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Deck Design ??

#1

R

RayMcD

Gentlemen, I looking for a solution to prevent grass gathering on the back of the baffle between the blades. The first photo show an up skirt shot of the deck. UNDER_DECK_VIEW.JPG

Next is a paint sketch trying to show the problem I am addressing.
DECK.png

This is not perfect but I believe you can get my point, look at what would be the leading the leading edges of the small red circles, this is the back side of the front baffle between the blades. This area continually packs with grass clippings. I'm considering cutting out a block/spacer an attaching it to the deck to fill this space. It would have to be small enough to clear the blades but block the formation of a build up in this space. Has anyone else tried to correct this issue? thanks, Ray

Attachments





#2

M

mechanic mark

Watch youtube above. Baffles are used when bagging, I personally would remove them. Let us know how it goes, thanks Mark


#3

B

bertsmobile1

In the areas circled the blades are spinning in opposite directions so any clippings that are not running along the green section get pushed & pulled as well as packed against the top
This is a sign that the owner is trying to remove too much grass in one hit and overwhelming the deck or the blades are spinning too slow
It is normal to get a dirt & clippings build up in that zone if the deck is not cleaned between uses
Some times the weld where the baffels join is too rough so clippings hang up and on the multi piece baffles some times you get a crack there which also holds the grass.
Usually the full round baffles are part of the mulching kit which require the correct blades to work and a lot of time will not work with Gator style blades


#4

StarTech

StarTech

The only other way is to completely seal up the area with heavy sheet metal. Now this does cause other problems as the steel metal can wear and get damage requiring regular checks.

THe manufacture seen it as an extra expense they weren't will to go through.


#5

R

RayMcD

bertsmobile1 said:
In the areas circled the blades are spinning in opposite directions so any clippings that are not running along the green section get pushed & pulled as well as packed against the top
This is a sign that the owner is trying to remove too much grass in one hit and overwhelming the deck or the blades are spinning too slow
It is normal to get a dirt & clippings build up in that zone if the deck is not cleaned between uses
Some times the weld where the baffels join is too rough so clippings hang up and on the multi piece baffles some times you get a crack there which also holds the grass.
Usually the full round baffles are part of the mulching kit which require the correct blades to work and a lot of time will not work with Gator style blades
Click to expand...
Bert, the leading edge of each of the blades are turning toward the side discharge. Very little clipping make it to the are I drew the green line in. My intent is to re shape the area of the front baffle between the blades, removing the area where the material is sticking. thanks r


#6

R

RayMcD

mechanic mark said:
Watch youtube above. Baffles are used when bagging, I personally would remove them. Let us know how it goes, thanks Mark
Click to expand...
Mark, I reviewed the videos. Really don't see anything that I think will help. I believe if I remove the entire front baffle it will cause the deck to loose lift and deposit material across the entire front edge. Not ready to try this as a solution but I appreciate the suggestion, r


#7

R

RayMcD

StarTech said:
The only other way is to completely seal up the area with heavy sheet metal. Now this does cause other problems as the steel metal can wear and get damage requiring regular checks.

THe manufacture seen it as an extra expense they weren't will to go through.
Click to expand...
ST, it's not the void area (where I have green line) that is the problem, It is simply the area that resembles a W where the blades meet. typically I see this come to a point, on my deck it almost looks like a W, it is the middle of the W where the grass is sticking, r


#8

StarTech

StarTech

RayMcD said:
ST, it's not the void area (where I have green line) that is the problem, It is simply the area that resembles a W where the blades meet. typically I see this come to a point, on my deck it almost looks like a W, it is the middle of the W where the grass is sticking, r
Click to expand...
Then if that is the case you trying welding some flat metal like metal lawn edging to straighten the area. That might resolve your problem without having to do a lot rework as long as blades don't hit the new plates.


#9

S

slomo

Best design is one single blade. End of message. His and her push mowers........


