Oh, to single cut...

[Shady Brook]

I have to say first off, this site is a dream! I stumbled on it from the plow site, and have spending lots of time reading the many posts. I appreciate everyones willingness to help each other.

I have a 52" Turf Tiger and am not real pleased with it's ability to multch. I do not have the advantage deck, so I can not get the multch kit, which I hear is salty anyway. I discharge as much as I can, but often am double cutting, or bagging the remains. I am really frustrated. I have went to double blades, which helps, but also seems to force certain grass types down to the ground, leaving much uncut. I have been using a highlift/bottom, standard/top, due to the high moisture content of the grass of late. I may have to try using a standard and a gator to stop some of the down force.

Does anyone have a tiger that they are really satisfied with? I like the construction, not the hydropump that took a dump on me. I do not make much money with all the passes. I have heavy growth in most of my yards, and this is my first rider so perhaps I am expecting to much. I wonder if there are folks in a similar region that cut high, and or damp grass with success using any machine, be it dixie, exmark, or hustler? I honestly believe my scag walk behinds are better multchers using gators then my Tiger. Thanks in adavance, and sorry for the brutally long post.

Jay:)

[vipermanz]

Welcome To Lawnsite!!

in just a matter of minutes you will have multiple responses on the scag question, if you ever have a question, be sure to try the search feature at the top of the page, there's a few good hours of reading there!:)

[Runner]

Shady Brook,
First of all, welcome to Lawnsite. I hope it brings all you expect. About your question, I cut with a 60" Lazer, and my mower is doing quite a bit of the same thing right now. First off, I'm cutting at 3.5 and 3.75" right now. The last fob I just stepped off of, was a fesccue, which ISn't a real good grass to cut long in the first place. I cut this at 3.75" to match the rest of the yard, (front) and it, of course, had alot of tendency to lay over. Another factor to consider in this, is that the grass (most grass) is really stressed right now, so it just doesn't have that bounce back as healthier grasses do. Sure, they MAY be alot of moisture in the grass right now because of all the rains we've had lately, (thank God!) but the grass is still stressed from earlier mid-season drought conditions. The reason I cut this grass at this height, was I KNEW I was going to be cutting it twice anyway. The first time I cut it, I had alot of matted tangled looking laying over grass, but when I ran a diagonal after that, it lifted all up and cut clean. Again, I think stress is a major factor in this at this time. Good luck!

[MATTHEW]

I can relate. I have many lawns that I double cut everytime. It is a real time waster but people really like that "checkerboard" look.
The only way to deal with fast growing grass is to cut more often. I have gone to every 5 days on most, and 4 on others. No one has complained yet. I find that after 4-5 days the stripes are still there and I get the checkerboard look anyway. Just tell 'em. It causes stress to turfgrass to knock 3" off of 6" grass. Hope you are charging extra for clipping disposal.

[65hoss]

I run all exmarks. They have the mulching kits on them and the cut is unbelievable. You get a bagged look without bagging. If its real tall or wet I sometimes need to run over again, but at a real fast speed. Under normal conditions I only need to cut once. I'm not going to dump on scag, I've done that in the past. I will say I decided against them.

[Eric ELM]

Welcome to Lawnsite Shady Brook

I agree with Runner, the grass is really stressed from the summer heat and it is weak. I did notice this week it was cutting much nicer than the previous week though, so I hope it gets easier for you too.

I run 60" Choppers here. :rolleyes:

[Shady Brook]

Thanks for all the responses so far guys. Eric, are you up on the Northwest side? I work Lake county IN, I imagine mowing condtions are probably fairly similar due to our proximity. You guys are probably correct about the grass being stressed, but a big part of my problem, ie double cutting is because of the clumps, of grass that is being scattered. I have to recut due to the straglers, and uncut grass, which I think is due to the double blades, and or because of the stressed grass. Normally I am very satisfied with the quality of cut, I am sick and tired of the clumps of grass, wet or dry. It seems like it ejects the stuff out in an eratic fassion leaving clumps alot of the time. I have been mowing over it with the deck raised on the second pass much of the time to disperse it, but even that proves un successful, it just moves the clumps over. I might even be pretty happy if my second pass made the yard looked bagged, but it doesn't. Maybe I am more sensative now due to my help going to jail, or back to school. I ain't got the time! :(

Thanks again
Jay

[cantoo]

If we have to double "cut" to remove clumps we raise the deck one notch and drive faster, it allows the blades to just spread the clumps instead of having to cut the lawn too. It's only 1/4" higher so it also cuts the few stragglers that are there.

[Eric ELM]

Yes, I'm in N/W Chicago area so our grass should be about the same. I am not having clumping problems, the grass is just growing so much in 7 days that there are visible clippings on some lawns 2 weeks ago. This past week has been much better, so I have single cut most lawns.

