performance at maximum air flow, and that proper tranny cooling is dependent on adequate fan speed. But, it would nearly seem preferable, in dry/dusty conditions, with grass sparse and thin, to mow at less than full throttle to minimize creating so much dust- hard on man and machine. My question is, under minimum load conditions, would it hurt or damage the machine to mow at half to three-quarter throttle? What are your thoughts? Thanks.

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boydo

06-01-2002 00:10:48




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 Re: Do You Guys Always Mow at Full Throttle in reply to Dan, 05-28-2002 13:12:15  
1.Lou must be a euphorian tree hugger or assume that you have a very small lawn. I'm 35 and my knees gave me too much trouble eight years ago and I had to get a riding mower. 2. I have had a lawn service since 1982 and a 1993 Snapper 21" commercial walk behind I had was self propelled. One lawn took about one hour and 35 minutes to mow and had only a few obstacles to mow around. When the grass thinned out after about mid june, I lowered the throttle and turned up the variable speed controll lever. I could mow the whole lawn on one small tank of gas instead of about 1-1/3 to 1-1/2 tanks at full throttle. The Kawasaki FB460V 12.5hp engine on my Wheel Horse tractor was set to run at 3450 rpm from the factory instead of 3600 rpm. These engines are known to be one of the best small engines made. They have a 6 to 1 compression ratio and are known to hold their compression a long time. I have 2 of these engines and one has between 1500 to 2000 hours on it and only takes a little longer to start. Owners manuals tell you to run at full throttle probably:1. to cut better 2. so you wear out your mower sooner and buy another one from them. #1 and #2 could be switched around possibly depending on which manufacturer you are talking about.

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Denny Frisk

05-30-2002 11:18:02




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 Re: Do You Guys Always Mow at Full Throttle in reply to Dan, 05-28-2002 13:12:15  
I had a Kohler Tiny-Tach on My Cub Cadet 129 for a while when the tach still worked.... I usually mow about 2600-2800 RPM.... which is about the torque peak for the K-301 engine..... Doesn't seem to hurt the engine much... The K-241 in the Cub Cadet 72 I run the same way has over 1100 hours on the rebuild... still doesn't use any oil and has never blowen a head gasket. Still keeps up with the Big Guys at the Cub Cadet Plow Days too. Running at 3600 RPM Does about double the force the connecting rod sees and increases the chance of ruining the block if the rod ever breaks. The list of engines that have been deemed "Poor" because the governor was adjusted to higher RPM to get more HP and then failed at that RPM is a LONG one.

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Greg AZ

05-30-2002 08:51:01




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 Re: Do You Guys Always Mow at Full Throttle in reply to Dan, 05-28-2002 13:12:15  
If dust in your yard is a concern, maybe you should consider planting more grass to get a better stand, thus decreasing or eliminating the dust. I always mow with the throttle wide open. I was also concerned about doing that until I discovered that the "wide open" throttle position on the dashboard only opened the carburetor butterfly about halfway open! Under heavier load, the governor opens the carb more to keep engine speed constant. Also to be considered is the governmental regulation about maximum tip speed on lawnmower blades being 19,000 feet per minute. This blade speed is supposedly adequate for lifting and cutting the grass, but will lessen the chance of projectiles being tossed thru your neighbor or his windows! And with the goofy little plastic deflector which helps windrow the grass, and causes the wife to then want the yard raked, you are allegedly safer than before such devices were mandated. All the best.....Greg

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Hal/WA

05-29-2002 14:03:37




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 Re: Do You Guys Always Mow at Full Throttle in reply to Dan, 05-28-2002 13:12:15  
Remember, you are not really running with the throttle full open, but rather at the maximum speed that the governor is set for. My experience with rotary lawn mowers has been that they do the best job at highest rotor speeds. The engine is protected from overspeed by the governor, yet if heavier going is encountered in an area, it is not necessary to throttle up with the control, as the governor will automatically open the throttle to keep constant RPM's. It is noisy though.

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Lou

05-29-2002 09:14:18




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 Re: Do You Guys Always Mow at Full Throttle in reply to Dan, 05-28-2002 13:12:15  
Get a reel mower.



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Larry

05-29-2002 06:52:59




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 Re: Do You Guys Always Mow at Full Throttle in reply to Dan, 05-28-2002 13:12:15  
Another consideration is the actual mowing. The blades have "wings" on the back side which create a vacumn at high speed to make the grass blades stand straight up for an even "hair cut". Faster the blades spin, the better the "hair cut".



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rick

05-29-2002 04:56:47




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 Re: Do You Guys Always Mow at Full Throttle in reply to Dan, 05-28-2002 13:12:15  
Air cooled engines are designed to run at full bore. The "fins" on the flywheel are fan blades. The more rpm's (without over rev)the better it cools.



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cannonball

05-29-2002 05:27:11




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 Re: Re: Do You Guys Always Mow at Full Throttle in reply to rick, 05-29-2002 04:56:47  
my lawn mower is water cooled what about it



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Ken in PA

05-28-2002 16:51:30




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 Re: Do You Guys Always Mow at Full Throttle in reply to Dan, 05-28-2002 13:12:15  
I would have to agree! Need to keet the engine and hydrostatic fan going to provide the best cooling. I would think for very short periods it would be ok but I wouldn't stretch it!

I have the same problem as you, one minute thick grass, next minute dust! Sometimes I shut the PTO off for a few seconds.

Good mowing,
Ken



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Jordan

05-28-2002 15:22:30




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 Re: Do You Guys Always Mow at Full Throttle in reply to Dan, 05-28-2002 13:12:15  
I always mow at full throttle as my owner's manual says. It's better for the motor and transmission to get sufficient cooling and lubrication. I recommend doing as the owner's manual states.



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Chuck F.

10-04-2004 08:44:09




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 Re: Re: Do You Guys Always Mow at Full Throttle in reply to Jordan, 05-28-2002 15:22:30  
I have had an MTD, Sears mower from new in 1990, and have mowed at what ever speed worked the best, out here on the west coast of canada we have a mow season from Feb. to Nov. and the twin cyl. 16hp Briggs runs like new, keep the air cleaner properly serviced. change the oil as per manual.



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