#10

B

bertsmobile1

Once again this is a MULCHING deck set of baffles
Thus the grass is running in a clockwise direction inside all of the blade circles
So as first posted at the intersections of the cutting circles the left side clippings are going down and the right side clippings are going up
Thus the clippings stop moving for a second because the air flow is going in opposite directions so just like in a flowing stream the clippings loose speed and in your case stick to the deck.
Now I personally would leave them there as they do not hinder the deck air flow, in fact they enhanse it .
They build up because there is too much volume of clippings or you are using the wrong blades .
That is is nothing more & nothing less
On my commercial customers who drop their mowers off on Friday for a weekend blade sharpen & deck clean, they all have build ups there and I leave it alone
The build up of grass clippings should not be a problem
Whrong blades, mowing too fast or cutting off too much grass is the problem
The deck build up is not a problem anywhere other than in your mind .


#11

R

RayMcD

slomo said:
Best design is one single blade. End of message. His and her push mowers........
Click to expand...
Yes Sir, at least once a year and logged in the history, I myself find this little need as it is typically very clean


#12

R

RayMcD

bertsmobile1 said:
Once again this is a MULCHING deck set of baffles
Thus the grass is running in a clockwise direction inside all of the blade circles
So as first posted at the intersections of the cutting circles the left side clippings are going down and the right side clippings are going up
Thus the clippings stop moving for a second because the air flow is going in opposite directions so just like in a flowing stream the clippings loose speed and in your case stick to the deck.
Now I personally would leave them there as they do not hinder the deck air flow, in fact they enhanse it .
They build up because there is too much volume of clippings or you are using the wrong blades .
That is is nothing more & nothing less
On my commercial customers who drop their mowers off on Friday for a weekend blade sharpen & deck clean, they all have build ups there and I leave it alone
The build up of grass clippings should not be a problem
Whrong blades, mowing too fast or cutting off too much grass is the problem
The deck build up is not a problem anywhere other than in your mind .
Click to expand...
Bert, I agree 100% the issue is caused by airflow (actually lack of it) a the intersection where the blades cross. As to the type blades I run. 112111-01 OEM which are slightly offset and the XHT equivalent which are actually flat with a longer cutting area and a similar turned up trailing wing. I normally have my deck set at 2.5", run full throttle as recommended and poke around easy so not to tear up the lawn, gov's never get to open up.
I also agree that these small areas of buildup pose little trouble, I do clean often, repaint and coat with oil to prevent rust but will continue to look for a long term solution to keep it clean. Cheers, Ray


#13

B

bertsmobile1

The deck does not rust under the build ups which you have probably noticed.
The biological oxygen demand of the bacteria decomposing the grass clippings is greater than the entropy for the iron to convert to rust
Decks rust out from the outside in not the onside out.
If you are running 112111-01 blades then there is you problem.
They are throwing / bagging blades not the mulching blades The Bob-Cat mulching blades that go with that deck are a toothed style with a wavy leading edge so they create an updraught at the cutting tip and a downdraft around the centre of the blade to pull the clippings down & deposit them back into the lawn.
Down side ia AFAIK they are unique to Bob-Cat and only available from a Bob-Cat dealer $$$$ with no aftermarket blades available .


#14

StarTech

StarTech

bertsmobile1 said:
The deck does not rust under the build ups which you have probably noticed.
The biological oxygen demand of the bacteria decomposing the grass clippings is greater than the entropy for the iron to convert to rust
Decks rust out from the outside in not the onside out.
Click to expand...
I have to disagree. I have seen massive rust areas on decks here on the cutting side and painted side had little rust. Enough that it comes off in huge flakes. I actually had to rebuild one deck last that an idler pulley mount complete through from the inside. Just depends on the environment the deck is in. Mositure is one of the main enemies.


#15

B

bertsmobile1

So what ratio do you see of decks rusting through from the outside comparred to from the inside ?
What causes a lot of rusting is perpetually scraping the deck or using wash out ports badly .
So I should have been more prescriptive
Usually decks rust out from the top down because he grass on the top is loose packed and will adsorb a lot of water and remain wet thus promoting rust
If the deck is not washed underneath thenthe bacteria decomposing the grass will adsorb all of the available oxygen then go anerobic
So the only area that can rust is the very edge of the packed in clippings .
And top down to bottom up would be about 50:1 for this little black duck .


#16

S

slomo

Winter off season, slather the under deck with used oil. Great way to recycle used oil.


