Rear or Side discharge

[kthompson]

Depending on the option to, you may want to plant a slower growing grass. I like the baler option. Some steady good advice.

 

[BrkMstr]

Cutting every week does not allow a lot of growth - the rear discharge spreads it nicely, it's a nice quality mower with sharp blades run at 540 - I do not bag, I put it back on the lawn, old timers use to tell me that returns the nutrients - I assumed it was an excuse for not bagging - but it works for me, our lawn is always neat, grows well and in all honesty if we have a rainy summer looks as good as my neighbors - obviously if we have a dry summer it gets a little brown in spots....

 

[1Random1]

Thanks for the feedback. So if i tried to use a side discharge and throw the grass where I need to mow next... it will eventually pile up and bog the mower down.

If i some how managed to do that then the other problem would be the fact I would have to mow the same way every time causing a trail in the grass etc.

In which case really speaking... If i was to use side discharge i should mow 2 different directions and i should be throwing the new cut clippings over the area already mowed to keep it away from where I need to cut next. In this case the grass is left over the lawn just like a rear discharge would leave it... just spread differently?

I did speak to Kubota and there are bag/catchers for the rear discharge as well as some high flow system for side where it uses a fan to throw the grass up the tube into the catcher.

Well which one can handle neglected grass easier? I would think rear discharge as its not trying to throw the grass from 1 side to the other to discharge...

And terms of cut quality... does one seem to cut the grass nicer over the other (less stragglers etc) or much of a muchness?

 

[mikester]

Thanks for the feedback. So if i tried to use a side discharge and throw the grass where I need to mow next... it will eventually pile up and bog the mower down.

If i some how managed to do that then the other problem would be the fact I would have to mow the same way every time causing a trail in the grass etc.

In which case really speaking... If i was to use side discharge i should mow 2 different directions and i should be throwing the new cut clippings over the area already mowed to keep it away from where I need to cut next. In this case the grass is left over the lawn just like a rear discharge would leave it... just spread differently?

I did speak to Kubota and there are bag/catchers for the rear discharge as well as some high flow system for side where it uses a fan to throw the grass up the tube into the catcher.

Well which one can handle neglected grass easier? I would think rear discharge as its not trying to throw the grass from 1 side to the other to discharge...

And terms of cut quality... does one seem to cut the grass nicer over the other (less stragglers etc) or much of a muchness?

By the sounds of things all you want is a rear discharge bush hog. If you are worried about cut quality you wouldnt let the grass grow that tall in the first place. Re-cutting cut grass just slows you down and burns more fuel. Thats why the rear discharge would be better for you, just cut it once and forget about it.

 

[ruffdog]

If the OP plans on blowing all the clippings to the center of his "square", he will have to bale what is left.

 

[greenrider1]

I've used a 3 pt rear discharge Bush Hog brand finish mower (7 ft) and it left a really nice cut and dispersed the clippings evenly with no clumping. It cut tall grass really well too due to the size of the mower deck. I sold that mower and bought a F3080 with 6' rear discharge deck, and while it's a lot more maneuverable than the 3 pt mower on the bigger tractor, the rear discharge deck doesn't leave as nice of a cut and clumps terrible unless the grass is really dry or mowed very frequently. While I really like the F series mower, the RD deck sucks. I'm not sure why the 3 pt RD was so much better. I've tried Gator blades, which help a little with the clumping, but the cut quality is even worse. If I could do it over I would have gone with the side discharge.

 

[chim]

Had a few side discharge decks and two rear discharge. If the grass isn't too long when cut any of them are OK. My side discharge decks have all been right-side discharge. Generally I went counter clockwise and blew clippings away from the center as the mowing pattern shrank. To switch things up I've mowed different patterns with a side discharge but not when the grass was high. Rear discharge really frees you up to go in whatever direction you want.

Here are a couple pics showing the RD deck and the cut / uncut grass in front of the tractor. This is taking probably 3-4" off.

 

[1Random1]

Well that looks pretty clean if you ask me.

I just dont understand why every manufacturer, hustler, kubota and everyone says "if you leave the grass too long, the side discharge will cut it easier than rear discharge, and side discharge leaves a cleaner looking lawn"

They even told me in wet tall grass, side discharge will go through it easier/faster.

Yet side discharge bogs down cause its trying to cut everything more than once... so I fail to see how it will cut 'easier and faster' than a rear discharge.

What am I missing?

Eg:

"Cutting performance is similar on our side and rear decks, you will have more clumping of cut grass behind the rear deck though. Rear decks don't disperse clippings as effectively / evenly as a side cut decks.

If you're after a nicer finish then you would probably go for a side discharge deck."

"Side discharge decks will deal with tall wet grass easier than rear discharge and they will allow you to cut your field faster and have it looking cleaner than rear discharge"

Then you google the story and u get stuff like this in most blogs/posts

"Once again, rear discharge models do better than side discharge mowers. ... A rear discharge mower will still spray out trimmings in this fashion, but they will tend to spread out more evenly because they are being sprayed out behind instead of to the side and covering a larger area in the process."

