Hello, Typical homeowner. Settled on a JD tractor to cut the lawn. About 3/4 acre. . Do you guys have a preference between electric PTO or manual PTO. The price diff is about $150.00, although the $2000 model has a 3blade 48" deck.
Thanks for your time.
For that size a tractor, I really don't care a whit--it just isn't big enough to matter.
??? Can you post/refer to the sources? Makes no sense to me from anything I can think of nor from experience why that would be claimed. (Not that I doubt somebody has made the claim, I'd like to see who/what/and particularly why they think that would be so).
At some point it's mandatory to go to three blades anyway--otherwise the knives have to become so large as to be first, uneconomical and second, unwieldy to design a deck to accomodate them.
I must agree on the two blades cut better than three in a given width. Of course you'll never find a two bladed 60" deck however. The reason they cut better is because the tip speed is greater and 90% of the cutting is done on the first inch of the leading edge of the blade. 2 blade decks almost always discharge better also, because of the enhanced airflow under the deck.
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AFAIK that is compensated by setting the rpm -- the three-bladed decks I have run at higher rpm. I've not measured rpm to see if it makes for a near match or not, but I'd venture it probably comes close.
I agree a side-discharge 3-blade doesn't discharge quite as well simply because it's got a lot more material farther to travel...
Despite the JD name and the green paint, it's a lawn mower. Tractors are big things farmers use.
:)
And the electric pto on them is mostly for the show factor, not the practicality/necessity as noted earlier...
It doesn't come close. You can't run a 16" blade fast enough to match the tip speed of a 24" blade. (48" deck examples).
As for the "farther to travel" statement, Well, 48" across is 48" across. A two blade deck is always superior to three (or more) blades in a given width.
Almost all hi-production commercial grass cutting machines these days have electric PTO clutches. They'll last forever if used properly. Better than any funky assed belt tightening mechanism, or mechanical cone clutch.
Sure, but for the "typical homeowner" and small lawn tractor, they're overkill mainly offered for the prestige factor...of course, imo, ymmv, $0.02, etc., etc., etc., ...
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