New GC1705 owner

[Mattsy Fergy]

To flip the hinges I'll have to cut them off the chute, not too much of a problem. I have a welder, torch, and grinders. I'll just grind the welds off. I will need to make a "L" bracket and weld it on so the chute is in the correct position when down.

There are a couple reasons to modify it. One is to get it out of the way when mowing tight areas. Another is for storage. Another for when mowing taller grass, to keep the mower from plugging.
I have considered cutting it shorter and mounting a piece of rubber conveyor belt on the end, hanging down. That would at least slow down projectiles. But I really don't like cutting OEM parts, in case I change my mind. Flipping the hinges isn't destroying anything.
I also thought of building a complete new chute, shorter, with the rubber belting, or maybe chains hanging down.

I don't know where you mow, maybe you have a baseball field with no trees, buildings, wells, lawn ornaments, fences, "junk" piles, etc., but my yard has all those and has been mowed some 30 or so times a year for 30 years, I doubt that there's anything out there that hasn't already been hit, and yes I do watch for "new" stuff. I am also careful about where the mower outlet is aimed when I lift the chute. Never towards the house, pets, people, or vehicles. Usually towards the woods, or an open section of yard.

 

[bsruther]

I'm just curious as to the desired outcome regarding the mower chute.

Its wide, long, and solid - which is normally an advantage for durability and grass flow. But it gets in your way for width as well as trailering or storage space too. I get all that. However if the emphasis was on getting the chute off or tipped up all the way - then you have a rather dangerous rock or stick "thrower" to harm kids or animals or house siding or windows - and because the tip speed and power of these units is considerable - the propelling power is much higher than a normal lawn mower as well.

So what is the ultimate answer - as it seems to me that neither of the above 2 choices is the answer. So why not look for a rubber chute to replace the metal chute - possibly in a parts department for cub cadet or john deere lawn mowers etc.. The rubber chute could be shorter (or shortened) and could be "deflectable" where as the Massey chute is far to strong to be considered "deflectable". Would that solve your width issue but still offer protection from flying debris - and not reduce the grass flow to exhaust evenly and out.

Just a suggestion.

This is pretty much the direction I'm headed. Not sure when, but I plan on finding a chute from another deck to retrofit onto the MF deck.
Took the chute off last week so I could cut up in the woods (lots of pawpaws to cut around). It worked very well and I was able to cover a lot of area.