The doubles difference

[FrankenScagMachines]

This area was thick and tall with some moisture, had alot of dog droppings in it. Can you do this with single blades? I can't...
I used gator over medium lift blades and they worked great. A quick cleanup pass and it looks like a carpet with no clippings visible!! can't wait for leaves!!!!!!
With double blades, the competition will never be ready! I saw a LCO yesterday mowing left stragglers and clumps on the lawn they were mowing using a Dixie Chopper. This company is pretty high quality most of the time so I was surprised to see that! I'd never leave it that way!!
The grass was higher than it might look here. I'm mowing at 3 1/4" high.

[FrankenScagMachines]

after a second pass right before I hit the corner (it's still single cut so you can see alittle bit on top.)

[John Gamba]

Eric
Take a Pic of the Clumped Lawn And Use It In a Ad Next Year!
John

[Gravely_Man]

The finished product looks quite good. Look into what the age is for an applicator license so that you can branch out and take care of all of those weeds.


Gravely_Man

[FrankenScagMachines]

Good idea John! Thanks will use that.

Gravely_Man, yes I know.. I've had a few requests for that but I just have to subcontract it out at little to no cost... kinda annoying but I should definately look into it. Maybe I'll stick it out this year and get the license next winter when I'm not so busy.

[darryl gesner]

You could do it with singles if you had an Exmark instead of a Scag!:D

[FrankenScagMachines]

I doubt it, but even if I could, I don't have an eXmark haha... The Scag is a good machine and I like it. I do like the eXmark TTHP like you have though, but not necessarily more than a Scag SWZU Ultimate!!! :p Well I'm content with mine so that settles it lol.

[darryl gesner]

BHB - Just teasing...but it does do very well on tall grass with single high lifts.

I honestly can't believe you can spin doubles well on a 52 with a 14HP. I think my 48 is marginal for doubles with a 17 HP Kawi.

I'm running single gators now as I'm still in clean-up mode (nothing nearly as tall as what your pic shows yet), but will probably switch to single high lifts next week.

I've tried doubles but don't find much use for them except for new accounts that haven't been mowed in months. I had a number of those come in mid to late May last year and ran double high lifts for them.

[FrankenScagMachines]

That account hadn't been mowed yet that is why it was so high. It has enough power either discharging or with OCDC closed. Could use a couple hundred more RPM but it does OK for itself. It does good in high grass with single mediums but thats more like a bush-hogging job conditions. On a regular yard I prefer the doubles. Yeah I have to go alittle slower but still alittle faster than double cutting and you don't get bounced around as much as going faster, twice. I only double cut that one because it was the first cut for that customer (wanted to impress them) and it was extra high. Otherwise a weekly mowing is good to go at one pass! Alot of areas I have to double cut because I mow with the OCDC down all the time due to all the obstacles so I have to double cut to get rid of the grass line at the right side of the deck but it works fine. Those areas usually aren't so big that it takes much longer to double cut anyway, and the stripes look much better!!!
I ran a 2001 eXmark 48" 15hp Kohler TTHP with a Jungle Wheels sulky for a guy last fall, had a mulch kit on it. Worked great plenty of power, very torqy hydros, fast, good cut. I got close to buying his mower and customer list but it didn't work out, he sold it to someone else from under me! I'm contemplating getting or making a mulch kit for my Scag to use when the spring growth slows alittle because most of my areas are so small that you can't discharge much and with the OCDC closed it leaves that line of clippings. But then it might mulch good enough with the OCDC closed w/o leaving that line in summer growth anyway, so we'll just wait and see. I like being able to have a choice on the go!!!

Do you discharge, mulch or bag mostly with your TTHP?

[darryl gesner]

Discharge spring and late fall (mostly so I can bag) and mulch with the kit the rest of the time. The micro mulch system does a real nice job because it separates the deck into 3 chambers...no line of clippings on the discharge side. The main reason I bag is for leaves. I will also bag pool areas with the 21 incher.

[LAWNGODFATHER]

Originally posted by darryl gesner
You could do it with singles if you had an Exmark instead of a Scag!:D I agree with ya too.

[FrankenScagMachines]

Then post some pics with the mower in the progress of making a pass (not just a cut lawn) so I know!!!! hahaa....
This area would have been done better with single medium lift blades because the doubles just bogged it down and didn't need to chop the clippings just get them out of the deck. But that is what I had on so I used 'em (had other jobs that day where i wanted doubles). I need to tighten the deck belt alittle bit and get a couple hundred more RPM out of it. This area was a bush-hog job and is to be maintained bi-weekly from now on...

I know I know it missed alittle, I was in a hurry to get some where and this is a cheap job and will get better the next time I cut it...

[TLS]

BHB,

Watch tightening those deck belts. Your likely to start going through spindle bearings. Keep them loose. Grab the longest stretch of belt and pull with your pinkie finger. You should get it to move about an inch or so with moderate pull. Belts RARELY slip! If they DO, you'll smell them for sure!

