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woods mower specs! mystert in speed and blade tip speed!

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SfTD_service_CENTER

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Discussion starter · #1 ·
ok well it is obvious that the generac spec says it is a faster mower than the kawi on the mower but how come it has less blade tip speed than the kawisaki? overall the kawisaki is a faster blade with a slower speed and the opposite is ttrue for the generac equiped mowers. i was interested in woods cuase my dealer can get them if he wanted to for me, i never really new they were the same as the bobcat since there is no dealer near me i just didnt compare them. bobcat must be the same way. i know i am not the only person that wants to know why the generac is faster but i thought i would just bring it up about the different blade tip speed too.

MZ2652G MZ3361G MZ3372G MZ3761K MZ3772K MZ2661KL
Engine Make Generac®
763cc V-Twin Generac®
992cc V-Twin Generac®
992cc V-Twin Kawasaki 999cc V-Twin Kawasaki®
999cc V-Twin Kawasaki®
675cc V-Twin
Type / Fuel Air-cooled, OHV, gas
Liquid-cooled, OHV, gas
Fuel Capacity 12 gallons 12 gallons 12 gallons 12 gallons 12 gallons 12 gallons
HP* 26 33 33 37 37 26
Lubrication Full pressure - spin on filter

Air Filter System Heavy-duty canister style air filter system with pre-cleaner

Deck Cutting Width 52" 61" 72" 61" 72" 61"
Design Fabricated - Welded 10-gauge steel, plus 7-gauge reinforcements

Skirts 7-gauge skirts with heavy welded steel bumper

Front Lip Adjustable front lip opening on 52" and 61" decks

Anti-Scalp Rollers Adjustable - 6 on 52" & 72" (all 4 corners - front & rear center); 7 on 61" (all 4 corners, rear center, 2 on front center);

Spindle Type Maintenance free with 1" shaft - Double sealed, precision ground ball bearings

Cutting Height 1.5" - 4.5" 1.5" - 4.5" 1.5" - 4.5" 1.5" - 5" 1.5" - 5" 1.5" - 5"
Lift Type Spring assisted manual with quick lift foot pedal (electric lift option)

Blade Tip speed 18,404 fpm 18,315 fpm 18,153 fpm 18,854 fpm 18,153 fpm 18,854 fpm
Drive Transmission Twin Hydro-Gear® variable displacement pumps with oil cooler and Parker ® wheel motors

Pump Size 16cc 16cc 16cc 16cc 16cc 16cc

Dampening Ease of control - smoother operation
Adjustable - 25% increase or decrease


Ground Speed mph - Forward/Rev. 13.5 / 4 13.5 / 4 13.5 / 4 12.4 / 4 12.4 / 4 12.4 / 4


Size Length 80" 80" 80" 80" 80" 80"
Width - Chute down/up 64.5" / 58.25" 73" / 62" 84" / 72" 73" / 62" 84" / 72" 73" / 62"
Height 46.5" 46.5" 46.5" 46.5" 46.5" 46.5"
Product Weight 1,045 lbs. 1,112 lbs. 1,386 lbs. 1,148 lbs. 1,386 lbs. 1,126
 
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Discussion starter · #2 ·
the only generac and kawi with the same blade speed is on the 72" decks 3372 generac and 3772 kawi 18,153fpm
 
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#3 ·
There are only 2 ways to alter BTS and mower speed given both mowers use the same length of blade and hydro system components. Engine RPM and pulley sizes. I've been reading your posts about the Generac being faster than other engines and it's just not true. If you put 2 engines of the same HP and torque on a given mower there will be no difference in speed unless there are different pullies or RPM used. Manufacturers like to keep costs low. Part of doing that is building everything the same. In other words by using the same pullies on all of the engines they use. The more pullies they buy the cheaper they can get the pullies for. It's called "Economy Of Scale". The only reason I can see for them to use different pullies on different engines is if the output shafts on the 2 different engines is of a different size. In this engine class you generally have 2 diameter sizes of output shafts in a few different lengths. All of the engine manufacturers agree on this so their engines are interchangable.

The only reason I can see Gravely using a different shaft from Generac to Kawasaki is because they got a great deal on one of those engines (or both) but they would have different output shafts. Gravely has been known in the past to buy a whole lot of engines and put them into inventory taking years to go through that particular lot. I bought a brand new 1997 Gravely Pro 150 that had a 1995 14 HP Kawasaki engine on it from the factory.
 
#4 ·
I think he's talking about Woods mowers which, in this case, are built by Bobcat for them. I agree, it is probably because of various pulley sizes that they use on the model/engine combination that would cause this. I wonder if that is why the Generac powered models have a higher ground speed (because of pulley size on the Hyd. Pumps or do they use different size wheel motors to acheive the higher speed or maybe it is a typo on the speed difference?
 
#5 ·
Razorblades said:
I think he's talking about Woods mowers which, in this case, are built by Bobcat for them. I agree, it is probably because of various pulley sizes that they use on the model/engine combination that would cause this. I wonder if that is why the Generac powered models have a higher ground speed (because of pulley size on the Hyd. Pumps or do they use different size wheel motors to acheive the higher speed or maybe it is a typo on the speed difference?
Click to expand...
Well, without laying my hands on them and doing some measuring or having the parts manuals it's hard to tell why they're rated differently. It's not simply because a 30 HP Generac makes more power than a 30 HP Kawasaki.
 
