Some useful? information....

[SundaySailor]

Folks,

I have a Cub with a Woods 42 mower on it. I've been trying to get used to mowing with it on my new property. I did have a new set of rib tires on the front of the tractor, but per John *.?-!.*'s suggestion, I bought a seperate set of cub rims for the front of the tractor. I had them cleaned up at my local tire dealer, and had two radial 12" tires mounted on them. I had the tires put on the tractor and started mowing. Now then, the brakes on my Cub aren't the best of shape right now, and I hope to get them fixed during the winter months. Anyway, using the radial tires definitely helped with not tearing up the lawn so much. I still had ruts occurring on the turns, but that is mainly because I didn't throttle back enough before going into the turns. Once I get the hang of it, I feel like I can get a right decent cut on the lawn. I do have some scalping, but I kinda feel like 1) I have the mower set a bit too low with the hydraulics, and 2) I might be a wee tad low on hydraulic fluid. My hydraulics do make a whine when going up or down, and if I have them up in the top position they whine too. Are they supposed to do that, or is it a sign I'm a little low on fluid? Anyway, just thought I'd pass this on to the others who may be thinking about mowing with their Cub. I can say this: I really like sitting up high and being able to see so much from up there. Makes one feel like they have a low flying cockpit.

Rick

[JBall8019]

S.S.
Does your mower have skids that are adjustable? Also are you cutting bumpy terrain? because i scalp the bumpy parts of my property, then again i cut my grass less than 2" running in 2nd gear at full throttle. My cub hydraulics whined liked you described and it went away when i filled the resevoir and bled the air out, as bigdog described in a previous post. Hope this helps
John

[John *.?-!.* cub owner]

Whining going up and down is normal. It should not whine when it is all the way up. The stops are probably out of adjustment and it is constantly trying to push the mower higher. On Rudi's manual server thaere is a copy of the Blue Ribbon Touch Control manual that has the adjustment procedure. Operating it for very long with it whining in the up posiotn will cause it to get hot fairly quick. As a temporary fix, don't set the lever to the full up position.

[SundaySailor]

JBall8019, no my Woods mower doesn't have any skids at all. I do mow over uneven lawn areas. The high spots are where I scalp the most. If I use a regular riding mower, I don't scalp as bad. I believe that is because the regular riding mower has a shorter wheelbase. I think I'm going to readjust the depth thing (don't know the proper term here) on the touch control to compensate. John, I'll check that manual out and see what's up. Thanks for letting me know. I sure as heck don't want to damage something that is at least working. May not be working properly, but at least it is working. It really does put a good cut on the fescue grass, especially since the blades were sharpened.

Rick

[Bigdog]

Rick, the Woods 42 should have skids on it. That will help the scalping problem. Of course, once you scalp off all of the high spots, your lawn will be more level and the scalping will stop.

[JBall8019]

Rick, I think your mower should have some skids on it. Ihave learned recently that some people run over thier decks to remove then and maybe your skids could have been crushed. Your mower is octaganal in shape correct? I think you can still buy those skids or propably make some yourself. I usually pull a roller in the spring and fall to help with uneven places. and i agree with you about having sharp blades it makes a big difference.
john

[Matt Kirsch]

Yeah, adjusting the hydraulics might cure the scalping problem, but it will also leave the grass longer, which may not be desirable.

Normal riding mowers don't scalp for two reasons:
1. Shorter wheelbase.
2. Gauge wheels and rollers on the deck.

[SundaySailor]

I'll check again this afternoon when I get home. But, I do not remember skids on that mower. I know I've seen them on other mowers, but mine just doesn't have them to my recollection. And, yes it is octangonal (sp?) in shape. That is one thing that caught my eye as most of the conventional mowers are oblongish.

Rick