15
Section 2 Operating
5/5/08
DM36 Series Disc Mowers 327-045M
Land Pride
Table of Contents
Operating Instructions
By now you should have thoroughly read your Disc Mower
Operator’s Manual, properly attached your Land Pride
Disc Mower to your tractor, and reviewed the Operating
Checklist. If you have not yet completed all of these
functions, please do so now.
Now that you’re properly briefed and your Disc Mower is
ready, it’s time to transport to the field.
For transport purposes, your Disc Mower should be
securely locked with the cutter bar in the upright or vertical
position. Make sure the support leg is in the high position.
A "Slow Moving Vehicle" sign should be in place and
visible from the rear, if you are using a public road or
right-of-way. Select a safe speed and transport to your
cutting site in such manner that faster moving vehicles can
pass you safely.
Once you have safely arrived at your field, position your
tractor on level ground. Make sure that no one is within 20
ft of the mower, as your prepare to lower the cutter bar
from transport to working position. Lower the three-point
hitch to a point where the inboard end of the cutter bar is
approximately 12" off of the ground. Retract your lift
cylinder and pull on the latch cord to release the transport
or road-latch mechanism. Using your lift cylinder control
lever, slowly lower the cutter bar until the outer end
touches the ground. Adjust the three-point hitch to
"working position" where the driveline is horizontal with
the ground and lock the three-point hitch control lever in
place. Extend the lift cylinder until there is 1" of clearance
over the reach arm. Your Disc Mower is now in working
position.
Controlling or setting your cutting height is accomplished
by adjusting the "top link" on your three-point hitch.
Extending or lengthening the top link will raise your cutting
height, while shortening the top link will lower the cutting
height. If you are cutting in an area you are not familiar
with or believe there might be rocks or debris present, you
must raise the cutting height accordingly. This will reduce
the potential of personal injury and or damage to the
machine. Shut the mower down immediately if someone
approaches in a vehicle or on foot.
If you do hit an object when you are mowing, immediately
disengage the PTO, idle the engine, stop the tractor, wait
for all moving parts to come to a complete stop, shut off
the tractor, set the brake, remove the keys, and inspect for
damage. If damage is present, make the necessary
repairs. If no damage is present, but you have tripped the
Break Away Safety Latch, slowly reverse the tractor until
the latch resets and proceed with mowing operations.
Prior to actually beginning cutting operations, you will
want to get the mower up to full 540 rpm PTO speed by
engaging the PTO with the tractor engine at idle and
gradually increasing engine rpm to PTO speed. Once you
reach the full 540 rpm, allow the mower to run for a few
minutes at level position so the oil in the cutter bar can
lubricate all internal moving parts. You will also want to
take this opportunity to make a quick Operational Running
Check. Listen and visually inspect for any component or
part that may be loose or out of adjustment. Don’t be
alarmed by the noise level of the free running Disc Mower.
It will actually become quieter when you begin mowing
and have some run in time on it.
If your Operational Running Check was ok, begin mowing
operations by opening up the lands on your field. Make
enough lands so you can easily make your turns to
properly line up for each pass down the field. If your tractor
and Disc Mower are set up right, you should be able to
straddle the previous swath as you make each
subsequent pass starting in the center of the field. If you
do experience cutting problems, refer to the "Trouble
Shooting" section of the Operator’s Manual for corrective
action.
When you are done mowing for the day and need to
transport the mower to your storage site, simply reverse
the process you used to take the mower out of transport
mode. When you are done mowing for the season, clean
and lubricate your mower, replace warn or missing parts,
release tension on the belts, install the stroke control to
the tarp frame cushion spring rod and store the unit with
the cutter bar in the horizontal working position. You will
get longer service life out of your mower by storing it inside
and repainting scratched or rusted components.
With a little practice and experience you should become
very good at operating your Land Pride Disc Mower.
