agree to Doug Milliken , writer of the racing bible , " Race Car Vehicle Dynamics , " fabled slipstream car driver Barney Oldfield coined the termplowing . Oldfield was racing a front - heavy car on a dirt track when he occupy a corner at a mellow speed . Rather than fully place the car into the turn , the frontwheelscontinued their advancing momentum , make trench in the track the room a plough would . Oldfield ’s estimate of the problem was summed up in the terminal figure he ’s think to have manufacture [ source : CMA Consulting ] .
Today , ploughing is still in use . It describes the outcome ofundersteering , fundamentally when the forward impulse bear front wheels straight onward , rather than in the direction of the corner they ’re turned into . Since thesteering wheelhas turn over the front wheels , they are no longer aligned straight in advance . Instead , they create monotonous edge that moil into the ground rather than roll smoothly along on top of it , as they ’re designed to .
On a grease rail , plough can make divots . On a red-hot asphalt track it can rip up tire . And when a passenger lawn mower plows , it can cause some serious sod terms .
When a tire loses contact with the ground – whether a track or a lawn – the other tires can drop off control and lead to sliding or even undulate . Depending on the form of the slope that the machine is on , this can be bad news for anyone alongside .
This is precisely why theSynchro - Steer systemwas created . Designed by Cub Cadet engineers in 2009 , Synchro - Steer is mean to impart the most control possible to rider lawn mower . The system allows for azero - turnradius , mean the entire lawn mower pivots on a single distributor point along the axle of the rearward wheels . The Synchro - Steer system is n’t the only zero - turn system , but it has the summate benefit of four - wheel control . This cut down on plowing , result to less turf terms , and provide smashing stableness and traction regardless of atmospheric condition conditions or the course of an side that want mowing .
To truly appreciate what Synchro - Steer is all about , let ’s take a quick look at the physic of steering and what the system is intended to overcome .
Basic Steering Physics
When you skip inside acaror aboard a lawn tractor , it ’s well-to-do to dominate some of the physical science problems your fomite is designed to overcome . When you turn over theignitionand press the accelerator , everything is hunky dory . The transmission system transfers ( transmits , really ) the power generated within the locomotive to the axles so the rack move .
This is all well and good when you ’re driving in a square line . But there are few road that do n’t curve and you ’ll only get a fine , individual strip of your lawn mowed without eventually going back the other way . What you need is to turn and for that you involve tosteer .
Steering changes everything in a vehicle in movement . Rather than going in a straight rail line , the vehicle is now go in a circle ( or completing a turn around a ripe slant ) . For our purpose , we ’ll stick to the circular turns that are required tomow a lawn . To cut down a lawn back and forth , you will ask to turn 180 degrees several time , and to do that you ’ll actually be complete a serial of circuit .
Exactly how this work was first patent in 1818 by a homo named Rudolph Ackerman . He discover that when the front two wheels on a vehicle move to turn the vehicle clockwise or counterclockwise , the vehicle turned around the center percentage point of a circle . Although the length of the spoke from the heart and soul of the circle is different for the intimate and outer wheels , all wheels turn around the same essence [ informant : NTBA ] .
For wide turns , the degree is far away from the interior of the turn . For smashed turns , the center of the lot is closer . And for zero - level turns , the center of the circle is actually found within the vehicle itself . The inwardness of the lap lies within the center of the rearward axle of the vehicle .
In 1963 , a Kansan named John Reiger became the first to come up with a zero - number lawn mower . After fiddling in his workshop , Reiger came up with what he bring up the Hustler , the first line ofzero - turn mower . No longer did lawn tractors require wide faineant turns .
For decades , the zero - turn mower drive system remain largely the same . On the next pageboy , we ’ll see how zero - good turn mower work and how Synchro - Steer improves upon this design .
The Synchro-Steer System
Zero - turn mowersuse two rearward transmissions to distribute get-up-and-go , one power each of the rearwheels . This is beneficial for create zero - radius turns ; with one rear bicycle propel faster than the other , the moving wheel can start the twist and serve as the pivot point for the zero - radius circuit . The infection of both rearward wheels are manoeuvre independently , usually with a system calledlap bars .
The big trouble with zero - turn mowers is found in the front wheels . Standard zero - turn mowers habituate casters in the front , wheel that pivot 360 degree . The caster are n’t attached to any part of the parkway train ; they move establish on the motion initiate by the rear wheels . This allows for spry and easy movement around a zero - r turn – in theory .
As we ’ve seen , lawns feature inclines and bumps and when the turf is tight , grip can become an issue . When the rear wheels lead off a good turn , they have to overcome resistance found in the front casters . This can lead to deal in the front wheels , and when the front caster agree tight , the rear steering wheel can mislay traction , lead to skidding and slipping . All of this sum up up to turf damage .
The Synchro - Steer system of rules was designed to defeat resistance found in the front wheels by never allowing it to return in the first space . The solvent is to induct the turn at the front wheel , but check the amphetamine at the rear wheel .
Like traditional zero - turn mowers , the Synchro - Steer organization uses dual rear transmissions that disseminate power to the rear wheels independently . When the steering wheel find aboard Synchro - Steer system mower is turned , the steerage box seat turn the front axle . But a pair of unmediated gene linkage connection that runs from the guidance box to each of the rear transmission system adjusts the speed in the rear wheel as necessary .
For example , when a leftover ( counterclockwise ) turn is initiated , the linkage to the left rear transmission slows the speed of the left rear roulette wheel . This moves the big businessman to the right-hand rear wheel , which carry out the zero - radius turn . Since the turning was initiate among the front wheels , there ’s no resistance to overcome , and hence no sod damage from handle in the front or skidding in the rear .
It seems the Synchro - Steer engineer managed to combine Ackerman ’s steering with John Reiger ’s lawn mower , while cutting Barney Oldfield out of the pictorial matter once and for all .
For lots more info , ride on over to the next page .
