IH #9 High Gear

[Tim Harrigan]

I am not sure if there is an optimum speed, a reliable speed seems to be about 2.5 mph. The pitman speed is timed to load up the knives about 2/3 of the length for each cutting stroke. That lets the knife start to accerate before it starts to cut. The gears cause quite a bit of resistance and the resistance increases as the speed increases. So if you get going too fast that resistance probably starts to cause some wheel slip and overloading of the knives.

[OldKat]

Thanks for the explanation Mitch and Al. I guess the “High Gear” model would say so on the tool box lid? I mean otherwise how would you know which model you had?

[near horse]

I thought that you could damage these mowers by running them overspeed – behind a tractor. Not likely to happen with your team but ….. As far as optimum – as Tim says there’s a general number but certainly cutting conditions can change that a lot.

[mitchmaine]

geoff,

i went to a reg. gear 9 cause my old mares walked up so fast. that team with a high gear mower, felt like the mower was going to explode. can’t imagine it behind a tractor where you couldn’t hear or feel how it was going. they made a trail mower that was meant (i think) to be trailed behind a tractor. it had wider wheels. must have had stronger guts too.
when something is designed for a horse and pulled by a tractor, something has to give, i think.

mitch

[jac]

Hey Mitch when that pair of mine step out, that old Albion I got shakes so bad I get double vision:D…
John

[near horse]

@mitchmaine 19572 wrote:

geoff,

i went to a reg. gear 9 cause my old mares walked up so fast. that team with a high gear mower, felt like the mower was going to explode. can’t imagine it behind a tractor where you couldn’t hear or feel how it was going. they made a trail mower that was meant (i think) to be trailed behind a tractor. it had wider wheels. must have had stronger guts too.
when something is designed for a horse and pulled by a tractor, something has to give, i think.

mitch

Exactly my point. Here what mowers you find usually have had the tongue shortened up to pull behind a tractor at some point. I think Lynn Miller mentions that can be a death sentence for most HD mowers if they’re run at those speeds long enough.

I’ll tell on myself here – many years back i salvaged an old McD #6 from a shed and decided I could use it behind my 8N Ford to knock down some grass in Sept or Oct – I was dirt poor and had no other equip and it was really gonna be cool. Mower did fine ’til I got a piece of driveway gravel wedged tight btwn guard and knife. Locked up the wheels but I’m thinking keep going and it’ll just “pop” out (or the wooden pitman will break). Wrong and wrong. The external cast drive gear just shattered in 4 places – ouch. I eventually replaced the gear but dang – stupid is as stupid does.

[Author]

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