I purchased my first ride on recently and have found it does a fairly good job on our relatively small lawn area. It is 4 speed and I think transaxle(?) arrangement.
The one problem I have is that at times it has little braking while going downhill on a concrete footpath. My understanding of what causes this is that when there is unequal traction between the rear wheels, all braking goes to the wheel with least traction. I think diff causes this. Unequal traction can arise from going around a curve, undulations in surface etc. So our mower in one area starts skidding on a concrete path with less than 13 deg slope.
Is this any different to other small transaxle mowers without diff lock? Is there anything to improve or supplement the braking?
Hi Rideon Newie, Welcome here. Sorry I don't know but is it an issue or just a a bit annoying? Braking on most rideons can be a bit average. I have fitted a disc brake to one because it was an issue but it was a lot of work
The issue you are experiencing with your ride-on mower is not uncommon, especially in models that use a standard differential without a lock. In a situation where there is unequal traction (e.g., one wheel on a sloped surface and the other on a flatter surface), the wheel with less traction will indeed receive more braking force, which can lead to skidding or loss of control.
Weight Distribution:
Ensure that the mower has an even weight distribution. If you frequently use the mower on inclines, placing additional weight (such as weight bags) on the rear of the mower , can increase traction.(sand bags could be used)
Place the sandbags securely on the rear of the mower to help improve traction on slopes. Ensure that the weight is distributed evenly to maintain stability.
Make sure the sandbags are securely fastened to prevent them from shifting or falling off during operation. This is important for both safety and maintaining control of the mower.
Be mindful of the total weight you are adding. Too much added weight can affect the mower's handling and could potentially lead to damage. Consult the owner's manual or manufacturer guidelines for recommendations on maximum weight.
If you use sandbags, consider using bags that are easy to remove when you don't need the extra weight (e.g., during flat mowing or storage). This will help minimize wear and tear on the mower.
There are special weights that some manufactures sell to improve a range of issues.
Adding a weight or counterweight to a Ride-On mowers several important purposes:
The primary function of adding weight is to increase traction on the rear wheels. This is particularly beneficial when mowing on slopes or uneven terrain, where the mower might tend to slide or lose grip.
Extra weight can enhance the stability of the mower, minimizing the risk of tipping, especially on hills or when navigating turns.
With improved traction and stability, the operator has enhanced control over the mower, making it easier to steer and maintain direction even in challenging conditions.
An increase in weight on the rear of the mower can contribute to better braking performance. As you mentioned before, weight distribution can help balance braking power across the rear wheels, which can prevent skidding.
When performing tasks like towing or using attachments, added weight can help in achieving better operational efficiency, making it easier for the mower to handle various tasks.
For models that experience wheel spin due to loss of traction, additional weight can help in keeping the wheels grounded, preventing excessive spinning, which can wear down tires and affect performance.
Check the tires for adequate tread and proper inflation. Some models allow you to switch to tires designed for better grip, especially on sloped or uneven surfaces.
Examine the mowerβs braking system and ensure it is functioning correctly. Adjustments may be possible to enhance braking performance, depending on the model.
When maneuvering downhill, try to maintain a straight line to ensure both rear wheels have similar traction. Avoid sharp turns on slopes, as this can exacerbate traction issues.
Lowering your speed when going downhill can help maintain control. If your mower has a control for speed adjustment, be sure to use it to your advantage.
It's always recommended to use a slower ground speed for traveling up and down slopes, turning, or mowing heavy growth.
Most small transaxle mowers without a differential lock experience similar braking issues. They inherently struggle with traction variance due to weight distribution and differing surface conditions. Heavy-duty mowers or those designed for steeper slopes typically have more robust braking systems, sometimes with locking differentials, to mitigate these problems.
Making a bolt on rear weighted bumper would also work to improve traction.
Thank you both for the feedback. The lawn areas I mow are flat but are connected by a concrete path with a left hand elbow half way down.
I have thought of adding additional weight to increase traction but I think that would be difficult practically. The mower has a catcher at the rear and limited area to add weight. Due to the profile of the path and rigidity of the mower frame, I think it would require a great deal of weight to force the right rear wheel to gain traction in the section where it loses traction. I have tried moving the mower seat as far back as possible, but it seems to have no effect. Have tried different concrete coatings to improve grip but again the wheel just skids lightly over the top of it in this section.
I am attracted to the idea of additional braking. I think(?) I read somewhere where some add front brakes to Go Karts? Even if I operated the additional braking manually, I think it would be a big improvement in safety.
It surprises me that ride-ons can be sold with potentially so little braking? The cause is explained here where diff lock is not engaged (or the mower does not have diff lock)
If push bikes come with front and rear brakes, then I don't think it is overkill to extend a ride-ons braking from potentially one wheel (or less), by fitting additional braking. Finding someone to do it might be the problem.