#17

R

RayMcD

bertsmobile1 said:
So what ratio do you see of decks rusting through from the outside comparred to from the inside ?
What causes a lot of rusting is perpetually scraping the deck or using wash out ports badly .
So I should have been more prescriptive
Usually decks rust out from the top down because he grass on the top is loose packed and will adsorb a lot of water and remain wet thus promoting rust
If the deck is not washed underneath thenthe bacteria decomposing the grass will adsorb all of the available oxygen then go anerobic
So the only area that can rust is the very edge of the packed in clippings .
And top down to bottom up would be about 50:1 for this little black duck .
Click to expand...
Bert, I agree that with on water or oxygen there is no rust. Your heart is in the right place Sir, thanks, Ray


#18

M

MParr

Try different blades on your mower before getting in too deep. The part number for your blade indicates that they are flat notched high lifts. Rotary make a 1/4” offset blade with a rolled lift. I would definitely try those before spending a lot of time and money. Gravely uses the same style blade and they perform very well. The Rotary part number is #3400.
www.texaslawnmowerparts.com

Rotary # 3400 Standard Lift Lawn Mower Blade For 48

www.texaslawnmowerparts.com


#19

B

bertsmobile1

If you search for Bob Cat mullching kit you will bring up an image showing the baddles the Op has shown and some way blades rather like the Husqvarna mulching blade except the flutes are split like on Gators.
These are obviously the blade that particular kit is designed to be used with so there is no surprize that the notched high lifts do not work properly.
So yes, change the blades but there is no aftermarket blade I could find that has the same shape.


#20

G

Gord Baker

Get used to it. Don't cut wet grass. Don't Mulch if you do. It is a normal event. You could try cutting hardwood blocks to suit and use a countersunk through bolt to hold them in the crotch.


#21

C

Chuter

One of the techs at the John Deere Dealer I used to work for swore by using graphite spray to make the underside of the deck slicker, prevent/reduce build up. He encouraged its use as an annual thing, after cleaning the underside of the deck. Other techs pooh pooed it. Might be something to try.


#22

MyGrassHasCrabs

MyGrassHasCrabs

I hesitate to chime in as I'm not a professional, but as a simple solution to caked-on grass on my mulching deck I've used graphite spray to good effect (as @Chuter said). It does help keep material from sticking and lasts for several cuts.


#23

C

cleverlever

RayMcD said:
Gentlemen, I looking for a solution to prevent grass gathering on the back of the baffle between the blades. The first photo show an up skirt shot of the deck. View attachment 63788

Next is a paint sketch trying to show the problem I am addressing.
View attachment 63790

This is not perfect but I believe you can get my point, look at what would be the leading the leading edges of the small red circles, this is the back side of the front baffle between the blades. This area continually packs with grass clippings. I'm considering cutting out a block/spacer an attaching it to the deck to fill this space. It would have to be small enough to clear the blades but block the formation of a build up in this space. Has anyone else tried to correct this issue? thanks, Ray
Click to expand...
Personally I don't like the design. I would propose that you try to operate the mower in a manner where the discharge is always blowing into prviously cut area and never into uncut area


#24

U

ukrkoz

It's aggrevating, ain't it? Like as if it's done on purpose, to make you crawl underneaTH THE DECK AND CLEAN ALL THE AGGREGATING, MIXED WITH MUD AND ROCKS, CLIPPINGS, LITERALLY EATING DIRT SAME TIME.
Sorry, damn caps key always gets in my way.
Anyhow.
Remove the deck.
Set it so that baffles face up. Perfectly clean space between the deck skirt and the baffles. As in - perfectly. Even degrease it. Take rough sand paper and roughen the baffles walls and skirt . Get some two part rigid foam. Once I am used to hardens to pretty much firm condition. Seal off edges where mix can spill out, mix two parts and pour it into the space to seal. It has to be mixed very well. Foam I am used to has 7 times expansion ration, so be aware of that. It varies from foam to foam. Let it harden, shave off what's not needed. Done. If yo not constantly bombard it with rocks, it'll last you couple years.
This is what I am used to:

Cascade - Orthotic & Prosthetic Supplier

cascade-usa.com cascade-usa.com

Final product is very strong, we use it in prosthetics for shaping or, even, walking patients on trial legs. You can shape it with Sureform blade or any cutting tool that will cut wood. It's about solid wood hardness and is VERY light. Again, it expands a LOT.


