Rear or Side discharge

[zzvyb6]

Knee high grass? Buy a bagger.

Better yet, buy a baler.

 

[oosik]

I have 80 acres of mostly open grass land. The house & outbuildings are fences off in around 8 of the 80 acres. The neighbors cows are randomly let in on the open 72 acres. They clip off the grass just great - they are rear discharge - their "piles" are completely biodegradable. Everybody is happy/satisfied. My wildfire problems are reduced, no blades to sharpen, no mower to maintain, no fuel to purchase.

 

[Xfaxman]

My preference is my Recycle Deck:

For knee high grass ground speed would be very slow or two passes with the deck set high on first pass.

 

[dieselscout80]

I have 80 acres of mostly open grass land. The house & outbuildings are fences off in around 8 of the 80 acres. The neighbors cows are randomly let in on the open 72 acres. They clip off the grass just great - they are rear discharge - their "piles" are completely biodegradable. Everybody is happy/satisfied. My wildfire problems are reduced, no blades to sharpen, no mower to maintain, no fuel to purchase.

What hoot. :thumbsup:

 

[Thomas]

Mowing knee high grass your facing long time in the seat and grass clumping also strain on the mower belt,you know of anyone or rent flail mower?

 

[BrkMstr]

I have a 72 finish rear - had a side for many years - I do not want a cab, enjoy the open - the rear does a nice job and the dust / debris are behind me - but I mow once a week not interested in being on the cover of home & garden - just want a neat / nice looking job, it cuts nice, I do not bag it, with the rear I find it spreads it more than the side and I do not see the clumping I had with the side but that's my opinion. My neighbor has a nice JD ZeroTurn, has a sprinkler system, feeds it two or three times a year, he mows / bags it, loves working on the perfect green, that's what he enjoys - different strokes for different folks.....

 

[1Random1]

I have a 72 finish rear - had a side for many years - I do not want a cab, enjoy the open - the rear does a nice job and the dust / debris are behind me - but I mow once a week not interested in being on the cover of home & garden - just want a neat / nice looking job, it cuts nice, I do not bag it, with the rear I find it spreads it more than the side and I do not see the clumping I had with the side but that's my opinion. My neighbor has a nice JD ZeroTurn, has a sprinkler system, feeds it two or three times a year, he mows / bags it, loves working on the perfect green, that's what he enjoys - different strokes for different folks.....

Can you elaborate on this?

I guess not having used it logic tells me... "ok it spreads nicer than the side" - but there is a BUT in all that... the clippings "are" left on the cut lawn. Does not side discharge 'throw' them away from the lawn?

So even though it may clump things up 'on the side' --- the area you mowed is perfectly clean because it got discharged off to the side rather than left on top of the mowed area?

This is what I am not getting. The side chute is on the right hand side. Lets say you make a strip top down... you dont then do the next line right next to it throwing the new cut lawn back over the top of the part you already mowed... go in long squares always keeping the discharged clippings 'off' the area you mowed... does that not leave a cleaner finish than the rear that just leaves it on the grass you mowed?

I guess for intended use... I have a couple acres, I like the cow idea (thats what has always been done to keep the grass short) but wanting to fence off a couple acres around the home to mow nicely (less snake problems etc). If I just want to cut the grass once every couple weeks just to keep it 'neat and tidy'... which one will be easier/faster to do the job with and leave a cleaner finish? - If no bag etc is desired.. just cut and be done with it... type mowing with clean results. I don't like to finish mowing and then look at the whole area I cut and see all this loose stuff on top. Short of then raking it all up and losing all day doing that (can't be bothered)... in this context would the side or rear leave the 'more raked up' look? - Again logic tells me side - only because it throws the grass away from where I did mow rather than leaving it on there (making it look like it needs to be raked up)... but I may be missing something.

 

[paulfun9]

Attempting to throw the cut grass one direction would just end with me having a stalled mower as it piled up. No way to throw that much grass far enough to not land where I had to cut next, then when cut on the next pass the next gets harder to cut. End result is having a bunch of areas the grass would need raked from.
Rear discharge leaves a more wide spread trail behind. If cut regularly it’s not visible from a distance most times and if it is it’s dry and fallen in by the next morning with no windrows at all.

I simply can’t understand your logic in always having someplacevto blowvthe clippings with a side discharge. Here it won’t work I’ve tried and will never buy an other side discharge mower again.

 

[PA hayseed]

I cut 9 acres all the time with two pieces of equipment a woods zero turn and a rear finish mower (rear discharge) on my tractor. I don't care what you cut with, if your grass is kneee high it won't spread out from any device, and it will take forever to cut (unless you raise the deck and make multiple passes). Once cut, if you maintain your grass, there is little discharge on the yard from a rear finish mower. When I cut the biggest section of field that gets the heaviest grass, I use the tractor. Everything else is zero turn due to speed and closeness of the cut. THe zero turn cannot get under the trees though, but I can back up with the rear finish mower and hit it, reducing my weed wack time substantially.

If your using a box pattern, pushing your grass clippings all in one direction, you will eventually have too thick of a mess to mow on the next row (unless it is extremely short and dry or you bag it). I like the grass clippings that are left on my field, they help fill in the low spots, as long as you always cut one direction one time then cross cut the next (keep alternating). If you cut the same exact way every time, it is likely you will develop ruts and dips. One or two wet cuts and you will know what I mean.

 

[lennyzx11]

I mow 8 acres for a really nice lawn. It’s a job in season. Especially when by myself which is often.
I use the time to drink beer and listen to audiobooks in peace and quiet though.

With a tractor, brush hog, flail mower, PTO finish mower, push mower, jd rider, and two Dixie choppers on the place.
Hands down my best way in respect to time and ease is to use the ztr s. They also cut down on weed eater time. The tractor has ag tires and it will tear up the main yard in a hurry if not very careful.

1. Only cut 1/3 of the length of grass and let it blow out and lay.
This is best even if you end up mowing twice because it got too long on you.

2. Going to bag much?
Get a dumper box like Protero or Peco. My conventional bagger is a PITA.the dump box on one of the Dixie choppers is the cake. Everyone fights to get that ride.

3. Waited to long due to rain, laziness, whatever? Tractor with flail mower usually.

4. Brush hog anything that got over 12” high.

5. PTO finish mower on tractor only gets used to back into and under stuff to fight back encroaching growth and if both the ztr s and the rider are claimed.
I would rather do that than run the push mower or weed eater!