ZD331 Zero turn mower - side or rear discharge decks?

[art]

I mowed my yard yesterday with my F2680 with 60" Rear discharge deck. I had been gone and grass had gotten pretty high. Here is the way it looks with rear discharge after one pass. As high and thick as it was there would have been rowed up piles with a side discharge.

John, there are many lawns that have thicker grass that would have given issues. Here in central NY your lawn would be like a year old with those bare spots. In your area you would have to irrigate to equal our natural lawns. I'm currently mowing about every four days and taking nearly two inches at that cut off three inches. I'm hoping that it dry downs a bit and I can go out to a longer interval.

I would agree with you with your conditions that the rear discharge would work fine.

 

[JHTFarmer]

get the side discharge and add the mulching kit. Clippings won't be an issue with closed baffles. I run a ZD331 with a 72inch deck with mulching kit and regular blades (not those expensive mulcher blades). works great

 

[JOHNTHOMAS]

John, there are many lawns that have thicker grass that would have given issues. Here in central NY your lawn would be like a year old with those bare spots. In your area you would have to irrigate to equal our natural lawns. I'm currently mowing about every four days and taking nearly two inches at that cut off three inches. I'm hoping that it dry downs a bit and I can go out to a longer interval.

I would agree with you with your conditions that the rear discharge would work fine.

What issues do thicker grass create for a rear discharge that they don't for a side discharge?
Those bare spots are limestone rocks at or near the surface. I do have some trouble mowing them, they are heck on the blades. I was mowing 6 to 8 inch grass. I look at my neighbors yards and see these rows of piled up grass with their side discharge decks and see mine spread out flat on the ground and wonder could that be different with thicker grass vs my thinner grass. Wouldn't thicker grass just pile up more on the side discharge? If not, why or how?
I've had several side and rear discharge decks and to me the rear is far better than the side.

 

[art]

The difference is the quanity of the clippings that the deck is trying to get rid of!!!!

A side discharge with a mulcher will for sure give you windrows before a rear discharge! Most rear discharges allow the grass an easier path to get out the back, most still are moving it to the right!!!

 

[marks146]

the only good reason to use rear discharge is to keep from throwing stones. Thats really it. Side discharge is much better.

What about keeping the clippings out of the flower beds? That is the primary reason I purchased a rear discharge, and I am impressed with the results of my ZD326.

Clippings lay even, no windrow effect. Another thing I have found is the underdeck is much cleaner. Less grass buildup. Most likely due to the openness of the discharge area. Much less crud to clean from under the deck.

 

[JOHNTHOMAS]

What about keeping the clippings out of the flower beds? That is the primary reason I purchased a rear discharge, and I am impressed with the results of my ZD326.

Clippings lay even, no windrow effect. Another thing I have found is the underdeck is much cleaner. Less grass buildup. Most likely due to the openness of the discharge area. Much less crud to clean from under the deck.

I believe and I may be wrong but I still believe the people that don't see the value of the rear discharge deck have actually never owned one for their own personal use. Selling products is never the same as actually owning one or in my case several and then using it on a regulr basis for years. I've owned several rear discharge decks and many, many more side discharge decks. To me from my own personal experience there is no choice or reason to get a side discharge if a rear discharge is available. I've mowed the same yard for 6 years and used rear discharge and side discharge on the same yard and the difference in cut is none but the rows of grass on the side discharge are the pits to me and the layed down spread out grass on the rear discharge is so much better. Also cutting close on either side is so much better than having to dedicate one side to close cutting and the other to discharge clippings and whatever else is shooting out the side.
Messicks generally give good advise but I think they missed this one really bad. I mean really bad.

 

[littlediesel]

My 2 cents: I agree with Art. I live in central New York and currently own a ZD326P with a 60" side discharge deck, one F3680 w/ 72" side discharge deck, and one F3680 with 60" rear discharge deck. The cut quality of the 60" rear discharge deck "sucks". It leaves two distinct windrows between the blades.

I am in the process of trying to find a fix. I purchased the mulch kit with the mulching bladers at a cost of $310.00. Solved the windrowing problem, however, it now takes me 3 times as long to cut the grass.

I just purchased some gator blades and will be trying these blades. If all else fails. I am going to modify my mulch kit baffles to create a "v" style wedge between the blades in hopes this will stop the windrowing.

I do not cut the lawn very long. Probably only cutting about 2" of grass. If any of you smart guys know of any fixes please let me know. It is driving me nuts.

Also, all the equipment was purchased from Art's White's Farm Supply. Great people. Art: do you know if they are doing something different with the ZD series rear discharge deck's? Have you heard any feedback about the cut quality? Do you think they are better than the F series decks?


Thanks...Jon.

 

[JOHNTHOMAS]

My 2 cents: I agree with Art. I live in central New York and currently own a ZD326P with a 60" side discharge deck, one F3680 w/ 72" side discharge deck, and one F3680 with 60" rear discharge deck. The cut quality of the 60" rear discharge deck "sucks". It leaves two distinct windrows between the blades.

I am in the process of trying to find a fix. I purchased the mulch kit with the mulching bladers at a cost of $310.00. Solved the windrowing problem, however, it now takes me 3 times as long to cut the grass.

I just purchased some gator blades and will be trying these blades. If all else fails. I am going to modify my mulch kit baffles to create a "v" style wedge between the blades in hopes this will stop the windrowing.

I do not cut the lawn very long. Probably only cutting about 2" of grass. If any of you smart guys know of any fixes please let me know. It is driving me nuts.

Also, all the equipment was purchased from Art's White's Farm Supply. Great people. Art: do you know if they are doing something different with the ZD series rear discharge deck's? Have you heard any feedback about the cut quality? Do you think they are better than the F series decks?


Thanks...Jon.

This is really strange. I have a F2680 60" rear discharge and I've had it for over 2 years. It lays the grass down flat on the ground and doesn't windrow. I've cut grass over a foot tall and it may clump the really tall stuff but not just cutting 3 to 5 inches which is what I usually cut. I've sent pictures to show my current one doesn't winrow or leave an uneven cut even with an extremely uneven yard in places. One of us has a bad deck or blades because mine is totally different than yours. I am waiting on a seat from Kubota to arrive to get my new F3080 with 6' deck delivered. A foot bigger deck but I'll post pictures of the cut when I get it. My grass is 2 wet weeks past needing mowed while waiting on my F.

 

[D33r3 6r33N]

I mow a few lawns commercially myself and different types of grass mow differently. What I mean is, if your grass grows real thick, like fescue and you spray all that "stuff" on it then the quantity of grass you have to mow is increased. To say which mower would work where is speculative because they don't all grow the same.

 

[JOHNTHOMAS]

I mow a few lawns commercially myself and different types of grass mow differently. What I mean is, if your grass grows real thick, like fescue and you spray all that "stuff" on it then the quantity of grass you have to mow is increased. To say which mower would work where is speculative because they don't all grow the same.

Mines fescue and weeds with no chemicals. Mine gets tall but not thick other than over the septic tank leach lines. I mow about half as often as most people so mine gets taller but again, not thick.