cub cadet 582 special 44c deck - better suction

[mdmcs1]

hello all! i have restored a 582 special this year, and have used it all summer to mow my lawn.

one thing i have noticed is that the deck doesnt have all that much suction - i cut my grass at 3 -3.5 inches, and at that height there doesnt seem to be enough suction sometimes to pick up the grass that the front tires just rolled over. is there any blades or tricks out there to improve this? id really like this to suck the grass up better.


thanks all for your help!

 

[OhioGuy]

Are you cutting at full throttle?
Are the baffles all in place?
There are higher lift blades, I believe.

Good Luck,
Curt

 

[mdmcs1]

yes, deck is 100% stock - all baffles in place, new blades from IH - engine is running at 3600 rpm

anyone have any experience with different blades on this deck?

 

[VinceSMTA]

I believe you can speed up your deck if you replace your center double pulley. If it still has the original one on it is bigger in diameter than the updated cub cadet pulley for a slightly newer deck. You would then need to get a little shorter mule belt. Maybe some of the other guys have experience with this as it has been a long time since I've worked on one of those.

 

[JTKub]

Try adjusting that deck nose-down slightly. Some will slice through better on that leading edge of grass that way. I know my new age 44" does BLAST out the discharge with great force, but will just lay over long dandelions without cutting them.

Joel

 

[mdmcs1]

i was reading today about the gator mulching blades - more suction, plus mulching action...

has anyone used these on a 44c? and if so how did you like them?

 

[2manyrocks]

I have not used them, but recall that some of the guys on the IH Cub Cadet forum at a different size seemed to like them. The front end of all the International Cubs is pretty heavy and would tend to mash the grass down. Think I would try the blades before I messed around and changed the pulley.

There are some other guys with 582's here. Wonder what they think.

 

[savageactor7]

We had a 582 back in the mid 80's that cut very well so there must be something up with yours. And back then the blades imo weren't turned up as much as todays are...only thing I can add is that if you're using a generic belt they're not as exact as original equipment. If that's the case the belt could be a tad too long(or a tad short in the width) preventing max deck rpms....I take it you tried tightening it up with no diff in performance?

My sons and I are golfers so we'd cut to fairway height with the deck in float (scalp) position...about every 10 days the blades would come off to be resharpened cause we like that green, green look you get from sharp blades.