Need advice about best way to remove matted grass clippings

[JDgreen227]

What with all the rainfall here in Mid-Michigan this year (nearly 11" measured at my house since the begining of June) it's very hard to keep up with mowing and when I do try it's often high enough and wet enough that my tractor tires pack down the clippings. It's a huge PIB to rake them up and a bagger attachment would cost so much (as well as a Trac-Vac would) I don't want to go that route. Can anyone advise about a method to get those matted clippings up off the ground using a 3-point attachment? I don't need to do anything except get them high enough so the mower will recut them when they dry out, Thanks for any advice.

 

[J_J]

CMP 3-Point Dethatcher

Ryan Ren-O-THIN Power Rake - Briggs & Stratton - 544865 | Wise Sales

Walk-Behind Dethatchers @ Mowers Direct

 

[wedge40]

When cutting grass, throw grass inward and then make one pass outward and windrow the grass. Makes cleanup quicker.

Wedge

 

[boggen]

high lift / mulching blades. they generally have a descent curve in the blade. almost like a fan blade, to suck up stuff into the blades. make extra passes when done with regularly mowing, to make wind-rows (sending all the clippings in a few rows) to make it easier to manually rake everything together.

Tractor Attachments And Skid Steer Attachments For Any Tractor Or Skid Steer has a large amount of stuff for tractors. with video and descent amount of text to describe pretty much everything they have.

a rear 3pt finishing mower, that sends everything directly out the back, vs regular belly finishing mowers that sends everything out the side. the rears might give a bettery spread pattern so ya don't get large clumps.

york rake or some sort of tine rake, or perhaps a power broom,

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one of these days will figure out how to slap a piece of lumber over FEL (front end loader) bucket. and make a couple holes in it, one for shop vac, and other for a wide nozzle to suck rocks up out of the side ditches, when spring comes. (pushing snow and rocks going into yard)

 

[JDgreen227]

boggen....my tractor has the 7-Iron 60" deck and the OEM blades were really poor at chopping up clippings....I switched to a set of Oregon Gator blades a few years ago but they don't seem to be as effective if the grass is the least bit wet. I was wondering if a dethatcher would be an effective solution....usually this time of year in my location the grass is always dry but we get so much rain this season it never dries out. Even in the morning the grass is soaked with a heavy dew.

 

[jenkinsph]

I agree with others about mowing over it again. Sometimes it is best to let nature take its course, soon it should dry out enough to alleviate the problem. While I have a collection system I use it about once a year, rest of the time I mulch.

 

[lostcreekranch]

Try the Gator mulching blades when grass is relatively dry after a few hours of sun and mow with the black grass chute raised. The gator blade will create finer cuttings and the raised grass chute will spread cutting more evenly.

I drilled a 1/4" hole near the end of the grass chute and hold it up with a short rubber bungee cord.







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[JDgreen227]

Try the Gator mulching blades when grass is relatively dry after a few hours of sun and mow with the black grass chute raised. The gator blade will create finer cuttings and the raised grass chute will spread cutting more evenly.

I drilled a 1/4" hole near the end of the grass chute and hold it up with a short rubber bungee cord.

View attachment 383569

I installed a small u-bolt on the discharge chute years ago and prop it open most of the time....problem is, there is so much rainfall here my grass almost NEVER dries out....it has been full sun and up to 91 degrees 3 days straight and the grass STILL won't dry out....

 

[lostcreekranch]

The grass clippings are great fertilizer for your grass. Never understood why people collect grass clippings to fertilize land fills, etc.

If you use mulching blades, the clippings will be very fine and decompose quickly, adding to your fertility.

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[oosik]

I mow my grass often enough that the clipping just disappear. Be careful with a dethatcher, especially if your grass is wet when you use it. I had some of those clip on wire things and they just ripped the crud out of my lawn. I had the blades set as high as they would go too. I winnow the clippings, if the grass is tall, and mow over the rows to reduce the clippings until they disappear. Wish we had some of your rain right now.

 

[beenthere]

I mow my grass often enough that the clipping(s) just disappear.

