Cleaning Under Zero-Turn Deck After Every Session: Really Necessary?

[Soloz2]

I’ll try and get under to clean as often as I can but that’s realistically about once a month or maybe every 10 hours or so.

 

[fidowanttobe]

One mowing. I scrape almost every single time. Much easier when still damp.

 

[Aquabird]

I seldom cleaned the deck out, other than just when I removed the blades for sharpening. Deck was just fine. I just recently sold my diesel mower for $4,000. I had a bad boy with a 28hp Cat diesel in it. It is a great motor with lots of power. I needed a front mount mower deck and had zero room in my pole barn to keep two when I bought my diesel Grasshopper.

 

[Paul McILwain]

I have a husqvarna 320r 4 wheel drive articulating front 48 inch deck that will raise vertical for cleaning or service. Clean and sharpen once a season & has greaseable spindles. 5 acre yard site plus 800 foot tree line that I mow both sides

 

[tradosaurus]

I only clean mine after changing blades or if the grass is wet and there is a bit of mud.
I use a mower jack (750 lb rating) that I bought at Harbor Freight when I need to get under the mower.
If there is caked on dirt underneath I use my electric pressure washer.
I ALWAYS blow off the mower with a leaf blower after every mow. My 2 yr old Toror ZMaster 2000 still looks fairly new.

 

[Tractor2011]

Check out the Bad Boy models.

 

[Suburban Plowboy]

One mowing. I scrape almost every single time. Much easier when still damp.View attachment 3682419

Okay, this does not happen to me. I don't think it's even possible. Maybe the grass here is not capable of it. I have never seen anything stuck under my deck. I thought cleaning was for light residue.

 

[Suburban Plowboy]

I am using the ZD326, and it looks like some of my concerns were totally baseless. Nothing new there.

1. The deck has partitions that isolate the blades to some extent, so it confines leaves and grass somewhat.

2. Running it with stock blades chewed my leaves up pretty good. Good enough to make me think they will get the job done with weekly use. '

3. Power is not an issue. I don't think this mower will even think about bogging down if I get a mulching kit. Maybe it's because the grass is so thin here. Real grass is like salad compared to this stuff.

My sense is that if I put G6 blades on it and block the chute, I won't need a mulching kit. I'm not sure I need one with stock blades.

I got G6 blades, so I plan to put them on and block the chute. The main purpose of blocking the chute is to keep stuff from making a mess.

I don't understand the chute blockers that open and close. Why would you need to open and close a chute blocker during a session? My JD has a mulching kit on it, and I have never seen the need to open the chute.

 

[RjCorazza]

Glad you are enjoying the zd326. It's a great mower.
As far as closing and opening the chute, it will likely leave windrows of pulverized material when closed. When I'm mulching leaves I get a row of piled leaves, close the chute then go back over the windrow with the chute open to splatter it out. I also close the chute when it's convenient to throw towards a flower bed or whatever, then catch the windrow on another pass.

 

[Brown Dog]

… I don't understand the chute blockers that open and close. Why would you need to open and close a chute blocker during a session? My JD has a mulching kit on it, and I have never seen the need to open the chute.

Here in North Georgia I’m mowing 20acres weekly of super thick & tough farm fescue mixed grass.

I removed the stock side deflector as soon as I got both mowers home.

There is NO WAY I could run a chute blocker with the super heavy clippings that my ZD1511 & ZD1611 72 inch SD slings 10-15’ out of the decks wide opening.

I even have to mow in CCW circles (rather than back & forth stripes) in some areas because the clippings are so heavy.

So chute blockers don’t fit all applications lol

I sold a 3cyl ZD1211 because it simply didn’t have nowhere near enough power for my hilly application & thick grass.

These 4cyl Turbo 15&1611 still bogs but nowhere near as bad as the lil 3cyl.

I’m not mowing a flat subdivision type yard

It takes me 8-9hrs weekly mowing solo.
When my wife can run the second 72 inch mower : it takes us 5+hrs as hard as we can go.

I never scrape clippings out from under my decks as I mow 2-3days a week. Way too much trouble imo.
They are stored in a dry barn

 

[LittleBittyBigJohn]

I don't understand the chute blockers that open and close. Why would you need to open and close a chute blocker during a session? My JD has a mulching kit on it, and I have never seen the need to open the chute.

For me, I prefer side discharge with a good super high lift blade. They pull up the blades of grass and make a really slick lawn. Then the clippings are dispersed far and wide so they are able to fall down to the dirt below the grass. The problem is that you have to be careful where you aim the chute so you don't throw grass places where you don't want it. I had them on my mowers when I had my lawn service. Mine had foot switches and electric motors that would fully close or open in about a second. I would keep it open at all times except when coming up to a sidewalk or flower bed with the chute on that side. Then I would close the chute and keep on trucking, instead of having to make un-necessary and awkward turns to control the clippings. Then when I finished up a yard the last thing is to blow off sidewalks, driveways, and roads. I would also blow any small windrows from places I closed the chute blocker. For me they were well worth the money, in the time I saved by not having to be so careful with clippings.

 

[TMGT]

I am using the ZD326, and it looks like some of my concerns were totally baseless. Nothing new there.

1. The deck has partitions that isolate the blades to some extent, so it confines leaves and grass somewhat.

2. Running it with stock blades chewed my leaves up pretty good. Good enough to make me think they will get the job done with weekly use. '

3. Power is not an issue. I don't think this mower will even think about bogging down if I get a mulching kit. Maybe it's because the grass is so thin here. Real grass is like salad compared to this stuff.