#25

K

kjonxx

Blades should be turning in the same direction not opposite. Worn blade wings or too short of blades will also cause this. High lift blades can help or weld your own extra high wings on .


#26

S

Steve Smith

I can tell you from experience that removing the baffles results in a poor cut. I bought a nice older Cub Cadet that had the baffles removed. It would cut, but the grass never looked good. I fabricated new baffles and installed them. It now cuts good.


#27

T

TobyU

bertsmobile1 said:
Once again this is a MULCHING deck set of baffles
Thus the grass is running in a clockwise direction inside all of the blade circles
So as first posted at the intersections of the cutting circles the left side clippings are going down and the right side clippings are going up
Thus the clippings stop moving for a second because the air flow is going in opposite directions so just like in a flowing stream the clippings loose speed and in your case stick to the deck.
Now I personally would leave them there as they do not hinder the deck air flow, in fact they enhanse it .
They build up because there is too much volume of clippings or you are using the wrong blades .
That is is nothing more & nothing less
On my commercial customers who drop their mowers off on Friday for a weekend blade sharpen & deck clean, they all have build ups there and I leave it alone
The build up of grass clippings should not be a problem
Whrong blades, mowing too fast or cutting off too much grass is the problem
The deck build up is not a problem anywhere other than in your mind .
Click to expand...
RayMcD said:
Gentlemen, I looking for a solution to prevent grass gathering on the back of the baffle between the blades. The first photo show an up skirt shot of the deck. View attachment 63788

Next is a paint sketch trying to show the problem I am addressing.
View attachment 63790

This is not perfect but I believe you can get my point, look at what would be the leading the leading edges of the small red circles, this is the back side of the front baffle between the blades. This area continually packs with grass clippings. I'm considering cutting out a block/spacer an attaching it to the deck to fill this space. It would have to be small enough to clear the blades but block the formation of a build up in this space. Has anyone else tried to correct this issue? thanks, Ray
Click to expand...
I would either remove them if possible or just forget about it. It's really not worth messing with either way..
If you're not cutting super wet class then there's not much reason to worry about what the underside of your deck looks like until you get around to sharpening or changing out your blades.
A lot of people are way too OCD about stuff like this and even keeping their blade sharp or swapping them out.
It's not that big of a deal especially when you have a mower that has a good quality of cut which most of these larger commercial grade mowers do because of the blade speed.
My point is that some mowers completely clean underneath and with brand new or sharp blades won't cut as nicely as some old beat up Craftsman walk behind mower or whatever item you want to insert into the discussion with grass piled up like mad underneath it and blades that have been used all season and pretty dull.

There are some people out there who flip their mower up after every single mow and clean it off and even those who power wash it off after every time which is really a terrible idea because you should actually keep the water hose and pressure washer and every other source of water far, far away from your mowing equipment. It's simply not necessary. If you are going to clean something off it should be done with a scraper, leaf blower, or like a high pressure blowgun from your air compressor and then wiped off with a rag with WD-40 on it or something like that or maybe some of those grease cleaning wipes first and then use some silicon or WD-40 on it after that and then do a final buff with a clean towel so it's not sticky and wet.

I have no idea what the blades on my grasshopper look like. I'm assuming there's still three blades down there because it cuts the full width of the deck but I haven't seen them in over five or six years!
It still cuts fine so I'm simply not going to worry about them.


