Do you still change gears when driving or are there automatics?

I'm just wondering. I hear people say they get up to 45 in their mowers. I guess they have pedals, but do they still shift, or is is automatic?

People get that fast by changing the gear ratio with the pulleys on the transmission and the engine. The only pedals theyd probably have are the clutch and gas pedal. You still need to shift because you can only go that fast with a manual (shifting transmission) and are unable to do it with an automatic ( hydrostatic transmission) just because of the way there designed.

Ah, ok. So my grandma's John Deere won't be able to do it. It has 1-5 gears, but if you want to go faster, you can just jump to 5 right away and go. You don't need to go 1, 2, 3, 4, and 5.

i shift gears you wont beable to start odff in 5th youll kill the motor

Speaking from experience - its not as easy as simply swapping gears - unless youre looking for a ride to the ER as well.

Ive 'built' 3 modifed tractors- first two were basically pulley changes - no brakes - just wearing a helmit . First tractor - a craftsman - trashed its transmission starting up one morning - thinking about it now what if it happened while going 30 plus mph down a back road?

My second was much faster murray with a 6 speed and twin cylender- i had it up to around 35mph and it was literally all over the place - handled horribly, nearly flipped it 3 times trying to control it - not to mention sitting way up in the stock seating position made it top heavy.

My 3rd is a MTD- i solid bolted the front axle, lowered the seat to the chassis, lower profile rear tires - thing handles like a go kart- no instability at all. Its in progress for a RAGB, straight axle, disc brakes , modifed spindles and a whole nother list of mods - cause im aiming for 50 plus mph with it. Itll also have a go kart clutch for no shifting/or trans.

I was able to shift gears smoothly on the murray and actually get up to speed pretty darn quick , due to its shift on fly setup- no clutching, but due to the steeper pulley ratios, it did take a few seconds for the motor to wind up.


Starting in 5th ( if possible) would only resort in severe belt wear by slipping the clutch . If the tractor is still for mowing - id leave it alone and get another tractor to mod . Once its modded, the deck needs to go.