#6 ·
Richard Martin said:
Well, without laying my hands on them and doing some measuring or having the parts manuals it's hard to tell why they're rated differently. It's not simply because a 30 HP Generac makes more power than a 30 HP Kawasaki.
Click to expand...
I have no idea if that's what was being insinuated by sftd ser. center, but I wasn't implying that the 33 Generac engine makes more power that the 37 Kawasaki, although i will say that a 30 HP generac will make more power than a 30 hp Kohler. Unless someone asks a tech person at that works for the Bobcat division of their corporation, it is pure "speculation" as to why the Bobcat Predator Pro model specs are different for the different powered ones.
 
Discussion starter · #7 ·
yeah i jut meant it seems like a mystery, which i spelled wrong on the title as to why they say the generac is over 1mph faster and it is the same mower. i also said why would they say that and have a different blade tip speed at the same time only to have the same rated tip speed on the 72" model between both kawi and generac. i just thought maybe some tech for that company might be able to give a little insight on why they arent all pretty much the same.
cause in my eyes those mowers are totally different with the different engine options, i can either have one of the fastest there is with a generac or a average speed one with a overly poweful kawi. what seems wier alos is that someon said the generac is as powerfull as the kawi if not more powerfull! i wnt to know why more ztr makers havent been trying to use these motors if they are what people say, good on fuel and powerfull. they have been arround for a while i have seen the 33 on dixie choppers for the last few years.
 
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#8 ·
From what i've read, generac parts aren't carried by all that many small engine repair shops, compared to the rest of the brands. Also, I think that there were a few engine issues with the early models and some people became scared of htem after that. I will say that the common perception is that while Generac's make great torque, they are also thirstier on gas than other brands of engines in a comparable size. I have a 32 HP Generac on my Lastec and i avg between 1.55 and 1.8 GPH, depending on mowing conditions and what type of blades I'm running. My GPH avg seems to be close to what most guys with the Vanguard big blocks are getting and less than the 34 and 37 Kawasaki's are getting.
 
#9 · (Edited)
I've got a MZ3361G and love it. I noticed when looking at the specs on the brochure at the dealer that the Generac-equipped models go faster and I'm not sure why either. I just sent an email to Bobcat to ask why there is a difference.

I read an article about the Generac engines in which it was stated : Plus, the entire engine line is very conservatively rated. "When we say it's 33 hp, it's a true 33 hp," Sugar said. "We also bring some of the highest displacement air-cooled engines in the industry to the open market." (Sugar is the VP of sales)

Other manufacturers may label an engine with a rating, but with emissions controls and other things on it, it makes less than the rated power. I don't know if this would account for the difference in the speeds, but the Kawi may have about as much, or even less, usable power as the Generac.

After posting, I noticed Razorblades' post above this one, and I'll comment on fuel usage. I checked my Woods a couple weeks ago and it is burning 1.3 gph in average mowing, including some steep hills, some flat land, some nice weekly-mowed yards, and some thick bi-weekly yards. Right after I bought it in October, I was mulching leaves with it a lot and got 1.4gph.
 
#10 ·
OK, I just got a reply from Bobcat about the speed difference. Here is what their product manager said:

"The difference is Engine RPM. The Generac engine was originally designed for generator use. Generators need to run at specific RPM’s so that they maintain the proper cycles (Hz) for electrical generation. What that means is that they have to run at a governed 3800 RPM’s. Most other commercial engines like Kawasaki run at a top speed of 3600 RPM’s. So we pick up the additional speed from the additional engine RPM. This additional RPM would cause blade tip speed to go up also, but we control that using different pulley sizes so that it doesn’t exceed the blade tip speed set by ANSI B71.4. Basically it gives you an extra mile per hour for transport speed. The other benefit of the Generac engine is the governor sensitivity. Since RPM is so important to generating electricity, the governor that is used for the Generac Engine has to react very quickly to be able to pick up load without loosing RPM. This turns out to be a benefit and big bonus when used on a Zero Turn. Since you have very little governor droop (RPM loss) you maintain a very high quality of cut because you don’t loose RPM which relates to blade tip speed and blade tip speed relates to quality of cut. "
 
Discussion starter · #11 ·
cool ! makes alot of sense! i would buy the pulley for a kawi and put it on the generac and see if i could get a wicked blade tip speed! 20000fpm now that will certainly cut nice! i am all about the woods with that type of fuel consumption and power and price, i guess bobcat too!
 
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#12 ·
Yeah, Kawi pulleys crossed my mind this afternoon too. I bet it would have an awesome cut, because it's already great. You can't go wrong with the Woods. I wasn't even planning on buying a mower, just shopping around a little, and came home with this thing after cutting a small yard behind the dealership. I got an awesome deal on it too. He had it marked down to $8100 since it was a 2008 and 2009's were on the way.
 
Discussion starter · #13 ·
you should post some pics when you get a chance. i really did look at them before i bought mine i thought they might be junk though cause i never heard of them and i only saw 1 where i wanted to buy it! and it was used and beat looking. for the price you just cant go wrong! i paid 12000 with tax for my exmark lol!
 
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#14 ·
Discussion starter · #15 ·
you have a mulch kit for it???it said you mulch the leaves. is there any pic you might be able to take of the deck like the blades and stuff i would really like to see the setup of the baffle and stuff.
 
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Discussion starter · #17 ·
lol i wish it was alwasy that easy!
 
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Richard Martin
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