The best solution... :thumbsup:

 

[GPintheMitten]

I am also in mid Michigan had the same problem with too much clippings this year.

I tried unsuccessfully to just keep mowing the clippings hoping they would get chopped up and disappear. Then I mowed with the discharge toward the middle of the yard until I had about an 8 foot wide wind row. Then I got out the old cheap lawn sweeper and picked it up in about 8 trips and dumped it near the garden. Now it has dried enough to leave the clippings on the lawn again.

 

[JDgreen227]

The best solution... :thumbsup:

Well....perhaps you and many other people simply failed to read my original post in this thread and the following ones where I stated my grass NEVER DRIED OUT enough....and maybe if you had 4.5 acres of lawn to mow that was always wet you might understand my issue. I would mow a lot more frequently, IF I HAD THE CHANCE!!!!!! So easy to tell me to mow more often....what good does that advice do????? NONE!!!!!! Telling me to mow more often, or saying your clippings disappear because you mow frequently.....perhaps you mean well but you obviously don't realize my situation.

 

[GPintheMitten]

I have about the same size lawn, maybe more. You might try a lawn sweeper but it might be better to use a hay rake to make windrows. I don't know of any other tool to use other than a lawn vacuum system. I had a neighbor who pulled a vacuum trailer behind his ford tractor that had a mmm.

 

[jenkinsph]

Well....perhaps you and many other people simply failed to read my original post in this thread and the following ones where I stated my grass NEVER DRIED OUT enough....and maybe if you had 4.5 acres of lawn to mow that was always wet you might understand my issue. I would mow a lot more frequently, IF I HAD THE CHANCE!!!!!! So easy to tell me to mow more often....what good does that advice do????? NONE!!!!!! Telling me to mow more often, or saying your clippings disappear because you mow frequently.....perhaps you mean well but you obviously don't realize my situation.

Well you asked the best way to pick up matted grass clippings and you eliminated the bagger/collection system solution in your first post.:confused3:
Might be better to simply recognize that it is a wet year and the clippings will soon be overgrown with more grass. I am sure you take pride in your lawn and want it to look great but, the world isn't perfect either. Long term it is better for the lawn to leave those clippings in place rather than picking them up and depleting the nutrients.

I also like to let my lawn grow up once a year and go to seed, helps reduce thinning and grows larger roots to balance out what is above the ground.

 

[JDgreen227]

I have about the same size lawn, maybe more. You might try a lawn sweeper but it might be better to use a hay rake to make windrows. I don't know of any other tool to use other than a lawn vacuum system. I had a neighbor who pulled a vacuum trailer behind his ford tractor that had a mmm.

I don't want to collect the clippings....just get them up far enough so that I can mow over them again and again as they dry and chop them up. And that is exactly what I said in the beginning.

 

[GPintheMitten]

I don't want to collect the clippings....just get them up far enough so that I can mow over them again and again as they dry and chop them up. And that is exactly what I said in the beginning.

I understand. I didn't want pick mine up either. But it was the best solution to get it back to where I could just mow and drop the clippings.

You're on your own. Good luck.

 

[lostcreekranch]

I don't want to collect the clippings....just get them up far enough so that I can mow over them again and again as they dry and chop them up. And that is exactly what I said in the beginning.

If you are getting all this rain, the clippings will decompose rapidly, on their own.

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[jenkinsph]

I don't want to collect the clippings....just get them up far enough so that I can mow over them again and again as they dry and chop them up. And that is exactly what I said in the beginning.

A sweeper with the bag removed might flip the grass up on top to accomplish your goal. Have you tried high lift bagger blades? I have a set on my L130 and they seem to create a lot of draft. I have also used a pine straw rake with some success too, the clippings are too short to collect but it does what you would want which is leave the clippings on top of the grass.

 

[boggen]

Mower blade - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Reel or cylinder blades[edit]
Used in reel or cylinder mowers, cylinder blades are composed of three to seven helical blades welded in a horizontally rotating cylindrical reel, creating a scissor-like cutting action. Unlike other types of mower blades, reel/cylinder blades cannot be replaced; therefore, a broken blade requires replacement of the entire mower. For dull or rusty blades, cleaning and sharpening kits are available.

