GT 2550 deck plugs up too fast

[ducati996]

I have a GT 3535 w/54" deck and it also clogs easily. I have the mulching blades and have even resorted to removing the plug to let some of it out. I mow on the highest setting and trust me the grass is NOT wet (no rain here for 9 weeks). I water in the wee hours and mow in the afternoons....I think its just poor design on the deck contours.....kinda frustrating on a machine that costs as much as this one did....

Mowing with the mulch plug would be the bulk of your problems. In order to use the mulching effectively for grass you need to stay on top of the grass height. Other factors that can make or break a good clean mowing experience is the amount of humidity and fertilizer put down prior to the mow.
Once the fertilizer kicks in ( i would assume you do this throughout the season - ) you have thick, rich green grass giving any mower deck fits.

Since i have a 3204 series machine along with more mowers decks than most users - 44", 48" and now 50" I can pretty much give you the run down on each deck....The 54" cuts exactly and is built like the 48" and they are built the same with heavy duty rollers and rear guide rollers and linkages. The decks usually never clog up, but Im confused on how your 54" is set up with a mulching plug- since its a plate that gets bolted and closes the discharge chute. Not easy to remove quickly without taking off the deck, and removing a lot of bolts. The 44" and the new 50" offer quick plastic mulch plugs, the 44" has a smaller discharge opening and can suffer from clogging on those wet, humid, fertizer enhanced grass. The new 50" cuts better than the 44" & 48", and displaces the clippings better along with the wider opening. That has to do to its cyclone design and curves in the housing that follow the blades. The 50" is not made as heavy duty as the 44", 48" or 54". The shell is a lighter guage, the caster wheels have no bearings or rotate (ground following) like the other models listed. I like the cut of the 50" by far, and i wonder if you have a 50" based on how easy the mulch plug could be removed?

I used commerical grade equipment (exmark, Hustler, scag, on the worst days -with the same results so Its really not the equipment. Its the grass and conditions that cause everybody fits. The work around might be to get a horse or goat- just kidding or to wait for better conditions more favorable for a cleaner mow....

 

[MrWiggles2]

I think you're right. I just finished cutting and checked underneath the deck, its clean, nothing sticking. The grass has thinned out here and isn't as dark green although we have had some rain. Grass is sticky like glue in the spring and fall, all that photosynthesis must be the reason. Now its a pleasure, won't have to start cleaning the deck until september.

 

[micman32]

I have more trouble with clogging in the spring than I do in the summer months. I think the grass is more"sticky" during this time. I have noticed that I get more build up in around the center blade. I just make it a practice to clean the deck in this area. My Craftsman did the same thing.
As the summer gets drier the problem is less frequent. It may be a pain to clean the deck out (the deck spray didn't exist when I bought my 2518) but it sure makes the quality of cut better.

 

[robison]

I have a GT235 and at this time of year the mulching deck would clog right away, too. Try running without the mulcher and mow again 3 days later. That chops the grass finer and you're also cutting less growth.

 

[DaveVales]

On my 3225 (1998) 54" deck I have had numerous problems with clogging even without mulching. First order of business was to tie up the discharge guard (=unsafe, but the alternative?). Then later I removed the lower brace. This allows me to cut some pretty tall stuff now with minimal clogging. The deck still builds up grass under it and reduces discharge effectiveness, but the stuff eventually spits out. I agree that the design is not the best. I try to clean it regularly, but at 200+ lbs and not the easiest to slide out, cleaning is irregular. The rust is bad, but thankfully they built a thick deck that should last years.

I just bought a Kubota BX24 because I was tired of the problems the 3225 gave me and needed something to do more around the house. I think the Kubota blades and deck are not as heavy as this deck and I am in for more regular maintenance.

BTW, it is only my wife & I & the animals on the property, so the risk is to myself only. I shut down the mower whenever she or the dog are in the area.

 

[micman32]

BY the looks of your pictures, I think you need a tractor with a brush hog. No wonder it clogs up! That is some high grass. I tried mowing high grass like that with my 2518. It was going thru it but it was plugging up so bad I stopped I didn't want to tear up my machine.

 

[JPPWNY]

On my 3225 (1998) 54" deck I have had numerous problems with clogging even without mulching. First order of business was to tie up the discharge guard (=unsafe, but the alternative?). Then later I removed the lower brace. This allows me to cut some pretty tall stuff now with minimal clogging. The deck still builds up grass under it and reduces discharge effectiveness, but the stuff eventually spits out. I agree that the design is not the best. I try to clean it regularly, but at 200+ lbs and not the easiest to slide out, cleaning is irregular. The rust is bad, but thankfully they built a thick deck that should last years.

I just bought a Kubota BX24 because I was tired of the problems the 3225 gave me and needed something to do more around the house. I think the Kubota blades and deck are not as heavy as this deck and I am in for more regular maintenance.

BTW, it is only my wife & I & the animals on the property, so the risk is to myself only. I shut down the mower whenever she or the dog are in the area.

From those pictures, looks to me like you are expecting a bit much from a garden tractor. If you read the manual, it even says not to mow grass that is more than a few inches long. It states :"Your mower is designed to cut lawns, not to be used as a brush hog."
I would vote operator error over machine problem.

 

[ducati996]

This has to be a joke - and its always the tractors fault and its a POS because it cant mow 4' or 5' high grass? LOL

 

[automech]

That is pretty funny! Why not try something a little smaller like a Craftsman lawn tractor? I heard they don't clog much. When my yard gets that high I like to use my 3.5 horse push mower and really give it a good workout.

 

[ducati996]

That is pretty funny! Why not try something a little smaller like a Craftsman lawn tractor? I heard they don't clog much. When my yard gets that high I like to use my 3.5 horse push mower and really give it a good workout.

LOL i was thinking the old push rotary type would be perfect