Mulching problem with BX

[tobypineo]

Hi all. I am mostly a lurker because I can usually find something in the search, but no luck this time so...I have a BX 2230 with a 60" mower with a mulching kit. I am not too impressed so far! It is leaving "windrows" on the right side of the tractor (where the discharge chute normally is).

My guess is that there is a "leak" in the suction on that side, and it is allowing clippings to escape there, rather than being chewed up as it should.

I have tried about 4 times to get the mower set up perfectly, by the book I mean. I have gotten it pretty close, but I do not think that it can be done perfectly. I can get 3 anti-scalping rolls at the proper height, but if I try to adjust for the 4th, the other 3 go out of whack.

I am not a (total) idiot with a wrench or anything, but this thing is kicking my butt. I guess I really have 2 questions:

(1) Are any of you having problems with leaving highly visible rows of clipped grass with your mulching kit? and
(2) Is it possible to get that darned thing PERFECT. If I can do that I can eliminate the argument that my deck is simply not level and this is allowing the clippings to slip out the side.

I am not trying to mow too much height off, when it is wet, etc. Also, one final note, the grass is not sucked up after my front tires go over grass, and I suspect this is because I am losing suction too. BTW, what a great site and there is a mindboggling amount of knowledge here, so here I am...Any ideas?? Thank you very much.

 

[tobypineo]

Hi all. I am mostly a lurker because I can usually find something in the search, but no luck this time so...I have a BX 2230 with a 60" mower with a mulching kit. I am not too impressed so far! It is leaving "windrows" on the right side of the tractor (where the discharge chute normally is).

My guess is that there is a "leak" in the suction on that side, and it is allowing clippings to escape there, rather than being chewed up as it should.

I have tried about 4 times to get the mower set up perfectly, by the book I mean. I have gotten it pretty close, but I do not think that it can be done perfectly. I can get 3 anti-scalping rolls at the proper height, but if I try to adjust for the 4th, the other 3 go out of whack.

I am not a (total) idiot with a wrench or anything, but this thing is kicking my butt. I guess I really have 2 questions:

(1) Are any of you having problems with leaving highly visible rows of clipped grass with your mulching kit? and
(2) Is it possible to get that darned thing PERFECT. If I can do that I can eliminate the argument that my deck is simply not level and this is allowing the clippings to slip out the side.

I am not trying to mow too much height off, when it is wet, etc. Also, one final note, the grass is not sucked up after my front tires go over grass, and I suspect this is because I am losing suction too. BTW, what a great site and there is a mindboggling amount of knowledge here, so here I am...Any ideas?? Thank you very much.

 

[Tom_H]

Windrows can occur with or without the mulch kit if the grass is too tall. I have tall fescue which does grow tall during the spring. We have rainy winter and spring and the grass doesn't dry until late spring. By then, it's close to a foot tall. On my first several passes, I do have windrowing. (BX2200, 60"MMM w/ mulch kit). Even when I was using the bagger without the mulch kit, the same thing happened. Each time I cut I take a bit more off. By the time the grass is cut down three inches or less, the stems are stiff enough in relation to height, that they spring right back up.

What type grass do you have and at what height are you cutting it? If you get it shorter, the windrowing should disappear.

 

[Tom_H]

Windrows can occur with or without the mulch kit if the grass is too tall. I have tall fescue which does grow tall during the spring. We have rainy winter and spring and the grass doesn't dry until late spring. By then, it's close to a foot tall. On my first several passes, I do have windrowing. (BX2200, 60"MMM w/ mulch kit). Even when I was using the bagger without the mulch kit, the same thing happened. Each time I cut I take a bit more off. By the time the grass is cut down three inches or less, the stems are stiff enough in relation to height, that they spring right back up.

What type grass do you have and at what height are you cutting it? If you get it shorter, the windrowing should disappear.

 

[tobypineo]

I have the green kind. Sorry Tom, I just don't know!! I am cutting at 2.5". Once a week was too much to take off, so this week I mowed Wednesday and Saturday, didn't seem to help much though. I guess I am going to go through that #*$*#&@ adjustment procedure again. I think you are right though, this grass doesn't want to spring back up at all, it lays over and stays there. I thought a mulcher would "suck" it up, especially with the power of a BX vs a typical riding mower. Thanks for your reply.

