Clogging

micman32 · Jul 27, 2006

I have read many posts about decks clogging. I just read a post where a guy was talking about his 3000 series plugging up. He had pictures where he was mowing and as far as I could tell the grass was 3' to 4' tall!!!!!!! No wonder he is having problems.
Do most of you mow under "normal" conditions or maybe miss a mowing because of rain or wet conditions or grass that is taller than your machine?
When I bought my CC 3 years ago, I have found that clogging occurs when the grass is wet from rain or dew the deck plugs up. It also clogs mostly in the spring or when the grass is growing like mad.
About a month ago I was mowing a path so my kids can walk to their grandparents. The grass was about 3 to 4 feet high. My mower choked on it. The grass was so long it couldn't discharge normally. I had to stop and clear it. I went over it for 3 passes before it was cut completely.
So when your deck clogs is it under "normal or extreme" conditions?
Not trying to offend anyone just my .02 cets worth!!!!

Egon · Jul 27, 2006

You sure have covered the basics of clogging.

I've mowed some six foot tall blackberry bramble stuff but sure could not take a full pass. It was dry and polished the underside of the mower quite well.

micman32 · Jul 27, 2006

Thanks Egon

I just hate to see good machinery get the blame when it's used in very extreme conditions.
Clogging in going to happen so you clean it and move on!

JPPWNY · Jul 27, 2006

micman32 said:
I have read many posts about decks clogging. I just read a post where a guy was talking about his 3000 series plugging up. He had pictures where he was mowing and as far as I could tell the grass was 3' to 4' tall!!!!!!! No wonder he is having problems.
Do most of you mow under "normal" conditions or maybe miss a mowing because of rain or wet conditions or grass that is taller than your machine?
When I bought my CC 3 years ago, I have found that clogging occurs when the grass is wet from rain or dew the deck plugs up. It also clogs mostly in the spring or when the grass is growing like mad.
About a month ago I was mowing a path so my kids can walk to their grandparents. The grass was about 3 to 4 feet high. My mower choked on it. The grass was so long it couldn't discharge normally. I had to stop and clear it. I went over it for 3 passes before it was cut completely.
So when your deck clogs is it under "normal or extreme" conditions?
Not trying to offend anyone just my .02 cets worth!!!!

Those pictures are laughable!!!! Who in their right mind would cut a hay field with a garden tractor and complain that the garden tractor can't do it?
The guy is lucky he had a shaft driven deck, I would imagine he would have lost several PTO belts cutting 4 ft hay.
That guy probably expects to clear a whole forest with one swipe of his chainsaw.

micman32 · Jul 27, 2006

Maybe you're on to something JPPWNY!

ducati996 · Jul 27, 2006

My first impluse was to make fun of the guy, which isnt the right thing to do of course. The other thought was to look at it as a joke - which is pretty funny if presented like " I dont understand why i dont get a smooth and even cut with my high end garden tractor" he can then show the picture of himself with the sad look he had, showing the 4' plus height of grass.....

The real scary part is - I dont think he was joking

JSharp · Jul 27, 2006

When I first got my tractor we had some grass that was pretty tall. I had the neighbor knock the worst of it down with a Woods mower but some of it we had no choice but to do with my 2554. To make matters worse, it wasn't just tall, but tall and wet.

We clogged the deck a few times until we set it up all the way and then went back over it with it set to normal cutting height.

Since then I'm mowed quite a bit of really tall prairie grass, some as high as 2' to try to get more area for my lawn than I had before. Borrowing the neighbors tractor every time just wasn't an option.

I've actually been pretty happy with how it does in deep stuff. I don't care to make a habit of it since it's obviously not a great idea. I can feel the IMO excessive load on the engine and drive belts

But as far as clogging, I didn't find I had a problem as long as I waited until it was dry, and went slow with the deck all the way up.

The pics in the other thread are nutty though. 1/2 that height and I'd have been over at the neighbors getting a real tractor...

1BeachBum · Jul 27, 2006

I have a year old Z-Force 44 ZTR that doesn't clog completely but the grass clippings sure do collect on the underside of the deck. And this is with the grass I'm cutting being only about 3 or so inches high. The mower cuts ok- doesn't stall out or leave clumps behind. But the time saved in using a ZTR to mow is spent scraping the deck after cutting. I tried using the deck wash ports after every cut this season which has proven to be a big disappointment. They leave a lot behind. And if the clippings aren't removed after cutting, allowed to dry, they become a real pain to remove after the next cut. My only solution is to drive the mower up a set of car ramps and scrape away. I had a Snapper rear engine rider years ago I really miss. I could stand it up on it's rear end after cutting which made cleanup a piece of cake.

emt812 · Jul 27, 2006

Use my Yard Machines with Gator blades for the really tall grass and brairs. First pass on high then lower deck on next pass after that I can mow it with my CC 2544. In the process of clearing another 1/2 acre. Mainly just tall grass & brairs, taking the time not to try and do it all at once, has been bushhogged before no small trees to contend with, enjoy the extra seat time.