Lawn Mower rambling...

If you'll recall, I had a thread about riding lawnmowers some time back.

The "grass" here, once you get out away from the house is called mejia (maybe spelled Mexia) that back in Houston would have been called a weed.
It has these little stalks, and I guess that hay is gotten from this stuff.

My Sears Craftsman 46" three blade rider does not do well with this mexia. It leaves two distinct trails in the thickest areas, whether I go fast or slow, cut low or high etc.

I am wondering (and think I have the reason) how the big bad commercial Zero Turns and Walk Behinds are able to take this stuff down.

Blade speed and blade design.

What I'm wondering, and asking if any of my fellow CPFers know... Suppose I was to find a different pulley and speed up my blades a bit?

What I'd dearly LIKE to do is go buy (finance) a commercial ZT... but that's a BIG step.

I'd like to try tinkering first.

Thoughts?

I used to work on mowers and your 2 trails are caused by the lack of overlap between the three blades, I'll bet if you pull the blades you'll see the edge on the very tip of the blades is dulled from impact with various debris. Even though the tips are moving the fastest they are too dull to cut the "mexia" and are just knocking the grass out of the way.If you buy three new blades and install them I bet your "trails" are gone. If you have two sets of blades you can have one sharp set on the deck and one set at the mower shop for resharpening and balancing. btw your average homeowner cannot sharpen and balance blades correctly. This is not a slam towards do it yourselves homeowners or a ploy to give the shops an income source. Landscapers usually have 5 to 10 sets of sharpened and balanced blades per mowing unit and rotate them to the mower shop they deal with.

A: My blades aren't that old, but that's not saying much.

B: I talked to a fellow with a nice shiny new John Deer 46" mower about this. His blades were new as of the mow before the one he just did. If he doesn't go extra slow at top RPM, he trails. And when it's super heavy, it trails anyhow.

C: I just finished cutting the ditch with my old 22" 5hp pusher. Where the "grass" was heaviest, I could only cut half per swipe. That stuff is a B&TCH! Of course that mower doesn't really rip with RPMs either... Not really a trail per say, but higher on the retreating side.

On the big mower the trails SEEM to coinside with the retreating side of the right and center blades. That's why I think blade speed could be higher.... that 16hp twin don't seem to have all the weaties it was made with.

Maybe even a high zoot ZT would have an issue with this crap.

Anyhow I'm exhausted and sucking up Gatorade!

couldn't you just take a second pass over the grass and recut it?

Well sure I could. But the point is...

I don't WANT to!

On a related note, the 42" rider we also own is fixin' to get a new belt and blades. And the blades were pretty bad.

I guess I'll jack the 46" up after I get the 42" working and have a look at them blades.

The 42" mower was improved SIGNIFICANTLY with new blades.

The 46" mower was improved SLIGHTLY by putting an edge on the very decent blades.

The 46" may be gone tomorrow. Some guy is supposed to come see it. I've been told a ZT may be had if this goes.

Maybe YIPPEE! Maybe not...

I'll chip in what I can on this, as I have owned and ran 3 different zero turn commercial mowers (exmark/husqvarna/scag).

Most "commercial" mowers (scag/exmark/john deere/etc) run their blades at 18,500 feet per minute tip speed. There must be some sort of limit on this from the CPSC since I haven't seen any FASTER advertised speeds.

This speed is couple thousand rpm higher than your typical homeowner mower. But, don't read too much into this. Faster blade speed has some drawbacks (other than heat/wear issues). It seems to NOT work as good in really tall, nasty crap... a.k.a. "bushhog" mode.

On with the idea I have for you:

On my current mower (61" scag w/ 27hp kohler) I was getting some pulling and tearing in certain types of grass, even at low speeds. I switched to a high lift blade and the problem went away, and I was able to cut a lot faster. It seems that the larger mowers with 3 blades don't clear grass as quickly as smaller decked mowers.

I tried it 2 ways:
1. standard blades on left and center, high lift on discharge (this got 90% of it)
2. high lifts all around, this got 100%

The high lift blades slowed the mower's max sustained cutting speed down about 10%, but it does not leave any sprigs behind now.

Other general thoughts:
1. 2 or more sets of blades. When I had 1 set, I waited thill they were DULL before sharpening. 2 sets are nice. I do a much better job on my sharpening since I can sharpen at my leisure.

2. check you mower engine rpm, full throttle with blades on (not cutting though), I'd expect 3200-3500 rpm

3. make sure the belts are not slipping

4. swap out your cam (yeah right!), and add a nice 4 barrel

5. make sure the underside of the deck is clean. it will clear grass much better

General ramblings on ZTR mowers: good AND bad
1. they cut fast

2. they DRINK gas

3. I can usually run about 15 acres before sharpening blades. And they will be in good condition unless I hit rocks/dirt/etc.

4. they are loud, expect to wear ear plugs

5. they are heavy

6. they are MUCH bumpier than you could ever imagine.

