Exmark Mulching - strips down the middle

[Kent Lawn Care]

I recently bought 3 exmarks 2-36" and a 48" i have mulching kits on all three becausae i said that i wasnt going to bag lawns anymore to all my customers. I was wondering about the strip thats down the middle, how can i fix the problem. ive been told that using gator blades help, well, ive tryed all kinds of blades and there is no difference between them, the strip is still there. PLEASE if anyone has any ideas let me know. im mowing my lawns in 1st gear and double cutting them just to get them so they look good. Thanks!


Phil Kent
Kent Lawn Care

[Runner]

What do you mean by strips? What is it doing, leaving strips of mowed grass, or what?

[River Hill]

I had the same problem. The strips of grass on my 48" is where the baffles come together. I normally would get two of them. They were only about 1/2" wide. I think the baffles are keeping the grass away from the blades. I only had this problem on long or thick grass. This is why I took off my kit.

[rixtag]

Phil, what I think your talking about is a strip about 1-2"
wide that gets missed and it seems to be in the center. Right? I have also experienced this and what I do to fix that is check to see how bad the grass is built up on the center baffle. I have this happen when I cut long or very wet grass and this gets built up causing the grass to lay down and leave a strip. Here is what I do. I cut in 2nd or 3rd gear and make a second pass only on that line. it works for me and as for taking off the kit that is apersonal choice but I wouldn't think of it for me, mulching is the only way I mow. Hope that helps.

Rick

[65hoss]

I don't get any problems at all out of my 36". But since putting the kit on my HP I noticed that on tall fescue only it did sometimes skip. Probably has to do with cutting fescue higher and the thicker blades of grass. I never get this with bermuda or zoysia.

[John DiMartino]

Make sure you have the deck pitched forward 1/8-1/4".My Dixie did the same thing-the deck pitch was not right,since it was pitched 95 % of the problem is gone.The front of the blade needs to be lower by 1/8"-to 1/4" than the rear,when sitting on level ground.I checked mine in my garage floor.

[Kent Lawn Care]

Thank you everyone for your replys so far. the strips i am talking about is where its not cutting where the blades overlap. i will be checking things over for the height and buildup of grass on the baffles. if you have anymore ideas please keep posting, i know others are having the same problems. once again Thank You.



Phil

[Premo Services]

If it is missing grass where the blades over lap, that could be the edges of the blades are worn down. The person that showed me how to sharpen them said the edges will wear down and sharpening them too much will make them weaker.

[Runner]

Phil, were you originally from the Flint area? Carman?

[Kent Lawn Care]

nope, im not from Flint, been livin in my hometown all my life. although i did attend college at U of M Flint.