Not bagging ever...Is it possible?

[Shady Brook]

I have read many posts by guys who say they never take grass. This is so mind boggling to me with my current Scag line. I understand that there are differences in machines, but it is beyond me, givin my climent and grass type how any machine could leave a nice finished product without bagging this time of year.

Seriously, is their a mower that can mow thick tall wet grass, cutting, double cutting, or even tripple cutting that can leave every yard looking perfect?

I could mow many of my lawns with my tiger and mow them 600 times, and I would still have junk in the yard! Is the deck of a chopper or other rider so vastly superior that it can make the stuff disapear everytime regardless of conditions.

If someone has my type of grass and grass growth can do this, I need to have that machine.

Thanks so much

Jay

[P&J Lawncare]

Shady brook
Try the super z from hustler it will definately do a better job of throwing the grass. I bag occasionally but that is because sometimes it is faster to bag (high grass,wet grass) the property than double cutting it. We double cut alot of our accounts and that removes all of the clumping but when we cut it the second time we raise the deck one notch (more lift and better blade speed) and it helps alot.

[TLS]

I've mowed some pretty tall grass this Spring. Some over 18" tall. Granted that lawn didn't look pristine for two weeks, but thats the extreme. But I've had a few that were at least 8" tall, and after double cutting (criss cross/checkerboard) with the Lazer, it looked as if it was just mowed 3 days prior.

That same lawn, in the backyard is a pool with a fence. Have to use the SCAG WB in there. I had to TRIPPLE cut that, and then go in with the backpack blower to disperse the clippings a bit more!

So, YES, it does depend on the mower!

[scottb]

We double cut most everything right now and we only bag one yard. It is the size of a postage stamp and mostly bag too keep clippings out of the beds. Yes it can be done but it has alot to do with height of cut,type of grass,and how rampant your growing season is. Hang in there experiment a little with height adjustments etc.
Good luck

[Shawn Burns]

I agree with P&J. I have a Hustler z and somtimes i will have to cut twice, but after doing so it looks great! To get the same results with my Toro i have to run doubles and still cut twice.
The ONLY time of year that i bag is in the fall for leaves, and the first round of spring cuts.

[ohiolawnguy]

certainly it s possible, but not always feasible. each property has its own gorwing tendencies, and idiosyncracies.

We bag at approximately 7 of our 90 accounts. only one of which is usually bagged on a first cut. but that seven number canvary week to week depending on the circumstances. This week, I guarantee to bag more than that.(holiday weekend coming up)

Bagging can be a good idea sometimes too.
Like bagging an over, or improperly ferilized lawn.(won't mention any names, but everyone knows who) Do that to try and get rid of some of the nutrients, and slow that lawn down.

[SLS]

I use a Lazer Z on my 35 accounts and have been double cutting a lot lately because of all the rain we have been receiving. On new accounts that are overgrown I sometimes triple cut.

I have never bagged grass in my life...and will not start now.

[Quail Creek LC]

I never bag and very rarely will I ever double cut. My theory is to cut the lawn when it needs to be cut, not a 7 day cut. Right now I'm mowing once every 6 days and I'm running Double Gators. If I cant keep up with that I'll go once every 5 days. There is no way I could let a lawn go 7 days right now and have it look nice. My customers understand that it needs mowed more often now and I will straight up tell them if they want it done less than that they can find someone else to take care of there yards. My customeres Like the job I do and I very rarely hear of any complaints of mowing to much. I feel this is fair to me and my customers.

[MikeLT1Z28]

don't own a bagger. depending on what mower i am using it's either mulched or side discharged. sometimes with the mulch kit i have to double cut, have yet to do it with the gators as doubles.

[mowerguy]

I agree with Quail Creek LC. I mow most of my clients on a 5 day schedule when the grass is growing this fast. I have never had a customer complain about how often i am mowing. If i wait to mow every seven days the lawns would not meet my standards even after double cutting. All of my customers want there yards to look like the best in the neighborhood so they like it when i mow every 5 days.

P.S. Quail Creek, Where are located in Iowa?

[scottb]

Originally posted by mowerguy
I agree with Quail Creek LC. I mow most of my clients on a 5 day schedule when the grass is growing this fast. I have never had a customer complain about how often i am mowing. If i wait to mow every seven days the lawns would not meet my standards even after double cutting. All of my customers want there yards to look like the best in the neighborhood so they like it when i mow every 5 days.

P.S. Quail Creek, Where are located in Iowa?