7. repeat #6 just in case you don't believe me.

8. the hydraulically driven wheels will rip chunks of turf up until you learn to drive carefully

9. they (can) get stuck MUCH MUCH MUCH easier than you could imagine

10. when stuck, you will NOT push them out by hand (FYI: my scag weighs about 1400 pounds without me on it)

11. did I mention that they are bumpy

12. vibration will be transferred to your hands through the control levers, expect to wear gloves to keep your hands from tingling

13. maintenance is a breeze on my scag, FWIW. I grease every 40 hours and change the oil every 100. All other maintenance is even farther apart (hydro oil/etc).

14. I'd look at my yard and give some SERIOUS though to an out-front-deck mower. This is in home that they aren't as bumpy as a ZTR, but this is just a guess.

15. I considered a pull-behind mower for my 4 wheeler. That is actually not a half-bad idea. You can get a 5' deck pull mower, commercial engine, electric start, offset tongue, for about $1500. Pull 2 of these behind your 4 wheeler or existing mower and you've got it made.

In closing, a ZTR is nice. It's got the whole "I'm bad" thing going for it. But they are not the beat all end all.

I bought mine specifically because of the folling things:
1. I designed my house so I can drive straight across the front porch and not weedeater the corners where the porch and house meet.
2. I wanted something commercial. I did not want to hassle with things that required a lot of maintenance.
3. Size: it will fit in my shed nicely. If I had gotten a small tractor and finishing mower or some pull-behind mowers I would have had to enlarge my shed.
4. Wife: she can easily drive it
5. Tight cutting: I was able to sell my trim/push mower.

But.... my scag has went UP about $1600 since I bought it a year and a half ago. That's nothing to sneeze at. I think retail on this mower is about $9600 or so.

Ebay: I've seen some good looking Z mowers on ebay for about half of retail. Expect these to have 7-800 hours on them. Expect an air-cooled engine to last about 1500 hour or so.

More rambling:

You might look into a nice walk-behind mower. I had one of these (exmark) once. It was a nice mower. Watch your fingers near trees and brick walls.

Then there's always this:

http://www.dixiechopper.com/altpower_.php

Two, 23 hp kohler engines

When you've just got to have bragging rights for the entire county.

Or a 50 hp turbo diesel.

You might not believe this but I'm actually considering another 42" rider.

Even if I get a ZT it won't be a "good" one. More likely a Cub Cadet or Toro and even then not a big one.

I should think something in a 42" two blade deck with 16 or more HP would still be WAY better than this stupid three blade thing. Something in a Husky perhaps...

You can get a good price on a 36 or 48" belt drive walk-behind.

The 36" is THE commercial mower that everybody has.

Tough as nails. Nothing to break. Cuts like mad.

ebay: http://cgi.ebay.com/36-inch-ExMark-Walkbehind-LIKE-NEW-not-scag-bobcat_W0QQitemZ7707201529QQcategoryZ71272QQssPageNameZWDVWQQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem

Turbo I did the same thing and went with a commercial Z and couldn't be happier. I gave my push mower to my new neighbor last year just too get it out of the garage. Now it's taking up space at his place /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/crackup.gif he bought a www.countryclipper.com home owner Z this spring nice little mower and perfect for his size lot.

The eXmark is a very good walk-behind and should last a home owner for a very long time if properly maintained.

Big Z's can be a little bumpy at speed like Turbo said mine has a suspension seat and a pivoting front axel that helps to smooth out the ride a little but I have been thinking about trying out a Ferris 3000ZX with four-wheel independent suspension /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/wink.gif

PJS what ever you do it's hard to beat a good commercial mower walk-behind or Z new or used, both cost more than residential models, you will get your work faster and the mower will last longer that's what your paying for in the end.

Sure Sway, I know what you are saying. But there ain't no way I can pony up for a commercial mower.

The 46" is gone, though he gets a week to decide if he is going to keep it.

I'm doing all the web research I can on smaller (42") single cylinder riders.

Two somewhat strike my fancy just now.

A Cub Cadet 1042 with 19hp Kohler Courage (web shows me it's a fairly new engine with unknown reliability at this stage) 42" mulching deck, foot control hydro, cast iron axle, tapered roller bearings etc.

Or a Craftsman 18.5hp Briggs Intek Plus, 42" Hi Lift blades, lever control hydro (like both of our mowers) cast iron axle etc. Craftsman gets the nod on price and familiarity.

Got something to say about these two?

For one part of the yard, perhaps 3/4 acre, something much bigger would be a plus. But all the rest of it has enough trees, flower beds etc. that an even smaller mower might be better at cutting.

That's my reasoning about getting a 42", along with the fact that I HATED the 3 blade mower!

[ QUOTE ]
PlayboyJoeShmoe said:
Sure Sway, I know what you are saying. But there ain't no way I can pony up for a commercial mower.

