The amount of the deck that you have overhanging the previous mowed path... so you don't skip a thin streak of uncut grass between passes :frown:...
Generally 10 percent should work out ... but the faster you go the more you usually have to overlap to avoid those stray missed strips...
I generally 'try' to net around 5 and a half foot cut on a 6 foot deck... I find if I try going too fast, I loose most of what I gained by having to increase my overlap...:smile:KennyV
Call me a risk-taker but I tried to overlap as little as possible to maximize cutting width. Then again, I was mowing 10 acres every week, so it became a time issue. 10% extra on 10 acres adds up.
FWIW my deck had about 1" of clearance between the blade and the sidewall of the deck. So I'd overlap a few inches tops.
I always overlap 50% and this is because I am never sure where the edges of my mower blades are because the wheels stick out at the sides. I know, I'm a little bit blonde. :laughing:
I will admit something to you now. I don't mow in straight lines! Is that heretical? My husband says I mow like I'm hoovering the carpet, so now you know how I do it! :laughing:
Unless you have a GPS unit mounted on your mower that is wired to your drivetrain, you're not going to mow a straight path.:laughing: I don't know of anybody that does.
