What rpms to run bush hog

[Brad2023]

I have a 2910 ford tractor, the engine rpms go up to 1800, what is a good number to bush hog. Also if bush hog bogs down alot what could be the problem? I just changed fuel filter but i just dont feel like I have the horsepower I use to have.

 

[Dean]

Should operate cutter at 540 PTO RPM. Most tachs indicate engine RPM to produce 540 PTO RPM.

Bogging down can be caused by multiple issues but is usually caused by trying to mow heavy cover at too high ground speed or using a cutter that is too wide for your tractor.

Might want to check tractor air filter and cutter blades. Sharp blades wear down more quickly but cut better and require less power and fuel. Should mention that sharp blades not recommended if mowing
saplings as cleanly cut stems can puncture tires.

As a last resort, raise cutting height.

 

[BarnyardEngineering]

There should be a symbol on your proofmeter/tach that looks like the end of a PTO shaft with a PTO shield over it. That is where you should run the tractor to bush hog.

The tractor should rev up to at least 2000 RPM. There could be 100 different things wrong. It's going to require troubleshooting to determine the problem. You've owned this tractor a long time. It may just be normal long term wear and tear, a tired engine,

 

[Jim.ME]

(quoted from post at 09:09:04 11/23/23) I have a 2910 ford tractor, the engine rpms go up to 1800, what is a good number to bush hog. Also if bush hog bogs down alot what could be the problem? I just changed fuel filter but i just dont feel like I have the horsepower I use to have.

Engine speed needs to be what it takes to get 540 PTO rpm.

What size Bush Hog(?) are you using? Do you have it adjusted so the front of the blade swing is about 1'' lower than the back? That reduces power needed as the blades only cut once per revolution not twice/all around as occurs when the back is lower than the front. What gear are you mowing in?

 

[cjunrau]

All I can say is at 1800 rpm that is the correct rpm. that is 44 hp tractor and I
don't think that is enough for 5 ft bush hog but may be wrong. I guess that depends
on what you are cutting. How tall it is etc.

 

[bob15]

1800 rpm with the 540 pto shaft

 

[johnofnewhaven]

44hp with 36hp on the PTO. That is pretty good hp for a 5 foot rotary cutter.

 

[Brad2023]

6ft bush hog, second and low if its really thick. I just been looking up how to angle the bush hog today. I always thought level was correct but later I will go measure and see if front is lower than back i never thought about that. i always thought the front cut everything regardless of angle but i guess i was wrong i will def look into that
my rpm gauge only goes up to 1800

 

[Destroked 450]

6ft is a bit wide for a 36 hp tractor in heavy grass, you can move over taking less cut width in those conditions

I use a digital tach on the pto to find 540 pto rpm, then see what the dash rpm reads as sometimes the dash is off some
Your 2910 should rev to 2000 rpm but again the dash could be off some

 

[Jim.ME]

(quoted from post at 10:59:46 11/23/23)
6ft bush hog, second and low if its really thick. I just been looking up how to angle the bush hog today. I always thought level was correct but later I will go measure and see if front is lower than back i never thought about that. i always thought the front cut everything regardless of angle but i guess i was wrong i will def look into that
my rpm gauge only goes up to 1800

Not surprised it bogs in second low. With a 6-footer I would expect full throttle and running in first low if it is thick and/or any saplings. And it needs to be adjusted right both motor and cutter.

You said your tach only goes to 1800. Do you mean the face only reads to 1800, or the needle only goes up to 1800 when the throttle is wide open? If the needle only goes up to 1800 you need to verify the tach and may need to do some adjusting as I think that motor should turn up to about 2000 at high idle (full throttle with no load.

 

[Brad2023]

yea we use to have 5 ft it was one of the first bush hogs every sold it couldnt be patched anymore lol i have 17 acres to cut so i thought by buying a extra foot would help knock down on time to cut everything. My rpm reader actually just quit working, im trying to find a diagram of wiring to just buy a new cluster cause none of the other stuff works either. So it may be 2000 but as for as i can remember it went to 1800 maybe if i buy a new tach cable maybe it will read correctly
close to the house i try tto cut as close to the ground as i can but further away i raise the the bush hog up maybe half a foot to a foot off the ground its not as short as i want but it still looks good. I am disabled so i can only handle so much at a time driving very slow isnt a option for me so i just raise it and pretty much knock tthe top off the grass and weeds

how do you hook up a digital tach on pto im knew to that but id love to try it out so i know where the rpms suppose to be

 

[Fawteen]

I've been told that countless times and I just don't understand it.

I've been running 5 foot bushhogs (a Woods and later a Landpride) with 20 and 26 horse tractors since 1988.

Granted, I can't go ripping across a field at speed, but they've always done everything I've asked of them including some pretty nasty brush and even a few small (2-3) poplars.

 

[cjunrau]

I guess to me a when someone says a brush hog mower I think of small trees. We dont use 3 point rotary mowers for grass. We use them for going through the bush to make trails. Lots of carigana and willow

 

[Jim.ME]

I run 7-foot trailer Bush Hog with a D14 (about 35HP) some. No tach, just open it up to where it runs steady and sounds right. But it is first and low in heavy cutting and sometimes not taking a full width cut. If I want to cover ground, I hook it on a JD 2030 (60 HP).

If you want to go fast and mow at a 3" cut, 6 feet wide, you need a bigger tractor than your 2910 or a smaller mower. Or mow more often to reduce what there is to cut. JMHO

 

[WNYBill]

If the implement manufacture says 540 run it at 540. They designed it to work best at that speed. Reducing the engine speed doesn't save
the tractor. They are designed to run best at the normal 540PTO speed. If you are running the pto at 540 and your tractor is bogging down
you need to drop down a gear and reduce the ground speed. Just like my old VW bug, flat on the floor, if I wanted to go slower I reduced a
gear.

 

[Brad2023]

it only really bogs in thick stuff but still expect a little more horse power than what i am getting

the rpm gauge isnt working anymore as of yesterday so im thinking about getting a new cluster or maybe for now just change out the tach cable but the gauge reads higher than 1800 the needle only was going that high though
someone else said they hooked up a digital tach to pto im looking at some non contact laser rpm readers right now so i can test everything and see if its doing whats its suppose to

i wish i had a bigger bush hog for my 5610 i could cut so much more in less time but that is all i have for now

neither the tach cable or the gauge cluster has ever been changed so maybe it was giving bad reading.

 

[Destroked 450]

My digital tach

I adjust engine rpm up or down until I get 540 pto, then note or mark the dash for that rpm
With your 2910 governed at 2000 rpm that s less than 50 additional pto rpm, I would just pull the throttle back and let it run, it s better for the mower to run a few rpm faster than too slow

With 17 acres to mow I would consider finding a good used 10 ft trailed rotary mower to pull with your 5610, then use the 6 footer on the 2910 for trimming up

 

[Brad2023]

i just measured its 1 in and 3/4 higher in back

 

[Destroked 450]

Minimum is 3/4 higher in the back

 

[BarnyardEngineering]

(quoted from post at 10:11:05 11/23/23)
i just measured its 1 in and 3/4 higher in back

That's fine. Maybe a little extreme but that guarantees that the front of the mower is doing all of the cutting. If the rear sits low it ends up cutting twice and using twice the power.

Is this lack of power a new thing? Have you mowed in these conditions before with no lack of power?

"You're going too fast, use a lower gear" is advice when you've never brush hogged with this tractor before. You'll be looking for problems where there likely are none.

If you've never had a problem mowing with it before, that's the time to start looking for problems.