#28

T

TobyU

bertsmobile1 said:
Once again this is a MULCHING deck set of baffles
Thus the grass is running in a clockwise direction inside all of the blade circles
So as first posted at the intersections of the cutting circles the left side clippings are going down and the right side clippings are going up
Thus the clippings stop moving for a second because the air flow is going in opposite directions so just like in a flowing stream the clippings loose speed and in your case stick to the deck.
Now I personally would leave them there as they do not hinder the deck air flow, in fact they enhanse it .
They build up because there is too much volume of clippings or you are using the wrong blades .
That is is nothing more & nothing less
On my commercial customers who drop their mowers off on Friday for a weekend blade sharpen & deck clean, they all have build ups there and I leave it alone
The build up of grass clippings should not be a problem
Whrong blades, mowing too fast or cutting off too much grass is the problem
The deck build up is not a problem anywhere other than in your mind .
Click to expand...
I can't imagine commercial customers bringing in their mower every weekend for this.
Is this what you're saying they do or you just mean when they do get around to it they drop it off on a weekend.
I'm going to have to weigh in on that with my cheapslate(ness).
I find that to be ridiculous and I can't imagine a shop would have enough time to bother with these people and plus most shops don't work on the weekend.
The only shops that have any concern to keep their commercial customers happy are the ones who sell them expensive equipment but still, they're closed on the weekends so they're going to have to drop one off and use the other one until it's done during the week.
As I say with everything and with with my other businesses that aren't power equipment... Everything is relative to your market but in my market and mini markets if not most, you don't have to be nice to anybody to get their business because there are a hundred times more equipment that needs to be fixed and serviced then there are shops to do the work.
All you have to be is competent or better priced than other people.
Being nice will get you nowhere at least eventually if you're not competent.
You can't be overpriced if you're feeling nice and some people will still deal with you but again you still have to be competent or good.
I heard this about a certain person in my area many times from customers calling me.
They really like the guy personally but after he's made two or three attempts to work on their stuff and they just keep having problems, they give up and move on.
On the other hand we had a shop in business for 68 years who had a lot of terrible reviews from people because they couldn't stand the place because they did it one way and one way only and they were often called gruff, rude, standoffish etc but they had the best selection of Parts and equipment in the area and they were quite competent I would say even good at the repairs and service so most people were just fine with them.

But I don't really get prioritizing people and stuff like that at least I'm just not going to do it.
When I've got 50 lawn mowers here another shops have over a hundred... Nobody is going to drop anything off just for a simple blade touch up and get it back anytime soon because they can just keep cutting for a while..

Frankly, it irks me the entitlement of people today.
Had one call today that asked if they dropped it off what, they could pick it up like Monday or Tuesday??
Right there I know I didn't want this person for a customer. I chuckled and said I don't think that's possible anywhere. Most shops are 3 to 4 weeks to do anything.

It brings me back to a statement I've heard before and I always think of it in my head.
Poor planning on your part does not constitute an emergency on mine.

But then again, I could be a little hateful. Sometimes I'm a lot hateful! I've already thrown my phone once last week and when we get further into the peak season I'll probably have several more outbursts, conniption fits, Earth cursing rants etc.

This is why I tried to cut back on my volume over the past few years because that's what makes the stress worse and this isn't what it was meant to be.
I often joke with customers and say this was a hobby....turned into a business...turned into a nightmare.


#29

B

bertsmobile1

kjonxx said:
Blades should be turning in the same direction not opposite. Worn blade wings or too short of blades will also cause this. High lift blades can help or weld your own extra high wings on .
Click to expand...
Stop and have a think about what you have just posted
Blades are ROTATING in the same direction
THis means that the ENDS of the blades on OPPOSITE sides of the cutting circle are going in OPPOSITE directions
The front one will be going down ( or to the read if you like ) and the right blade will be going up or forward if you like
SO if the middle blade tip is going down & the one next door is going up then when they pass each other they are going in opposite directions.
IF you can not visualise this then lay 2 watches / clocks next to each other and watch the movement of the sweep hands

As for modifing a blade only an idiot would think they know better than the engineers who designed the deck
Welding the blades will seriously change the structire of the baldes and the flutes need to be absolutely identical or the blade will be out of balance
And of course it must be weight balanced left rignt AND front back.

The OP's problem is he is using THROWING / BAGGING blades in a mulching deck
Also he is INVENTING a problem.
If the mower deck cuts properly with the build up then leave it there


#30

M

MParr

@RayMcD
Tell us something about your deck. Are those baffles part of the mulching kit? If they are, where are the standard baffles?
If that is the mulching kit baffles, you will need mulching blades and not high lift blades.
If you want to side discharge, you will need the side discharge baffles and high lift blades.


