Blade speed difference

[curry]

Ive read alot about the commercial mowers having more blade speed than homeowners versions. I have a Snapper yard cruiser w/ 15hp Kolar. The manufacturer states the blade speed is 16590rpm. Most commercial mowers that Im looking at(Toro and Exmark walkbehinds) have a blade speed of about 18000. My question is, Is the extra 1400rpm going to make a noticable difference on how the cut is(at different speeds of mowing)

[Lawn Services]

i would think that every little bit helps
i do know that there is a law mandating how fast they can turn i belive for safty the can turn know faster than 19000
my Yazoo/kess is around 18200 and produces a nice cut at high speeds

[awm]

sure high blade speed capability can help.
i have noticed there are times when im set up for one type of mowing and run into a lot of another condition,i can cut the rpm and get a smoother cut. go figure.later

[Premo Services]

Blade tip speed definetly makes a difference. I have a turf tracer with 17 kawasaki motor and it came from the factory running 1300 rpms too slow( go figure). This made the blades turn slower, which made for double cutting and a lousy cut all the time. I had a mechanic I trusted to check the rpms and he said they were slow by 1300 rpms. He adjusted them where they needed to be, which brought the blade tip speed up, and it cuts like a dream, or actually like it should have from the beginning. ;)

[David Gretzmier]

blade tip speed is great. the acual number is feet per minute , ( i think, not rev. per minute. sort of like a speed on a car. I have heard that dixies out do everybody cause the set the tip speed at max with the rpm of the engine doing 3200 rpm. and then send them out the door and say at the dealership- dont tighten that spring right there, it will put your rpms at 3600, and that would put you at an illegal tip speed, wink wink, nudge nudge. the rep at the louisville show TOLD me the bearings would hold up even at 25000 tip speed. crazy daveg

[Premo Services]

David Gretzmier blade tip speed is great. the acual number is feet per minute , ( i think, not rev. per minute.

Yes the blade tip speed is measured in feet per minute, I was saying in my post that the motor was running 1300to1500 rpms less than normal. With the rpms running lower than normal, this would make the blade tip speed be lower also. Which would make for a really bad cut. I think this is what the first post was talking about,lower blade tip speed.

[Eric ELM]

Why don't you guys get a Tiny Tach which will give your RPM's and hours on the machine. Linkage will wear a fuzz here and there and in a few hundred hours can drop your rpm's quite a bit, which affects your cut. They sell for around $35 to $40 and are very easy to hook up.

The one that came on my old Chopper has lasted almost 3700 hours, so they do last a long time too.

[bruces]

Eric,

Where can the "Tiny Tach" be purchased?

[plow kid]

At the Tiny Tach shop http://members.aol.com/ncls484/smilies/rolleyes.gif















Landscaper supply Co. has them I think

[Eng Mwr Guy]

From the testing we have done I would say blade tip speed is over-rated.

If the deck is designed poorly high BTS will not help much. With a well designed deck high BTS is not a requirement.

The only reason we are at or above 18,000 fpm is due to some believing this is all that matters. It is a marketing tool for the most part.

I have to agree with the crux of the posts here on lawnsite....try the machine in your grass conditions on your accounts and judge for yourself.

Barry Adamski
Gravely Engineer

Check out our new Walk-Behinds.

[Eric ELM]

Originally posted by bruces
Eric,

Where can the "Tiny Tach" be purchased?

The only place I know for sure that has them is Dixie Chopper. I'm sure there are other places though.

You can get them that you can reset them for going X amount of hours for maintenance or the ones that come with a DC are not resetable.

You can get them for 1 or 2 cylinder motors too.

[Flex-Deck]

I'm with ENG MWR GUY - Different decks, different blade tip speeds may work better or worse. I think it can be too high in some cases and create turbulence affecting the cut, or too low resulting in inadequate lift, and by the way the power requirements to increase blade tip speed after a certain point become doubled for each extra increment of speed attained. It takes a lot more horse power to increase from 18,000 to 19,000 ft per minute than it did to go from 17,000 to 18,000 ft/min. Try different speeds, fast is not always best from what I have seen.

[David Gretzmier]

true- poorly designed decks are poorer when run faster- but then they are not what are on the latest crop of ztrs I've seen. in the last 3 years, nearly all high end rigs are high flow, deep design, and push the tip speed envelope. I wouldn't recommend 19000 fpm speed on a monkey wards or sears craftsman, but I do recommend running any machine near it's max rpm for mowing. slower speeds make no sense to me. having done this for 20 years, on equipment from 50 bucks to 50,000-I have never thought to myself- Hey, I need to slow the engine down, this thing is cutting too fast! Dave g

[dhicks]

My Dealer sell the Tiny Tachs. If interested, send me a private message and I'll send you the phone #. I have one on my Toro and Hustler. I really like 'em.

[Pepper2]

This may help


In Stock
Ship Wt. 1.00 lbs.
Item# 160590
Discount Price... $36.99

Northerntool.com

[awm]

thanks pepper ,thats the next buy i think.