Ever heard of a vulcher?

[Vandora Lawn & Landscape]

Anyone here ever heard of a vulcher discarge chute? I looked closely at some Brickman scags mowing my school and they use them. Anyone know anything about them?

[gogetter]

Bringing this back up because I just saw an ad for them in the new Turf magazine.
Anyone have any experiene with them? The photo in the ad is very small, I can't even make out what this thing is!

Vandora implied it's a discharge chute in his post. Is it just a plate that covers the discharge chute?

Vandora if you read this, what did this thing look like in person, or what did it look like it does to improve mulching as the ad states?

[Richard Martin]

My local Exmark dealer has one sitting on his counter. It's basically just a block-off plate with a lip that's about 1" that sticks under the deck. I didn't even bother to ask how much it costs.

[Runner]

In other words, a mess maker.:rolleyes: So many people think that they can stick a hunk of steel or something over their discharge chute, and have a mulching mower.

[FrankenScagMachines]

stick a hunk of steel or something over their discharge chute, and have a mulching mower.
Been there, tried that, doesn't work. It windrows way too much! That would work going in circles if you always threw it in, then it would tear up the last round's windrow, but for going back and forth (striping) it ain't worth your bother.

[gogetter]

Thanks for clearing that up guys, I just couldn't tell what the thing was.

And you're all definately right, I've tried using just the plate from my mulch kit and it doesn't work unless the grass is dry and fairly short and thin.

Well, thier ad sure makes it sound good anyway!! LOL!

[steve225]

They cost 180.00$ for a lazer z 60" Brinkman uses them on there scags a flap on the front and back open up to discharge grass . I've seen them work but don't think they will work on wet grass . they will keep grass off the mulch though.

[beck]

Would this be the same thing as the OCDC on the Dixie?

[WLLD]

Just mounted one on the Scag TT Friday - seems to work pretty good. Right now the grass is pretty thin with the dry conditions - Time will tell once things pick back up. I think it will work real well at keeping clippings out of beds though - even if it doesn't work as a full time mulcher.

It is a little more than a piece of steel over the discharge though. There is an opening in the front that allows some air to escape and a door on the back that lets a few clippings out in front of the rear tire.

Shayne

[gogetter]

Shayne, still out there? Any updates? Do you have the Vulcher, or the newer Vulcher II?

I just looked at their site and see that it is more then just a flat sheet of steel closing off the disharge. It's contoured and has a lip underneath and an opening near the back to discharge out the back instead of out the side. Thier site claims that it circulates the clippings back under the deck to be chopped up.

Anyone else have one besides Shayne?

Just curious.

[FrankenScagMachines]

Everyone's seen the OCDC I made for my Scag right? I was having trouble with the control cable one day (need springs adjusted) and I have since then just left it either down or up with a bungee, as these are the only two positions I have ever used it on anyway. I finally got smart and welded a peice of 1 1/2" angle iron onto the bottom to create a lip to stick into and under the discharge side of the deck. What this does is keeps the clippings from dropping straight down and this makes the deck recirculate the clippings. It does pretty well at mulching with a set of single gators. Granted, it's not close to a substitute for a complete mulch kit but in summer growth it does fine and is great for someone who may need to discharge certain areas and close off for safety or convenience in other areas. It is a good setup very simple nothing to break or go wrong and I'm making anther one for my 61" rider. It sounds like the Vulcher is similar to what i have except with some ventilation areas. Mine has no ventilation holes (when I tried it with some they just plugged so when i made another heavier duty one I didn't bother with them). What I'd do if I was looking for an OCDC/mulch plate is get one of those electric Master Chutes and make a bolt on lip for the bottom for better mulching. If you have one of these lips, it will get packed up with grass and need cleaned out every now and then.

[John Gamba]

I Got the Video Over A Year ago, It Clump on the Video and they Where Mowing Florida Grass with a Ferris Three wheeler, You Go BHB!
John.

I Think i Still have the Video.

i Think I'm Going to Make some Of this **** So i Can Retire Next year!!!

[WLLD]

Jonathan,
Still using the "Vulchers" on the Tiger and the Scag Walk behind. I think that they work relatively well - this time of year it is really tough with the rate of growth we are dealing with and the moisture. I do not use them to strictly mulch though - they are both set up as OCDC's and are usually down only long enough to keep clippings out of landscapes and hard surfaces. Like Eric (BHB) said in a post - the lip that turns under the deck does prevent windrows a little better than a flat OCDC. I have bent the front opening (closed it) on the Vulcher a little to prevent too much air flow out of the front - it tends to let out a few clippings if they aren't too heavy.

I also have the "Quickchute" on the new Hustler Super Z and really like that. It works smoother that the control aparatus (armature) that I created for the Tiger and the Vulcher.

I highly recommend some sort of OCDC and the market is starting to produce some pretty nice products - although they are a little pricey.

Shayne