ZD326/ZD331 60" rear discharge deck are ejected grass clippings on undercarriage

[JOHNTHOMAS]

Considering trying a Kubota ZD326 or ZD331 with 60" rear discharge deck and was wondering if the cut grass gets under the ZD326 or ZD331. Do you Z owners have issues with cut grass packing under the machine, not the deck, but on/around the undercarriage?

 

[JOHNTHOMAS]

Re: ZD326/ZD331 60" rear discharge deck are ejected grass clippings on undercarriage

I know there are some ZD owners with rear discharge decks............where are you?

 

[Westcoastkris]

Re: ZD326/ZD331 60" rear discharge deck are ejected grass clippings on undercarriage

Hi John,
I have a ZD 331 mower with a rear discharge deck. We operate on the west coast of British Columbia Canada, and it's pretty wet out here most of the time.
The rear discharge deck works well in about a weeks worth of growth but, much more than that and the clippings tend to get left in little wind rows. As for the grass packing under the machine, no that has not been a problem in my experience. If you are doing lots of cutting in wet grass, a thin layer will stick to the under carriage, but that's easily hosed off at the end of the day. This style of deck is a great tool in the mowing business, because you can mow in both directions without spraying clippings on anything and, it minimizes the chance of throwing a projectile into something really expensive. The deck is also built super heavy, weighing in at about 400 pounds. On another note, I happen to have a 60" rear discharge deck for sale. The unit is a 2011 model with only 200 hours on it. This deck came standard on a 331 I bought, but most of our customers wanted the clippings picked up, so I bought a side discharge deck to accommodate a grass catcher. The new price for these is about $2400.00, but I am selling mine for $1000.00 firm. Anyway, I hope this helps you out.

thanks,
Westcoastkris

 

[JOHNTHOMAS]

Re: ZD326/ZD331 60" rear discharge deck are ejected grass clippings on undercarriage

Hi John,
I have a ZD 331 mower with a rear discharge deck. We operate on the west coast of British Columbia Canada, and it's pretty wet out here most of the time.
The rear discharge deck works well in about a weeks worth of growth but, much more than that and the clippings tend to get left in little wind rows. As for the grass packing under the machine, no that has not been a problem in my experience. If you are doing lots of cutting in wet grass, a thin layer will stick to the under carriage, but that's easily hosed off at the end of the day. This style of deck is a great tool in the mowing business, because you can mow in both directions without spraying clippings on anything and, it minimizes the chance of throwing a projectile into something really expensive. The deck is also built super heavy, weighing in at about 400 pounds. On another note, I happen to have a 60" rear discharge deck for sale. The unit is a 2011 model with only 200 hours on it. This deck came standard on a 331 I bought, but most of our customers wanted the clippings picked up, so I bought a side discharge deck to accommodate a grass catcher. The new price for these is about $2400.00, but I am selling mine for $1000.00 firm. Anyway, I hope this helps you out.

thanks,
Westcoastkris

Thanks. I found out today from dealer and Kubota Regional Rep that the rear discharge deck on a Z won't work for me. The Z has a narrower discharge chute (rear deck) than the F's I've been buying which keeps the grass from blowing up around the machine as bad but the Zs clog up for the type mowing I do. I mow about once to my neighbors 3 times and they all said it wouldn't be happy with it and to get another F.
I've had rear discharge decks for about 8 years starting with two different ones on the back of tractors and two different ones for the past 5 years on 2 different Fs and I love em the way they spread the cut grass out on the ground, cut from both sides up close and don't blow grass all over me in the wind.
Guess I'l have to get another F with rear discharge for my type mowing, not frequent enough.

 

[TailDragon]

Re: ZD326/ZD331 60" rear discharge deck are ejected grass clippings on undercarriage

John, for a while I thought someone had hacked your identity, glad you are staying on the F series wagon. Could read threads at work but not reply. Would jump on a mower after work and mow until dusk getting home in time for my beauty rest. Now have 40 hours on the 60 inch, 960 hours on the 72 inch, plus the time on the GR2120 and MF tractors.

If I read correctly the blade tip speed is higher on the 72 vs the 60.(F series)

 

[JOHNTHOMAS]

Re: ZD326/ZD331 60" rear discharge deck are ejected grass clippings on undercarriage

John, for a while I thought someone had hacked your identity, glad you are staying on the F series wagon. Could read threads at work but not reply. Would jump on a mower after work and mow until dusk getting home in time for my beauty rest. Now have 40 hours on the 60 inch, 960 hours on the 72 inch, plus the time on the GR2120 and MF tractors.

If I read correctly the blade tip speed is higher on the 72 vs the 60.(F series)

I just got lost for a few days and was about to go to the dark side. I drove your trade in Z and while the "Zs" are interesting I just believe I better stay with what has proven for me to work the best for my type/frequency of mowing.
I don't like getting into a mind set that new stuff/ways isn't good so I'll research/try something new/different and see if it's best for me or not. That's why I've bought 15 Kubotas, trying the different models and of course my needs have changed over the past 10 years. I started with a hillside with trees, limestone outcroppings, gullys and steep. I do mostly my own landscaping and as some projects have been completed I've been able to go to a different size machine. I do believe 2 Fs are what I need for my mowing needs at the 2 different locations, one flat (F2680) and one hillside (F3080).