Manual PTO Only?

[C5rider]

I've got a mower deck that I was planning on putting only my cub with an electric PTO on the engine. I was looking at the deck and it has a sticker on the front of it that says something to the effect, "This deck designed for manual PTO-equipped mowers only."

I have racked my brain trying to figure out why they would say that and what could be the difference! Anyone have any input?

Thanks!

[R Bedell]

The diameter of a Mechanical PTO is different than the diameter of an Elec PTO. Thus, there would be a different designed operating speed, in addition to the size of the belts to make a deck operational.

[Matt G.]

What deck and tractor are in question here?

[C5rider]

the mower deck is off of a 1015 Cub cadet and the tractor is a 1715 Cub. Now, my thinking was that they are really the same tractor, just that one is a 10 horse and the other is a 17 horse. Both are from the same line of tractors according to the images I could find while google-in stuff. Sure, the deck is a 32 inch unit instead of a larger 44 or larger one but, it fits in my shed with the other cub since it stays under the tractor, so to speak. The only thing that sticks out from under the tractor is the discharge chute out the right side.

I was curious why they would have that sticker on the 1015, as I was assuming that it had the very same clutch assembly as the one that I have, an electric one. The deck model number is 32LT 337190.

My thinking is that if I keep the engine rpm down, it should do just fine, right? I know that it says to run full throttle when using the pto, but I typically don't run my equipment at WOT anyway. Could possibly be more suited for my driving "mowing" style anyway. Thoughts?

thanks !

I'll try and get some pics to add to the thread.

[Matt G.]

Originally Posted by C5rider

the mower deck is off of a 1015 Cub cadet and the tractor is a 1715 Cub. Now, my thinking was that they are really the same tractor, just that one is a 10 horse and the other is a 17 horse. Both are from the same line of tractors according to the images I could find while google-in stuff. Sure, the deck is a 32 inch unit instead of a larger 44 or larger one but, it fits in my shed with the other cub since it stays under the tractor, so to speak. The only thing that sticks out from under the tractor is the discharge chute out the right side.

I was curious why they would have that sticker on the 1015, as I was assuming that it had the very same clutch assembly as the one that I have, an electric one. The deck model number is 32LT 337190.

My thinking is that if I keep the engine rpm down, it should do just fine, right? I know that it says to run full throttle when using the pto, but I typically don't run my equipment at WOT anyway. Could possibly be more suited for my driving "mowing" style anyway. Thoughts?

thanks !

I'll try and get some pics to add to the thread.

Why? The amount of cooling air is directly proportional to the engine speed. You aren't doing the engine any favors by running it at less than wide-open throttle, it's designed to be operated at that speed with a load on it, and the deck will generally cut poorly if it is slowed down.

[C5rider]

Thanks Matt.

My thinking on lowering engine rpm is in reference to R Bedell's reply on the different diameter's between the electric and manual pto pulleys. If the electric pto pulley is larger, it'll spin the deck at a faster speed. Therefore, a lower engine rpm would keep the deck within its intended operating speed. Plus, it has got to be easier on bearings and such.

So far as the engine, I understand the concept of having moving more air across the cooling fins of the engine. I would think that working it at less than WOT would contribute to reducing the amount of heat generated. So long as the engine wasn't operated at such a slow speed that the amount of cooling air was reduced beyond what was necessary, I'm thinking it would work.

Since I've got a Cub that needs a mower deck and a deck that I would much rather store under a tractor, I think I'll try it and see how it works. Besides, the grass is starting to grow.

My biggest concern is to why CC would put a wording like that on the mower deck. R Bedell, I think, has addressed that question. Now, the only thing left to do is give it a whirl!

[Matt G.]

You'd be forcing the engine to do the same amount of work at a lower power output and reducing the airflow over the cooling fins at the same time.

However, that's not going to matter in this case because you're assuming the electric PTO is larger than the mechanical one, and after looking at the parts lookup, I think that's a wrong assumption. The 1715 has a 3.5" trans drive pulley, and a 3.5" PTO clutch pulley. The 1015 has a combination drive/deck pulley that is two pulleys stacked, and the deck drive pulley is much larger than the trans drive pulley. I can't imagine the trans drive pulley would be smaller on that model because it wouldn't be able to transmit the engine's power very well if it were much smaller. So based on this, the sticker probably says what it does because the deck will turn too slowly on a tractor with the smaller electric PTO clutch pulley. So in reality, your combination will turn too slowly unless you replace either the PTO clutch pulley or the drive pulley on the deck.

[R Bedell]

My statement was a "generally speaking" statement without knowing the specifics.

I agree with Kohler, that the Engine speed should be at WOT for maximum cooling & power.

[C5rider]

Just as an update. I've got a season's worth of mowing on the tractor and it does cut great. Been doing a fair amount of mowing up until lately.

It DOES mow much better (more consistently) at WOT so, that is most likely the reason for having the sticker on the deck. Would it do BETTER with a different sized pulley? Probably, but I can say that it still does a great job with the one that's on there. Thanks for the info and just wanted to reply with some info for those who might come across this thread with similar questions.