185 540 PTO only

How much larger are you considering?

Edited by JayD-17(NY) - 23 Feb 2017 at 8:58pm

9 foot new holland discbines run on 540 rpm only and the 10ft machines are 540 or 1000 rpm. Can be converted by flipping the front gearbox and changing the shaft (not cheap). However you can easily find used machines running at either speed. The 13footers are more than a 185 would handle. We have two 185 tractors and cut with a 10 ft machine running at 540 with no issues at all.

Edited by kev/ont - 23 Feb 2017 at 8:22pm

welcome back Captain! we been missing you and yer pics!

I have a rear housing with the two speed laying on a pallet out back....

Twice the speed and half the torque....but.....That bigger equipment like larger disc bines and choppers and such are designed to flow lots of product, demanding high horse power. Let's say your engine is turning 2000 RPM, 540 PTO RPM, making 80 horsepower. Step up to a 150 HP Tractor, still 2000 engine RPM, now 1000 RPM PTO.

When the engine steps down to 540, it obviously gains torque at the trade off of speed. When the engine steps down to 1000 for PTO, there's less reduction, but still a reduction. If you follow it through and calculate all the ratios of RPM, torque, and HP, there's a lot of torque in a 1000 RPM 150 HP application.

Obviously, you can slow down your ground speed and not draw as much power through the machine, but it only helps so much, and it's not enough. The components of the machine are moving faster, so a load on the machine (crop on the cutting edges and through the conditioner and such in this case) puts a torque on the tractor that it can't really handle very well or for very long.

In short, there's numerous ways to get your 185 to run a machine at 1000 RPM. But if it's a machine like a discbine, I doubt you'd be happy with the performance, and it will really be running your tractor hard.

It depends on how heavy the hay is and how fast you want to go. We have a 10' mower on a JD 4020 and the hired guy got it hot bad once. Usually we don't have any problem at all with power. I think a 10' would be a little big for a 185. A 190 would be a better fit or maybe you'd be ok with a 9' mower and be careful not to work it too hard.

At one time there was a company that made a gear setup to change speeds, don't know if it went from 540 to 1000 or other way around.  It was bulky to hang on a pto shaft but guess it worked.  Don't think they are made anymore but were built in Aberdeen SD if I remember right.

My dad's 185 was dual speed. Take the cap bolts out, pull the unit, flip it, line up the other speed holes, insert and put the cap bolts back in. I never liked running at 1000rpm. that shaft just seemed to be turning dangerously fast, never saw a need for it. Dana, a 185 makes a very nice hay tractor. Dont expect it to keep up to your growlin kitty. You are looking at close to 30 pto hp difference...But, they are a very nice all around, handy machine. Nice to see you back, Trev.

540

540/1000

Converting the tractor to Factory 540/1000 PTO, requires a different lift arm housing with all the gears, a different internal PTO shaft thru the trans area and a different pair of gears inside the PTO clutch drop box.

Many more straight 540's in my area on 185's. My beef with the 540/1000 RPM option was this(also on 200's, 7000's)......top speed on 540 selection was only 615 RPM at full throttle. With a regular straight 540 it was 680 RPM. This makes a huge difference on jobs like blowing silage up an 80 foot silo.

thanks JC!

Buy a 7030 or larger you will not be satisfied with a 185 on anything larger than 9'2" discbine if you have any hills! We have hills here and dad bought a 5212 NI discbine AC 6080, AA 6690, MF 4355 don't pull it near as well as dad would like! 7030,7050, and7060 don't know its there plus you have enough weight to handle them without being shoved around! He also uses 1000 RPM shaft with 540 adapter so you don't have to run the big boys as hard as the smaller tractors to save on fuel 1300 engine RPM! Also you can get a 7030 or bigger cheaper than the 185!

Good luck. I'm sure you'd like a 185! I like mine. Just remember it's a little different cutting newly seeded alfalfa and a 8 year old stand that has a lot of grass and weeds in it.

Hey guys I felt like the pied piper as Allis 185 (number 10) followed us right home. Nshe is an1973 all original and tight. We might also get her stall mate a 1980 but has been repainted. So our new Purring Kitty has reL nice PO original paint and a dual 540/1000 rpm pto which we swapped back to 540. Now Ill order a new radio, canopy, filters, all fluids etc. oh yeah and Ill get some pics but IDK how to post them, that will be another day. Ian is so excited as it's the same year as he.😉👍. What a great way to end February!