Along with a lot of people (think there was a thread on here I read) where majority of people said "i would never use a side discharge again" after buying their first rear discharge deck. And some even said they were told by dealers not to buy rear discharge decks but they pushed them to sell them a rear discharge deck and they work better.

Yet they dont cut as good, they leave more mess, and they struggle in longer grass than side discharge, and they cut grass slower. (based on the above)...

So what am I failing to understand here?

 

[chim]

Not sure what to say except if the grass is REALLY too long nothing works well for me. I wish I'd have gone with a rear discharge sooner. There was hesitation because my side discharge decks had done much better than the rear discharge deck on the In-law's John Deere. I don't remember the model number. It was a dedicated mower that resembled a ZT except it had a steering wheel. It always left windrows between the blades regardless of the condition of the grass being cut.

My side discharge decks were a belly mower on a Cub 154 LoBoy, a 5' Caroni RFM and a 5' LandPride (AT-something) RFM. The came the L3200 with a rear discharge LandPride FDR1672 RFM. Then the L4240 deserved a wider deck, so I bought and re-furbished the Caroni 90" deck in the picture. I should note that I am not running the deflector on that deck. It does impair the distribution of the clippings somewhat.

Last Summer there was a well-used 5' Caroni side discharge that I bought to rehab for the little Ford. The 5' Caroni that has been used, abused, welded and abused again since '91 or '92 has gotten to the point that usable parts will be salvaged from it for the other two Caroni decks.

 

[1Random1]

thanks for the feedback.

I spoke to some other companies... they suggested a "flail" mower.

I must say I didn't understand what that was, I had a look at them in use...

They cut short/tall grass without issues and they disperse the grass (rear - discharge if you will, it doesn't shoot out the side) very evenly and nicely. Even picks up the grass the wheels just flattened to not leave uncut areas.

I was quite surprised how neat that mower leaves things looking and what sort of conditions (if your lazy and want to mow once in 2-3months) it can cut in without having to make 2-3 passes.

Can a properly set up flail mower be used as a finishing mower? - If I am not mistaken they use something of the nature on golf fairways - if they do... then well it seems that gives you the best of both worlds. Tall or short grass and a beautiful finish. 1 Mower that seems to do everything?

 

[Xfaxman]

Here is the epic Flail Mower Thread: https://www.tractorbynet.com/forums/attachments/118882-lets-talk-flail-mowers.html

 

[Randy Gann]

Here is the epic Flail Mower Thread: https://www.tractorbynet.com/forums/attachments/118882-lets-talk-flail-mowers.html

Your profile shows that do not yet have a CUT or SCUT. So are you planning on buying a tractor to run a pto driven flail mower or rear finish mower or bush hog mower? All of these require a tractor with appropriate pto hp for the size of the mower. My thoughts are that tractor rear mounted pto driven mowers are better with rear discharge. Zero turn mowers and lawn tractors with mid mount mowers are better as side discharge. Even a mid mount mower for a CUT or SCUT is usually side discharge. Rear discharge commercial mowers are generally zero turns with a bagging and collection system like a Walker Mower or Toro Grooming mowers. These are designed for high quality lawn grooming. As someone already mentioned if you want a nice quality lawn - - keep the grass under control and mow weekly so you are not cutting more than 1/3 of the length at one cutting. For this the Zero turn with side discharge is most popular equipment. If you are not able to mow weekly and just want a mowed “field” look - - then you need a tractor with either a rear mount pto driven bush hog or flail mower.

 

[1Random1]

Your profile shows that do not yet have a CUT or SCUT. So are you planning on buying a tractor to run a pto driven flail mower or rear finish mower or bush hog mower? All of these require a tractor with appropriate pto hp for the size of the mower. My thoughts are that tractor rear mounted pto driven mowers are better with rear discharge. Zero turn mowers and lawn tractors with mid mount mowers are better as side discharge. Even a mid mount mower for a CUT or SCUT is usually side discharge. Rear discharge commercial mowers are generally zero turns with a bagging and collection system like a Walker Mower or Toro Grooming mowers. These are designed for high quality lawn grooming. As someone already mentioned if you want a nice quality lawn - - keep the grass under control and mow weekly so you are not cutting more than 1/3 of the length at one cutting. For this the Zero turn with side discharge is most popular equipment. If you are not able to mow weekly and just want a mowed 吐ield look - - then you need a tractor with either a rear mount pto driven bush hog or flail mower.

No I don't have anything, that is why I been trying to figure out which way to go.

I want something that will cut the field nice and short (flail definitely looks the goods for this) but I also want to roll down about 1 acre of beautiful buffalo grass around the house so that I got that really nice green lawn (not just farm type bush grass).

Wondered which mower can do it all if you will. When you are regular, and when you decide not to bother for a while... which one lends itself to both scenarios.

 

[Xfaxman]

A front mount flail mower would be at the top of the list: front mount flail mower - Image Search

Depending on your budget:

 

[Randy Gann]

No I don't have anything, that is why I been trying to figure out which way to go.