Deck blades[edit]
Also known as the standard or straight mower blade, this is the most commonly used blade on rotary mowers.

Mulching blades[edit]
A mulching blade, also known as an all-purpose blade, features a curved surface which allows it to work in three ways: lifting, mowing, and mulching. First, the blade pulls the grass up and cuts it. Then, clippings are sucked inside the deck and are chopped into tinier pieces. Finally, the blade’s innermost curve produces air pressure to blow the small clippings out, where they are used to feed the soil.

Lifting blades[edit]
The lifting blade features a slightly curved surface which creates a vertical upward airflow that lifts the grass up and is assumed to provide a cleaner result than the other types of blades.

Low-lift blade[edit]
Low suction power; recommended for mowing terrain with sandy soil.

Medium-lift blade[edit]
Medium suction power; uses less horsepower than high-lift blades.

High-lift blade[edit]
Provides the greatest suction power among the three lifting blades, but also requires the most horsepower. This is the best blade for cutting tall, compact grass.

http://www.cubcadet.com/equipment/c...ceBetweenMulchingBladesandHighLiftBlades.html

Mower blade terminology can be a little confusing. Local colloquialisms and engineering terminology (such as "3-in-1" or "high-lift") have also contributed to this confusion.

Essentially there are only TWO basic styles of mowing blades used or approved for use on our current products:

1) The standard style of mowing blade is essentially designed for cutting grass and effectively discharging the clippings out from the deck to fall onto the lawn, or to be captured in a grass collection system. Standard blades are also referred to as "2-in-1" (discharging & bagging) or "high-lift" blades (because they are designed to create a higher-lifting airflow).

2) Mulching blades generally have a more curved style surface and frequently include extra cutting surfaces along the blade edges. These blades may also come in a "+" design (which is actually two individual blades arranged in a perpendicular fashion to enhance mulching). The "+" blades are usually found on older style mowers; newer ones utilize blades with more advanced mulching technology.

Mulching blades may also be referred to as "3-in-1" (mulching, discharging & bagging) or "all-purpose" blades.

Bear in mind that the re-circulating airflow design of 3/1 blades makes them less efficient at discharging grass clippings than a standard 2/1 blade. As with most all-purpose tools, there is some give and take as opposed to using a tool designed for a more specific purpose.

If you're experiencing less-than-desired cutting or discharging performance with a 3/1 blade, you may want to check into using a 2/1 blade. Conversely, if you're using a 2/1 blade and want to mulch clippings, you should see about the availability of mulching blades or a mulching kit.*

The type of blade installed on a new mower is a decision the retailer makes for each model of mower, based on the expected needs of most customers. If you're unsure of which blade is on a particular model, inspect the blade. Cub Cadet Genuine Factory Parts blades have part numbers stamped into them. Then compare these part numbers with the unit's Operator's Manual or Parts List.

It is true there are many other styles of blades available. But since we don't manufacture or recommend using these other aftermarket styles, we will leave them out of this discussion. Should you want more information on special application or aftermarket blades, you should contact the companies that make these products. NOTE: Customers using non-O.E.M. blades do so at their own risk. The use of unapproved (non-O.E.M.) blades may void any or all of the mower and engine factory warranties.

* MULCHING KITS - These generally consist of mulching blades and a mulching plug (which closes off the discharge opening to keep the clippings contained under the deck for re-cutting) plus any necessary hardware for installation. Please check with your parts distributor regarding the contents of a particular mulching kit.

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looks like i was wrong in describing high lift vs mulching blades.

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off the wall idea, get "smaller" pulleys that go down to each blade, and a smaller belt. this would increase RPM's / blade tip speed. perhaps some extra suction power. trade off take some more HP to run at a higher RPM's, and in that you would need to mow at a slower speed.

drop the deck lower to the ground, may increase suction power. to pull up the old clippings. wonder if it is possibly to take some sort of conayer belt (tough rubber) and screw / bolt around deck edges. so ya not having to cut grass shorter but perhaps get higher suction power... due to belt drops further down towards the ground?