"Kevin Ricks" wrote in message
. ..

"Lawrence" wrote in message
ups.com...

Most self-propelled machines now have a continuously variable drive
speed so
the difficulty of speed adjustment is pretty well eliminated and it's
easy
to slow down quickly or to propel in short lunges.

SJF

What you are referring to is a hydrostatic transmission and would
include reverse. You say most machines have one? Can you could give
even one example?

I don't know what you mean by hydorstatic but my old Toro rear drive mower
seems to have variable speed.
It gradually slows down to a stop as I gradually let the blade / wheel
drive bar out. I don't know if this was the intent of design, I don't
have the owners manual. It kinda feels like I am 'fanning the clutch'
Note that this action is independent of the 123 speed control lever.
As I said in another post the annoying thing about this mower is that the
rear wheels don't turn backwards. So if I need to go back the rear wheels
lock and skid.
Kevin






I own 4 self propelled mowers and only one of them has such a drive.
It is a $2100 walk behind brush mower. Any mower having such a feature
would have at least a 32 inch deck and be considerd a commercial mower.
17 inches is the typical deck size for a residential walk behind
mower. Here is a link to show you an example of my mower:

http://www.snapper.com/field_brush.html

My own search for such mowers can be found at this link:

http://www.google.com/search?hl=en&l...& btnG=Search

My search confirms my personal experience that front-wheel drive 17"
mowers have but one speed. 17 inch rear drive mowers often have
multiple speeds but apparently never do they have a hydrostatic
transmission. The smallest mower with such a feature has a 32 inch
deck and runs into the thousands of dollars.

I would be happy for you to prove me wrong so that I can go out an buy
such a mower.

My present machine is a Craftsman, 21-inch, rear drive, self propelled,
purchased 2-1/2 years ago. It has the Easy-walk (or some such name) feature
that is common on many brands now. It is NOT hydrostatic drive and does not
have reverse drive. The continuously variable speed is obtained with a
split v-belt pulley. By squeezing the drive lever, the v-belt idler
progressively tightens the belt, causing the halves of the drive pulley to
open against a spring. This reduces the effective diameter of that pulley,
increasing the speed ratio. Conversely, with the drive lever relaxed, the
v-belt goes slack and there is no propulsion. A very cute idea which I
expect has been around for many years but just recently applied to small
mowers.

SJF