Your picture indicates exactly why I don't like the SCAG cut. It often times seems that the blades are slipping.....they're NOT! It's simply the deck, and in your case the lack of HP. I could go through that same lawn with singles on my Lazer and cut it almost perfect in the first pass. If I went back over it again in the other direction, it would be perfect. Remember I have about DOUBLE your HP and only 8 more inches of cut!


You need some ponies under that hood BOY!!!

14hp is good for a 36" and sometimes a 48". Your pushing it with a 52" and a Hydro system to boot! Makes me wonder if your mower hasn't had a transplant engine put on it? Don't ever remember a 14hp Kawi on ANY 52" mower that SCAG made.

:confused:

[Runner]

If you like what gators do to that grass, you should do it with low lift mulchers on top. THEN you'll be doing some cleanup! ;)

[FrankenScagMachines]

TLS yes it seemed like the belt wasn't slipping but on garden tracors I run them tighter than that with no problems but I will leave it where it is...
Yes it's the original engine, the manual says that model came with that engine. I know of a good deal on a used 17hp single Kaw I may get it I dunno. We'll see what it does to crank up my RPM's and in normal growth I'll probably be just fine. I've seen 12.5hp on a 48" deck walk behind both hydro and belt drive.
Runner may try that sometime, don't need new blades for a while...

[Gravely_Man]

I totally agree with not getting your belts too tight. That will just cause problems with your spindles. Keep up the good looking work Eric.


Gravely_Man

[FrankenScagMachines]

Ok, thanks :D :cool:
The right spindle is needing rebuilt sometime.. but it was loose when I got it, it's still going fine. I know I should have already done it :o

[LAWNGODFATHER]

Sorry dude, I don't have time to mow lawns so pics from me will be scarce for a while.

Here is a pic of a DC cutting tall grass in one pass though from last year.

BTW same as TLS, that's why no Scag for me also.

[Scag48]

I don't have problems like that with my machine, but part of that could be a 15 Hp on a 36" with singles. Need more ponies!

[darryl gesner]

BHB - That bush hog job photo looks pretty bad. Cheap job and in a hurry or not, you probably should have cut it again. I would never leave the property with it looking like that. JMHO.

[FrankenScagMachines]

LGF with that pic I don't know what those guys I saw on a chopper were doing wrong but it looked nasty... and it wasn't as thick as your lawn there.

Darryl I agree 100% but I was already late for something else I'd promised to be at, and although that part is a bi-weekly cut that I did a couple days ago I'm gonna mow that section again next time I'm there then bi-weekly after that. It's $25 for a 30,000 sf lot so who's gonna complain? Not this woman she works tons of hours at the Dolly Madison bakery outlet store. The reason it's so cheap is trimming is bi-weekly except front of small house and two trees in front yard and edging monthly and only a tiny amount. The back 15,000 sf shown there is bi-weekly. So although I took it easy on her I didn't feel obligated to make it perfect although I did want to make a second pass, like I said couldn't because I was late for something else. Beleive me I never leave a place looking like that if I can at all help it!!! In that instance you might've done the same I don't know but I had no choice really.
Talk to ya later...

[darryl gesner]

BHB - Yes, I do have different standards for different properties. I did a cheapie clean-up today for a plowing customer. I was on a 4 hour budget ($200) and did the best I could in that amount of time. I actually spent 4.75 hours because I didn't like the way it looked after 4. I still left a ton of leaves in the pachysandra and didn't touch some areas at all.

I'd get ragged on considerably by members here if I posted pictures of it, but it's what we agreed on...do the best I could for $200, get the bulk of the leaves and mow the lawn and leave the rest for her. I just did the high visibility areas first and made sure it looked good from the road. She'll be delighted, as will her neighbors. It was REALLY bad, never got a fall clean-up, piles of leaves in the driveway (I got stuck trying to back in with my trailer and had to charge up the hill) wood down everywhere, and long matted, choked out grass.

[Doh!]

bhb, one day your are going to be cruising through a lawn , and hit something like a stump or a hole and hurt yourself when you are impaled by that water bottle you have mounted on your handle bars. Nice touch, but do you really stop mowing to have a leisurely sip of water? I'd watch out for the unexpected.

[FrankenScagMachines]

darryl glad you understand ;) her front lawn looked good when I left and it was almost as bad as that back lot I posted a pic of, but alittle thinner. Double cut and you'd never know it had been overgrown.

Doh!- no I don't really have to stop to take a leisurely sip of water! I pick bottle up with whichever hand is not occupied (on a straight stretch), put bottle to my lips, twist the cap and drink. Twist cap back other way to close and put back in cupholder. It has enough "slop" in the cupholder so that it would fold over if that much pressure was applied to it. I know where the obstacles are on my properties and I generally don't drive that fast anyway except on open areas where growth isn't terribly bad.