Any disadvantages to rear discharge? Locking at hustler x-one

[C4Ranch]

In process of researching my next mower. I'm in no rush and just now starting the process..

I like the idea of rear discharge. No chute to deal with, no clippings blown into face on windy days, and can "trim" on either side.

Are there any disadvantages?

Looking into hustler x-one with Kawasaki. My field is rough and this comes with 24" tires and suspension seat.

TIA!

 

[boggen]

zero turns you need to double check on "deck height" some of the cheaper ones the deck height may not raise up deck more than a couple inches if that. while riding lawn mowers may have a higher deck height. for when mowing grass that has gotten rather tall. (to much rain, busy with other stuff, yada yada...)

the underside of decks = ring around of metal around them. can cause wind rows (clump of grass) but the rings help suck grass blades up off the ground and into the blades to be cut.
no rings around blades = you do may see little pieces of grass sticking up here and there because they got flatten down and did not get sucked up into the blades

the tailgate / rear of deck can also cause issues, some wide open, some with chains, some with a gate that lifts up/down or a flat piece of metal that moves up and down. (single cut when nothing, or lower tail gate for more mulching per say. wide open more likely less wind rowing. blade types straight blades to mulching blades may cause wind rows.

more open deck it is, more slower you may need to mow, or you may need to mow 2nd time around to cut everything good.

more enclosed around the blades (rings), along with mulching blades, the more HP you will need to cut stuff up. due to grass clippings stay under the deck longer before getting sent out from the deck.

 

[Poopdeck Pappy]

Two disadvantages of rear discharge decks:

1. They tend to windrow the grass clippings instead of spreading them out.

2. There's not much demand for them, so resale value sucks and it takes longer to get rid of one vs. a side discharge deck.

 

[BrokeSolid]

Two disadvantages of rear discharge decks:

1. They tend to windrow the grass clippings instead of spreading them out.

2. There's not much demand for them, so resale value sucks and it takes longer to get rid of one vs. a side discharge deck.

I would disagree, a side discharge is more likely to windrow than a rear discharge deck. The only disadvantage I see is for collection or "raking". You can't point the grass or leaves in a direction and you can't get any sort of collection system for a rear if you ever wanted one. I've used side discharge decks to put the cut grass into a place I would rather it go, or you can use a the deck to essentially rake leaves in the fall. I like rear discharge decks because I don't need to do any of those things, I'm strictly using it to cut my 3 acres.

**edit so I guess I could be wrong here. At least about the windrow part, it does tend to windrow more on a rear discharge, however I have worse luck with my side discharge killing grass due to clumps. I've seen the rear discharge mowers don't make near the thick clumps and usually the grass can grow through it. I'm demoing a grasshopper now and trying to decide what deck I want just like the op. I'm still 90% on a rear discharge.

 

[skipmarcy]

I have both styles - side discharge on my 5' zero turn deck and rear discharge on my 6' finish mower for the tractor - I prefer the the rear discharge results although I don't use the finish mower anymore since buying the ZT. I run the ZT with the chute up all the time to cut my 6 acres - spreads the clippings out a little better instead of making a thicker pile along the way plus I can trim with the discharge side when necessary.

 

[Turbys_1700]

I prefer my Woods PRD 7200 rear discharge over my old side discharge Land Pride 5 footer. I had to take off the rear chains to help with the dispersion just like I took off the deflector shield on the Land Pride. With the rear chains on I could get a rolling of the clippings if going too fast. I don't have enough experience with a ZT in either configuration to make a determination. Most units that I see are side discharge.

 

[pmsmechanic]

I have a 6' Farm King 3ph mower. I could mow about a mile an hour faster when I converted it to a rear discharge. I need to spend some time adjusting deflectors under the deck for a more even spread on the clippings but I'm not going to convert it back to a side discharge.

 

[4570Man]

Rear discharge is better IMO. The only disadvantage is the inability to move or bag leafs. Sometimes they'll make windrows in high grass, but a side discharge clumps it up in equal conditions. I've always found they're more efficient at discharging clippings and handle high grass better. Here's the result on my rear discharge finish mower.

 

[Poopdeck Pappy]

I thought we were talking about zero turn mowers. I think most all of us prefer rear discharge in a finish mower behind a tractor, but side discharge is better (IMO) on a zero turn mower. Go to a few zero turn dealers and see how many rear discharge mowers you see. There's a reason for it.

Pick whichever one you like. Makes me no difference. I think a rear discharge zero turn will be much harder to sell if you buy it and decide you don't like it.

 

[GGB]

I've got a side discharge zero turn (JD Z950M), but would prefer a rear discharge for one reason: it would allow me to mow the edges of our ponds in either direction while keeping the cut grass out of the pond. I like to alternate my mowing pattern each time I cut, so am planning on buying a rear discharge 3 point mower for my tractor to use for this purpose around the ponds.