Deck holding grass

[RevB]

I love Gator blades and run them all year.
3” is very short, try at least 3.5” and preferably 4”.
If you have an exit chute, bungee cord it up at a 45 degree angle and throw the grass out as far as it will go.

Chutes are cute if there's zero chance of chucking something far enough to damage/injure. Or in one instance had house in the NE that had a lawn that was above the level of the house. With a freeze thaw cycle glacial till pops out of the dirt...window didn't like it. Otherwise, bungee up. Mine will load up to the tune of 25# or more.....have to use an air hammer to break it all out....and it wasn't wet (OK Bermuda), so, there's that.

 

[7394]

Some use fluid film or cooking oil spray, after good underside deck cleaning..

 

[ILENGINE]

Chutes are cute if there's zero chance of chucking something far enough to damage/injure. Or in one instance had house in the NE that had a lawn that was above the level of the house. With a freeze thaw cycle glacial till pops out of the dirt...window didn't like it. Otherwise, bungee up. Mine will load up to the tune of 25# or more.....have to use an air hammer to break it all out....and it wasn't wet (OK Bermuda), so, there's that.

I have had a few this year that had to use the air chisel to break through the built up grass under the deck. Twisted knot wire brush trying to clean the buildup off the blades prior to sharpening just polishes it to a nice gloss finish.

 

[smoothmower]

I've got a 2014 FasTrack 54 with 330 hrs. It has always packed the deck with grass when mowing and when it gets enough, it pukes it out in one big wad. I've always heard this was due to a poor deck/baffle design. Are there any fixes for this? I'm tired of having mounds of clippings all over my yard. Did the newer decks address this issue? Would a new deck of any manufacture fit my mower? Thanks for any advice in advance.

My grasshoper 52" fabricated deck did that during my entire ownership, I was never able to resolve this issue, tried all the advise I've seen in this thread. I switched to an Ariens zoom 50 with a stamped mower deck and have not seen any clumping unless mowing on wet grass, which I avoid. I also got a Husky with a 46" stamped deck that does not have the issue. Both mowers do a manicured cut and do not hold clumps of clippings after each cut. In my experience, the stamped decks flow and discharge better than the fabricated deck of the grasshopper. I also had a simplicity tractor that had the issue, until it rotted due to the decaying clippings trapped inside. You should be able to fit a stamped deck of similar proportions, but it is quite a job to get it right.

 

[Mr. Mower]

I have had a few this year that had to use the air chisel to break through the built up grass under the deck. Twisted knot wire brush trying to clean the buildup off the blades prior to sharpening just polishes it to a nice gloss finish.

That is basically what I have had to do under my mower deck.

I gave up on trying to prevent build up of grass, dirt, etc. from accumulating under the deck after each time that I mow the lawn (which is a little over an acre).

Since then, that is, after I am totally finished cutting the lawn I move the mower to a flat concrete spot, flip up the deck and.....you bet.....there are clots of a combination of grass and dirt all under the entire deck!

So what I have been doing is using a metal chisel and wire brushes to clean the entire underside of the mowers deck. Yes the process is a PITA having to do this each and every time after every mow but it has to get down.

You NEVER want to leave any clogged dirt and grass, etc. under you deck because once you do...over a period of time it hardens up and it really is difficult and hard to remove.

Just my $0.02......to each their own.

 

[Skippydiesel]

This is my experince: -

Cut at 100mm (4")
Always use full power/rpm BEFORE starting to cut and for a few moments after cutting
NEVER cut wet grass.
Do not collect grass clippings (unless you want to make compost) - spread it.
In long grass, lift the grass shoot out of action, to allow for quicker exit.
Only mowe at the speed that the mower can EASILY PROCESS THE GRASS (listen for engine labouring, look at the quality of the cut and adjust forward speed accordingly)
Used COMPRESSED AIR (never water) to clean ALL the chaff (grass clippings) off your mower after EVERY session. Pay special attention to engine & oil cooling fins, around deck spindles & every nook/cranny that you know where the grass tends to collect.
Over the last 30 + years, I have no recollection of grass clumping.