Do you Mulch?

PBinWA

PBinWA

Member
So I bought a new ZTR and got the mulch kit. I'm not too sure I like mulching. It just seems to gum up my deck more. Now instead of scraping the shallow deck of a few clippings I have a deep deck with more clippings to scrape out and I do get stripes in the lawn once the deck get's full of clippings. It actually built up a little wall between the blades.

Now my lawn is all perrenial rye-grass and I do water it so it is pretty thick, with fine blades and a high moisture content when it is cut.

Should I not bother trying to mulch this stuff?
 
Are you using mulching or high-lift blades?

In either case, once you notice (normally hear) that the deck is filling up with clippings, I've found that if you shut off the deck and drop the engine RPM's a lot of those clippings will drop to the ground. It may leave piles but often they're easier to take care of than cleaning the deck.

My ZTR has a joystick control (and I don't know if this can be done with the double-arm setup) but like trying to clean out your FEL bucket, quick side-to-side movements of the joystick (basically skirting the front left and right) quickly smacks the mower deck side-to-side. This also works to get the clippings to drop out of the deck.

I don't have a mulching kit. My preference when I want to mulch the clippings is to mow in a backwards loop. By doing so, I'm throwing the clippings into the next row to be mowed. After they've been mowed a couple times, they fall into the grass and I've accomplished the same thing.

Now, if the grass is wet or very high (and I find that it's too wet/thick) to take this approach, I just mow in a normal pattern to avoid clogging the deck. If needed, I then use the lawn sweeper behind the ATV and pick up the clippings which then end up in the compost pile.
 
I put the Oregon Gator Mulcher Magnum Blades on it.

I've been doing a lot reading on lawnsite.com and it seems that in the Northwest they don't do that much mulching.

Even with the deck full of crud the mower still cuts great and is easier to use than the craftsman so I'm not that upset.

It also appears that double cutting is pretty common on thick lawns so perhaps I just had unreal expectations.

I'll try the deck bashing trick though.
 
I either rear discharge if I'm in a rush, but here the only real thing to do is collect the grass.
Mulching just makes a mess due to the damp, and thick grass. You can tell if someone mulches, as their lawn is riddled with moss.

PB, to me, the solution for you is to side discharge, and mow more often......
 
Mith,

Do your rear discharge on a riding mower? Did you modify your deck to do that or is it something specific to your mower?

I'd love to just rear discharge but I don't see anyone doing it.

My Tractor flail mower is nice because it just leaves a smooth blanket of clippings and mulches them up a bit too. It's the clumps and windrows that annoy me the most.
 
Mulch! .................. you have got to be =^@<ing kidding me .......................:pat:

:poke: :beer:
 
Big Dog said:
Mulch! .................. you have got to be =^@<ing kidding me .......................:pat:

:poke: :beer:
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Gimme a break BD, your Georgians don't know what real lawn is. That chit you grow down there is worse than the weed grass in my lawn!:bb:

You could mulch that thick dry scratchy crap with an 18hp Yard Machine and it would work fine!
 
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PBinWA said:
Gimme a break BD, your Georgians don't know what real lawn is. That chit you grow down there is worse than the weed grass in my lawn!:bb:

You could mulch that thick dry scratchy crap with an 18hp Yard Machine and it would work fine!
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Ahhh, BD lives in PA. He has the same terrain/conditions I do.
 
PBinWA said:
Do you Mulch ?
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Not intentionally. I wanted the rear discharge deck when I bought my New Holland, not knowing it actually was a mulching deck. A pretty poor one if I do say so. If the grass is just a bit too tall or damp, you'll end up with patches of grass clumps when you stop the deck and let the clippings drop down to keep from bogging the engine down. I know jwstewar has the same issues with his.
 
bczoom said:
Ahhh, BD lives in PA. He has the same terrain/conditions I do.
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Well I'll be damned! I always thought BD was a southern boy. Oh well, I'll try to not hold the fact that he lives in PA against him (like I do all the rest of you east of the rockies folks).
 
Yep, just like Jerry said on my New Holland with the MMM rear-discharge or as I like to call it - lack-of-rear-discharge:wink: Funny thing is, I had the problem when it was new and was really frustrated with the tractor. Then the problem seemed like it went away. I thought cool, though I didn't know why. Now that I replaced the blades earlier this year, it is back - though not as bad as it was when new. I think I tamed the weeds a little bit so they are a little more grass-like. Other than that, I really like the rear-discharge. It is nice not throwing grass everywhere and coming up to something and trim around it without having to worry about which direction I'm travelling.
 
Could one of you rear discharge guys post a picture of your deck?

Is there anything unique about the underside design of your deck or is it just that the rear lip is removed?

Thanks,

PB
 
PBinWA said:
Mith,

Do your rear discharge on a riding mower? Did you modify your deck to do that or is it something specific to your mower?
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The deck is standard. The manufacturer usually gives a rear discharge option. All my WheelHorses have rear discharge decks.
Its definitely my favourite over of mulching, side discharge and collecting.

Here is a picture of the rear discharge deck off the old wheelhorse. It has no baffles or anything, meaning it takes very little HP to put through real thick grass.
 
Might be worth checking with the dealer you bought from if a rear discharge deck is available.

Chances are, if you cut all the baffles and the back out of your deck it would be so flimsy it wouldn't cut well. Guess you could weld some round bar on the edges and top to make it more rigid.
 
PBinWA said:
Could one of you rear discharge guys post a picture of your deck?

Is there anything unique about the underside design of your deck or is it just that the rear lip is removed?

Thanks,

PB
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I had a rear discharge Craftsman at one time. The rear of the deck was open. It spread out a layer of clippings 30-36" wide.
The NH rear discharge still has some lip on the back of the deck, that's what helps make it a "mulching" deck I guess.
 
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