You are right there is no need to heel the deck. I do it because it gives a better cut at a faster speed and it helps lay the grass down. He did not get the wrong advice on here. He learned how others do things. I have been doing lawn care for 30 years and told him what works best for me after years of doing many set ups.
My best stripes come from a grass height of 2 inches.
And don't keep mowing the same way every time you mow. You do not want to train the grass to lay down only one way.
And forget the sun it does not stay in the same place all day.
Sometimes people are like a horse with blinders on can only see what's in front of them.
Just because two people say to do things a different way does not make one right and the other wrong.
Could you please give me some links to photos of your work. Ive seen a couple already, mainly using lawn tractors to mow over grown yards. But Im new here so no doubt Ive missed your good stuff!
Ok, your best strips come from cutting at 2". What machines are you using and what type of grass? Love to see some pics!
Yes, mowing in the same direction can or will cause ruts! I did say that! But to do it a couple of times to get started shouldnt hurt anything unless the ground is soft! But really, why not train the grass to lay one or 2 ways? What harm does that cause? None! But yes, mowing the same lines will rut, and thats the only problem you'd have. So yes, you should mix it up!
Not taking the sun into consideration is just, wrong! We're not talking ball parks here where they use reel mowers, were talking rotaries on normal yards. Everyone knows, for the the best stripe effect, you take the sun into account, if possible. Its the sun reflecting off the grass after all that shows the stripe at its best. If you want the best effect, use it to your advantage! The sun does move, east / west right. Well if you can mow in an east west direction one stripe will look "white" in the morning, in the afternoon it will be the green one! Actually, if your looking into the sun the stripe might not even show up!
There are exceptions to the rule like what time of year so mow in 4 directions or what ever!
No blinders here! Im all for experimentation and getting other ideas but any testing of that idea needs to be done in as controlled environment as possible. ie, mow half, change, mow other half on the same day otherwise you have nothing to go off!
Yes, people doing things differently doesnt make one right and the other wrong, but if the vast majority of people are doing it one way, even the manufactures of these machine, you'd think theres something to that.
Im happy for you that heeling the deck has worked for you but people are going to read that, go out to the machines and screw things up. If you mention heeling, you should also mention that you dont actually need to adjust the deck but can simple try it but messing with tire pressure. Anyone with the pressure gauge and a pump can do that easily! You should also mention that any testing should be done all on the same day and on the same grass!
At the end of the day djdicetn just wanted better stripes. Heeling the deck may help a little but he would of been better off leaving the deck alone (he was happy with the cut as far as I know) and sticking a stripe kit on it, raise the deck and thats about it. Sure, mess with baffles, blades etc but thats about all that should be needed.
Apologies to djdicetn. I dont mean to single you out, just using you as an example!
If anyone wants to know about stripes, here is a cut n paste from Scags website. Id say it pretty much confirms what Ive said about striping?
403 Forbidden Its all the info you need!
IT'S ALL ABOUT DIRECTION!
lawn stripe - direction causes stripe effectThe direction that the grass is bent determines the "light" or "dark" colored stripe. When the blades of grass are bent away from you, the grass appears lighter in color because the light is reflecting off of the wide, lengthy part of the blade. When the blades of grass are bent towards you, the grass appears darker as you are looking more of the tips of the blades (a smaller reflective surface) and the shadows under the grass. So cutting a lawn in an opposing pattern (up/down, right/left, north/south, east/west etc) provides the most contrasting stripe effect. Interestingly, as the "color" of the stripe is dependant upon what direction you are looking at it from, a "light" colored stripe will appear "dark" if you view it from the opposing direction.
LAWN STRIPE INTENSITY
The easiest way to intensify the stripe is to bend the grass farther. The best way to do that is to physically contact it with a roller and press it to the ground. The Scag Tiger Striper does exactly that. In fact, it even uses spring force to bend the grass over. It is much more effective than other systems that simply glide a roller across the tips of the grass. Stripe intensity can also be affected by the length of cut. Cutting the grass shorter will normally lessen the stripe as the shorter grass blade will not bend over as far and therefore reflects less light. A longer cut will normally enhance the striping pattern. Even a small amount can make a noticeable difference. Going from 2" to 2.5" or from 3 " to 3.5" can make a difference in the lawn stripe pattern intensity.
Grass types are also a factor in striping. Certain breeds of grass will bend easier and can provide a better stripe pattern. Warm season grasses (found in the southern regions of the United States) are typically more difficult to stripe as they are more rigid and harder to bend.
The stripe is also affected by the position of the sun. Stripe patterns may seem more intense at various times of the day and in different light levels. When the sun is behind you, you will see a more intense stripe pattern.
