Clogging Finish Mower

[rhett]

Hi,
By chance I stumbled on a Customization to my 60" KK Rear Finish Mower that seems to have done more than expected. I have not yet read of anyone else doing this so I thought I would share my results.

What I did was to Remove ALL of the Blade Baffles underneath the cutting deck. This was done to help the blades from Choking when I ran into Tall, Thick grass, which it does tremendously help. To my surprise after a day of cutting and looking underneath the deck, I found almost NO areas of compressed grass clippings and areas of the steel are polished, Freaking Clean.

I know questions are was the Cut Quality diminished, not noticeable to me. Actually I think the cut is better. I decided to clip the lawn very close after the customization, performance was improved, but choking was a problem because of the excessively thick and tall growth. I had to take it slow for that pass.

I can post AFTER pictures if if requested. Pretty easy modification if a cutting torch is in your shop. Also I should state that if you are not an adventurist Do Not Try It. Results here surprised me so I thought to share.

 

[ninefinger]

Well, Rhett if no one else will ask I would like to see the pictures.

 

[rhett]

hi ninefinger, Dag Nabbit forgot the camera on the tractor at the farm. Took pix today and will post tomorrow. Sorry was planning to post them now, but tired and forgetful.

 

[J_J]

The purpose of the baffles is to collect the clippings and discharge them out to the side. With no baffles, the clippings will probably just lay down where cut, and when cutting tall stuff, it may clog, just like when the chute on the mower deck gets clogged up. But if it works, go for it. You can put them back in later if you have to.

 

[WH401]

I have to say I'm not surprised by your findings, and I don't mean that in a bad way either. I used to cut my grass with a IH Cub w/ a 59" Woods belly mower and it had no baffles what so ever. The grass always discharge out the intended side without a problem, and as long as you kept the blades sharp, (just like any other mower), it would leave a great cut. Clipping build up underneath the deck though, that depended more on the condition of the grass. Specifically, when it was wet and moist, which was more of the spring and early summer months, I would get heavy build up and it would be necessary to clean it off after cutting about 2 - 3 acres. In the majority of the summer months and most of the fall, when it's typically much dryer, (except for this summer, it's been so wet that i've been cutting grass like it's spring time), I wouldn't get any, or at least not close to any, build up at all.

With this Woods RFM I have now, I scrape the deck each time I finish cutting the place. Most of the buildup is around the outer curve of the baffles, and on the back left of the wall of the mower where the clippings discharge. I find I actually have hardly any build up on this mower compared to the Woods belly mower on the Cub. In the spring on the Cub, I would get so much build up on the deck that it would be necessary to clean it 2 or more times during the day I was cutting, just so that it wouldn't stall in the grass. The fact that it was only 11 hp, and worn down to even more than that, didn't help matters either.

 

[rhett]

Hi J_J,

Thanks for the support! I should had added 60" Rear "Discharge" Finish Mower, which only has 1/2 baffles that direct clipping at the front of the cutting deck towards the left side to the rear. A Side Discharge Finish Mower should benefit even more, in theory, I do not have one so it's impossible for me to confirm. I will assume the Side Discharge Finish Mower's have full Blade Baffles, dunno never seen underneath one. Oh yea, the clippings exit the rear same as before the modification.

The big advantage is not having to scrape off a 5 gallon bucket of compressed clippings 2 or 3 times every time I clip the grass. And the Choking (bog) of thick grass being reduced is a major plus, which was the original intent.

 

[rhett]

WH401, Thank You for your response.

Yes, conditions are in my thoughts. The day I first tryed it out was the day after a major rain, conditions were wet and the results seemed to leave a cleaner under deck than the dryer conditions of todays clipping. I will keep track of wet or dry and the results, hopefully a camera in hand so I can have visual aids to help explain.

This thread just might be a waste of Brain Waves, or it could endup being beneficial to a few TBN Members. Field tests continue

Rhett

 

[rhett]

The underneath picture shown is after about 5 acres of clipping, with no cleaning done. The deck has never been pressure washed, only scraped prior to removing the baffles.

Sorry, I should have taken a few pix with the flash on. Will do next shots when clipping after/during rain field tests can be done.

 

[AndyG]

Hey Rhett, is this mower still working good for you. You said that your mower was always a rear discharge mower. Do all three blades turn the same direction?

 

[rhett]

Howdie AndyG,

Yes working great, bought the KK 5' Rear Discharge new and yes the blades turn the same direction (counter clockwise).

No baffles has been a great help by not straining my 16 hp pto frequently. If I get into really thick stuff the clippings will still collect on one side (drivers left) and stall my tractor. While cutting thick stuff in reverse the problem is not near as bad, I guess the clippings do not bunch up as much at the blade tips because of more room for them to sling.

I am still looking for other things to try other than buying a larger tractor or cutting so frequently. One day I will probably give the Meg-Mo System a try, kinda pricey to test though, $210 for a set for my mower. Even further down the road I might try extending the left deck side out by 6" to see if that helps. I would like to be able to cut in 4th gear / high range, the 12 plus hours of seat time per cut is getting old. Oh well

:ashamed: