Baffles necessary?????

[micman32]

My 2518 has the 44" deck. On the underside of the deck on the front are those baffles. Are these really necessary? After 3 years they have really taken a beating. I was thinking of removing them. Will it affect cut quality?
It also seems like most of the build up occurs in this area.
My Crafsman had them too and it seemed to build up in that area too.
What do you think?

 

[Flip221]

I'm sure someone else will chime in here, but I think those baffles are necessary to maintain good vacuum under the deck.