 

[tobypineo]

I have the green kind. Sorry Tom, I just don't know!! I am cutting at 2.5". Once a week was too much to take off, so this week I mowed Wednesday and Saturday, didn't seem to help much though. I guess I am going to go through that #*$*#&@ adjustment procedure again. I think you are right though, this grass doesn't want to spring back up at all, it lays over and stays there. I thought a mulcher would "suck" it up, especially with the power of a BX vs a typical riding mower. Thanks for your reply.

 

[Volfandt]

I don't have the mulching kit but I have a few thoughts on what you might check.
It almost sounds as if your adjusting your MMM to the anti scalp wheels as opposed to the blade tips. You should be adjusting to the blade tips for both side to side and front to back measurments. You should be able to get real close (within a 1/4").
I'd also guess that you'd probably wouldn't want to mow any higher than 2.5" so as to keep the MMM lower to the ground to reduce blow-out.

I watched my dealer installing one of those kits and it appeared that each blade was totally enclosed within it's own chamber, with no cross flow in between. Are your blades totally enclosed within their own chambers with no openings?

I made a home made mulch plug last season and it did pretty well as long as I didn't have to take off more than a 1/2" or so. If the grass was wet or too tall or I went too fast I'd leave a windrow on the blocked discharge side. I never got around to trying a set of Kubota's mulching blades and I coudn't find a set of gator blades to fit so I eventually went with side discharging into several windrows and picking them up with a Cyclone Rake, discarding my home made mulcher. I knew there wouldn't be any way it would work as well as the factory mulch kit but it was worth a shot anyways /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif

Good luck
Volfandt

 

[Volfandt]

I don't have the mulching kit but I have a few thoughts on what you might check.
It almost sounds as if your adjusting your MMM to the anti scalp wheels as opposed to the blade tips. You should be adjusting to the blade tips for both side to side and front to back measurments. You should be able to get real close (within a 1/4").
I'd also guess that you'd probably wouldn't want to mow any higher than 2.5" so as to keep the MMM lower to the ground to reduce blow-out.

I watched my dealer installing one of those kits and it appeared that each blade was totally enclosed within it's own chamber, with no cross flow in between. Are your blades totally enclosed within their own chambers with no openings?

I made a home made mulch plug last season and it did pretty well as long as I didn't have to take off more than a 1/2" or so. If the grass was wet or too tall or I went too fast I'd leave a windrow on the blocked discharge side. I never got around to trying a set of Kubota's mulching blades and I coudn't find a set of gator blades to fit so I eventually went with side discharging into several windrows and picking them up with a Cyclone Rake, discarding my home made mulcher. I knew there wouldn't be any way it would work as well as the factory mulch kit but it was worth a shot anyways /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif

Good luck
Volfandt

 

[teachdocs]

I bought a mulch kit with my previous BX2200. Dealer tried to talk me out of it. I should have listened.
Never could get it to do a decent job. Maybe highlift blades would have helped. I tried it with the Kubota mulching blades and the regular blades.... couldn't tell much difference.
I took the kit off and its still in the garage somewhere.

I agree with adjusting the deck to the blade tips, not the wheels. You should be able to get that really close. Remember the front tips should be about 1\8 - 1\4 inch lower than the rear for a cleaner cut.

Don't listen to anyone about mowing at anything less than maximum RPM. RPM's equal blade tip speed. Faster blade tips work better.

 

[teachdocs]

I bought a mulch kit with my previous BX2200. Dealer tried to talk me out of it. I should have listened.
Never could get it to do a decent job. Maybe highlift blades would have helped. I tried it with the Kubota mulching blades and the regular blades.... couldn't tell much difference.
I took the kit off and its still in the garage somewhere.

I agree with adjusting the deck to the blade tips, not the wheels. You should be able to get that really close. Remember the front tips should be about 1\8 - 1\4 inch lower than the rear for a cleaner cut.

Don't listen to anyone about mowing at anything less than maximum RPM. RPM's equal blade tip speed. Faster blade tips work better.