Lawnmowers Rideons - Push Mowers Rear-Side Discharge

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Hello,

I am currently in the market to buy a lawn mower as my grass is about knee high already.

I have done all the reading I can before deciding to sign up to a forum and ask few things.

Rear Discharge vs Side Discharge.

Most forums I have been able to read, blogs etc on the internet all state "why the rear discharge decks are better" - Most of it is because:

1:You can mow close to things on both sides of the deck
2: They don't use as much power to do it with
3: They apparently cut faster than side discharge making the job get done quicker (so better on fuel as well)
4: They discharge the grass better/more evenly preventing clumping that side discharge mowers tend to make.

That has been the general consensus I found from all the blogs/entries/websites that give you the differences between both and I have read many people on this forum and other forums saying "I will never buy a side discharge again, windrowing is horrible, rear discharge does a much better job bla bla bla" Which is pretty much the same consensus as the above 4 points.

Here is where I am stuck though.

I have contacted all the mower companies directly, Kubota, Hustler, Woods etc.

From what they are telling me the side discharge mowers are the ones that actually leave a better finish on the lawn than the rear (which is now the opposite of all the above)... and the logical reason is simple.

With a rear discharge mower... it maybe 'disperses' the grass better behind it not clumping etc... but the grass is left on the cut lawn. So if the grass is knee high, That is going to leave a lawn that needs to be raked up, theres no 2 ways about that.

Side discharge on the other hand throws the grass to the side... if you mow in the direction of the discharge, theres 2 ways to mow:
1: Start on the external side and mow clockwise towards the centre
2: start in the middle and work anticlock wise towards the outside.

In both situations the grass is being thrown into the grass you are cutting next and thus it is not left on the nicely cut grass. This allows you to chop the grass even finer as you go over the cut clippings.

The point is, side chute throws it away from where you have cut which keeps the ground clean where it has been cut while rear discharge leaves the mess on the grass you cut because it well, just leaves it there on top.

Question 1:

So why do people say that the rear discharge clumping, windrowing etc etc is better on rear discharge when it just leaves the mess behind on the grass when side chute actually throws it away from where you have cut keeping the cut area clean with no grass/clumping of any sort?

Question 2:

what if rear discharge mowers are used with sweepers/bags... would that eliminate the mess left behind while still giving the advantage of the speed of cut/able to cut close to things on both sides etc?

Essentially im trying to get an idea of whether to get a side discharge or rear discharge and whatever problems each may have, is the problem fixable via something else eg: bag, sweepers, etc, kind of eliminating the short comings while keeping the advantage.

Question 3:

Zero turn mowers vs traditional tractors that you attach a mowing blade too... what works better? Everywhere I ever grew up on acreages people use a tractor with a blade behind and just cut the whole field (up/down,hills etc) - what advantage is there to Zero turn vs tractors? Are zero turns more for football field, golf courses etc while tractors for bush type farms or?

Question 4 (last 1)

Also needing a push mower, am I better off with a rear discharge (given the above principles) with a bag or am I better off with a simple side discharge utility mower?

I am looking at 2 mowers only...

1: Masport Contractor ST S21 3'n1 - It has a 80L catcher, mulching, rear discharge, it has alloy wheels, it runs a briggs and stratton 190cc 850 series Industrial/commercial engine (cast iron sleeve). Info here: https://masport.com.au/outdoor-garden-products/lawnmowers/contractor-/contractor-st-s21-3-n1

2: Masport President 530IC side utility - it has no catcher, no mulching, side discharge only. It also runs the same B&S engine 190cc 850 series Industrial/commercial (cast iron sleeve). Info here: https://masport.com.au/outdoor-garden-products/lawnmowers/president/president-utility-530-ic

The Contractor is 51kg heavy, the president is 31kg.

They both have the same quadcut 4 blade disc system.

Both would be push mowers without the self propelled feature.

I looked at all the other brands, the problem was for me cost. To get a 21" cutting deck in other brands (like Honda for example, of husqvarna etc) I am looking at $1400+, they are all sell propelled and they have less power than the 190cc B&S, the GVX160 honda is 163cc with 4 hp. The B&S 850 series is 190cc with 6HP.

So essentially going honda or anything, I am paying $1400 for less engine while the Masport is $720-$899 with the 190cc engine.

I only found 2 reviews (some on this site)about the contractor blowing up gearboxes and always being in repair... i wouldn't be getting the model with the self propeled version.

So just wondering am I better off getting the contractor which has the same engine as the side utility, rear discharge and bag as option, or am I better off forgetting the bag, using the side chute only utility (instead of rear discharge on the contractor) and saving 20kg to push around? The wheels and everything on the contractor look good but again, I think I read people saying everything falls apart on that mower... so I wasn't too sure.

Anyway thanks for everything, I think that covers everything.

 

[bertsmobile1]

From the bottom,
The Honda s 3 times the mower that the Masport is so is actually cheaper at twice the price.
If you are only going to get one walk behind then go with the Contractor as some times you really need to catch the clippings , like when mowing over fruiting weeds .
It should have an optional mulch plate to block off the catcher port , if it is an option , buy it .
Some even have a deflector that fits where the catcher would go turning it into a left hand throw side throw .
The Hp is irrelevant unless you want to cut 2' tall wet grass at a joging pace .

Now side vs rear

1) the grass does not discharge from the full width of the chute uniformly . 90% comes out as a compact stream from the edge of the deck.
On a side throw everything from the left side is pushed to the right so it gets compacted
On a rear throw they do not merge till they get to the discharge chute and one stream is traveling clockwise while the other is traveling counter clockwise so they will fan out much better.

If you are mulching then it makes no difference as clumpimg will e determined by the volume of clippings alone .

2)
Yes most rear discharge mowers can be fitted with a bagger of some sort.
However that makes them longer so you can not turn away from things like fences or walls because of the swing of the overhanging catcher.
The net effect of this is the same regardless of side or rear discharge .

3)
This question could get a 500 page answer and still not be complete .
Way too many variables the biggest of which is the topography of your property , type of soil , rainfall , type of grass and size of the property .
Rough terrain, boggy soils, long slopes all make life hard for ZTR's
Tight turns & lots of obstactes make life hard for tractors .

The only things I really like about ZTR;s is the deck is driven from the rear so when you smack into something hard like a stump , rock or fence post, it pushes the deck back which relieves the pressure on the belt thus less belt breakages and because there is no bonnet obstructing your view, you can see what you are about to run over just before you hit it.

What I hate about them is the tendency to tear up the grass when turning sharply.

 

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In what way are Hondas 2-3 times more a mower, and in what situation does power not matter?

Looking at the GVX 160 honda powered engines and posts on forums, the general consesus is they are too weak.

What Honda mower would you compare to those 2 masports i posted with the 850 series 190cc Commercial briggs? These come with 4-5 year warranties, the hondas around the same price come with 1-2 year domestic only...

And with side/rear discharge, once again... why do people say rear discharge leave a cleaner finished lawn when side discharge actually throws the grass away from where you mowed? The rear leaves it on the cut area leaving a blanket of dying grass on top... i fail to see how that looks better than a side discharge that left no dying grass onto as it threw the grass off to the side leaving the mowed area clean.