Before Mowing; General Operating Instructions; General Operating Procedures - Priefert FMX Operator's Manual

Section 3: Operating Instructions
IMPORTANT: It is important to maintain correct PTO speed. Loss
of PTO speed will allow blades to hinge back and result in ragged,
uneven cutting.
DANGER
Keep hands and feet out! Do not step on or climb over the unit while
machine is in operation, or engine is running.
WARNING
Always disengage PTO, set parking brake, shut tractor off, remove
switch key and wait for blades to come to a complete stop before
dismounting from tractor.
CAUTION
Do not exceed rated mowing capacity of your implement! See Speci-
fications & Capacities for your model on pages 24-27 for specified
mowing Capacity. Using this implement for any other work can dam-
age the drive components, cutter blades, and deck components!
Do not over speed PTO or machine damage may result. This imple-
ment is designed to be used only with a tractor having a 540 RPM
rear PTO.
To reduce blade impact while striking obstacles; your rotary implement
is rigged with free swinging blades that will pivot or fold to absorb the
shock. However, it is best to ensure that the cutting height is adjusted
for the terrain in which you are mowing. This will extend the life of your
implement and will reduce premature blade wear or breakage.
Mowing should be avoided in extremely dry conditions as debris may
accumulate on your implement and may result in a fire due to heat
build-up caused by the friction of moving parts. In wet conditions
build-up of material on the underside of the implement will create a
loss of horsepower, increased wear and poor discharge and may
cause additional stress on the PTO driveline.
Know before you mow:
1. Check and mark potential hazards such as ditches, stumps, holes
or other obstacles that may cause the tractor to rollover or damage
the implement.
2. Inspect and clear the area for debris, and unseen foreign objects
such as branches, rocks, etc.
3. Develop a safe plan to avoid or minimize any safety hazards found
in steps 1 and 2.
4. Never assume the area is clear. Mow only in areas that you are
familiar with and are free of debris and unseen objects.
5. Extremely tall grass should be cut twice: first cut at the highest
possible cutting height to detect potential hazards, before cutting
at the desired cutting height.
IMPORTANT: Priefert strongly recommends that children should not
be allowed to operate this implement.
IMPORTANT: The PTO driveline while operating at 540 RPM is
actually rotating 9 times per second and at this speed the driveline
can pull clothing (for example) much faster than a human being can
take evasive action.
Note: Determining the correct ground speed depends upon two things:
The density of the material being cut and the size of the tractor powering
the implement.
20
Generally the quality of cut is better at lower ground speeds. Dense
ground cover will create the need to slow down even more. In certain
conditions the tractor tires will roll grass down resulting in uneven cut when
the grass fails to rebound. Should this happen you may try reversing the
direction of the cut and/or double cut to achieve the desired finish.

General Operating Instructions

It is important that you familiarize yourself with the Operator's manual,
1) completed the Operator's Checklist, 2) properly attached implement
to your tractor, 3) made leveling adjustments, and 4) preset your mowing
height.
You will need to maintain 540 RPM speed and 2 to 4 mph ground speed
to produce a clean cut. Make a tractor gear and range selection that
will enable you to maintain these speed combinations. If you need to
go slower, reduce your tractor speed by down shifting gears while
maintaining the 540 RPM - do not reduce speed of the PTO while
operating as this will impact the quality of the cut.
Note: Do not allow the implement to drop violently on the ground.
Violent impacts would strongly stress all machine components
and could cause damage to your implement.

General Operating Procedures

Perform an operational safety check by starting the implement.
It is important that at any time during this safety check you detect a
malfunction in either the implement or tractor that you immediately
disengage the PTO, shut the tractor off, remove it's key, and make
necessary repairs and/or adjustments before continuing on.
1. Start the tractor and set the engine throttle speed at low idle.
Raise the implement with the tractor's rear hydraulic lift control
lever to transport position making sure that the PTO shaft does
not bind and does not contact the implement's frame.
2. Lower the implement to the ground and at a low engine speed
engage the PTO. If everything is running smoothly at a low idle,
slowly raise the implement to transport height checking for bind
or chatter in the driveline.
3. Lower the implement to the ground and increase the tractor's
engine RPM until it reaches 540 RPM.
4. If everything is still running smoothly, once more raise the imple-
ment to transport height to check for driveline bind or chatter.
5. Lower the implement to the ground, return the engine to a low idle,
and disengage the PTO.
6. Position the adjustable stop on the tractor's hydraulic lift lever so
the implement can be consistently returned to the same cutting
and transport height.
Avoid very low cutting heights especially on extremely uneven terrain.
Always cut downward on slopes and avoid crossing the face of the
steep slopes. Avoid sharp drops and cross diagonally through dips to
prevent hanging up the tractor and implement. Slow down in turns.
Remember to look back often.