Clumps..

[countryscaper]

Hi...I have had my Lazer Z hp for about 2 months...Love it!!.....but lately..because of the rain..uggh.....it seems like some lawns I mow...when it's kinda early in the mornin....and kinda dewey....when I'm mowing...if I hit some bumps...out comes some serious clumps of grass....so i have to go back over them to disperse them...I was wondering...if maybe mulching blades would help..?...I've tried going slower...the grass is sometimes kinda high..they get it fed...but still...I don't cut it short...maybe even a little higher than some of my competiors..but it looks great...But still..the clumps...was kinda wondering.....I have the stock blades now....thinking about gators...?..........let me know.....thanks

[eXmark]

Country,

First check the rear tire pressure. If the deck is loading up when you hit bumps it could be because the rear tires are squatting causing the back of the deck to drop a little. When this happens the deck can go to a "negative" rake condition which will cause it to "load up" and clumps are the result. Also have the rake checked by your dealer and adjusted so you have 1/8" or positive rake. If I had to guess the deck is probably set pretty close but the tires may be a little soft or a little "squatty".

Thanks

Terry

[countryscaper]

Rake..??....Not too sure what you mean..kinda new to the exmark's.....could you please tell me...I'll check the tire pressure...but in the spring..would gator blades help???......just wondering...................thanks.....

[lwngrl1]

Country,

Hi..Ive had my lazer for five years now with the mulching kit. This does not help the clumping, it makes it worse..you cant event cut when there is a dew on the lawn with out making a huge mess. The kit is good if you have a lot of tight areas where there are lots of beds, buildings. You save time on your cleanup afterwards, and dont have any grass being thrown on the buildings and in beds. I have not tried the gator blades on the lazer.
Kristin

[lwngrl1]

Country,

Hi, I have a Lazer Z with the mulching kit and blades. It is great, for you dont have a lot of discharge mess to clean if you are mowing in tights spot around building, beds, etc.

It does however clump up more. Usually if it is wet, Ill have to wait or raise the deck up a notch from my original cutting height.

[eXmark]

Country,

If you getting clumps in wet conditions the gators should make the problem worse in my opinion.

The rake/pitch is the angle that the deck sits in relation to the ground. The deck should be pitched with the front swing of the blades cutting about 1/8" lower than the back. On 44" and 48" decks you may want to set the deck so it's prefectly flat with no rake in some conditions. If the deck has a negative pitch it can cause the grass to be cut even finer. When grass is cut it releases moisture. The moisture is what makes it "sticky" and clump up. Heavy dew is tough to mulch if the grass is thick like you described because of the high amount of moisture IN the blade of grass not the moisture ON the grass.

Thanks

Terry