The 46" is gone, though he gets a week to decide if he is going to keep it.

I'm doing all the web research I can on smaller (42") single cylinder riders.

Two somewhat strike my fancy just now.

A Cub Cadet 1042 with 19hp Kohler Courage (web shows me it's a fairly new engine with unknown reliability at this stage) 42" mulching deck, foot control hydro, cast iron axle, tapered roller bearings etc.

Or a Craftsman 18.5hp Briggs Intek Plus, 42" Hi Lift blades, lever control hydro (like both of our mowers) cast iron axle etc. Craftsman gets the nod on price and familiarity.

Got something to say about these two?

For one part of the yard, perhaps 3/4 acre, something much bigger would be a plus. But all the rest of it has enough trees, flower beds etc. that an even smaller mower might be better at cutting.

That's my reasoning about getting a 42", along with the fact that I HATED the 3 blade mower!

[/ QUOTE ]

What price are those mowers?

You know a walk-behind commercial mower isn't really something you actually "walk-behind"? You ride on a little platform with wheels.

I guess it's fortunate that I have a week at least to try and figure it all out!

The mowers I mentioned are Cub Cadet $1599 and Craftsman $1425.

We'll be in Houston tomorrow. Maybe we'll stop at one of those monster mower outlets.

I just *know* that with a little looking you could find a 48 belt drive walk-behind with a sulky (thing you ride on) used in excellent shape for that price.

Don't forget, sales tax will add about $100 to either price.

Go and look at a gear/belt drive walk-behind.

I just spent some time over on the Consumer Reports site where they have a specific forum for mowers. Seems the following models are frequently being rcommended:

Troybilt 13AJ609G (aka Yardman 13AT605G)
Cub Cadet LT1042
John Deere L100 or L108
Yardman 13AN791G (I think its AKA MTD Pro 13ATG05G)
Craftsman 57570

HTH

Dave

FWIW - In the earlier thread, I posted that I had been shopping riding mowers and had pretty much settled on the Cub Cadet 2000 series. Very robust, Kohler engines and shaft primary drive.

As usual, I did all that shopping and then bought something else. I settled on a Husqvarna 24hp 48in. It has belt primary drive and a Briggs ELS twin. The ELS engine, is supposedly more durable than the Vanguard or Intek, so I figgered it was pretty much a trade-off for the preferred Kohler. I gave up on the shaft drive because I can buy and install a lot of belts for $1000+. Was impressed by the overall quality of construction - quality fasteners, good neat welds, steel instead of plastic hood, etc, etc.

Was $1799 at Lowes. Has enough power to handle heavy grass/weeds when necessary. Will do an acceptable job of routine mowing at reduced RPM's, saving a little fuel. The hydrostat transmission is controlled by a lever on the right fender which I consider much better than a foot control. The lever controls both speed and fwd/rev, so you set speed and forget it, negating the need for a separate cruise control system.

BTW, this mower spends as much time pulling a utility trailer as it does mowing, so that entered the equation. I also have a Kubota tractor with a belly mower that does the big, hard stuff, so that was also a factor.

Considered the Troybilt, primarily because of price, but it seemed a little complicated, with the cable lift system and the variable speed belt drive instead of hydrostat. At this stage of my life, I really don't want to spend time wrenching on stuff.

I considered a ZTR, but I really dislike the two lever steering systems. I would have bought the Snapper with the joystick control, but to get the twin (which was a must) I would have had to pay over $3k.

Anyway, I've had the Husqy for a couple of months and am happy with it, particularly fot the price. No downside yet.

I used to cut 3 acres with a 25" push mower. Why is it whenever I built character as my dad would say he would save a few bucks. I would had to rebuild the engine once a year because I would wear it out in only one season.

Largest cause of long-term engine failures I have seen:

1. not changing oil ofter enough
2. AIR FILTER leakage, dirt gets into engine
3. engine cooling fins blocked, overheats, degrades oil

Short-term

1. water in fuel
2. old fuel

Something else has sort of caught my fancy today.

Gravely Home ZT (Google it) In person they look tough! Like shrunken big bad commercial ZTs. My local dealer has 1434, 1534 and 1540. 1434 has Briggs Intek, other two have Kohler Courage??? and 1540 has three blade 40" deck.

The old loose 42" 15hp Craftsman was able to take down the Mexia grass that hasn't been mowed in two weeks as long as you went slow enough. It really quite pleases me with the cutting with new blades.

That leads me to think a nice 16-19hp 42" Lawn Tractor would do me just fine. Some of what we cut is a bit rough. And there are scads of trees, sprinkler heads, little gardens etc. Still, a standard rider does an ok job as long as we follow up with a weedeater.

So I'm still considering a fairly cheap machine. It must have Hydrostatic trans. That's what I've grown acustomed to.

I've made a note of the Consumer Reports Recs. And am searching each one for price and availability.

It ain't over yet, but it's getting closer...