Walker bagger system loosing suction

[J & M Lawn Care]

i have a 42in 20hp walker, bought it brand new, as of now its 5 months old. I have been mowing with it for a while. Which i have noticed when i bag grass and leaves at 2.5(mowing level) that i either have to go over the same path 2 times for it to pick up good or lower the deck, which when i lower the deck it scraps the grass.

I would figure if the cutting height is at 2.5 or higher it should pick up very good.

I went to my dealer and they told me that air is getting under it, cause the grass isnt growing much. I think he was telling me a bunch of bull. Cause i have seen yards clean as a whisle when the grass isnt growing when bagged.

At times, if there is a bunch of leaves, it will only pick up half of them.

When i bag a yard i want it to be clean, not leaves and all still in the yard

Any idea what could be wrong.......
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i also have a 60in 23hp exmark with a triton deck, when i mulch with it, it does a half but job also, it leaves trails of grass and leaves from the right side of the deck once mowed, i have the deck encloded so the grass cant be thrown out... any idea y its not mulching correctly

[J & M Lawn Care]

i have a 42in 20hp walker, bought it brand new, as of now its 5 months old. I have been mowing with it for a while. Which i have noticed when i bag grass and leaves at 2.5(mowing level) that i either have to go over the same path 2 times for it to pick up good or lower the deck, which when i lower the deck it scraps the grass.

I would figure if the cutting height is at 2.5 or higher it should pick up very good.

I went to my dealer and they told me that air is getting under it, cause the grass isnt growing much. I think he was telling me a bunch of bull. Cause i have seen yards clean as a whisle when the grass isnt growing when bagged.

At times, if there is a bunch of leaves, it will only pick up half of them.

When i bag a yard i want it to be clean, not leaves and all still in the yard

Any idea what could be wrong.......
----------
i also have a 60in 23hp exmark with a triton deck, when i mulch with it, it does a half but job also, it leaves trails of grass and leaves from the right side of the deck once mowed, i have the deck encloded so the grass cant be thrown out... any idea y its not mulching correctly

anyone with advice.....

[joesimoes2]

Your blower belts and pulleys look them over.:waving:

[nosparkplugs]

Sounds like a Clogg in the GHS system flip up the deck and check for debris in the chute, or it could be in the impeller housing with mower off, lift up the front shell and spin the impeller, look in housing for debris. start up mower engage PTO and see if it will "unload" the clogg.

[J & M Lawn Care]

Sounds like a Clogg in the GHS system flip up the deck and check for debris in the chute, or it could be in the impeller housing with mower off, lift up the front shell and spin the impeller, look in housing for debris. start up mower engage PTO and see if it will "unload" the clogg.

the mower is about 5 months old, it may be time for new blades again. Yeah i have had that happen several times about debris getting clogged in the chute and i clean it out. Maybe something is clogged that i cant see or something, or it could be the belts. It shouldnt need a belt already i wouldnt think since the mower is only 5 months old

i will check what you have said and see what happends

what if there isnt no debris anywhere, what could be the problem then, the belt? or needing new blades

[Jason Rose]

Have you verified that the engine is running the correct RPM at full throttle?

I know that Walkers are touted for their "perfect cut" but I don't find that always to be the case either. There's times when they don't cut worth a crap... Thin grass, such as shaded areas, is hard to cut, wants to lay it over rather than cut it. Only solution is to go slow and always have razor sharp blades.

[nosparkplugs]

The belts are self tensioning, I broke the drive belt the first day, had my mobile repair guy come out since I did not have a spare

[J & M Lawn Care]

The belts are self tensioning, I broke the drive belt the first day, had my mobile repair guy come out since I did not have a spare


so if there is no debris clogged up, then it could be the belt?

[prowalker]

I can almost 99% tell you the blades are on wrong,swap sides and re-try.

[nosparkplugs]

Ok, the drive belt does not have any effect on th PTO belt two different belts, hence when my drive belt broke I was like what the $@#$# the blades & impeller were still screaming, but I was stopped dead on the turf. A dam pine cone nicked the drive belt causing it to fail what a shot. Have you checked the "sheer" bolts on the blades or the driveshaft universal "sheer" pin.

[J & M Lawn Care]

I can almost 99% tell you the blades are on wrong,swap sides and re-try.

i am still on my first set of blades that came with the mower from the factory. Maybe i need new blades or belt

[J & M Lawn Care]

Ok, the drive belt does not have any effect on th PTO belt two different belts, hence when my drive belt broke I was like what the $@#$# the blades & impeller were still screaming, but I was stopped dead on the turf. A dam pine cone nicked the drive belt causing it to fail what a shot. Have you checked the "sheer" bolts on the blades or the driveshaft universal "sheer" pin.


no i havent checked none of that yet, but i am on my way to checking it

[farmboy52787]

Did you check the screen in the bagger? Do you have the one with the small holes or large holes? Wash it out with a pressure washer and the whole GHS system. Those vents in the deck are meant to be unclogged for a reason, Also clean the chute in the bagger especially in the elbow part. Washing the whole mower or a weekly or twice a week basis makes a difference. I wash mine every other day during the mowing months.

[J & M Lawn Care]

Did you check the screen in the bagger? Do you have the one with the small holes or large holes? Wash it out with a pressure washer and the whole GHS system. Those vents in the deck are meant to be unclogged for a reason, Also clean the chute in the bagger especially in the elbow part. Washing the whole mower or a weekly or twice a week basis makes a difference. I wash mine every other day during the mowing months.


it has the small screen holes, i have looked at it, and it dont seem all that dirty, but yeah it wouldnt hurt to clean it out. probaly past due on that part,lol. I stay busy all the time. Should doing this and changing blades solve the problem, and it will pick up like a pro

[Jason Rose]

i am still on my first set of blades that came with the mower from the factory. Maybe i need new blades or belt

Hang on... Ok, you are on the first set of blades, but you surely have removed them and SHARPENED them on a regular basis this last 6 months!?

[nosparkplugs]

Take it back to the dealer if all else fails,

[J & M Lawn Care]

Hang on... Ok, you are on the first set of blades, but you surely have removed them and SHARPENED them on a regular basis this last 6 months!?


the reason i still have the same blades from the factory is because i havent used the walker all that much, i also have a exmark i use also. i have mentioned the exmark on the first post.

[SpruceLandscape]

Sharpening the blades on at least a weekly basis is a must, even if you don't use it much!. Always start out with fresh blades, a clean underside of your deck (flipping it up and making sure none of the baffles are clogged) making sure that the plastic intake tube to the blower is seated properly, and that there are no obstructions in the blower tubes or impeller. This should be a daily list of things to check every morning before you go out. When you sharpen the blades and reinstall them, remember that they spin back towards the middle of the deck to direct the clippings into the blower! You need to flip your deck up and double check that they weren't put on backwards from the factory (highly unlikely, but not impossible). Also, since it was mentioned earlier, you should have two screens for the hopper with you at all times. The tight screen that comes with it is all you need for dry grass, but when cutting damp grass or picking up leaves that may be sitting around for a while (like in the spring when there is a lot of water under them) you will need the larger holes of the optional screen so that it doesn't clog as much. Suction on the deck can only be as good as exhaust out of your hopper, so if its cloggged, your suction will suffer... same with the blower tubes. Make sure that any baffles (on the side edges of the mower deck that bring air into the deck) aren't clogged as well. Those need to be cleaned out especially if you are noticing clumps where you just cut

[SpruceLandscape]

the more you use this mower, the more accustom you will become of the "sounds" it can generate or how it "hums" when working properly vs. when its starting to get clogged vs. when its pretty packed with debris.