[yekrats]

I just bought a new to me 2005 JD L100a with a twin rear bagger. Problem is, the Chute keeps clogging up so I'm wondering if maybe it needs better/ higher lift blades? I don't know, it's my first rear bagger. The grass wasn't wet or anything so I'm a little lost. Is this a problem or kind of normal for rear baggers?

 

[Whirly]

I just bought a new to me 2005 JD L100a with a twin rear bagger. Problem is, the Chute keeps clogging up so I'm wondering if maybe it needs better/ higher lift blades? I don't know, it's my first rear bagger. The grass wasn't wet or anything so I'm a little lost. Is this a problem or kind of normal for rear baggers?

I have a Sabre (made by JD) that I put on high lift blades.. the shoot does not clog up..

 

[littletractorguy]

Like Whirly, I put high lift blades on my 38" deck JD 160, and my bagger chute doesn't clog... unless the grass is damp. I actually put on Gator G3 high lift mulching blades, and I've been very pleased with them. They do a really good job of mulching everything quite fine, especially when I suck up the leaves in the fall. The only thing is, if the grass is damp, the mulching blades pretty much turn it into coleslaw. Then I have to just take the bagger chute off, let the grass discharge out the regular mower chute, let it dry, and bag it later. How much later depends on how wet it is. Sometimes I can get away with just dropping the grass clippings, then popping the chute back on and running over things again, sometimes I have to wait for a day or so for the sun to dry things out.

 

[Whirly]

Like Whirly, I put high lift blades on my 38" deck JD 160, and my bagger chute doesn't clog... unless the grass is damp. I actually put on Gator G3 high lift mulching blades, and I've been very pleased with them. They do a really good job of mulching everything quite fine, especially when I suck up the leaves in the fall. The only thing is, if the grass is damp, the mulching blades pretty much turn it into coleslaw. Then I have to just take the bagger chute off, let the grass discharge out the regular mower chute, let it dry, and bag it later. How much later depends on how wet it is. Sometimes I can get away with just dropping the grass clippings, then popping the chute back on and running over things again, sometimes I have to wait for a day or so for the sun to dry things out.

the wife & I get our leaves mulched up with the LT 155's.. I own 3 of them.. all 3 have the Freedom 42 deck.. there is no grass chute on them..

 

[TobyU]

the wife & I get our leaves mulched up with the LT 155's.. I own 3 of them.. all 3 have the Freedom 42 deck.. there is no grass chute on them..

The Freedom 42 deck was known to be THE BEST mulching deck there was. People said it even mulched wet grass excellently.

I had one for few months. I let my grass get overgrown between cuts so mulching is not for me.
It was perfect shape though. Bought for 306.00 in 2011 at 10.30PM one night sitting in a dusty shed. Only needed carb cleaned out.

Waxed it up and used for 2-3 months then sold for 700 or 750..can't remember.
Had another a guy listed on Craigslist as needing work. Would die out and starve for fuel sometimes. Listed at 350.00. I got there and he had a printed service manual and a STACK of receipts for 10 years of dealer services.
I paid him the 350 and got the heck out of there before he changed his mind.
Had to epoxy the hood hinge a little but all of hood fine.
Sold that one for 625.
Had one more, I think a LT166 got for under 300 and sold for 575.

A lot of people have no idea what other people are willing to pay for a good condition JD LT even at 10 years old.
Most who sell cheap didn't but it new and it was inherited or a gift for new house etc. They think of them same as a Murray or Craftsman.

This is how many things in life are. Knowing the market or what things are worth can make you or you give away lots of money.
I have a friend that still does the garage sale thing. He has learned a lot in the last 15 years and went through the whole storage locker craze.

He got a tall vase at a sale once for $8 that he sold on ebay for 360.

I just buy good condition Channel Locks, Vise Grips, Putty Knifes, Caulking guns, electric drills....etc.
People usually almost give the stuff away. If you buy few items they WILL give you a freebie lots of times. I don't mean asking either..They are like....ah for $20 you can have it all.

I bought a whole end cap of cleaners and Lubegard Power steering mostly but a few Red and Black, razor blase scrapers and drill bit driver bit sets from Parts America or maybe after they became Advance Auto.
The manager wanted t gone and sold me everything on the endcap for 20 or 25 bucks.
This was like 2000. I still have scrapers and drill bit sets. Used some Lubegard last month testing it on a galled blower motor bearing and gave one to my neighbor a while back when his F150 had a loud whine that might have been power steering.

Love me a deal!!!

 

[dave_r]

might also depend on how long and/or wet the grass is. the longer & wetter the grass is, the more difficult it is for the blades to blow it up the chute into the bags. And other debris, such as small branches, are more difficult to be blown into the bags and can/will stay in the chute for grass to catch onto, and then it just builds and builds.

 

[Kubota Ronin]

Yep. Too long grass/too deep a bite and even an open deck will clog up, especially when damp.

What better excuse for some seat time than to mow once, then drop the deck and mow again. Makes for a real nice cut too.

