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Deere LA125

#1

C

clcmbtn

Good morning, this year we hired a landscaper to assist getting the grass in order. He has me cutting on #4 on the deck height, which seems pretty high but grass looks good.

So now that we are in the end of August, I already have leaves coming down. The problem is when cutting leaves are being pushed or blown out from the right underside of the deck. Any ideas how to stop this besides lowering the deck?

TIA
Chris


#2

S

slomo

Not helpful but I don't have that issue. Have a fleet of Snapper mowers. Best vacuum action on the market. Suck spare change off your garage floor with ease.

Some mowers are not made to vacuum anything especially leaves. Normally just side sling.

Are you running the engine at max revs?


#3

M

mechanic mark



#4

C

clcmbtn

Have the mulch kit and wether I am mulching our bagging I have the same problem.


#5

C

clcmbtn

slomo said:
Not helpful but I don't have that issue. Have a fleet of Snapper mowers. Best vacuum action on the market. Suck spare change off your garage floor with ease.

Some mowers are not made to vacuum anything especially leaves. Normally just side sling.

Are you running the engine at max revs?
Click to expand...
No, I run a little past half throttle. It happens when I'm mulching or bagging. It's weird it looks like it's just 1 spot they seem to be coming from.


#6

M

mechanic mark

Always run engine at full throttle when mowing, otherwise premature engine failure & components failure will occur over time. Read Operators Manual cover to cover.


#7

S

slomo

clcmbtn said:
No, I run a little past half throttle. It happens when I'm mulching or bagging. It's weird it looks like it's just 1 spot they seem to be coming from.
Click to expand...
Mark beat me to it. Max revs all the time.

Helps with deck suction, proper air cooling and engine oil lubrication.


#8

MyGrassHasCrabs

MyGrassHasCrabs

clcmbtn said:
Good morning, this year we hired a landscaper to assist getting the grass in order. He has me cutting on #4 on the deck height, which seems pretty high but grass looks good.

So now that we are in the end of August, I already have leaves coming down. The problem is when cutting leaves are being pushed or blown out from the right underside of the deck. Any ideas how to stop this besides lowering the deck?

TIA
Chris
Click to expand...

I have a JD LA105 with mulch kit, always run max revs (wide open throttle), use a Trac Vac (5 hp B&S engine vacuum that sucks leaves/grass into a 55 gallon drum on a trailer), and STILL have leaves that are literally blown out the sides of the mower deck. I also have the JD modification of a "lip" that bolts to the bottom of the deck (doesn't help a bit). I also mow on 4 typically and do not want to lower the deck particularly in the fall after new grass I've overseeded is coming up. I have wrestled with this problem for a long time with no solution, but it has occurred to me to fabricate some kind of rubbery mat-like extension to the outside of the mower deck such that it reduces the distance between the deck sides and the ground but the blades remain high. Thought about using a welcome-mat like material so that it is both durable and flexible, but coming up with a way to attach it to the deck is not so easy. Over the years I've just learned to live with the "line of crap" that is left behind and not be so much of a perfectionist when it comes to getting up leaves. Still pisses me off though. Seems like someone could make a lot of money if they'd invent an add on that addresses the problem.


#9

C

clcmbtn

MyGrassHasCrabs said:
I have a JD LA105 with mulch kit, always run max revs (wide open throttle), use a Trac Vac (5 hp B&S engine vacuum that sucks leaves/grass into a 55 gallon drum on a trailer), and STILL have leaves that are literally blown out the sides of the mower deck. I also have the JD modification of a "lip" that bolts to the bottom of the deck (doesn't help a bit). I also mow on 4 typically and do not want to lower the deck particularly in the fall after new grass I've overseeded is coming up. I have wrestled with this problem for a long time with no solution, but it has occurred to me to fabricate some kind of rubbery mat-like extension to the outside of the mower deck such that it reduces the distance between the deck sides and the ground but the blades remain high. Thought about using a welcome-mat like material so that it is both durable and flexible, but coming up with a way to attach it to the deck is not so easy. Over the years I've just learned to live with the "line of crap" that is left behind and not be so much of a perfectionist when it comes to getting up leaves. Still pisses me off though. Seems like someone could make a lot of money if they'd invent an add on that addresses the problem.
Click to expand...
I can't stand that line of crap. Something attached to the front lip sounds like an idea. I'll have to work on that I guess. Not sure qhat the "jd modification is"


#10

MyGrassHasCrabs

MyGrassHasCrabs

clcmbtn said:
I can't stand that line of crap. Something attached to the front lip sounds like an idea. I'll have to work on that I guess. Not sure qhat the "jd modification is"
Click to expand...

That modification (that I incorrectly called a "lip" and for my LA105) is part number BM20505. Here is a link to it on greenpartstore.com:

BM20505 Front Blowout Baffle

JDBaffle.jpg

I don't know if it fits LA125 but you could check it out. Personally I didn't see that it did anything but your experience may be better. There are a lot of 5 star reviews that I just looked over - folks reviewing it said it addresses the "line of crap", but I wasn't as fortunate. They're right proud of a small strip of steel too, but what do you expect with John Deere parts.

If you end up fabricating a modification that works please post it back here if you don't mind and I'll do the same.

Thanks


#11

bkeller500

bkeller500

You could try a hi-lift blade or multi-cut blades like the Gators in the Fall for leaf mulching. It may be a bit better but never perfect. If there are not a overwhelming amount of leaves go ahead and mulch them. It returns some nutrients to the soil. I have a similar problem with my current Simplicity mower ( which I also had with my John Deere X590 previously) so I have learned to to double cut with and without the mulching plug. Unless you are so finicky that you need to think about a true vacuum system for leaf removal. I also cut at 4" most of the time but occasionally drop to 3.75" or 3.5" to catch the grass that has fallen over or gotten compacted by the rear tires. I try to do that lower cutting just before a predicted rain, so recovery is quicker. It's a interesting dilemma and makes lawn management more fun.


#12

MyGrassHasCrabs

MyGrassHasCrabs

bkeller500 said:
You could try a hi-lift blade or multi-cut blades like the Gators in the Fall for leaf mulching. It may be a bit better but never perfect. If there are not a overwhelming amount of leaves go ahead and mulch them. It returns some nutrients to the soil. I have a similar problem with my current Simplicity mower ( which I also had with my John Deere X590 previously) so I have learned to to double cut with and without the mulching plug. Unless you are so finicky that you need to think about a true vacuum system for leaf removal. I also cut at 4" most of the time but occasionally drop to 3.75" or 3.5" to catch the grass that has fallen over or gotten compacted by the rear tires. I try to do that lower cutting just before a predicted rain, so recovery is quicker. It's a interesting dilemma and makes lawn management more fun.
Click to expand...

Thanks, appreciate the suggestions. I didn't mention in my previous responses that I already use Gator blades. My yard is full of trees and if I didn't get them up they'd be waist deep by December, so mulching them in place (while definitely much, much easier) would probably not work well in my case. I may try lowering the deck as you suggest to 3.5 this time around & see what that does. Again thanks for the input.

Perhaps the OP will benefit from your suggestions too.


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