Finish Mowers

[Ozarker]

Here is a question for you guys that have owned/used various types of finish mowers. Aside from the location of the discharge chute, is there a significant difference in the design of the deck between a rear discharge mower and a side discharge mower?

I ask this because I am cheap. I am about to get serious about looking for a rear mount finish mower to pull behind my Yanmar and I have decided that a rear discharge is what I need. That will make it easier to get around all my wife's flower gardens without throwing grass into them.

I will be looking for a used unit and will most likely find units at one of the many auctions happening every weekend within 50 miles or so of my house. My though is that even if I find a good deal in a side discharge unit, if there is no significant difference in deck design, I could close the side discharge chute and open the back of the deck.

What do you think? Is this a viable plan or am I likely to be disappointed with the results of such a project? Looks pretty simple to me......which is probably why it won't work.

 

[Mosey]

It might work OK, but you might also have problems with uneven discharge. My LandPride FDR2572 rear discharge mower has 3 blades and each blade spins inside it's own chamber that is open in the back. The chambers are how it creates the suction, which lifts the grass to cut it better. I would assume a side discharge mower will have the chambers set up to go out the side. So, you would have to open up each chamber in the back and then close them on the side. I'm pretty sure some mowers don't have the individual chambers, so if you could find one of those your plan might work. Sorry to make it so complicated, but as the saying goes "it's never easy!".

 

[Kodiak]

Ozarker:

Yes there is differences between side dicharge and rear discharge. Primarily the difference lies in the baffling welded on the bottom side of the deck.

The baffling for a side discharge deck is designed to (A) help lift grass for better cutting and (B) to direct the clippings from the blade farthest from the chute across both of the other blades, and finally out the chute.

Wherein the baffling for a rear discharge deck is designed to help with the lift for each blade. But has a larger opening to the rear, to help in scattering the clippings over a wider area.

The baffling also helps in providing lateral support for the horizontal plane of the deck. If you weir to go about plugging up the chute on a side discharge deck and open up the back. you would probably weaken the deck. Plus the baffling might not be conducive to effective modifications, therefore creating a problem by plugging up, or clumping.

There also appears to be two different designs in rear discharge decks. There are decks that have a somewhat smaller opening. Like the Woods and Befcos as well as many others. these are usually defined by a straight opening that extends only part way across the rear. ( usually seen with chain guards on the newer ones) And others that have a somewhat pointed rear that is angled down. Such as the First Choice GM30/35 and Landpride FDR25/35 series. I personnally find my First Choice GM30-72 works better than the former of the two types

 

[chim]

There's even a difference in side discharge mowers. I had been shopping for a right-side discharge RFM, and saw some RFM's that discharged to the left. They looked like you could just unbolt the plate on the right side to open it up and use the plate to cover the hole in the left side. I contacted the manufacturer, and was informed there was no way it would work. Since it meant I wouldn't buy the deck, the manufacturer wouldn't have anything to gain by misleading me.................chim