The one I did I used a hydraulic brake kit from a Chinese pit bike, worked perfectly. Only Issue I had was I had to fit the caliper on the underside of the disc and this put it close to the ground and exposed it to grass clippings in a very harsh condition. I did think if I did another one I might try one of the cable operated pushbike type, might be easier than running the brake lines I have a small quad bike here and that has front discs and those kits are fairly cheap to buy from places like Blygo Bit of a job to mount them or it might be easier to pick up a quad bike and fit the front end to the mower. Always more than one way to skin a cat if you can put the time into it and you might end up with suspension on the front as well
I don't think suspension would be worth doing Norm ,The quality of the cut is generally optimized for a fixed chassis. Changing this could affect the mower's cutting performance and result in uneven grass cutting.It would be a lot more work to get the cutting deck independent from the mower chassis so suspension won't effect the cutting height when driving over bumps.
It's been over 30 years since I needed to make a locked diff for a mower and it's still going strong even after towing 600 pounds up a 10 to 15 degree slope at least 20 times.(diff has no spider gears) the side gears are welded to the axles.
I was trying to think of an easy way to get brakes on the front wheels Max, maybe use the stub axles and wheels and that way the caliper mounts would all be there ready to go.
If you have a permanent locked diff it would increase the turning circle wouldn't it? That would make mowing in tight spaces more difficult.
Possibly RN but I don't notice any turning problems as the back wheels aren't very wide the mower fits through a two and a half foot doorway ,it's wheels are mostly on dirt so one back wheel will skid when turning, at lot of Quad bikes are the same at the back with a straight rear axle.
Originally Posted by NormK
I was trying to think of an easy way to get brakes on the front wheels Max, maybe use the stub axles and wheels and that way the caliper mounts would all be there ready to go.
It sounds like a good idea, Norm, to get better brakes on a mower. One problem with using the quad bike front wheels is that they are usually wider and larger in size, which could affect the height of the mower. However, it shouldn't be too difficult to drill the mower wheels to fit the quad bike hubs. You could also weld a flat round plate onto the wheel to drill, since the original rims don't have the right stud pattern.
If I were doing this, I would just use the quad bike front stub axles, cut them off the quad bike, and weld them to the mower's front steering knuckles.
Drum brakes would be good enough with cable brakes as I see a lot thrown away.
You may get away with using the small quad bike wheels if you can weld the stub axle a little higher up on the mowers steering knuckle.
Hi Rideon, Getting that is the easy bit you still need a disc and then you have to mount the disc and the caliper and that is not going to be a simple job, that is why I was suggesting getting a kids quad bike and using the front axel because it will give you the disc and the mounting for the caliper Either way it is going to be a lot of work I say a kids quadbike last night on Marketplace with no motor, twin front brakes for $80 but that was in Melb
If I was to use the front axle from quad, I would have to find someone happy to do the job. As you say, quite a deal of work, so would be expensive. I guess the wheels/tyres from the quad would also have to be the same as the mower's in order not to upset things.
It sounds crude, but there isn't a hand brake that just pushes against the tyre? It only needs some braking in order to supplement the existing brakes. Before giving up, would like to explore all avenues.
Yes many mowers used the crude but effective way of having a flap or bar forced up against the tyre, I have a couple here that I am working on at the moment, a Deutscher 280 and a Rover Rancher for my Daughter. Problem is it will still take a bit of work, even if you just used a bar of some sort and used it by hand like a hand brake. Problem is from what I have seen on your mower there is not a lot of mounting points to bolt anything to And the big problem is nobody would go to the trouble of doing this sort of thing, it is only nutters like us who like the challenge and can spend countless hours making up bits and pieces to make things work
Just a silly question, are you ably to back down this concrete section? This would concentrate the weight better and front braking is always much better than rear braking. Just a thought.
Yes I could back down but I think that could be more dangerous than skidding for a meter or two going front ways. Hitting the brakes when reversing could cause the front to lift?
As a fallback situation, I thought about attaching a winch to towbar but that would probably require two persons to operate.
Seems to be such a difficult problem that could have been avoided had front brakes been fitted originally. Can't imagine that would have significantly increased the price.
Yes it is all about the dollars and when buying a mower, braking is not something you think about, unless you have been in your situation and you become very aware of braking being an issue
You only need one of the smaller kids quad bike as long as it has the front brakes and they are often pretty cheap
Norm the small 50 cc 2 stroke front disc brake kids quad bike will not be suitable as it's recommended loading weight is 50 kg and I don't think those small disc brakes would do much for a heavy ride on mower.
I guess it you go to the trouble of getting a quad bike you may as well buy a $100. 110 cc to 125cc 4 stroke quad bike and just make the tow mower.
All doable Max, but I doubt Rideon would want to chop up his new mower amd turn it into a toe-behind. I was thinking about it and if you made up a king pin setup with the stub axels welded to it and using the existing bush housing, that would have it back on the ground with the original wheels on it. Then on this king pin you could weld a piece of plate to mount the caliper to. This part is all fairly straight forward and then all that has to be done is to mount the disc to the wheel. Thinking about it you might have to make the stub axles a bit longer to allow for clearance for the disc and caliper, none of it is a big deal