PTO Speeds on a 1980 B7100

[chetcromer]

Just got my B7100 back from the shop post-clutch work and can actually change gears now. Yay!

Trying to figure out my PTO speed shifter as there is no label on the tractor and the manual just says I have neutral/1st/2nd/3rd (believe first gear is 540RPM that I'll mostly be using).

From front to back (left to right here), here's what I get:

PTO SPINS -- PTO NO SPIN -- PTO SPINS -- PTO SPINS

It doesn't make sense that neutral would be between first and second, and I've read somewhere that it may be more of a N-1-N-2-N-3, but I don't feel that many spots to put the shifter... plus I don't know what's toward the front and what's toward the back. Experienced help would be appreciated here.

Also, and I imagine knowing my gears will help here, but at any speed PTO, with my 60" woods finish mower behind and full throttle after easing off the clutch, the tractor boggs down and smokes a bit. Haven't driven it with the mower engaged yet so it may drive at speed, but sure feels like the engine is getting over-burdened.

Where should I start? I think finding my gears will help so that I can make sure I'm at the 540 RPM.

 

[chetcromer]

BTW I **THINK** this is a gray market tractor (B7001). I know the throttle feels backwards and don't know if that's common for all B7100's or just the gray market ones, and don't know if that affects any other levers.

 

[freewheel3]

Just got my B7100 back from the shop post-clutch work and can actually change gears now. Yay!

Trying to figure out my PTO speed shifter as there is no label on the tractor and the manual just says I have neutral/1st/2nd/3rd (believe first gear is 540RPM that I'll mostly be using).

From front to back (left to right here), here's what I get:

PTO SPINS -- PTO NO SPIN -- PTO SPINS -- PTO SPINS

It doesn't make sense that neutral would be between first and second, and I've read somewhere that it may be more of a N-1-N-2-N-3, but I don't feel that many spots to put the shifter... plus I don't know what's toward the front and what's toward the back. Experienced help would be appreciated here.

Also, and I imagine knowing my gears will help here, but at any speed PTO, with my 50" woods finish mower behind and full throttle after easing off the clutch, the tractor boggs down and smokes a bit. Haven't driven it with the mower engaged yet so it may drive at speed, but sure feels like the engine is getting over-burdened.

Where should I start? I think finding my gears will help so that I can make sure I'm at the 540 RPM.

I don't know if its front to back or other way around but it should be:
514 - N - 786 - N - 1498 RPM. You can tell which is the 540 setting just by watching the shaft with engine idling and pto engaged. It will be the slowest rpm's. Your tractor shouldn't grunt down that much with only engaging that mower. Disconnect the pto shaft and turn the mower over by hand to see if there is anything binding or dragging. Something isn't right there.

 

[Eric McCarthy]

On my B6100 which should be the same as yours I pull the pto lever backwards into 1ST gear and that's the 540 pto speed. Sometimes with my 48 inch Landpride mower if I have the deck down in thick heavy grass and try to ease out the clutch to engaged the pto it'll bog just a bit then catch up. Every now and then I'll have the deck up in the air a bit ease off the clutch and get moving and let everything catch up to speed and then lower the finish mower.

 

[chetcromer]

On my B6100 which should be the same as yours I pull the pto lever backwards into 1ST gear and that's the 540 pto speed. Sometimes with my 48 inch Landpride mower if I have the deck down in thick heavy grass and try to ease out the clutch to engaged the pto it'll bog just a bit then catch up. Every now and then I'll have the deck up in the air a bit ease off the clutch and get moving and let everything catch up to speed and then lower the finish mower.

Yep, that was it. First gear was near the rear. It was bogging down because I was thinking first gear was toward the front and the tractor didn't want to do that much work.

 

[kubotasam]

BTW I **THINK** this is a gray market tractor (B7001). I know the throttle feels backwards and don't know if that's common for all B7100's or just the gray market ones, and don't know if that affects any other levers.

Early US model gear drive B7100's have a reverse throttle. You pull back and the engine rpm increases. It is not just the gray market that do this.

 

[jrslick]

I just finished mowing the yards around here with my 1977 B7100, with a 48 inch finish mower. It sounds like you figured it out, but the slowest PTO gear is all the way back.

I have been using the middle setting as that is what the prior owner told me he used. He called the middle one the 540. Maybe I should have looked that up before just believing him.

Also, my throttle lever is pull back it speeds up, push forward slows down. I "seems" natural that would be correct for where the throttle is located.

A 60 inch mower may be a bit big. But if you are keeping the grass fairly small, it shouldn't be a problem.

Jay