When driving on an angle, oil pressure can drop, says Battin. Since all of the braking power is in the rear wheels of the mower, when gravity is pulling the mower, it can be more difficult to slow down or stop, says Battin.īattin also notes that normally zero-turn mowers with caster wheels in the front will turn while going down a hill, again because of gravity, causing an operator “to constantly ‘push’ the front end up the hill by giving slightly more power on the downhill side.” Doing this creates “crabbing” or moving the mower at an angle across the hill.Īn engine oil accumulator on the lawnmower also helps with hillside mowing. Four-wheel drive?īeau Battin, Marketing Assistant at Dixie Chopper, says the company chose 4WD because it “offers additional traction for safety, productivity and functionality.” When driving downhill the 4WD helps to counteract the effects of gravity which causes weight to be shifted to the front of the mower, pulling it faster down a hill than the operator would like. The company liked what it saw and began developing the XCALIBER 4X4, with Hecht receiving credit as inventor of the mower’s hinge mechanism on the patent. By March 2009 he had developed a lawnmower that could safely stay upright on a hillside, and brought his design to Dixie Chopper. In 2008, Hecht began building a prototype 4WD Dixie Chopper. After several incidents of rolling mowers, Hecht took it upon himself to begin designing a safer lawnmower that could better handle the hilly Maryland terrain. The idea for the lawnmower came from one of Dixie Chopper’s end users, Michael Hecht, who was concerned about the safety of his wife who tends lawns for several historical estates in Maryland. The combination of 4WD and zero-turn enables the XCALIBER 4X4 to safely and accurately mow any slope less than 30 degrees. To help make hillside mowing more manageable, Dixie Chopper has developed the XCALIBER 4X4, a four-wheel drive (4WD) zero-turn lawnmower. ![]() Anyone who has mowed a lawn knows even the slightest incline or hill can make the task more difficult and dangerous.
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |