8 Operation
29927 (Rev. 3/14/2008)
OPERATION
■ Do not allow children or unqualified persons to
operate equipment.
■ Keep bystanders away from equipment while it
is in operation.
■ Stop mower and tractor immediately upon
striking an obstruction. Turn off engine, remove
key, inspect and repair any damage before resum-
ing operation.
■ Alway wear relatively tight and belted clothing
to avoid entanglement in moving parts. Wear
sturdy, rough-soled work shoes and protective
equipment for eyes, hands, hearing and head.
MOWING GRASS
Woods model 59, L59, and L306 series mowers are
equipped with suction-type blades which make them
ideal for finish mowing large areas of lawn. The
machine should be run level when mowing, and the
uncut area should be kept to the left side (right side on
left-handed machine). This prevents a small windrow
that might otherwise occur.
Streaking
With certain types of grass and under certain seasonal
conditions, the front caster wheels may roll the grass
down enough that it will not come all the way back up
and will not be cut as short as the surrounding area.
This may appear to be a streak left by the spindle, bu t it
is not. The only solution, under these conditions, is to
carry the weight of the machine on the lift chains with
the caster wheels adjusted up so they carry the weigh t
when riding a high ridge or high spot.
TRACTOR OPERATING INSTRUCTIONS
Operate the tractor at full governed rpm when doing
normal mowing. If the forward speed is too high, a
lower gear can be used.
Height Adjustment (Without Casters)
The mower is raised or lowered and the mowing height
is maintained by the tractor hydraulic system.
Set the hydraulic control lever stop for the desired
mowing level. Adjust the side skids so that they just
clear the ground. The side skids will minimize scalping
by lifting the mower over bumps.
Height Adjustment (With Casters)
The mower may be raised off the casters at any time by
the tractor lift system, but regulate mowing height with
caster height. On 59 and L59 mowers, adjust mowing
height by transferring spacers from below the caster
mounting bracket to above it or vice versa and by mov-
ing wheel up or down in holes in wheel yoke.
On 59CL, etc., raise mower before backing up
(because of lack of clearance between mower cas ters
and front wheels of tractor).
Attitude Adjustment (Figure 1)
The Woods rotary mower can be adjusted to ride level
at various cutting heights by adjusting the rear of the
machine up or down in the mounting bracket holes.
After changing the height of the rear of the mower,
always check the alignment of the belt from the id lers
forward. If the belt is out of line, move the entire mower
forward or back in the side adjustment holes or adjust
idlers as necessary to make the belt run true. The sid e
adjustment holes are also for additional belt take up in
case belt adjustment is used on the idlers. It is very
important to run the belt as much in line as possibl e at
all times.
Lubrication
Lubricate the blade spindle shafts with SAE 80 or 90EP
gear lube every 24 hours of operation until some oil is
forced out around the top of the shaft. If machine is
equipped with casters, grease occasionally to keep th e
powdered metal bearing well lubricated. The V-belt
idlers have sealed ball bearings and do not need lubri-
cating. On mowers using chain drive and jackshaft,
keep chain well oiled and grease jackshaft every 24
hours of operation.
V-Be lts
Belts should be adjusted so that they are tight enoug h
to hold the power of the tractor when mowing. The
mowers for IH Cub tractors are designed so that as the
mower is raised above the mowing position, the belt
slackens. This is to prevent excessive load on the trac-
tor PTO pilot bearings when the tractor motor is oper-
ated with PTO disengaged. Thus, on Cub tractors, th e
operator should avoid adjusting the drive belt so tight
that the slackening off effect is eliminated. On other
tractors, to prevent belt from jumping off, the belt
AWARNING
ACAUTION