GT 2550 deck plugs up too fast

[rbro]

Hi all, I've had my new 2550 ('05) since April. The biggest problem I've had is that the deck plugs up so doggone fast that it's exasperating! I'm mowing about 2.5 acres and the deck won't stay clean that long. It seems to pack the clippings right up under the deck -- after a while it will drop big clumps, sometimes even stalling the machine! I've tried the washout ports and I think they are a joke. I then bought some ramps to drive the mower up on to so I can scrape the deck out -- still a pain in the butt. The last thing I did did was to drop the deck and scrape, and then bought a small power washer to clean the under side. I did notice that the blades ( 759-04055 ) had a very prominent wing (hi-lift?), and wondered if there was a normal blade available that wouldn't pack the grass in so tightly. According to my dealer, there are no other blades available for this unit. I also removed the discharge guard and brace to try to get better side discharge. After a 5 min. test mow, to my dismay, the grass is still sticking like crazy glue! ( I tried "Slip Plate" too -- waste of $$ ). Any suggestions would be appreciated.
rbro

 

[Mickey_Fx]

would be nice to know which deck you are talking about. I have the large series deck and it is a night and days difference over the smaller std deck in it's ability to move grass in and out of the deck. If your grass is water loged and or wet, grass it going to stick to the deck underside. I haven't found a way to prevent it and I've had my machine long enough to have replaced the blades and now using Gators in std lift. In the spring the grass has to be cleaned out regulary.

 

[JTKub]

Any deck, 50" or not, will collect clippings and drop clumps when mowing wet grass or when you are biting off more than it should chew. I'd raise it up a click.

G/luck
Joel

 

[wojnaroski]

rbro,

I have a 54" deck on my 5254 and have a similar problem. My deck also clogs up but doesn't drop anything. Can't say that I have found the deck wash system to work for my application either.

Agree with others that wet grass in certainly a problem to cut.

I don't get to excited about the problem. Just an inconvience of doing yardwork.

Alan

 

[JPPWNY]

When the grass is wet, my deck clogs quickly and I have to scrape it off several times.
However, when grass is dry, I never have an issue.
When it is wet, I just mow at the highest deck setting and clogging problem is minimal.

 

[JSharp]

I've had great luck with the deck wash system on my 2554. When we first got the mower we had a lot of long wet grass we tried to mow one evening. We clogged the deck numerous times until we finally set it higher and mowed, then set it down and mowed everything again.

But the deck wash system cleaned pretty much all of it out of the deck when we used it afterward.

 

[Bob_Bainbridge]

rbro,

I have a 54" deck on my 5254 and have a similar problem. My deck also clogs up but doesn't drop anything. Can't say that I have found the deck wash system to work for my application either.

Agree with others that wet grass in certainly a problem to cut.

I don't get to excited about the problem. Just an inconvience of doing yardwork.

Alan

That's surprising. I have a 3235 with the 54 inch deck and I removed it for cleaning the first time this spring. It was used 2 full seasons mowing 1 acre with frequent VERY wet grass. I have to remove the bagger when it's wet or it will clog every circle around the yard but the deck itself remains clear. My old 44R on a 1450 had to be cleaned at least every month.

Bob B.

 

[wojnaroski]

Bob,

When I had the 3204 with a 54" deck I don't remember having a cloging or buildup problem. This deck didn't have the deck wash system.

With the 5254 54" deck I have had the buildup problem since day one. Not sure what the difference is. But I will admit that I cut a lot of wet grass on a pretty steep slope. Using the deck wash system does get some of the buildup but not the worst of it. I use a water hose from underneath to finish the job. Again not complaining, just an observation.

Alan

 

[Fordlords]

The only ways to try to avoid the clumps are to mow the grass only when it is dry, mow at a higher deck setting, and mow it more frequently. I found with mine this spring with new gator blades that if I mowed moist grass the left side opposite the discharge would clump up badly. As the gator blades are mulchers, they made the clumping worse than regular straight cut blades in wet grass, but if I wait till late afternoon to mow when all is dry the deck stays fairly clean underneath with gators. I still clean under the deck every other mowing session, old deck lasted 25 years doing that.

-Fordlords-

 

[rbro]

Thank you all for replying to my GT2550 deck questions. I think the problem is mainly the "hi lift" blades. My old machine is a JD 116 / 48" deck, and only needed seasonal scraping. The difference is that there is more open area between blades and deck housing ( JD ), and the blades do not have the prominent "wing" on the back edge. I"ve heard that there are a couple of different decks on the GT2550 series and it must be that I got one of the cantankerous ones. I used to be a greens keeper when I was younger, and pretty much know how to mow. But when your yard is big and has some shady areas it's hard not to hit some wet grass, What I'll try next is to mow about half the lawn, hook up the deck wash, dry, and try to finish the job. Thanks again for taking the time to reply.
rbro