#31

T

TobyU

MParr said:
@RayMcD
Tell us something about your deck. Are those baffles part of the mulching kit? If they are, where are the standard baffles?
If that is the mulching kit baffles, you will need mulching blades and not high lift blades.
If you want to side discharge, you will need the side discharge baffles and high lift blades.
Click to expand...
Or just knock the the lousy green crap down and don't worry about it.
You're just going to have to do it again in about a week. 2-3 weeks for me because I hate grass that much.
Wait! Does that mean I should mow every 3 days. DIE GRASS DIE!


#32

M

MParr

TobyU said:
Or just knock the the lousy green crap down and don't worry about it.
You're just going to have to do it again in about a week. 2-3 weeks for me because I hate grass that much.
Wait! Does that mean I should mow every 3 days. DIE GRASS DIE!
Click to expand...
Let’s see how @RayMcD answers my questions.


#33

R

RayMcD

MParr said:
@RayMcD
Tell us something about your deck. Are those baffles part of the mulching kit? If they are, where are the standard baffles?
If that is the mulching kit baffles, you will need mulching blades and not high lift blades.
If you want to side discharge, you will need the side discharge baffles and high lift blades.
Click to expand...
Hi MParr, let me clear up some questions, first the mower is set up as it was purchased. All thought they may appear to be I never added a mulch kit, part#s right off the original parts listing.
38 4165972.7 BAFFLE-FRONT, CENTER
48 1 39 4165971.7 BAFFLE-FRONT,
LH 48IN 1 40 4168527.7 BAFFLE-FRONT, RH 48IN 1

I typically side discharge but do have a foot operated chute blocker that I use to protect plants and when I am near my cars. Seldom do I kick up large stuff but one can never be to cautious, years back never forget a rock coming through my Grandmother's bedroom window.

I find it strange that the baffles between the blades do not end in points (as I see on most decks) but have the recessed back area where the grass is collecting.

I typically run either the original original blades (29 112111-01 BLADE 16.25 OFFST HLFT) or after market 112111-01 that is simply flat with a longer cutting edge. Both provide a very nice cut but I understand with deck in the same height the flat blade leaves the grass slightly longer. (And no one ever suggested altering a blade but I am seriously considering altering a baffle to see if I can eliminate this issue).

Typically if it is painted I wax and bare metal get an oily brush. I understand there is allot of experience here and sharing helps us all.

Your thoughts are most welcome, Cheers, Ray


#34

M

MParr

It certainly looks like a mulching deck. I certainly wouldn’t spend the time or money modifying the deck. You could try running without the front baffles or play around with different blades. Scrape the underside of your deck when you change or sharpen your blades.
There are two that you could try. You may need 1/4” spacers to make up for the winged profile of the original blades.

15008

15008
www.rotarycorp.com www.rotarycorp.com

9988

9988
www.rotarycorp.com www.rotarycorp.com
I hope that you have good luck finding the right combination.


#35

B

bertsmobile1

Well what they supplied you was a deck with the mulching kit fitted
Throwing deck have a single curved front baffel or no baffel at all and just allow the grass to pass along the path shown in green on your original diagram
Search Mulching kit for your mower and you will see your baffels as a bolt on
Down here I can not find an IPL for your mower they appear to be geo-locked .


#36

M

MParr

bertsmobile1 said:
Well what they supplied you was a deck with the mulching kit fitted
Throwing deck have a single curved front baffel or no baffel at all and just allow the grass to pass along the path shown in green on your original diagram
Search Mulching kit for your mower and you will see your baffels as a bolt on
Down here I can not find an IPL for your mower they appear to be geo-locked .
Click to expand...
It sure looks like those are mulching baffles under there. I expect to see something like SCAG or Gravely uses for side discharge. Modified V baffles that parallel the front leading edge of the deck.


#37

R

RayMcD

MParr said:
It sure looks like those are mulching baffles under there. I expect to see something like SCAG or Gravely uses for side discharge. Modified V baffles that parallel the front leading edge of the deck.
Click to expand...

Attachments





#38

R

RayMcD

If his was a mulching deck would there not be a panel to close the discharge? r


#39

T

TobyU

RayMcD said:
Hi MParr, let me clear up some questions, first the mower is set up as it was purchased. All thought they may appear to be I never added a mulch kit, part#s right off the original parts listing.
38 4165972.7 BAFFLE-FRONT, CENTER
48 1 39 4165971.7 BAFFLE-FRONT,
LH 48IN 1 40 4168527.7 BAFFLE-FRONT, RH 48IN 1

I typically side discharge but do have a foot operated chute blocker that I use to protect plants and when I am near my cars. Seldom do I kick up large stuff but one can never be to cautious, years back never forget a rock coming through my Grandmother's bedroom window.

