Mowing mower cut quality

[Zeke]

I am considering purchasing a 422 with 60" mower deck. My question is how good a cut can I expect? The lawn is flat with no weeds and a very fine grade of grass similiar to a golf course. It is currently being professionally cut by a top of the line exmark mulching mower. Will I see a difference? What about the quality of the blades, their speed etc...? Thanks.

 

[Anonymous Poster]

Zeke - I have the 425 with the 60 inch deck - I also have a
high quality turf grass lawn - no weeds and very dense.

Before I purchased the 425 i used to cut it with a commercial Buton mower - before that i used a Locke reel mower

I have to say that I am happy with the cut - (the 48 inch will give you a little nicer cut (I had that deck from them as well but decided it was not big enough) - but overall the quality is good. They use a thin blade design which I happen to like - you can get them really sharp and they produce a clean cut -

I have not tried a mulch type blade yet - but I suspect you would need to put a baffle in the rear to keep some clippings within the deck (they use a rear discharge) - I also think that the rear discharge disperses the clippings better - I cut my lawn once and then after the clippings sit for a little while and dry up in the sun - I cut it again ay a 90 degree angle - this leaves very little clippings left - I also modified my deck - to produce a stripe pattern - (See my earlier postings with pictures) - The one thing I will say to you is that I would reconsider the 422 in favor of a 425 - the engine really does have quite a bit more power - far more than the peak hp difference - I think it has almost 20 percent more torque - that really makes a difference when mowing -

mowing, especially with a 60 inch deck is the most demanding job you will put the machine through - if you like the 422 maybe consider a 48 inch deck - just an opinion

 

[bubenberg]

AMEN especially the suggestion of the 48 inch deck.

ZEKE: if you do a search on decks, mowing under power trac you will be able to write a book once you have digested all that info ... and you lawn will look nicer than before /forums/images/graemlins/cool.gif

 

[Schultz]

I don't recall seeing that one about the stripping. I did the search but Deadstick's thread was the only one that came up. Could you post the link
Thanks
Tim

 

[bubenberg]

here are just a few:
Re: New Blades and Striping Kit Power Trac bubenberg 06/28/02 06:34 PM
Re: New Blades and Striping Kit Power Trac bubenberg 06/25/02 08:53 PM
Re: PT 4xx Finish Mower Cut Quality Power Trac PTRich 05/20/02 05:53 PM

if you like to go to the stripping U see lawnsite.com, they talk about this year round.

 

[Anonymous Poster]

If you look at my threads - it is "Eds pictures of 425 and attachments" - there is a picture of the mower with the full width rear roller that provides the stripe

 

[Zeke]

Thanks for the advice. Paying 30% more for 20% more torque is a tough one but maybe it's necessary.

 

[MossRoad]

You might want out check out the 48" mower instead of the 60" mower for the 422. See what the factory has to say.