Update:
I have found that, for my needs, the Dixie Chopper doesn't "cut" it.
What I expected from using my cheapo Sears Craftsman mower, Snapper and even the belly mower on my Kubota, is that when I would drive over grass...it would be cut.
The reality with the Dixie Chopper 50" magnum, other models may be different, is that with the baffling under the deck the grass, if long enough, will just be pushed over and protected from springing up into the the blades of doom and cut.
Both my old Snapper and Sears had just a stamped deck, all open with the blades cutting anything that would pop up. The belly mower on my kubota has the front half of the deck open and only half baffles on the rear of the blades. They all cut great.
The Dixie is fully baffled, I've used single blades, x-blades, double blades, blades 1" shorter, but always get the same result. Rows of uncut or nearly uncut grass, so there would be like grass mohawks or just plane uncut grass.
Now granted I'm using the mower in, usually, tall grass by the time I get around to mowing it (shift worker). Some of the "yard" use to be pasture land. The grass can easy be 6", 12" even 24" in some spots before I can mow it.
I've even mowed over weed plants, you know with those little seed heads on top of a long single "stalk", and look behind me and they would be totally fine, seed heads still attached.
The grass would be to tall for the other mower to take on so I had to hook my belly mower back up, not my favorite activity since it took hours to hook up the drive shaft (trial and error, dealer never gave me a manual) Grr! The half baffled mower deck knocked down everything without a problem, even with the deck set on 3".
This isn't to knock the Dixie, it is a very fast mower when mowing slightly tall grass. When the grass is taller I've had to mow twice and sometimes three times, knocking the grass down a little farther each time. Mower deck set as high as it would go or 3" didn't seem to matter.
If Dixie made an unbaffled deck that I could change out I'd do it but as it stands I might be getting out the old grinder this winter and trying to cut some of the baffles out in the front of the deck.
