Mower deck having trouble

[treegirl55]

i have been mowing with a scag for nine yrs and have always had the same problem. someone please help. now i have a tiger cat 48 inch, 19 hp Kaw. i can not mow in wet or even slightly damp grass without stopping and cleaning out the deck. this really slows my mowing time. usually i get a five gallon bucket of grass to dispose of, of course i cant leave it on a customer's yard. i have to lay down on three sides of the mower to scrap it all out then move the tractor and pick it up. i waS TOLD THIS IS SCAG'S selling point- that we can mow in wet grass. the dealer even came out and mowed w it and said you just need a bigger engine. i have to have a 48" cut because i mow several small yards and cemeteries. does anyone have any suggestions...i am ready to give up on scag and look else where!!!

 

[Mad Mackie]

I have a few suggestions that you may find beneficial. First off when dealing with ZTRs that have the particle separating air filters it is best to go with the highest horse power engine available as the addition of this type of air filter reduces the available horse power of any particular series of engines. Mowing wet grass is not recommended, but sometimes must be done. Making several partial width cuts at slower ground speeds may make the job acceptable. All mower manufacturers are tooting their new design decks but the more high tech and specialized these decks get, the more they seem to be prone to clogging. The blade tip speed is limited to 19,000 Ft per Minute by Federal Safety Regs and almost all manufacturers design their decks to operate close to that limit. Airflow is key to the newer design in mower decks. Any adverse conditions affecting blade speed and or airflow will negatively affect the final quality of mowing. When buying replacement blades for Scag and other makes you will find several blades will fit the deck but only one or two have the longer bend on the blade tips where the airflow while mowing is created. The Scag blade part number is important when looking for aftermarket blades. I use Stens aftermarket blades on my Scag, but they are direct replacements for the original blades.
I have a 2008 Scag Tiger Cub with a 26 B&S ELS engine, 48" deck, and a Scag collection system and I'm pleased with it's performance. However I don't make a living mowing lawns, just some pocket cash and something to do not that I don't have plenty to keep me busy. So I usually don't head out to do lawns until 11 AM or so when things are somewhat dryer. As time goes on I see more commercial mowers using collection systems, but it is a $2,500 attachment. The collection blower is easily removed and I sometimes mow without it but I install the chute using quick release pins.
Mad Mackie in CT

 

[Mad Mackie]

Do you know what RPM the engine is running at when at full throttle? New engines do need a breakin period where they are operated at full throttle for short periods of time until some clock time has passed.
I only mow customer lawns where I can dispose of the clippings on their property or very close by.
I am also an officer and equipment maintenance man for a local cemetery assoc and we use rear discharge machines in this application. We have Hustler machines as Hustler is one of the few manufacturers that offer rear discharge decks on some of their ZTR models. The cemetery is 200 years old and the older areas are difficult at best to mow.
Mad Mackie in CT