[cabits]

I bought a PGT9000 a few weeks back and so far wished I had kept my old LT1000 craftsman 42". The new PGT900 cuts terribly. By that I mean the leftover grass clippings are thick and leaves the lawn looking like its been cut after it was 12 inches high. My old LT1000 series didn't look this bad. I even put new gator blades on it, tried it with the deflector up and down and the same thing. Am I doomed to keep a new tractor that is supposed to be PROFESSIONAL grade but cuts worse than a 6 yr old tractor that was "lower middle class" grade? Any ideas? Yes the deck has been leveled and the front is about 1/4" lower than the back of the blade height. The gauge wheels are almost touching when set to cut height, and of course the throttle is all the way forward.(LOL) Oh yeah the tires do have the correct pressure too.
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[JT-MO]

The only thing I can think of is your old mower was 2 blades (correct?) the new one is 3 blades?

I have a 3 blade 48" deck and when I hit a certain type of grass (back yard grass different than front) it comes out looking wet. Like the grass came out of a tube all bunched together and piled up. I never worried about it though, it dries up and blows around after a few days, or the chickens scratch at it

 

[*chris*]

Potential problems:

You are cutting at too fast a speed
The grass is wet
You are trying to cut too much off at once
You are cutting too much width at once

Experiment with it and I am sure you will figure out how to minimize left-over grass.

Personally, I just bag the clippings and be done with it.

Chris

 

[JT-MO]

I'm assuming cabits is cutting the same way he has always did with his LT1000 (same grass height, same speed, same condition) which means it may come down to the differences in the deck and his grass type. Yeah, experiment with it, which I am sure you already have. But in the end it may be nothing you can do about it other than get a bagger.

 

[Brett-JDX748]

The first problem is that you are expecting "Professional" grade, which it's not... Nothing made for Sears is Pro grade.

I have no issues with the cut quality of my 54" deck so I am not sure what's going on with yours. I think my deck cuts great.

 

[cabits]

I always cut the grass when dry if at all possible. I still try to cut the grass at the same height as when I used my LT1000 just like what JT-MO said. Pretty much the same speed. Its just a shame the clippings weren't half as bad with my CHEAPER tractor than with the more expensive tractor. OH and the deck wash feature is pretty much useless. Your better off using your air compressor and an air nozzle. It does a better job and doesn't leave a crap load of soaking wet grass mulch in a 10 foot area to clean up.

 

[Ken N Tx]

I have an LT1000 42" and a CC LT1050 50", they both have gators and both cut the same. It is a much drier grass down here that most of you have.

I just put the gators on the CC and it cuts twice as good as the OEM blades!! :bananapow

 

[Upper5Percent]

The first problem is that you are expecting "Professional" grade, which it's not... Nothing made for Sears is Pro grade.

I have no issues with the cut quality of my 54" deck so I am not sure what's going on with yours. I think my deck cuts great.

So true...:sidelaugh

 

[D-Dogg]

The gators should have been an improvement. If you've checked the deck level, tire pressure, sharpened the blades, and cleaned all the junk from the deck, I would offer you my conclusion.

Sears decks are junk. My DYT4000 had a crappy cut from day one, and after 3 visits from the extended warranty technician. Someone gave me an little 38" Weedeater tractor that had a superior cut. Then I got my JD 318, and well... this is the Craftsman forum so I'll stop.

 

[JT-MO]

So everyone here swear by gator blades? I have yet to try any, I just keep stock blades on mine. Maybe next time I will pick up some and give them a try.

 

[D-Dogg]

Gators aren't really necessary on a good machine, but what they do is clip the grass clippings a little smaller so you get less noticeable windrowing.

 

[Brett-JDX748]

I sure would like to see what you all consider a "good cut" because the 60" 7-Iron MMM deck on my last tractor, cost more than most riding mowers... And my GTS5000 cuts better than that $3000+ dollar mower deck did.

Seriously, I have NO complaints about the cut quality AT ALL! There are however, 10 million other things I can complain about with this tractor!

 

[davidg]

teh new machine has a lot faster ground speed than your old one, are you sure you are not speeding along?

i agree with the post up higher that a 3 blade deck has a different cut than a 2 blade deck. but it should still give a good cut. maybe your grass is just growing thicker than usual? around here when teh rains started back up the grass sprang to life and even the commercial mowers were having a hard time until it settled back down.

