Thought I should add... I don't really get the purpose of the vents on the deck pan (4 slots surrounding the spindle) but they are opened at the factory according to the manual ... To help with bagging. This has the mulch kit installed though. Maybe this isn't a big deal, but it has always made me wonder about whether or not those should be fully open.
Am I asking too much from a rear engine rider?
- Thread starter KrazzyB
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bertsmobile1
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You did not mention that you were mulching, and that puts a totally different angle on things.
Mulching with a standard or universal deck ( does everything poorly ) is always a hit & miss affair.
The height of the grass after mowing and the actual length of the cut grass can make a drastic difference.
As will the temperature, he dampness of the grass and the type of grass you are cutting.
The airflow under a deck is a very complicated thing, which I for one have little understanding.
However it does require a lot more power to keep all the cuttings swirling around getting recut & recut.
So your original premice might be correct, a 10Hp engine will be working hard to do a good 28" mulch.
8/24's and 10/30's are an excellent size mower for blocks up to 1 acre if throwing or bagging but mulching might just be asking too much.
I run a lot of very old mowers 1960's & 1970's all around the 8/30 format .
I use these as loan out mowers at times like this when I have 9 mowers in the shop waiting for parts.
None of these will mulch. They all cut, throw and even bag quite well but none will mulch, the decks are just not deep enough.
About the only small RER that does a really good job of mulching I have come across was the 30" Toro Recycler and that has a 14Hp engine and a deck specifically designed for mulching.
Now my exposure to RER's is quite limited, they are not big sellers down here.
However those I own and service , that were not originally mulching, just do not mulch.
From what you have written it appears that you have done everything you can properly.
Dose it cut well without the mulch plug in place ?
Mulching with a standard or universal deck ( does everything poorly ) is always a hit & miss affair.
The height of the grass after mowing and the actual length of the cut grass can make a drastic difference.
As will the temperature, he dampness of the grass and the type of grass you are cutting.
The airflow under a deck is a very complicated thing, which I for one have little understanding.
However it does require a lot more power to keep all the cuttings swirling around getting recut & recut.
So your original premice might be correct, a 10Hp engine will be working hard to do a good 28" mulch.
8/24's and 10/30's are an excellent size mower for blocks up to 1 acre if throwing or bagging but mulching might just be asking too much.
I run a lot of very old mowers 1960's & 1970's all around the 8/30 format .
I use these as loan out mowers at times like this when I have 9 mowers in the shop waiting for parts.
None of these will mulch. They all cut, throw and even bag quite well but none will mulch, the decks are just not deep enough.
About the only small RER that does a really good job of mulching I have come across was the 30" Toro Recycler and that has a 14Hp engine and a deck specifically designed for mulching.
Now my exposure to RER's is quite limited, they are not big sellers down here.
However those I own and service , that were not originally mulching, just do not mulch.
From what you have written it appears that you have done everything you can properly.
Dose it cut well without the mulch plug in place ?
Carscw
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The holes (vents) around the spindle is to help keep the spindle cool. You need to keep these open and free of grass.
Why would you install a mulch kit if you are bagging?
When you bag you do not want a mulch kit. And you want you use high lift blades not mulching blades.
No no... I'm not bagging. The service manual for the mower says:
" The vents are opened at the factory to increase airflow into deck for bagging purposes. To open, align the vents on deck with spindle housing holes (Figure 12)."
... Well they are indeed already open. So I have yet to adjust anything there. I am not bagging any clippings. I just raise the deck higher if the cut is ever more than an inch and a half or so.
Sorry I didn't make that clearer (or include it in my original post at all, really) ... That it's set up to mulch right now. Yeah; might have been important.
I like your insight and yeah some of that was filtering into what I was wondering. I have not yet removed the plug and tried mowing. I think I'm going to do that this weekend and see what I get. First I'll check the blade lifts again just to see. I'll compare with my new blade (both of which are the ariens mulching kit blade part numbers). If there's no difference I'll just remove the plug and mow to see what I get.
10hp may just be too limited for mulching with this pan. This pan, by the way, is very shallow. It's like a saucer compared to some others. Not to mention... I'm 215 lbs, plus the mower itself, plus the turf, plus...
bertsmobile1
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Thought that may be the case.
You really need a good 3" to 4" of space above the blades for mulching to work.
Problem comes because the same spindle is used in a multitude of mowers and so while the 28" mulching blade will fit in your deck, it might not necessarily work in your deck
You really need a good 3" to 4" of space above the blades for mulching to work.
Problem comes because the same spindle is used in a multitude of mowers and so while the 28" mulching blade will fit in your deck, it might not necessarily work in your deck