OPERATION
SIDE ROTARY Operation Section 3-27
© 2011 Alamo Group Inc.
OPERATION
MEASUREMENT OF HEAD PITCH
1. CUT MOWER OFF AND ALLOW BLADES TO STOP ROTATING
2. Move machine to a flat, level area such as a concrete slab
3. Lower mower head to within several inches of the ground but do not rest head on ground.
4. Stop engine.
5. Position blades toward front and rear. Measure the distance from the bottom of the blade tips to the
ground, with the blades hanging (at rest). Use two people to measure. Normal drift of the cylinders will
cause inaccurate measurements if the front and rear not measured at the same time. DO NOT ALLOW
ANOTHER PERSON TO OPERATE THE CONTROLS WHILE MEASUREMENTS ARE BEING TAKEN.
6. Bent blades, bars, pans, or loose bolts will make measurements useless.
ALIGNMENT
Head alignment is defined as the relationship of the centerline of the mower to the centerline of the tractor. The
desired alignment is that the centerlines of the tractor and mower are parallel to each other.
Misalignment contributes to “streaking” due to the skid shoe laying a wide strip of grass flat. This flattened
grass is sometimes not picked up by the mower on subsequent passes. Misalignment also contributes to
excessive power consumption because the side skirts tend to “doze” material against the side of the mower,
adding drag to the tractor.
Alignment problems can easily be seen by standing in the front or rear of the machine. Align the front and rear
of the machine. Align the front and rear edges of the rear tire and compare to the side skirt of the mower
(mower head resting on the ground).