 

[NoTime]

The first problem is that you are expecting "Professional" grade, which it's not... Nothing made for Sears is Pro grade.

I have no issues with the cut quality of my 54" deck so I am not sure what's going on with yours. I think my deck cuts great.

It seems the Bobcat-made 840lb (PGT9000 is only 613lbs) Craftsman Pro ZTR (with a 7 guage deck) is as professional as any other professional ZTR in that price range... (now if you define a professional ZTR as starting at 10K+... but that Craftsman is not a typical box-store machine, either..)

 

[davidg]

Sears is using the Pro name as a marketing gimmick to make folks THINK they are buying commercial quality. i bet the Pro ZTR is the same way, no way craftsman has anything to compare to TRUE commercial units.

 

[jjk3]

cabits - any update on your cut issue?

I have a particular interest in your case as I just purchased a pgt9000. I currently experience the problem you describe with my current tractor (a JD L100 I inherited with the house I purchased).

I would be interested to hear if you found a solution/culprit to your problem.

 

[NoTime]

I'd wonder how much this year's weather is factoring into the problem.
I know here (IL) I made it through August without the grass ever going dormant (brown). Grass is just growing faster and is more moist..and tall, moist grass will clump more. I think my deck does great cutting 1" or less (as he manual recommends), but when I get to faster-growing parts of my yard, I get a lot more clumping

I also wonder if the OP sharpened his new blades, I've heard that new blades may be factory sharpened, then dipped in paint for rust protection. but the paint results in a dull edge. My deck does somewhat better dispersing grass on freshly sharpened blades (less moisture in the clean-cut grass vs a dull blade) In the end, I do not think the deck on mine is made for ideal one-cut dispersion because they reduce some efficiency to create a "convertable" mulching deck.

 

[zuidema1]

I bought a PGT9000 a few weeks back and so far wished I had kept my old LT1000 craftsman 42".

My tractor came with a 90 day 100% satisfaction guarantee. If you aren't happy with what you have, take it back before it's too late.

 

[ctown75]

The gators should have been an improvement. If you've checked the deck level, tire pressure, sharpened the blades, and cleaned all the junk from the deck, I would offer you my conclusion.

Sears decks are junk. My DYT4000 had a crappy cut from day one, and after 3 visits from the extended warranty technician. Someone gave me an little 38" Weedeater tractor that had a superior cut. Then I got my JD 318, and well... this is the Craftsman forum so I'll stop.

Craftsman tractors are very good quality for what you pay for them. I bought a new one this spring, under $1300 out the door, brand NEW. What does an equivalent john deere run at the dealership?(the lowes/home depot JDs don't count because they're the same qualilty as sears stuff) If I put 3x the money in something, not only should it leave a superior looking cut, but it had better march itself in the house and do the dishes too. To each their own, but I will continue buying craftsman because you can afford to buy em and afford to fix em, and both tasks are easily accomplished.

As for the OPs issue. I would venture to say you're not quite accustomed to mowing with the bigger deck. I've always mowed with 42's but inherited a 54" last year and was not happy with it. Clumpy and scalped badly. I sold it and bought a new 42" cut this spring, and still had $500 in my pocket. Just a thought. The zero turns have a higher blade speed, thats how they get away with wider cuts and faster speeds. Lawn tractors aren't built for speed, so there blade speed is kept down a little. I suppose a change in pulleys on the engine may just cure your problem, but I guarantee it'll void your warranty

 

[DrDave1958]

I'd wonder how much this year's weather is factoring into the problem.
I know here (IL) I made it through August without the grass ever going dormant (brown). Grass is just growing faster and is more moist..and tall, moist grass will clump more. I think my deck does great cutting 1" or less (as he manual recommends), but when I get to faster-growing parts of my yard, I get a lot more clumping

I think Notime hit the nail on the head as that has been the case here in Ohio this year. The reason I believe this is I got my 54" deck in spring 08 and it cut beautifully all year long. I put the Gator blades on it about August last year and thought they cut even better. I was extremely impressed at the almost non-existent windrows with this deck.....last year. But as I outlined in this post, because of the uncommon wet year we're having my 54" deck constantly clogs when the grass is 6" tall or even moist. While my old (3 blade) 46" deck spits out anything and everything with no windrowing at all.

I think you'll find (if you decide to keep it), the 54" deck does just fine under normal conditions and not very well under "somewhat" wet conditions.

HTH,
DAve