I find it strange that the baffles between the blades do not end in points (as I see on most decks) but have the recessed back area where the grass is collecting.

I typically run either the original original blades (29 112111-01 BLADE 16.25 OFFST HLFT) or after market 112111-01 that is simply flat with a longer cutting edge. Both provide a very nice cut but I understand with deck in the same height the flat blade leaves the grass slightly longer. (And no one ever suggested altering a blade but I am seriously considering altering a baffle to see if I can eliminate this issue).

Typically if it is painted I wax and bare metal get an oily brush. I understand there is allot of experience here and sharing helps us all.

Your thoughts are most welcome, Cheers, Ray
Click to expand...
Did you just buy this more recently?
If so, I can kind of see the concern because it's a new toy but either way, I feel there's way too much thought and emphasis but into this situation..
It's a mower, you turn on the blades you drive over the grass and it cuts the grass. That's really all I care about.
Actually, I mostly care that I, or somebody has to do that and that we have to do it so often and it's monotonous, boring and repetitive but I digress...
The only thing about mowing, decks or blades or anything else that bothers me is when I do get around to ~having~ to do it and I do know over the tall annoying grass, that there could be some little stragglers sticking up.
Yes! This bothers even me!!
I don't get the motor out, waste my time, money, effort to run over a width of grass and not have every single square inch of that area grass blades cut!!
I can get a little irate over it.
I sold a couple mowers because of it.
Of course my constant mower count is in the hundreds so that's not saying much but I've had a couple of mowers that despite my best efforts and everyone else's comments, help, suggestions... would just not know without leaving fairly undesirable quality of cut even in my low expectation opinion.
But mulching, discharge, bagging, high lift, OEM, Gator blades, full length sharpened etc...mean little to nothing to me personally.

This does remind me that I have to trim up my front yard sometime this week because it's probably already the worst looking one on the block because you know... I'm the mower guy who fixes mower so my lawn is the worst looking one. Lol.
But I almost look forward to this so I can prove a point.
I have a nearly new snapper 64 volt battery powered mower I think it is 64 volt.
While the only good thing I will say about it is the battery mowers are evolving and eventually they will be more like normal lawn mowers instead of the cheap flimsy narrow plastic proprietary part mowers that they've been for the past 10 plus years.
This mower is exactly like a cheap Murray push mower since Briggs owns Murray and snapper along with many others.
So at least respect that it has normal wheels, normal height adjusters, a normal blade.
But, I do want to prove my point that I've told too many, many customers over the years that most if not all battery mowers on the market won't even cut my front yard on one charge!

Battery powered equipment may be convenient for some but that convenience comes at a sacrifice currently.
That sacrifice is typically in two noticeable areas of duration of cutting time and power.
Sure, if you want to roll your mower over grass that really doesn't need to be cut like someone who gets a haircut every 3 weeks does where you can barely tell but it's just slightly trimmed... Then if you walk quickly enough or the propel moves fast enough, you might be able to do a decent size yard.
But when you mow a yard like I do..
Like many people in my area and across the country do that is above ankle biting dog height....you will not Moe my front yard or the average front yard on one battery.
And this is one of the better battery systems on the market with a pretty good size battery with pretty high amp hour. I will have to check the number on it but it's not like some of these little ones.


#40

L

louwdj

RayMcD said:
Gentlemen, I looking for a solution to prevent grass gathering on the back of the baffle between the blades. The first photo show an up skirt shot of the deck. View attachment 63788

Next is a paint sketch trying to show the problem I am addressing.
View attachment 63790

This is not perfect but I believe you can get my point, look at what would be the leading the leading edges of the small red circles, this is the back side of the front baffle between the blades. This area continually packs with grass clippings. I'm considering cutting out a block/spacer an attaching it to the deck to fill this space. It would have to be small enough to clear the blades but block the formation of a build up in this space. Has anyone else tried to correct this issue? thanks, Ray
Click to expand...
Interesting issue. I suspect those spaces are there to let the grass through to the discharge opening. One option will be to change the baffles. "Straighten out" the small circle so that the grass will flow better. From 12 o'clock on the left hand small circle, to 12 o'clock on the big circle, to the left of it. Three o'clock on the right hand small circle to 3 o'clock on the big circle above it. Or, leave the baffles as is, and simply weld a small inverted cone shape in the middle of the small circle so that the grass will fall off. Diameter of the base of the cone, about two thirds on the diameter of the small circle.


