Hydraulic vs Gearbox?

Eveready1100 · Apr 25, 2010

I have a Ford 3600 with a 6" finishing mower run off the pto. The gearbox on the mower is shot and things are a bit tight right now so a newie isn"t really an option at the moment. A workmate suggested that I could hook up 2 hydraulic motors (which I have on hand), one driven by the pto acting as a pump to drive the other which mounts on the mower replacing the gearbox. Does anyone know of a setup like this being tried before and if it has, how will it compare to the gearbox drive for power transfer efficiency?

ericlb · Apr 25, 2010

the problem wouldn't really be power transfer, it would be will the hydraulic motor turn quick enough to spin the blades fast enough to get a good cut, most finish mowers' blade speed is pretty fast

Anonymous-0 · Apr 25, 2010

Find a gearbox.You would have a hard time keeping the oil cool without extra cooling.

bradley martin · Apr 25, 2010

By the time you buy 2 hydraulic motors ( or better yet , a hydraulic pump and motor) a radiator, resevoir and all the hoses, fittings, relief valve, etc, you will have more $ spent then replacing your gear box or buying a used bush hog.

rrlund · Apr 25, 2010

Kinda like we were talking just the other day about spending 2 hours trying to get out of 5 minutes work. You can nickle dime yourself to death trying to cobble something up that won't work anyway. Then you've thrown away the money that would have been better spent fixing it right in the first place.

Anonymous-0 · Apr 25, 2010

The guy that suggested that has to be employed by the government.

Areo

Anonymous-0 · Apr 25, 2010

The pto drive will have a lot more power. Look at a hyd. driven rototiller on a skid steer. A pto powered one has way more power and speed unless you have high pressure and high flow hydraulics with oil coolers and large oil capacity. Lots of times in theory, things people tell you will work but in actuality they won't. Fix your gearbox for the best results. To hook it up to run decently on hyds. will cost you a lot more than a new gearbox. Probably more than whole new mower. Dave

Dean · Apr 25, 2010

Not a very good idea.

Though possible, doing so will cost more than a new gearbox or a used mower and you will convert approximately 35% of the PTO power into heat.

Dean

greygoat · Apr 25, 2010

A high RPM hydraulic motor won't have the
power, a higher torque motor,(power) won't have
the speed.
It can be done...but...look at the hydraulic
mowers used to mow along highways, or the ones
on arms, to go over guard rails. They have 30
gallon reserviors, and big oil coolers !

jm. · Apr 25, 2010

Somebody is pulling your leg. Even if you have the motors you will still be out more in hydraulic hoses, tank, couplings and labor than any replacment gear box would cost. Most brands use something like a gernic colmer or something you can find for a little over a 100 bucks or so new. What brand finish mower do you have.. I have several finish mowes junked. probably can find you a box fairly cheap.

IH574 · Apr 25, 2010

Since you stated that you have the motors on hand already that makes that part of the cost irrelevant.

It [i:924dee987a]could[/i:924dee987a] work [b:924dee987a][i:924dee987a]IF[/i:924dee987a][/b:924dee987a] you had the rest of the setup. The problems as have been pointed out are capacity and temperature. You need a reservoir and oil coolers to run efficiently. I have a Jacobsen with a 6' front mower that is driven by hydraulics and it has a big reservoir and a big oil cooler to keep it running.

I have to go along with everyone else on this and say that the best bet in the long run would be to just replace the gearbox.

Hydraulic vs Gearbox?

Eveready1100

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ericlb

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Anonymous-0

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bradley martin

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rrlund

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Anonymous-0

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Anonymous-0

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Dean

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greygoat

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jm.

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IH574

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