Z-track grass clippings

[bigtiller]

A 60" mower deck with side discharge on my ZTR, leaves the machine and me covered head-to-toe with grass clippings.

I'm debating purchase of a rear discharge ZTR for that reason only.

Are the rear discharge decks any better at keeping the operator cleaner?

 

[Engineer42]

A 60" mower deck with side discharge on my ZTR, leaves the machine and me covered head-to-toe with grass clippings.

I'm debating purchase of a rear discharge ZTR for that reason only.

Are the rear discharge decks any better at keeping the operator cleaner?

Be cheaper to buy the mulching kit for what you have, I would think. If available.

 

[Runner]

I purchased my first ZTR last summer and got a bagger kit with it. Tried it out on some Cottonwood leaves that fell early in September due to dry weather. It was hot so I was sweating. I swear, I looked like a tree trunk when I got off that machine. Completely covered in dust and leaf grindings.

Hoping for a little rain before I start fall leaf pickup in earnest....

 

[newbury]

Hoping for a little rain before I start fall leaf pickup in earnest....

I've heard of rain
Came down from Virginia to Fulton, Ms. about October 1st. We have not gotten a drop of rain yet. And Weather Underground is only predicting 0.02" on the 30th.

 

[bigtiller]

Be cheaper to buy the mulching kit for what you have, I would think. If available.

I purchased my first ZTR last summer and got a bagger kit with it. Tried it out on some Cottonwood leaves that fell early in September due to dry weather. It was hot so I was sweating. I swear, I looked like a tree trunk when I got off that machine. Completely covered in dust and leaf grindings.

Hoping for a little rain before I start fall leaf pickup in earnest....

I bought the Z new last year, and have already checked with the dealer.
A bagger isn't offered for my mower deck.
And a mulching kit is not for me, my yard is about 3 acres.

I imagine with a tail wind it will get a little dusty but I'd like to hear from some owners about just how bad it actually gets.

 

[mikester]

Try changing mowing patterns to blow swarf away from you? Are you using the deck chute?

 

[nyone]

Theres no point in bagging when you can just mulch everything in. I would try a mulching plug before you do anything else.

 

[workinonit]

I bought the Z new last year, and have already checked with the dealer.
A bagger isn't offered for my mower deck.
And a mulching kit is not for me, my yard is about 3 acres.

I imagine with a tail wind it will get a little dusty but I'd like to hear from some owners about just how bad it actually gets.

What does the size of your lawn have to do with a mulching kit? I cut at least that much grass and both of my ZTRs have mulch kits. I've been running them since 2002 and wouldn't own a mower without it. The best part is how it makes leaves disappear.

 

[nikdfish]

We have a 60" rear discharge on our Z930M, it was a $1k upgrade over the side discharge & took a custom build order to get in our area.

A flap across the back directs clippings & dust down but you can still get some accumulation from wind blown trash. Much less, however, than side discharge with the deflector removed or open.

 

[bigtiller]

I cut at least that much grass and both of my ZTRs have mulch kits. I've been running them since 2002 and wouldn't own a mower without it. The best part is how it makes leaves disappear.

Total time spent mowing.

Aren't we supposed to mow more frequently when mulching?

I live on a knoll in a corn field, leaves are not a problem.

 

[workinonit]

Not as far as I am aware. I don't mow any more or any less by mulching. Not sure where that info came from.

 

[WinterDeere]

Aren't we supposed to mow more frequently when mulching?

If you read that somewhere, I’d argue the writer was confusing “not bagging” with mulching.

Whether mulching or side-ejecting, long clippings laying on the lawn is both a cosmetic and potential health issue. But I’d argue that mulched debris is likely better than windrows of side-ejected clippings, if the grass was a little long at time of mowing.

Aim to cut your grass at a time when you’re removing no more than a third of the stalk. Around here, mostly tall fescue cut to 4”, that means we’re cutting when the stalk height is 6” or less. That means 4th day in spring, but maybe every 7-21 days in July, in our climate.

Bagging lets you avoid the cosmetic and health issues of letting long clippings lay on the lawn, but those who use it to really extend time between mowings and then remove more than half the stalk in a single cutting, will often suffer other problems. It’s always better to cut more frequently and remove less per cutting, when schedule permits.

 

[bigtiller]

I like mowing. It begins as a fun ride on the tractors but it's not long before the fun wears off and it turns into work. So I like to split it up and not do the entire yard in one go-around. It usually takes me 2 days to mow. That way I get double the fun and no work involved.

I don't think I have ever mowed the entire yard every fourth day. I like it when the grass is high enough to see where I've mowed the previous pass.

 

[WinterDeere]

I don't think I have ever mowed the entire yard every fourth day. I like it when the grass is high enough to see where I've mowed the previous pass.

Probably depends on grass type, nutrient level, and climate. Here, if I don’t mow every 4th day in May, it looks like I’ve been brush-hogging hay, with deep windrows that won’t break-down and lay in.