Mower deck gets packed with grass - Cub Cadet XT1 (LT50) - Please help!

[bertsmobile1]

pressed decks give the best quality of cut because the air flow and in particular the space for the air flow with the clippings is better controlled
The best cut quality is from decks with timed overlapping blades & a pressed deck
After that is plain pressed decks then fabricated decks .
There are exceptions for mower that are designed to cut grass like Walkers & Grasshoppers rather than designed to be cheap to assemble & make profits .
No deck will cut backwards properly.
Decks that throw will reverse best , baggers after that and mulchers will always clump when going backwards it is all in the design ( or lack of it ) of the decks .

Back when ride ons were a luxury item so the makers could charge a reasonable price for them mower companies made totally different decks for throwing, mulching & bagging .
Along with this was blades in low, medium, & high lift + mulching blades
As they moved into the day to day necessities the profits dropped like a stone so did the quality of design and decks were where the most costs were cut from.
First there was the convertable deck with removable baffels & mulch plugs
Followed by the universal deck , bad at everything .
Because users are lazy & stupid smash proof fabricated decks moved from the 1000 hr a year commercial mowers to the 100 hrs a year domestic mowers.

 

[Rickcin]

I did build a little ramp where I can drive my tractor onto four concrete blocks, remove the wood and then be able to reach under the deck to scrap it clean.

 

[bmckechnie]

I have the same mower.....my problem is not buildup under the deck near blades, it is under the shields around the spindles on top of the deck. I mow at full throttle and it never seems to be an issue bogging down. It take a good 30 minutes to clean out by removing the shields and hosing down the spindles. Is there a down side to leaving the shields off?

 

[bertsmobile1]

Only chopping your foot up or getting big bits of debris in there that can toss the belt off the pulleys .
Do not try to wash clippings off the deck.
Blow then off
Best is an air compressor with a very long duster ( you can get them up to 2 yards long ).
Second best is your leaf blower

 

[7394]

Is there a down side to leaving the shields off?

Mine I removed when I got it. But for safety sake you could drill holes on the outside of the spindle covers so a blower can access that area..

And as to hosing off the spindles, that's cool water going on hot spindles. IMO you are inviting water to invade the spindles = $$..

I NEVER use water on any mower, winter clean & wax, thru season blow & wipe off with duster or dry rag.

 

[bmckechnie]

No way is an air compressor getting the clippings out from under the shields. The clippings seriously clog up under the shield. I hear what you're saying about the water and possible damage. There are already holes in the shield, but impossible to clean without removing the shields (3 bolts). Just don't really understand why the clippings are getting up above the deck around the spindles and belts.....if I leave the grass there, wouldn't that be a fire hazard eventually or damage the belts?

I'm not currently using the bagger thought I have one and I'm not mulching either.

I'll try to get some pictures next week.

 

[7394]

Is your deck "Vented" around the spindles ? Had a craftsman rider & it did this constantly.. I just left the covers off.

Either that, or you are getting tons of blow back from under the deck to the topside..

 

[hlw49]

There is no real reason to remove a grass build up under your deck
Leave it there unless you are mowing weeds that have seeded.
Decks used to be designed to be task specific
The actual deck profile needed to bag, throw or mulch properly is substantially different .
However because mower buyers are unbelievably cheap ( too cheap for their own good ) mower companies have cut costs by making universal decks.
Universal = just as poor doing one job as the other two.
Grass builds up because the air flow is too low at that point or there is a vortex being created
Allowing the grass to build up there fills in that bad spot , like a replaceable baffle ( which were used previously but got cut because customers were too cheap to buy them ) which used to be offered to convert a bagging deck to a mulching deck.

Just as long as you are running the blades at full speed and they are sharpish it will be fine

Grass build up under the deck will change the air flow under the deck and cause less lift. There for creating a poor quality cut.

 

[bertsmobile1]

Grass build up under the deck will change the air flow under the deck and cause less lift. There for creating a poor quality cut.

Only on a pressed deck
Build up on a fabricated deck happens in low air flow regions .
Reducing the volume of space between the blades and the deck actually increases the air velocity
Same thing that happens with a leaf blower

 

[bkeller500]

I have lived on this 1.5 acre residential area for 30 years. Over that time I have had 6 different lawn tractors and 2 ZT's. I have had Toro's, John Deeres and Simplicities. They ALL clogged the decks when I mowed damp grass or grass that had over grown. I have used stock blades, gator blades, hi lift blades and mulching blades. At times one set of blades works Ok but not for an entire season. Dry grass is EZ to mow and mulch but cutting thick grass requires sharp blades, high RPM, good air flow and dry grass and even then you get deck build up. Best method is to mow more often and take off less and blow it out. doing so pretty much eliminates mulching and the problems associated with it. My experience with mulching has been less than desirable. It's hard to understand that the same setup that is designed to lift the grass, cut the grass, re-cut the grass while in suspension, and release and drop the grass is going to do so without creating a mess.