 

[yekrats]

Hey, thanks to everybody. I've only made 2 cuts with it. 1st cut the grass was a foot tall in places cuz I was too busy to mow. (Been remodeling our kitchen.) Didn't worry about the clogging then. Like you guys said, tall grass might clog it. 2nd mow it was regular height and it only clogged once but that told me there was a problem. I'm going to assume it still has the original blades on it and I need hi-lift ones. Hey, what about mulching blades? Are they hi-lift? I've heard they are and I'm a fan of mulching. I won't use the bagger then but if I ever need it, will they work to get the grass into the bagger? :dunno:

 

[bruceatlam]

The chute will obviously also clog if you continue to mow when the bags are full. I've developed the habit of dumping the bags before they're full.

 

[yekrats]

The chute will obviously also clog if you continue to mow when the bags are full. I've developed the habit of dumping the bags before they're full.

Hmmm, it clogged at the end of my mow so maybe that was it. Thanks :tango_face_smile:

 

[RT3360]

The chute will obviously also clog if you continue to mow when the bags are full. I've developed the habit of dumping the bags before they're full.

X2 - When does it plug? I reach back and touch the bags and can generally tell how full they are, but make sure you stop early or you will spend a lot of time cleaning out the chute.

 

[Whirly]

X2 - When does it plug? I reach back and touch the bags and can generally tell how full they are, but make sure you stop early or you will spend a lot of time cleaning out the chute.

on my Saber I got rid of the cloth bags & went to hard bins.. (they developed leaks).. I guess the area covered then check the bins.. if they r half filled I can almost cover the same area..

 

[RedOctobyr]

Hey, what about mulching blades? Are they hi-lift? I've heard they are and I'm a fan of mulching. I won't use the bagger then but if I ever need it, will they work to get the grass into the bagger? :dunno:

My machine is a different brand, but it has a 42" deck, I have Gator mulching blades on it. When I bought them (9-10 years ago), I don't recall them being high-lift versions, though it was a while ago. With the mulching cover installed, I'd say it mulches quite well, even when mulching the leaves. And on the rare occasions that I bag, the chute doesn't clog. I never really do side-discharge, so I can't comment on that. I'm happy with my Gator blades.

 

[littletractorguy]

When I bought my Gator G3s, I did buy ones that were listed as high lift and mulching. I don't know for sure if they make mulching blades that aren't high lift, I suspect they do. You can tell if they are high lift blades by looking at the rear edge (the one opposite the sharp side). It will be angled sharply upward... Here's an example image of normal, medium and high lift blade angles...

Hi lift mulching blades have slots cut in that rear edge that continue to slice up the grass clippings after the front of the blade cuts them...

 

[TobyU]

When I bought my Gator G3s, I did buy ones that were listed as high lift and mulching. I don't know for sure if they make mulching blades that aren't high lift, I suspect they do. You can tell if they are high lift blades by looking at the rear edge (the one opposite the sharp side). It will be angled sharply upward... Here's an example image of normal, medium and high lift blade angles...

Hi lift mulching blades have slots cut in that rear edge that continue to slice up the grass clippings after the front of the blade cuts them...

The terminology isn't always consistent either.
The first blade is also often called mulching because it is sharpened further up than the 2nd blade which is traditional non mulching blade.
A traditional blade or even a high lift blade is only sharpened on the last 3-4 inches and there is no curve or hill or wave in it at least the part that does the curve is not sharpened.
Gator style blades with the fingers sticking up are always called mulching for what I have seen.

I remember snapper having at least 2 blades for their mowers. The used the term Hi lift and the RER really have some suction and discharge with in that setup. They are about the only mower I have ever used that the bagger chute would hurt your hand on an asphalt street if you put it in front of it due to the tiny pebbles and dirt it picked up.

 

[dwendt44]

T rying to mow to fast will increase the likely hood of clogging the chute.
Those high speed passed in the commercials are 'salesmanship' if not out
right propaganda. Slow down a bit and check how full bags are getting.
The drier the grass the better as well.

I side discharge now and then go back, with chute on and vacuum up the clippings.


My 2¢

 

[Whirly]

I gotta add that on the Freedom 42 deck the curve is sharpened.. the blade on the left that LTG posted is a mulchin blade.. it is also sharpened too..


also to the original poster .. do not mow on the idle setting.. u need to b at Wide Open Throttle..

 

[rayjay]

As toby said, that blade on the left is a mulching blade. You can see the humped up area that is inboard of the normal cutting edge. This humped up area is there to blow the clippings downward while hopefully getting another slice of the clippings. This is the thing that most people don't get about a mulching set up. There has to be a section of the blade that exhausts the clippings out of the deck. This is always done near the center of each spindle.

 

[Whirly]

As toby said, that blade on the left is a mulching blade. You can see the humped up area that is inboard of the normal cutting edge. This humped up area is there to blow the clippings downward while hopefully getting another slice of the clippings. This is the thing that most people don't get about a mulching set up. There has to be a section of the blade that exhausts the clippings out of the deck. This is always done near the center of each spindle.

the Freedom 42 deck has no grass chute on it.. no place for the grass to exit..

 

[yekrats]

T rying to mow to fast will increase the likely hood of clogging the chute...

Yeah, I never mow faster than 2nd gear. Any faster and it doesn't cut well and in my case the chute is clogging. Because it needs hi-lift blades I think.