I have found that using a Gator blade as a second blade when grass is wet will make the grass clump up. A Gator will actually throw clippings inwards which will rechop clippings and make them ball up. The blade on my website on the double blade page, that I use is like number 6 on the list of 8 blades. You can see it pictured along with a Gator on the very top picture you see that has blades. This blade is sort of like a Gator, but it throws clippings outwards and doesn't ball up clippings like a Gator. I have only found this blade at Dixie Chopper, so if anyone knows of another source for other mowers, can you post it?

[LAWNGODFATHER]

I'll just say welcome, they did the rest. remember don't be shy.

LGF:blob1:

[Evan528]

Today I helped out a friend in the business cutting grass all day because he was in a jam for help! He owns a toro z master and a scag turf tiger. The scag looks very Mocho and impressive... but I thinks its a poor excuse for a machine. Not only does this machine ride so rough that i just about flew out of the seat several times when i hit bumps but the quality of cut is uneceptable! Every thing must be double and some triple cut just to get a half decent. This mower clumps horrible and leaves more grass standing than is cut! As someone previously posted in another thread... the advantage deck should be called the "disadvantage deck". This deck is just as bad if not worse than a stand scag deck! We wound up using the toro most of time and just leaving the scag on the trailer just so we wouldnt have to triple cut!

[Shady Brook]

Thanks for the posts guys.

Hey Evan, appreciate the practicle information in a side by side test. Were you able to single cut with the Toro, or were you still double cutting. Grass has been growing pretty fast here, I think some of my lawns, I could cut 10 times, and still not multch it in. Did the guy have an advantage deck, or the standard, and what size, 52, or 61? I was checking out a 23 hp Lazer today, along with some choppers, they are making my mouth water! ;)

I put the turbo baffle back on to see if it helps, I took it off early on, thought it did better without. I will probably be disatisfied again. I go through phases of being disgusted with something, and months later try again, just to reinforce why I hated it before.

I am noticing that not many Tiger owners are writing in to tell me how good theirs are doing! :rolleyes:

Take care guys
Jay

[Eric ELM]

There are not to many Tiger owners on Lawnsite. A lot of them switched brands. Try doing a search on them.

[Evan528]

I own a z master.... while this mower isnt the best mulching mower on the market do to its sf deck it mulches a whole lot better than the scag and it sure cuts smoothly. I can go full speed through thick grass and it will not leave any "mowhawks" in the lawn! And yes, it did have the advantage deck!

[AltaLawnCare]

Like Cantoo says raising the deck makes double cutting easier and faster.
I raise mine 1/2 inch, it looks better than double cutting at the same height.
I usually don't have to double cut the whole yard - only sections.

[HOMER]

Blade tip speed is a big factor in getting all the grass cut and the material out from under the deck. My Choppers usually don't leave any thing uncut but sometimes drop clumps from under the deck if the grass is wet. I am running doubles on my 72" and have noticed that it does a 100% better than before. I even cut wet Bermuda the other day without any clumping.

I own an older Scag Super Z so I can talk about them. The blade tip speed on these machines are very slow. I e-mailed Scag and asked why they didn't run them at a higher speed and all I got back was that the design of the deck made more of a difference than blade speed. Hmmmmmmmmmm, my Chopper has the blade speed but doesn't have any elaborate baffling systems and I think you can see from Eric's pictures that they make a fine cut.

[edward hedrick]

I have a Scag STHM 60 std deck. Imodified it witha left baffle from
60 Husq rider. This and the turbo baffle and std blades work well.
Might check your Husq dealer Perhaps a 52 " left baffle would help
It cuts much better saved money, not buying Z rider.

[Shady Brook]

Thanks everyone for all your help, it is much appreciated. I put the turbo baffle on, with double blades, and it was a bit better today. Granted the grass was not as tall today, but I think I got less chunks with the baffle. It will have to make due til I can make a new purchase. Take care guys, and happy mowing. :cool:
Jay

[Mowman]

I used to have to double and triple cut all my lawns. I bought a new 52" SD Deck for my Walker. It's an 1" deeper than my old 54" and also can run the DOUBLE BLADE Set-Up on it. I've cut as much as 8" down to 3" without having to DOUBLE CUT. This deck is AWESOME. It has cut my mowing time in half or less. Now I know what all the FUSS about running Double Blades was. I will always own a Walker and run their 52" SD Deck w/ Doubles. When I get a new one the only thing I'll change is to get a 26EFI instead of the 20HP that I'm now running.
Good Luck,
Mowman

[lawrence stone]

Homer wrote:

>I own an older Scag Super Z so I can talk about them. The blade tip speed on these machines are very slow

Why not just install a smaller deck pulley? Buy a smaller belt if needed.

If it don't work MAKE it work. Forget about help from the boys in orange.