Turning circle vs. mowing/blowing circle (was: RE: (ET) E12 M)

["Chris Tromley" <chris_t microtrac com>]

Larry Elie wrote:

> It has a poor tuning radius with the blower.

Hi Larry,

This brings up a different, but related point.  Before I got my EGT 150
with a mid-mounted mower deck, I thought I wanted a front deck.  I liked
the idea of being able to mow right up to stuff with the front deck, and
I'd heard that the short-wheelbase tractors (6" shorter) had a tighter
turning circle as well.

I didn't think a 6" difference in wheelbase would make a huge difference
in turning circle, but it does.  I compared my EGT 150 long-wheelbase
tractor to Harold's Wheel Horse short-wheelbase on a gravel area where
you could see your tire tracks.  The rear tires define the minimum
circle.  Mine had a turning circle of around 11', Harold's was only a
little more than half that!  (Sorry, didn't actually measure it.)  That
6" makes a *big* difference.

But here's the kicker.  The swath cut by the front deck is well outside
the circle made by the rear tires.  In other words, you can drive around
a small circle, but you can't cut to a small circle without putting your
wheels *inside* the circle.  That's a problem if you're trying to cut
around a planter, tree, wall, etc.  The difference between turning and
mowing circle is much smaller with a mid-mounted deck.

In my case I found the mid-mounted deck was actually the better choice.
If someone would like to take some exact measurements with a
short-wheelbase ET and a front deck, I can combine those with a diagram
of my long-wheelbase/mid-mounted deck.  I think the difference will be
surprising to some, and the numbers could help people make the best
choice.  I can make a nice layout in .pdf form that could be posted on
the elec-trak.org site, or forwarded to anyone who's interested.  Any
takers?

Chris Tromley

Age: Above average (a boy needs to keep some mystery about him :-)

100% Gas-Free Yard Equipment:
* Avco New Idea EGT 150 electric tractor (equivalent to GE Elec Trak
E15M)  Need a snow blade!
* B&D corded electric mower and string trimmer - to be powered by
tractor-mounted inverter some day
* Patriot 1.5 hp electric chipper/shredder/vac - to be turned into a
tow-behind vacuum cart some day
* Craftsman corded electric snow thrower - to be sold when I get a blade
for the tractor