My sense is that if I put G6 blades on it and block the chute, I won't need a mulching kit. I'm not sure I need one with stock blades.

I got G6 blades, so I plan to put them on and block the chute. The main purpose of blocking the chute is to keep stuff from making a mess.

I don't understand the chute blockers that open and close. Why would you need to open and close a chute blocker during a session? My JD has a mulching kit on it, and I have never seen the need to open the chute.

I wouldn't recommend closing off the discharge with the G6. They aren't really made for enclosed mulching and, depending on grass type, will have worse performance than regular blades.

The G6 will also leave more fine clippings stuck under the deck if the grass is moist at all.

If you really want to mulch, I would bite the bullet and get the factory kit.
It works very well, however it does take some effort to switch back to side discharge as you have to switch out the baffles.

On my ZD331 I would switch to mulch mid spring and back to side discharge/ collector once the leaves started coming down.

 

[kozal01]

I don't understand the chute blockers that open and close. Why would you need to open and close a chute blocker during a session? My JD has a mulching kit on it, and I have never seen the need to open the chute.

For all the reasons I listed in another reply. Close it around things you don't want covered in grass. Leave it open the rest of the time. Side discharge allows for the best airflow and lift which gives the best cut quality and less buildup under the deck. If you don't want to scrape your deck a full mulch kit is not what you want. Also I agree with another poster, G6 with closed deck is not going to work well. Low lift versions like the G3's or normal mulching blades would be better for that. G6 will be blowout city.

The foot controlled Grass Flap is worth the price in my opinion. I can operate the chute blocker and deck lift without taking my hands off the controls or my eyes off of what I'm doing. Besides mulching leaves in the fall its most useful for keeping grass from discharging into flower beds, cars, houses ect. Sure I could build one but once I spent the money on the components and materials plus my time the $300 was easy to justify. Buyers remorse disappeared after the first mow with it. Will never own another ZTR without one.

 

[Suburban Plowboy]

I appreciate the information on chute blockers. I was mystified. The old John Deere didn't need one, so the Kubota won't, either.

 

[Racer4]

I have one of these for a while now:

Mower Deck Scraper with 8

Make your mower deck like new again with the Mower Deck Scraper with 8L Handle. Order now and enjoy a clean cut every time. Shop at Gemplers!

gemplers.com

https://gemplers.com/cdn/shop/products/8VUV8_AS02_800x800.jpg?v=1707506633

Works great! Usually scrape the deck when I sharpen the blades, a couple times a season, unless I have to mow wet grass.

 

[Suburban Plowboy]

Until this thread was created, I had no idea other landowners lived in a different universe. I don't like my thin bahia grass, but it looks like it saves me a lot of trouble.

 

[Brown Dog]

I wouldn't recommend closing off the discharge with the G6. They aren't really made for enclosed mulching and, depending on grass type, will have worse performance than regular blades.

The G6 will also leave more fine clippings stuck under the deck if the grass is moist at all.

If you really want to mulch, I would bite the bullet and get the factory kit …

Everyone praised the Oregon G6 blades so I tried them & thought I liked them for a full summer but I went back to Hi Lift blades & noticed they didn’t have any blowout from under the front of Deck like the G6 DID.

G6 didn’t sling heavy clippings near as far out the chute with deflector removed either.

So I’m a HI LIFT Blade Fan

 

[kozal01]

Everyone praised the Oregon G6 blades so I tried them & thought I liked them for a full summer but I went back to Hi Lift blades & noticed they didn’t have any blowout from under the front of Deck.

They didn’t sling heavy clippings near as far out the chute with deflector removed.

So I’m a HI LIFT Blade Fan

I went back and forth between stock hi lifts and Gatorblades and I've since stuck with the gators. They discharge just as well as the OEM but they throw finer clippings which disperse into the turf better and they are more forgiving with the chute blocker closed. In the wet they can plug the deck up a bit faster though.

 

[CalG]

If your grass is mowed when it's dry and doesn't mat in the corners, and you live in dry country, cleaning at the season's end is fine.

For me, I try to mow dry grass, but it is often wet with dew even at noon in July and later. I bring the mower to a concrete pad at the shop, and spray under the deck with the hose while the mower is is running. The idea is to have the water spray bounce up, loosen the packed in grass, and then be discharged out the side. This is a very entertaining process with the bagger fitted 21 inch trim mower, as the spray goes out the chute in a cascade about 12 feet high.

On the 48 inch and 54 inch cut walk behinds, the process just works.
The debris is just hosed off to the verge of the pad.

 

[tradosaurus]

If your grass is mowed when it's dry and doesn't mat in the corners, and you live in dry country, cleaning at the season's end is fine.

For me, I try to mow dry grass, but it is often wet with dew even at noon in July and later. I bring the mower to a concrete pad at the shop, and spray under the deck with the hose while the mower is is running. The idea is to have the water spray bounce up, loosen the packed in grass, and then be discharged out the side. This is a very entertaining process with the bagger fitted 21 inch trim mower, as the spray goes out the chute in a cascade about 12 feet high.

On the 48 inch and 54 inch cut walk behinds, the process just works.
The debris is just hosed off to the verge of the pad.

I think my mower would kill the engine with the blades running and I get off the seat. But I wouldn't tempt fate by spraying under the deck with the mower running.
Better to buy a mower lift and do it safely. A ripped off thumb or hand would be more expensive.