Mower shoe settings

[near horse]

Anyone notice that the manual for the MD mower says to set the inner and outer shoes at the same height but the inner shoe has 4 setting holes while the outer one only has 2. Seems like it’s not possible to do what the manual suggests if you use the 3rd or 4th holes on he inner shoe. Am I missing something?

[Donn Hewes]

Hi Geoff, The outer shoe can also be adjusted by sliding the bolt up and down in it’s slot. Just don’t make it so low that it risks falling out. I personally like to mow high for several reasons. I think it saves the mower in rocky ground or rough ground. First cutting regrows well even if we miss out on rain; and I use the same setting for clipping. I use the third hole on the inner shoe, and set my outer shoe in the upper hole and slide it near the bottom of the slot. Just how I do it. D

[Jay]

I use similar settings to Donn’s for the same reasons. Jay

[near horse]

Thanks – I’ll need to go back and look at the outer shoe. I don’t recall any slot just the 2 holes but I’m often blind when I’m getting ready to mow.

I too used the higher setting on the inside shoe but our regrowth is minimal and not worth a second cutting.

On a different note – when you do happen to plug up, what do you do to clear it? I usually back up a few strides (horse strides) and then go forward and we’re good – most of the time. Occasionally I’ll need to raise the cutter and do a 360 degree turnabout to clear things and then drop into where I left off.

[Donn Hewes]

There are many different kinds of plugs with different causes. Sometimes a mower is just barely plugged (often caused while stopping in the hay – something to avoid). This can sometimes be unplugged by taking a few steps back and starting with the cutter bar up and dropping it as things get going. Remember leaving a big pile of cut hay in front of you is just asking the mower to plug again before you get started. If the mower is really plugged it won’t go any where in gear, and driving in a circle out of gear won’t really unplug it either. In this case you need to KICK IT OUT OF GEAR! and get off and unplug it with your hands (still don’t put fingers between teeth. This is were I get particular. I don’t want to get off to unclear a plug and then plug again before I get going. Make sure you don’t put piles of hay that you pull off in your own way. Don’t throw it in the path of the next mower, and don’t leave it in front of your mower. Finally i go around to the pitman side and give it a few revs by hand to make sure it is truly cleared. That way when I get back in the seat I know it is ready to mow.

On the other hand, it is surprising how much more you can unplug with really good wheels. I have use this method more with my rebuilt wheels. That is where the backing up and going forward comes in. Remember this is stressing the rest of the system to clear the mower. I found a weak ball clamp this year by doing this. It started popping off. I could break the pitman with enough traction.

[Jay]

Again, I ditto Donn. If the knife is plugged (tight with grass and wont move easily) I (as Donn said) back up a step or 2, kick it out of gear, slide off the seat with lines in left hand, and carefully pull the hay off/out of the guards, putting the cut hay BEHIND the cutter bar where it wont plug me up again. I make sure there is NO cut hay in front of the bar. Then I make sure the pitman/knife is free by turning it with my hand or sometimes my foot. Then I’m ready to go again, making sure the knife is moving before it has to start cutting more hay. Take the time it takes, so it takes less time. Jay

[Does’ Leap]

In my experience there is “plugged” – necessitating the abovementioned procedure – and “plugging”. I can often see the later happening when I am mowing, especially in a thick crop. When grass starts to collect on the cutter bar I will pump the foot lever, shaking the bar up and down, and this will often clear things up.

Grass is growing well here – plenty of moisture. Hoping to start second cut by the end of the month.

George

[Author]

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