I want something that will cut the field nice and short (flail definitely looks the goods for this) but I also want to roll down about 1 acre of beautiful buffalo grass around the house so that I got that really nice green lawn (not just farm type bush grass).

Wondered which mower can do it all if you will. When you are regular, and when you decide not to bother for a while... which one lends itself to both scenarios.

One big question is your budget. To mow a field of any size the best choice is a CUT (compact utility tractor). A SCUT (sub compact utility tractor) will work but the lower ground clearance can be an issue. A rear mount bush hog pto driven rotary mower on either of these tractors will do a good job mowing the field and cost less than a flail mower. BUT this bush hog rotary mower is not great for giving you a nice looking lawn. The flail mower will cost more and would be able to mow both the field and do a decent job on your yard. The good news is that a tractor opens up your options and offers ability to do additional tasks. You already mentioned Kubota - - the B series are smaller CUTs that would be set up to mow both the field and the yard. The BX series are SCUT that are smaller and lighter and would work in a small field and would be more nimble in the yard. Once again - - it all depends upon your budget. If your budget is only enough for a "lawn mower" then just be careful that you don't overwork the machine trying to mow a field.

 

[crazyal]

Sounds like you could use a cheap or used zero turn for the house so you can mow once a week. Also a CUT to do the stuff that you just want cut but doesn't need to get done as often. The next best would be different attachments for a cut. A finish mower for the house and maybe a flail for the field.

My yard is too bumpy to go fast and too steep for a ZTR. I blow the clippings onto the next section to be cut but I do it when dry. As long as I don't wait for knee high grass before cutting (about once a week) I just make a pass going forward then back up and mow it a second time. I don't get the massive clumps of grass others get because the blades mulch it (which would also be a good option from around the house depending on your soil). Until this past fall I did the leaves the same way but now had a vac trailer. It works well with both leaves and grass cuttings but would fill up too quickly if you don't mow often enough.

 

[1Random1]

Thanks I will keep that in mind.

I tried a zero turn on my property... the grass is... how you say.... theres pa tches of dirt inbetween clumps of grass that grow. If you try to push a push mower through here... it gets jammed on the clumps of grass. Like... everything is green... (its not like big patches of dirt) I mean more like inbetween the grass blades you see the dry/flat stuff with grass clumps.

I dont know what it is, some people say its some african weed or something...

https://lawnsolutionsaustralia.com.au/wp-content/uploads/2018/04/Wintergrass.jpg - I don't think it is this exactly, but if you think about this in about a 3-4 inch width... its like a dense clump of grass that if you pulled it hard enough by the blades you end up pulling this clump of roots out with the grass, its the stuff you need a spade/hoe to dig out because its really hard/tough. When you do manage to get it out, its like a ball of roots, all clumped together, thats why its hard like a bump.

https://cloudflare2.jove.com/CDNSource/teasers/53151.jpg - maybe more like this... and you can imagine a whole field (not this long- more like the first picture) but with that sort of root system.

Anyway the property 'field grass' is pretty much made up of this stuff, I used a Zero turn on it, and the handle bars are pushed not even half way forward. I tried to go faster but the mower (driving over these clumps) makes it bounce so much it literally throws me off the seat. The property is also on a hill, so everything is going downwards with those clumps bouncing the whole mower around.

I been to another place I used to live where my neighbour came and mowed our lawn, and he had this old red tractor. Big wheel on back, smaller wheel on front, was about 3-4 meters long. Had no cabin, seat was up high with the round wheel infront

https://c8.alamy.com/comp/M6E4C9/an...ious-works-on-an-agricultural-farm-M6E4C9.jpg - something like this.

He had a big square metal plate behind it (i think was a rotary) and he mowed the whole field with that.

That is really all I knew of for 'farm work' the whole Zero turn stuff was new to me. Even when i was a kid growing up I remember seeing full sized tractors (with the cabin) mowing parks.

Are all these sort of tractors slow though or can they be used to mow at a decent speed (like a zero turn in a straight line when it is flat)?

Only thinking a tractor because rather than buying a whole new mower for a different task, you only need to buy a new attachment for the one you already have (the tractor).

 

[Xfaxman]

Do you need a tractor for other jobs?

In my considerable experience an out front mower is the best setup for mowing.

And I sold my last tractor after I found something better.

 

[kwbretired]

I used a flail mower for years cutting pastures & open lots for other people. It performed very well cutting short or tall grass/ weeds. Keeping blades on the drum is a challenge sometimes depending on what you are cutting. When a blade is thrown off, you know it pretty quickly due to a strop of uncut grass & vibration. I had to replace the drum & bearings in mine due to it being so out of balance, that alone was a little over a $1000 20 years ago. Finally got rid of it, got tired of replacing blades.

 

[Xfaxman]

Check this thread and Flail Mower video: https://www.tractorbynet.com/forums...sshopper-928d-vs-post5685753.html#post5685753