BX2380 MMM engagement speed?

[ve9aa]

New owner---5.5hrs on my BX2380 tractor (1.5 of that, mowing with a 54" MMM)......I have searched but can't find a good answer.

At what engine RPM should I engage the MMM at?

When I do it with engine RPM very low (mower up or down) ....it seems like the tractor shudders really hard and the mower has a hard time starting, engine lugs, mower slowly spins up. I thought intuitively this would be "safer" or easier on equipment, doing it at lower RPM...
HOWEVER
It seems like if I engage the MMM, at, say, 2000rpm, less engine shudder, mower starts better, then I increase engine RPM something closer to 3000wpm and off I go?

Advice?

 

[Ping]

New owner---5.5hrs on my BX2380 tractor (1.5 of that, mowing with a 54" MMM)......I have searched but can't find a good answer.

At what engine RPM should I engage the MMM at?

When I do it with engine RPM very low (mower up or down) ....it seems like the tractor shudders really hard and the mower has a hard time starting, engine lugs, mower slowly spins up. I thought intuitively this would be "safer" or easier on equipment, doing it at lower RPM...
HOWEVER
It seems like if I engage the MMM, at, say, 2000rpm, less engine shudder, mower starts better, then I increase engine RPM something closer to 3000wpm and off I go?

Advice?

I’m sure the manual states an RPM range for engagement but, that’s about where I engage my mower
Regards

 

[ve9aa]

I’m sure the manual states an RPM range for engagement but, that’s about where I engage my mower
Regards

"That's" ? Are you agreeing with my estimate of ~2000rpm Ping?

I couldn't find it in my manual for the BX2380.....I have skimmed my paper manual for the mower and didn't see it.

 

[Henro]

"That's" ? Are you agreeing with my estimate of ~2000rpm Ping?

I couldn't find it in my manual for the BX2380.....I have skimmed my paper manual for the mower and didn't see it.

I’m probably doing it wrong, but I always engage the mower deck on my BX at idle. And often when moving forward at idle, which seems to reduce the shock somewhat.

It just seems counterintuitive to me to engage the clutch (that you have no control over other than on/off) at high rpm.

 

[ve9aa]

I’m probably doing it wrong, but I always engage the mower deck on my BX at idle. And often when moving forward at idle, which seems to reduce the shock somewhat.

It just seems counterintuitive to me to engage the clutch (that you have no control over other than on/off) at high rpm.

That's what I thought too Henro. Maybe once I get a couple more hours on the machine, I'll see where the sweet spot is. At idle there's lots of shudder/vibrations/noise/lugging, whereas slightly higher seems to be better and less "shock". (if that makes sense)

I have never engaged it at 3000-3200rpm (yet, anyways) ;-)

I'll probably have the same question(s) once winter rolls around.......and I get my BX2830 snowblower going.

 

[imnukensc]

There's an entire chapter in your owner's manual on PTO operation, but having said that, according to the manual you should engage at about half throttle.

 

[ve9aa]

There's an entire chapter in your owner's manual on PTO operation, but having said that, according to the manual you should engage at about half throttle.

aha! I see it now.....I couldn't see the forest for the trees. DOH ! ! ! <hangs head in shame>
Looks like I found in (in real life) by accident.
That's about how I engage the PTO on my TG1860 as well.(mid RPM's)

"...2. PTO clutch lever
The PTO-clutch-lever engages or disengages the PTO
clutch which gives the PTO independent control.
IMPORTANT :
• To avoid shock when loading to the PTO,
reduce the engine accelerator from full to half
speed by pushing up on the engine accelerator
when engaging the PTO. Then open the
accelerator to the full speed.
• When you engage the PTO clutch, shift the
PTO-clutch-lever slowly to avoid damage to the
PTO clutch and implement. Do not keep the
PTO-clutch-lever half way...."

Thanks all....

 

[Henro]

There's an entire chapter in your owner's manual on PTO operation, but having said that, according to the manual you should engage at about half throttle.

I’ll have to try that once and see how it works! Although after 18 years doing what I have been doing doesn’t seem to have any negative affect! Except on me every time I activate the mower!

edit: I have always feathered the engagement slightly though...will report back after trying the half throttle engagement.

 

[mcmxi]

I’ll have to try that once and see how it works! Although after 18 years doing what I have been doing doesn’t seem to have any negative affect! Except on me every time I activate the mower!

edit: I have always feathered the engagement slightly though...will report back after trying the half throttle engagement.

Making sure that the mower blades are balanced can really make a difference to how the mower feels at any rpm. I have a nice Italian made blade balancing tool that enables me to get the blades as near to perfect as possible.

A page from the MX manual re the PTO is shown below. There's no mention of engagement rpm other than reducing rpm to reduce shock loading. If your tractor has sufficient power to run the implement at idle without undue or excessive lugging of the engine then that would be the best option.

I had no issues engaging the PTO at idle with my BX25D running the mid mount mower (RCK54-23BX) or snow blower (BX5450) so that's what I did. I'm running an RCR1884 rotary cutter on the MX and I have no issues engaging the PTO at idle with this setup either.

 

[Henro]

What bothers me with the BX is that at idle, the hydraulic clutch cuts in so fast there is a shock load to the system.

I will try ONCE at higher RPM and see what happens. I am thinking that PERHAPS at higher RPM the clutch disks may slip a little and the result may be a bit smoother engagement.

If this is the case, then it would be a balance between increased clutch wear and smooth engagement. Not sure which is better in the long term, if the initial shock of engaging at idle is not an issue in reality. Hasn't been for me after 18 years...

Edit: Actually I should have said it hasn't been for the tractor after 18 years. For ME it has been an issue all along! LOL

 

[BX23S-1]

I have a 2017 BX23s with a 60 inch MMM.
What seems to work for me is, set the throttle at 1/2 way, slowly engage the PTO.

My old 1990 john deere 420 (elec clutch) wants/likes to be at idle when you turn on the 60" MMM. My Kubota hates idle, sounds like things want to blow apart, shake-rattle-bang-loud, so 1/2 throttle seems to work much better for me. As a matter of fact, this BX23s likes 1/2 throttle turn on, slow lever engagement for all my PTO driven implements.

YMMV

 

[Henro]

I have a 2017 BX23s with a 60 inch MMM.
What seems to work for me is, set the throttle at 1/2 way, slowly engage the PTO.

My old 1990 john deere 420 (elec clutch) wants/likes to be at idle when you turn on the 60" MMM. My Kubota hates idle, sounds like things want to blow apart, shake-rattle-bang-loud, so 1/2 throttle seems to work much better for me. As a matter of fact, this BX23s likes 1/2 throttle turn on, slow lever engagement for all my PTO driven implements.

YMMV

Well, I do not have a tachometer on my BX2200, so I am guessing I set the throttle at about 1/3 or so, and engaged the PTO for the MMM. No feathering, just moved the lever at normal speed from off to on.

The start was smoother than if I did my best trying to feather the engagement at idle manually! Left me speechless to say the least!

I am now a believer...

 

[BX23S-1]

Well, I do not have a tachometer on my BX2200, so I am guessing I set the throttle at about 1/3 or so, and engaged the PTO for the MMM. No feathering, just moved the lever at normal speed from off to on.

The start was smoother than if I did my best trying to feather the engagement at idle manually! Left me speechless to say the least!

I am now a believer...

Yeah i learned the same thing when we bought our BX23s. Had to bump the throttle up for smoother engagement. I`ll clarify, i don`t go real slow with the lever, but i dont just slam it on/off either. I just kept working with it until i found that sweetspot where i had much smoother engagement.