Just bought a TimeCutter SS 4235 with bagger - what do I need to know?

[packardv8]

This is a like-new 2-year-old mower and my first skidsteer/zero turn. I practiced a bit in the wide-open north forty to get the hang of it before I start the close trimming around the wife's flower beds. It seems the left handle isn't adjusted to produce as much force as the right. On a slight slope down to the left, the right handle has to be held back to keep it straight.

What about steep slopes? I was able to mow them with my Cub Cadet 2135, which wasn't a particularly stable machine. The Toro Operator's Manual says "YOU'LL DIE!" but does anyone have any tips about mowing slopes greater than 15-degrees? A mower which won't tackle more than that is pretty useless. So up, down, or sideways?

What do I need to know about potential failure modes and preventative maintenance?

jack vines

 

[mechanic mark]

http://www.homedepot.com/catalog/pdfImages/a6/a64f3115-946d-472e-9823-d0f9e31c0a71.pdf operators manual, you may want to contact Toro by email & see if they have your service repair shop manual.

 

[packardv8]

Hi, Mark, and thanks for the link.

The Toro is going to go down the road. It's just not the machine for the hills and slopes of my lawn.

I've used it four times now and there are areas it just won't handle. I thought maybe it was my lack of ZT experience, so I brought in a pro and he couldn't make it go either.

jack

 

[Homer1]

Slopes and zero turns just don't match up very well. Most people who mow slopes much greater than 15* probably mow up and down them, turning at the top and bottom. They will do more than 15* but they are limited due to their balance issues.

The best thing i've seen yet is a guy on youtube who's made up a locking front wheel system for his Grasshopper, and even some of the gravelys are coming with a lockable front caster, allowing you to mow slopes sideways and not slide down hill.

If you have heavy sloping you may just want to rig up a locking caster system, or think about a different mower.

I really love the locking caster device, I think in the future we will see some aftermarket support in that avenue, to help people with greater slopes be able to just cut them with ease.

There are also some remote controlled slope cutting ZTR's on the market. Look that up on youtube, that's a hoot. Start off around 6k too. If I had some money, I'd love to have one, I'd drive it around my neighborhood and just mow stripes through peoples lawns with a wireless camera and.... well that's another story, lol.

 

[packardv8]

With practice, I'm learning the limits of the ZT, but the limits are absurdly low. I mowed this lawn for thirty years with a Montgomery-Ward Yardman mower and for eleven with a Cub Cadet 2135. They definitely had their limits, but they both handled the side hills with no problems.

The other thing I'm going to have to investigate is the linkage on the arms doesn't seem perfectly adjusted. There's a tiny bit of play which makes for imprecise steering and reverse seems way too limited in power. In theory, a hydrostat should be as fast in reverse as forward. In practice, of course that isn't practical, but I had to adjust the reverse on my CC hydrostat to get it to back up faster, and probably will have to learn to how to do the same on the Toro.

jack vines

 

[packardv8]

After a few more weeks of mowing, I've found the best method to approach some side/downhills is at dead slow. If I creep up on them and us as little power as possible, I can get around some areas which are impossible carrying normal momentum. I mean, it's sold as a "TimeCutter" and the promise is it's faster than a tractor.
That's what was confusing me; that there are some areas which can only be negotiated at a dead crawl, much slower than a tractor will take them.

One other trick I realized I had been using with the tractor was I had always shifted my weight to the uphill side. That was possible because only one hand was required on the steering wheel. With a ZTR on a sidehill, impossible to let go of one stick.

Anyway, I'm adjusting to the TimeCutter and it definitely does give a better, more even cut than the old tractor and probably does it in the same or less time; even if I have to mow a wider area with the walk-behind.

jack vines

 

[7394]

Jack- I cut 2 swales for the farm next to me, they are quite a bit more than 15*, but I have gotten used to doing them. So much so, that I can control both lap bars in one hand as I lean uphill. It is a stretch for one hand tho.. Having some time on Bobcats helped too.