More motor triple questions.

[disco2]

Hi all hope everyone is well. I have been using the motor triple and it’s going great apart from a broken chain which was soon replaced. I do however had an issue with the cutting heights. The middle unit is set at about 3/4 inch and on the 3rd notch but to get the same on the front units I’m almost at the end of travel on the adjusters meaning if I want to go higher I can’t. It seems that the front units are possibly leaning down at the front but I cat see anything obviously bent or worn. I remember using a later hydraulic triple and if the mower unit pins were bent it would cause the same issue but the motor triple has an A frame so unless it was twisted it shouldn’t happen. I checked the a frame with a spirit level and it seemed fairly true. I wonder if anyone knows of a common problem with these units and if they can be straightened.
Thanks for your help and advice
Best wishes William

[trusty220]

The problem lies in the geometry of the design and it’s the same with the current range of triples that Ransomes make.

If you look at the two front cutting units they are held by the brackets at the top and are being pushed from behind which makes them try to rotate forwards and downwards. With the skid at the back of the cutting unit being the only contact it has with the ground, this has the effect of cutting the grass shorter as they are pushed forward.

In contrast, the middle cutting unit is being pulled forwards from the top which gives a more consistent height of cut on the finished grass.

When I used to train operators to use these machines I always used to tell them to set the front units at least one graduation higher than the middle one to counteract this tendency; this was with new machinery as well, but once they’ve hit one or two trees then anything goes!

I hope that puts your mind at rest; at least you know that there isn’t anything fundamentally wrong with your machine.

[disco2]

Hi Trusty thanks for the quick reply. That makes sense now I imagine that it wouldn’t take much to make the problem worse such as a collision with a tree or edging kerb. I did consider perhaps cutting through the triangular plate at the front where it is welded to the unit and ‘re welding it to effectively bring the front of the head up again. The other thing I noticed is that the 2 front units do not line up properly with the main frame it looks like they have been bent back again probably by hitting a tree.
Thanks for your help and advice
Best wishes William

[disco2]

Hi it’s Will I thought I would update you on the progress with the motor triple. I had it out today and cut about 4 acres it is working great and it’s nice to be munching through green healthy grass rather than the usual dry dusty stuff we normally have this time of year. Anyway I think I have found the reason for the uneven cutter heads. The two front units are clearly bent backwards from colliding with trees. The pins holding the A frames onto the chassis are both badly bent (not sure How I didn’t notice before) I imagine that because they are bent back they have caused the units to dip down as well. Not sure if I am going to be able to get them out because they are so bent.I will keep you posted .
Best wishes William

[trusty220]

At least they are made from straight round bar so you should be able to make your own replacements rather than trying to repair the bent ones.

[urbanalfa]

Good to hear that it’s cutting well.

How long did it take you to cut 4 acres? Interested to know how fast they are compared to more modern equipment

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