I wish the people around here were that easy to get along with. We have one on Lake Norman with a 600,000$ home for sale that fusses over a 45.00 cut. All the while he is living in another 600,000 home on the same lake that he just built. Guess when Im that tight I'll have money too.

[thelawnguy]

I dont own a bagger and havent since 96. Use a exmark Turf Tracer. Sometimes esp in the spring I may double cut but usually if the grass is esp thick I will go over sections with a blower to scatter the clippings further in the turf.

[P&J Lawncare]

I have been known to pull the old blower trick once or twice myself.

[KirbysLawn]

It is possible, I do not bag.

[awm]

i can speak for one but im sure several others are also capable of what u said . the lazer set up right can do just what u ask. its still a little amazing to me.

[johnhenry]

I never have to bag . I might have to double cut but never have to bag. Try playing with different type of blades or height adj on your deck. If your bagging you should be also charging for it.

[BRIAN GALLO]

I am always cutting high, thick, (especially now) wet grass. I find that my Toro does the best under these conditions. My other mowers leave clumps and trails everywhere, but the Toro usually disperses the high clippings out so far that there are no clumps. You will still get a hazy overlay due to the tall clippings laying on top of the turf, but usually a quick 2nd pass takes care of that.

[eslawns]

Originally posted by scottb
We double cut most everything right now and we only bag one yard. It is the size of a postage stamp and mostly bag too keep clippings out of the beds. Yes it can be done but it has alot to do with height of cut,type of grass,and how rampant your growing season is. Hang in there experiment a little with height adjustments etc.
Good luck

Pretty much what he said. In the spring we need to double cut a few, but it's rare that I bag, and I don't leave the yards looking ragged with clippings laying on top.

[Brickman]

I am desperately trying to get away from bagging as much as possible. Used to ALWAYS bag, that is how the customers around here want it. Now I got a mulching mower, and with this being a VERY dry year things aren't growing very fast. So far 9/10s of the customers haven't noticed that I am mulching. I am finding that mulching works the best the longer you are cutting the grass, seems like the longer the grass the more place for clippings to go, and there by hide from the prying eyes of the home owner.

Does any body know where I can get Gators for my 42" Walker mulching deck. I tried the Gator link posted a few weeks ago. No luck, they don't carry them. Any help would be welcome. You can email me if you like. Address is in my profile. Thank you in advance.

[ProSeasons]

Double bladed Dixies will turn clippings into dust! Go double Gators or one Hi-lift and one Gator. I've seen Exmarks with doubles make a sweet looking single pass, too.

[David Haggerty]

Originally posted by Shady Brook

regardless of conditions.



You have to control the amount taken off. I do that by controling the frequency of cut. I use Gators and doubles and all that helps, but it finally comes down to the amount being taken off.
They don't bag golf courses do they? Maybe the greens but not the rough or fairways.

Dave

[bubenberg]

so far this year with 5-7 inch weekly growth we did not bag yet but triple cuts have been used by us. i think that taking it down in increments of half an inch is my secret.

[Shady Brook]

I sure appreciate all the contributions to my questions. It seems as thought the mowers most capeable of doing the job are the Lazer, Super Z, and chopper. That seems to be a list of the big favorites in other posts.

I really can't go to a greater frequency of cuts. Contract is for 1 cut per week, and my customers would probably bawk if I changed mid year. Besides, I don't know when I would have the time to do them.

My Tiger must really reek, cus I can not do it with this mower. I may try the dropping cutting height on each of a multitude of passes. My fear is with everything so soft, I will only make indentions all over the lawn, the longer I am on it.

If you could all list your mowers that are getting the job done, and also what height are you mowing at to accomplish a bagged look without the bag, I would be greatly indebted.

Thanks so much

Jay

[Russ]

Mow at 3 in.. If you clump, finish your mow, raise your deck 1 notch in mowing height and mow again at right angles. If your not taking more than 1/3 of the grass height, you'll be OK

[P&J Lawncare]

Exactly what Russ said but we use the super z and turf tigers (prefer the super z)

[TGCummings]

I mulch at 2.5-3" with my 21" Toro Prolines and 36" Exmark TTHP. I never bag or discharge at all anymore. Yes, thick and wet turf makes it more difficult and demands double-cutting, but that was true when bagging as well.

The 21s work better as mulchers, with less clumping, but I don't work on lawns much bigger than 3000 square feet out here...

[TLS]

Originally posted by Russ
Mow at 3 in.. If you clump, finish your mow, raise your deck 1 notch in mowing height and mow again at right angles. If your not taking more than 1/3 of the grass height, you'll be OK

I just dont understand this practice
:(

Why not just keep it at the original height for the second (or double cut)? By raising it, if there were any stragglers or grass laying down that didn't get cut, it would now be cut (in your case 5/8") higher and stick up that amount.

