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Ferris 2200, Kawasaki FT730V EFI CS41 -R E/NO FT730VA157991
Mower bogs down making me baby crawl thru thick wet grass, when it didn't used to before. (I do expect to slow down some) Checked valve lash, was around .007, corrected to .005. Didn't help much. Did discover a spindle that was worn badly, replaced and that helped a bunch. I clean the air filter regularly. I'm a stickler for sharp, balanced blades. Had once used, and resharpened and balanced blades on the mower. Not sure what else to check, as it is an EFI motor. Thought I would ask here before I check with the dealer.

Thick AND wet is a problem for any residential mower. Do you keep the underside of the deck cleaned out? Wet grass will stick to the deck far worse than dry grass.

GearHead36 said:

Thick AND wet is a problem for any residential mower. Do you keep the underside of the deck cleaned out? Wet grass will stick to the deck far worse than dry grass.

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I agree, but it didn't used to be this bad. Underside cleaned everyday when I get home (cut grass 6 days a week), as I change blades everyday also. I've even tried the stuff you spray the underside with, doesn't really help any, especially wet grass.
Point is, it didn't used to be this bad. That's why I keep thinking something is amiss. Probably will take to the dealer, let them plug the computer into it, and see if it offers any clues.
I just thought someone here may have had this issue and found out what to do about it.
But thanks for the reply.

Davenj4f said:

I agree, but it didn't used to be this bad. Underside cleaned everyday when I get home (cut grass 6 days a week), as I change blades everyday also. I've even tried the stuff you spray the underside with, doesn't really help any, especially wet grass.
Point is, it didn't used to be this bad. That's why I keep thinking something is amiss. Probably will take to the dealer, let them plug the computer into it, and see if it offers any clues.
I just thought someone here may have had this issue and found out what to do about it.
But thanks for the reply.

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What type blades are you using?
Gator blades in tall wet grass are the worst.

MParr said:

What type blades are you using?
Gator blades in tall wet grass are the worst.

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Stuff I get off Amazon, XHT, Oregon, Copperhead, Reaper. All .25" thick stuff. Regular high lift. Never used Gator blades. These work fine in anything else I cut, even 2' high stuff.

I assuming you have 21" blades with 5/8 center hole.

Maybe you need more air lift. Try the Rotary 16339 blades for those 5101755S blades. They extended air lifts of 3-1/2 inches. This would create more discharge pressure and should help with discharging of the wet grass.

Worth a try anyways can't hurt

StarTech said:

I assuming you have 21" blades with 5/8 center hole.

Maybe you need more air lift. Try the Rotary 16339 blades for those 5101755S blades. They extended air lifts of 3-1/2 inches. This would create more discharge pressure and should help with discharging of the wet grass.

Worth a try anyways can't hurt

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No, 52" deck with 18" blades, but same 5/8" holes. I'll look them up and get some. Thanks for the info.

This is from another angle, but in the spring the grass is tender and more easy to cut that allows you to cut
faster and at lower RPM's. After cutting grass through the spring and into the latter part of the summer
the grass get tougher and requires you to crank up the RPM's and even slow down to process the grass.
Wet grass just increases the difficulty to the point of bogging down if you don't slow down. That's been my
experiance

platefire said:

This is from another angle, but in the spring the grass is tender and more easy to cut that allows you to cut
faster and at lower RPM's. After cutting grass through the spring and into the latter part of the summer
the grass get tougher and requires you to crank up the RPM's and even slow down to process the grass.
Wet grass just increases the difficulty to the point of bogging down if you don't slow down. That's been my
experiance

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You are correct, I experience that also. But my problem is I've not had this problem before, which is why I suspect an issue with the motor, but I can't figure it out. I've rebuilt mower engines before, and fixed many a one, but have never messed with an EFI before. But I do like the engine.

then the B1FE1052 XTH blades are medium lift blades.

Rotary 15002 .250 are hi blades.

The Rotary Copperhead 3404 is only .204 thick. The 15002 is the heavy duty version.

None of the others in the 18" 5/8 hole are hi lift persay. Most appears to be medium lift.

6 days/week is a LOT of usage. How many hours are on this engine? I'd check compression. You may just be wearing out the engine.

I am not certain this is a blade thing. This started recently and was not caused by chainging to a new blade group. Or was it? Thinking outside the box.