[tpaul]

Anyone have a problem with grass clippings spitting out of the mower deck in clumps. Mine seems to discharge fine for 15 feet then a big clump comes out. Then 15 feet its OK then another clump. Any ideas on how to resolve this? Would Gator blades help?

PT

 

[D-Dogg]

Is the grass wet, Paul? That'll do it.

How often do you clean the deck?

Are you trying to mow too fast?

 

[Runningbare]

tpaul,

I assume you're talking about the DGT6000 with 54 inch deck.

That deck is bad for grass buildup, especially wet and/or thick grass. When it starts glopping, you have to clean the deck out, preferably by removing the deck first. The high lift blades force the grass to the top of the deck so hard, they seem to splatter and stick to the top. You also end up with triangles of buildup between the blades in the front of the deck which spoils the deck's airflow. I've tried mowing slower and raising the deck--neither seems to help much. Once the deck is clogged up the only solution is cleaning.

The only thing that may help is doing a flush with water after every mowing job to remove the built up grass before it has a chance to dry. There are attachments you can get at Sears or Lowes that you drill holes on the back top of the deck on each side to flush the deck. The Sears package is the easiest to install, you drill one hole for the flush head and another for the retraining bolt to align the flushing stream. Those kits are regularly $19.95. Lowes has a different kind of kit for about the same price that requires you to cut an oblong hole to properly orient the water jets. These flushing ports are probably available at other power equipment dealers. Most decks seem to have them installed in the back top but I found decks with them installed in the ends and front tops. It probably doesn't matter, because all the water is whipped by the blades and forced throughtout the deck.

I have installed some on my 54 inch deck, but the jury's not yet in on how well they work.

I will post back here when I decide if they're doing any good or not. The first time I flushed, I did not flush good enough, some clippings were still left. I removed the deck and scraped it clean. (I had let the clippings dry overnight and consequently they stuck like glue.)

The next time I mowed, I flushed the deck thoroughly running the water and the mower until the water coming out was mostly clear. When I moved the tractor away from the cleaning area, there was probably half a bushel of clippings on the ground.

You should go to dealers and look at the flush ports so you can get an idea how they're installed and whether you want to go to the trouble of installing them. (You need two on big decks.)

Runningbare

 

[xdiver86]

I have found that all you need is a garden hose and a good nozzle. I don't have a problem with grass buildup if I mow when dry or almost. I've had even better luck since i've switched to "gators". Best blades I have ever used.

 

[RStocker]

Morning due can plug my tube. I have a 42 inch deck. I need to mow in the afternoon. If it is wet out I mow every 4 days with out the bagger. I only bag the back yard and in front of the house where it is nice lawn. I do not bag the lawn way out on the sides. It takes too much time. I guess different blades would help. When mine ware out I will change. I am too cheap to buy them. LOL

 

[Jay55]

We finally had some sun this afternoon and I thought it would be a good idea to try to get some mow time in before dark. Just since last Saturday, the grass had grown another 3 to 4 inches. We had just bought this tractor and the grass was darn near knee high last week. I had raked up most of the piles of clippings, but, some remained and were still wet. With some other parts of the yard still damp, it was clumping and sticking in the deck a lot. I was stopping every 10 or 15 minutes to hand clean the worst of it. I could tell when it was time as the sound of the deck changed considerably.

I got through most of the yard surrounding the house and the blades bogged down only a couple of times going through the biggest leftovers. I'll get out again on Sunday. Hopefully the rest will be dried out more.

My deck came with the water hookup. I'll try it again after the next mow.

 

[Runningbare]

Another partial solution might be possible. You might raise the deck a notch or two so it doesn't cut as much grass. The grass would be longer but the mower would jam less.

Another possiblity is using Gator mulching blades. They cut and recut the grass so it's in smaller pieces. This may help solve the problem. I have ordered a set tonight. When I get them installed we'll see what happens.

Runningbare

 

[tpaul]

My DGT6000 has the 48" deck. I mow when the grass is dry. I will probably order a set of gator blades for this tractor. I have them on my old LT. I was looking under the deck yesterday and saw a baffle by the blade furthest from the discharge. Its attached to the front of the deck. The JD 48" deck that was on my Scotts tractor didn't have any baffles under the deck and there were no problems with the discharge. I will order and try gators before i attempt to remove the baffle.

 

[Runningbare]

tpaul,

Is the baffle in the front of the deck? If so, it may be only a grass buildup. The front of the deck should have no baffles, only a free, unobstructed path for the grass.

RB

 

[tpaul]

The baffle is in the front of the deck on the left side if you're sitting on the tractor. I just got back from sears. I looked under the 42", 46", 48" and 54" decks. Only the 48" has this baffle, all the others have an unobstructed path to the discharge. Is this for structural purposes, or to direct the cut grass back into the blades. I would cut the baffle out if I knew it would help.

 

[Everlandfarm]

Mow when it's dry. IF the grass is taller than usual (this time of year it always is!) raise the deck. Gator blades tend to help in almost any mowing situation, if you get the "mulching" as opposed to the "hi-lift" they should reduce some of the clumps by recutting the grass. In 40 years of mowing I've learned that if you mow when it's wet it ain't worth it unless you're into lawn sweeping, raking, removing deck to clean it, etc. If you have a "deflector" over the discharge which tends to push the discharged grass into windrows raise it up-a bungee cord works fine and will disperse the grass farther.

Let's face it, with the grass growing like crazy, unless you're totally anal about your lawn, wait a few weeks to achieve the manicured look you (may) want. For now, when it's dry, cut it at a higher setting.

imho

Ev