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What would cause a Zero turn lawn mower to produce a "mohawk" cut?

Lots of things can cause that : Dull blades, wrong blades, blades on upside down (yes, I have actually seen blades on upside down), worn out blades, deck not pitched right, deck filled up with debris (grass build-up), blades not spinning fast enough, mowing too fast. Is this a 2 or 3 blade deck?

mower king said:

Lots of things can cause that : Dull blades, wrong blades, blades on upside down (yes, I have actually seen blades on upside down), worn out blades, deck not pitched right, deck filled up with debris (grass build-up), blades not spinning fast enough, mowing too fast. Is this a 2 or 3 blade deck?

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2 blade 42 inch deck. Fabricated. Brand new zero turn with mulch kit. Cut pretty good when side discharging. Installed mulch kit, this is the result. Very disappointed.

Freedom1955 said:

2 blade 42 inch deck. Fabricated. Brand new zero turn with mulch kit. Cut pretty good when side discharging. Installed mulch kit, this is the result. Very disappointed.

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Yep, you found your own problem....mulch kit ! We don't recommend mulch kits on mowers we sell but, if you must have one, don't mow tall grass and keep it mowed often to eliminate tall grass!

Have the rpms checked, just to make sure you're getting all the blade speed you need....if you're low on rpm's, increasing the rpm to spec, might help!

Thanks for responding. I'm guessing after this post nobody will have the balls to respond although I do need some encouragement and or advise.
I purchased a new Ariens Edge 42" upon the recommendations of a fairly well know YouTuber. I had to buy the mower online as everyone else locally were sold out. After I installed the mulch kit and was having cut problems I looked and found reviews that were disparaging regarding the mulch kit's performance. I had previously owned a Toro Timecutter SS4260 zero turn that mulched perfect so I wasn't anticipating any problems. I had to purchase this mower online as nobody near me had any in stock. I contacted the Online vendor about this cutting problem and they said they couldn't help me because I put gas in it and ran it.
I contacted a person who has connections with Ariens and he told me Ariens knows of the mulching problems but there is currently no fix. I also discovered on YouTube that for years people were having problems with Ariens mulch kits.
I have called my Credit Card company and am in the process disputing the charge for this mower as I am totally unhappy with the mulch cut.
I find the cut totally unacceptable. The mower has 2.5 hrs on it.
I contacted Ariens and they want me to take it to an authorized Dealer which I can do but I have checked everything except the RPMs of the mower.
I simply do not want this mower as the mulch results are unacceptable and I mulch 100% of the time.
What are your thoughts people?
I forgot to add I've been mulching for 40 years and know all the intricacies of the process.

Freedom1955 said:

Thanks for responding. I'm guessing after this post nobody will have the balls to respond although I do need some encouragement and or advise.
I purchased a new Ariens Edge 42" upon the recommendations of a fairly well know YouTuber. I had to buy the mower online as everyone else locally were sold out. After I installed the mulch kit and was having cut problems I looked and found reviews that were disparaging regarding it's the mulch kit's performance. I had previously owned a Toro Timecutter that mulched perfect so I wasn't anticipating any problems. I had to purchase this mower online as nobody near me had any in stock. I contacted the Online vendor about this cutting problem and they said they couldn't help me because I put gas in it and ran it.
I contacted a person who has connections with Ariens and he told me Ariens knows of the mulching problems but there is currently no fix. I also discovered on YouTube that for years people were having problems with Ariens mulch kits.
I have called my Credit Card company and am in the process disputing the charge for this mower as I am totally unhappy with the mulch cut.
I find the cut totally unacceptable.
I contacted Ariens and they want me to take it to an authorized Dealer which I can do but I have checked everything except the RPMs of the mower.
I simply do not want this mower as the mulch results are unexceptable and I mulch 100% of the time.
What are your thought people?
I forgot to add I've been mulching for 40 years and know all the intricaciesof the process.

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I don't want to be the who tells you this but, as you are finding out, buying a mower online or from a box store IS NEVER A GOOD IDEA, you might be forced to keep the mower, if so, you might have to take the mulch kit off........good luck to you !

mower king said:

I don't want to be the who tells you this but, as you are finding out, buying a mower online or from a box store IS NEVER A GOOD IDEA, you might be forced to keep the mower, if so, you might have to take the mulch kit off........good luck to you !

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Thanks Mower King. Yeah this is the first time I have purchased a mower online. I have always bought locally. I sold my Timecutter and needed a new mower, thought I would try an Ariens. I was shocked when I started to cut with the mulch kit.
In reality though it wouldn't make a difference if I bought it locally because what would a local Dealer do if I had the same problem and there is no fix?

I'd try taking off those mulching blades & go back to some high-lift Oregon straight blades. Mower a little slower, more often.

bullet bob said:

I'd try taking off those mulching blades & go back to some high-lift Oregon straight blades. Mower a little slower, more often.

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Thanks for the response! I tried taking the mulching blades off and replaced them with the original Ariens high lift blades and it did do a better job just not acceptable which is the problem. Ariens sells a mower and mulching kit that cuts the grass horribly. I am going to demand my money back with the C/C company. Ariens knows of the problem and does nothing about it and keeps selling this under performing product to unsuspecting purchasers. It's not right and I'm going to fight it.

unfortunately a sign of the times
Pay a you tube influencer to tell bull dust or usually to praise the mowers good points & ignore all of the problems
The addle minded see a good You tube review from a trusted poster and take it as fact without checking general product review sites and consumer complaints sites .
So the first problem was being on You tube in the first place
The second problem is trusting anything that you see
The third problem is cheapness.
It is near impossible to make a single deck that will cut, mulch , throw & bag efficiently .
Back when people would pay a fair price for mowers, the mower companies made different decks for different jobs .
Now when every factory is under price pressure very few can afford to make completely different decks so they make "universal " ones .
And for once the description is 100% accurate, they are universally poor at every type of cutting .
If you want to mulch all the time, then get a mower that has a dedicated mulching deck .
If you can't find one then get a deck that has replacable baffels that go in for mulching.
People have no concept of just how difficult it is to control the air flow under a deck to get it to do the job that the customer wants .
Pressed decks do a better job than fabricated decks because you can make channels in the deck to direct the air .
Down side is if you do not keep the top of them clean they rust out and a lot will crack from vibrations even if you do .

he best mulching decks will have overlapping timed blades like Walkers , Stiga & Husqvarna articulated mowers & I think there is a Cub with timed blades.

I know this vid does not have the same deck but might explain the problem