Opinions on Scag Patriot for 2 acre homeowner

[bertsmobile1]

I have not heard anyone complain about the aluminum spindle housings on Scag machines. Scag aluminum housings are fairly strong compared to many other makes.
I have replaced both aluminum and cast iron spindle housings on many different makes. Moisture and dissimilar metals contribute to corrosion of the aluminum housings. Grass clipping accumulation under the deck will ad to corrosion/rust problems on any deck, keeping it clean and dry prolongs the life.

And the big killer, washing down a hot mower in particular using the wash out port when hot will draw water into the bearings and cause them to fail in a single season.

 

[JPE]

And the big killer, washing down a hot mower in particular using the wash out port when hot will draw water into the bearings and cause them to fail in a single season.

I'm going to try and live my life without a handheld/backpack lawn blower, but I do have a 30 gallon compressor in the garage and blower gun that I intend to use to blow the grass off before putting the mower away.

 

[bertsmobile1]

I'm going to try and live my life without a handheld/backpack lawn blower, but I do have a 30 gallon compressor in the garage and blower gun that I intend to use to blow the grass off before putting the mower away.

Yep,
An air duster is what I use in the workshop.
On with a 4' long shaft so you can get into all the nooks & crannies and under the pulley guards without eating dust & grass clippings.
Even more important is between the cooling fins on the trannies.

 

[Darryl G]

I'm going to try and live my life without a handheld/backpack lawn blower, but I do have a 30 gallon compressor in the garage and blower gun that I intend to use to blow the grass off before putting the mower away.

I can't imagine life without a big backpack blower, even as just a homeowner with a large lawn. Yeah you can blow your mower off with a compressor, but for general lawn maintenance they make the place look so much better so quickly. I blow the porch, the siding and screens all around, the AC unit, the basement bulkhead, the beds, the cars including after washing, the driveway, leaves, sticks, twigs, nuts, driveway gravel, heavy grass windrows, drainage ditches and pipes, etc, etc. They'll even blow light brush. The new 80cc blowers, the Stihl BR800s and the Echo 8010, are awesome for large properties. About $600. LOVE my Echo. If you can't get one right away try to add one later. Don't waste your money on a handheld for a property that big! 65cc backpack blower at least. Tell me you don't want something like this. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8DXVh0wPs7g :smile:

 

[cruzenmike]

I use my blower attachment on my Ryobi SS26 to blow off the Exmark after each use. It has enough power to get all of the grass out from under the deck and the leaves from the engine screen. I could never use this thing for leaves on the lawn in the fall, but for after mowing and edging it is preferable, especially since I go right from edging, to whacking to blowing all without shutting it off. If money permits I hope to upgrade to the Honda VersAttach system this year!!

 

[Darryl G]

And the big killer, washing down a hot mower in particular using the wash out port when hot will draw water into the bearings and cause them to fail in a single season.

Just wondering...do you "accidentally" break those on machines that you service? :wink:

 

[cruzenmike]

And the big killer, washing down a hot mower in particular using the wash out port when hot will draw water into the bearings and cause them to fail in a single season.

I have never been able to figure out why they have those wash out ports either! Another big issue is that many of the spindles on these machines are aluminum and if hot enough after use are also more prone to cracking when cold water is introduced. Manufacturers likely made the decision to include these parts because most consumers aren't going to get under the deck and scrape it out, and if the washout process helps to eliminate even half of what is caked under the deck, the user will have a more positive experience while cutting (due to improved airflow).

 

[Mad Mackie]

I have a Stihl BR600 and while operating my Scag Tiger Cub with a 3 bag collection system I need to periodically blow the dust and crud off the machine and me. I wear a dust mask, goggles, hat and hearing protection but the rest of me and the machine get dirty! A blow gun from an air compressor doesn't put out enough air volume to clean the collection bags so along with a back pack blower, I can do a fairly good cleanup between jobs.
Over the many years that I have mowed, I have noticed a cross contamination of weeds between customers places and to my own. Although it is difficult to clean the underside of the deck between jobs, I try my best to do it. As grass is usually damp and clippings accumulate in clumps under the deck, I sometimes remove the collection blower on a job site after mowing and cleanup as best that I can before moving on to the next job or quitting for the day. When the grass is dry and dusty, the mower deck stays cleaner but the machine and me get filthy!
I'm down to only 4 accounts plus my own place and a few spring/fall only cleanup folks.:smile:

 

[bertsmobile1]

Just wondering...do you "accidentally" break those on machines that you service? :wink:

Why,
You give advice to your customers
They fail to take it so you get to replace spindle bearings one or two times a season at $ 40 a spindle.
So on a 3 spindle deck. $ 120 for 1/2 hours work & $ 60 in parts.
OR $ 60 to do the same job using the bearings that the customer supplies because the !#*#? bearing I use only last 1/2 a season.
Keeps me in booze :drink:

 

[JPE]

Ok, maybe I need to look at picking up a blower too. :smile:

I was hoping to get away without one - I don’t have any leaves to speak of that fall/blow into the yard. And I was thinking of just making a pass over the driveway and walkway with the mower after cutting and trimming. But a blower would certainly be easier and it would also let me easily blow off the mower.