Just wondering why you raise for a double cut?

[LawnSmith]

i dont bag, not even in the fall when i would be most likely to. i dont see a bagger in my future.

[KirbysLawn]

Thomas I was wondering the same thing.

Jay, have you read the Primo Maxx thread in the fertilizer forum? I'm in love with this stuff, my growth has slowed to almost nothing, my mowing times are down, and my grass is thicker. I posted there but for those who don't check here is a photo I took Friday, irrigated fescue mowed 8 days apart, you can see how much growth I have had and how thick the grass is:


Time is money..

[P&J Lawncare]

I raise the deck to provide more lift and less drag on the blades. The extra height allows more air to be pulled in and then pushed out and with the blades not actually cutting it allows maxium blade tip speed for better discharge. The only time you would have stragglers or grass laying down is if you went to fast and the blades speed bogged down thus not allowing the blades to perform.

[DavidD]

Most of my Customers require Bagging but all but 4 have onsite Dumping. :blob3:

[robert payer]

We almost never bag. Mow it one time at a responsible speed. Sharpened blades daily. Disperse clippings with the back pack blower. Nice neat lawns! No clippings in truck!

[awm]

i take care of dads grave . it usually looks rough after two wks ,which is as regular as i can make dn. think ill give this primo a look in this situation.sure would be nice if it looked better all the time.

[Oliver1850]

Shady Brook

You do not mention whether or not you have the Advantage deck. There is a front adjustable baffle that can be adjusted to control the amount of air into the deck.

Last year I almost exclusively bagged with the Laser Z due to customer demand, however, this year I have tried every thing but doubles.

I still bag regularly, though, I mulch with my Scag Tigercub. I like the mulching because I do not have to worry about the direction I go, thus not blowing clippings all over the gardens and drives. The downfall is that I either cut the lawn every 4 days, or cut twice. Once at 3.5 and another at 3 - 2 3/4.

[BOBCAT36]

TRY PUTTING A MULCHING KIT...ON YOUR SCAG...PLUS WHAT TYPE OF GRASS ARE YOU MOWING...FESCUE... BURMUDA..RYE OR WHAT

[Shady Brook]

I am mowing fescue and Kentucky blue with some rye here and there. I do not have the advantage deck, but rather the disadantage. Multch kit is not an option, but if it were, I do not know how it would do with large growth and high moisture content.

I am just getting so frustrated, mowing today with decent growth, not excessive, and dry conditions, and still could not mulch some grass in. I could have mowed some of the yards 10 times, and it would not have dispersed the clippings into the grass, always a residue. I do the trick of mowing first, and then elevating the deck for a second pass, and still sometimes it will not do the job.

I never here the dixie, exmark, or Hustler guys mentioning having trouble like this.

:confused:

Jay

[rodney]

Originally posted by TLS


I just dont understand this practice
:(

Why not just keep it at the original height for the second (or double cut)? By raising it, if there were any stragglers or grass laying down that didn't get cut, it would now be cut (in your case 5/8") higher and stick up that amount.

Just wondering why you raise for a double cut?


go to www.elmlawnsite.com/double_blades.htm that should explain it better . picture perfect lawns and he didnt bag either.

[tralfaz]

I've used Dixie Choppers, Turf Tigers, and LazerZ's and they all clump some time or another when it is high, wet and juicy. We always lift the deck one notch up or if it is just a little area push on the deck lifter with our foot slightly. This usually disperses the clumps.

[TLS]

Rodney,

What does Eric's (God rest his stripes) site have to do with raising your deck 5/8" when you double cut?

If I'm going to double cut, I can guarantee that I will do it at the original cut height, maybe a 1/4" lower! BUT never HIGHER!

[rodney]

i see you didnt go to the site because if you did you wouldnt have asked.

[Big G]

Exmarks with Micro Mulch kits, slow down a little & you never have to bag. Unless you are worried about the extra nitrogen shot you are giving the lawn with mulched clippings.

No visible traces of clippings!:)

[Scotlawncare]

I have an Exmark 48" metro and i NEVER bag unless it's the first cut to get rid of dead grass. I mulch everything and cut alot of wet grass. I have not had any probs not having the yard looked manicured. if you have to double cut a yard due to wet or excessive grass clippings on top then if you have a Z then raise the deck half an inch or an inch and buzz over it real fast. grass will dissapear. I do that with my metro. No customer complaints yet.

Scot