#41

M

MParr

RayMcD said:
If his was a mulching deck would there not be a panel to close the discharge? r
Click to expand...
There should be however, the chute blocker serves the same purpose. Look at some Hustlers, SCAGs, Gravely, and others. Very few of these have full length rounded front baffles. You are going to get a certain amount of grass accumulation on the front of any brand of mower. Blade selection and moisture content of the grass will determine how much accumulation that you get. I get some with my Gravely. I put sharp blades on after every 12 hours of use and clean off the grass accumulation, at the same time. I’ve found that the Gravely OEM standard rolled lift blades, or Rotary brand equivalent, give the best side discharge performance. The worst offender for grass packing on my mower are Oregon Gator G6 blades. They make an absolute mess.
Again, try different blades and see which brand and style gives the best results.
It’s cheaper to experiment with blades than it is to get into fabricating something that may or may not change the results.


#42

R

RayMcD

TobyU said:
Did you just buy this more recently?
If so, I can kind of see the concern because it's a new toy but either way, I feel there's way too much thought and emphasis but into this situation..
It's a mower, you turn on the blades you drive over the grass and it cuts the grass. That's really all I care about.
Actually, I mostly care that I, or somebody has to do that and that we have to do it so often and it's monotonous, boring and repetitive but I digress...
The only thing about mowing, decks or blades or anything else that bothers me is when I do get around to ~having~ to do it and I do know over the tall annoying grass, that there could be some little stragglers sticking up.
Yes! This bothers even me!!
I don't get the motor out, waste my time, money, effort to run over a width of grass and not have every single square inch of that area grass blades cut!!
I can get a little irate over it.
I sold a couple mowers because of it.
Of course my constant mower count is in the hundreds so that's not saying much but I've had a couple of mowers that despite my best efforts and everyone else's comments, help, suggestions... would just not know without leaving fairly undesirable quality of cut even in my low expectation opinion.
But mulching, discharge, bagging, high lift, OEM, Gator blades, full length sharpened etc...mean little to nothing to me personally.

This does remind me that I have to trim up my front yard sometime this week because it's probably already the worst looking one on the block because you know... I'm the mower guy who fixes mower so my lawn is the worst looking one. Lol.
But I almost look forward to this so I can prove a point.
I have a nearly new snapper 64 volt battery powered mower I think it is 64 volt.
While the only good thing I will say about it is the battery mowers are evolving and eventually they will be more like normal lawn mowers instead of the cheap flimsy narrow plastic proprietary part mowers that they've been for the past 10 plus years.
This mower is exactly like a cheap Murray push mower since Briggs owns Murray and snapper along with many others.
So at least respect that it has normal wheels, normal height adjusters, a normal blade.
But, I do want to prove my point that I've told too many, many customers over the years that most if not all battery mowers on the market won't even cut my front yard on one charge!

Battery powered equipment may be convenient for some but that convenience comes at a sacrifice currently.
That sacrifice is typically in two noticeable areas of duration of cutting time and power.
Sure, if you want to roll your mower over grass that really doesn't need to be cut like someone who gets a haircut every 3 weeks does where you can barely tell but it's just slightly trimmed... Then if you walk quickly enough or the propel moves fast enough, you might be able to do a decent size yard.
But when you mow a yard like I do..
Like many people in my area and across the country do that is above ankle biting dog height....you will not Moe my front yard or the average front yard on one battery.
And this is one of the better battery systems on the market with a pretty good size battery with pretty high amp hour. I will have to check the number on it but it's not like some of these little ones.
Click to expand...
Toby, had machine since fall 2020, the mower does an absolutely super job cutting grass. I'm simply trying to make the deck perform better cleaning itself. r


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