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Stragglers, stringer weeds and uncut grass?

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apples017

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Discussion starter · #1 ·
Just wondering which of the larger zero turn mowers do not leave stringers or stragglers.

Often I have seen mowers leave that uncut strip down the middle. Or if the grass is too long, it seems to fold over and not get cut. Then it will spring back up out the back and you have sections of uncut grass.

I really do think that some mowers are better than others?

Can anyone list which mowers are best at not leaving stringers etc and deck size too. As this seems to be a factor withing specific brands too.

Peter
 
#2 ·
That happens when you have dull blades or your deck is uneven, and all mowers with more than one blade do this if not well kept on maintenance.
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#3 ·
Hey Peter,

I think you're going to find this is a tough question to get an answer for.

Every mower/deck will leave stringers and random uncut if pushed hard enough.

In my personal opinion, I think the 61" Scag Velocity Plus does a great job processing a large amount of grass.

I think you'll find the same kind of performance with the new Husqvarna PZ deck too. (I better not toot that horn too loud though. I don't want to be accused of bias) :laugh:

Q
 
#5 ·
You might look through old threads started by Tacoma200. I remember him shedding much light on different Scag and Exmark decks and how they compared for the stringer of which you talk.
 
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#6 ·
The type of blade has a lot to do with it too. Hi-lifts are a great all around blade though. You could also look for a deck with an adjustable front lip. The lip can be moved up and down to match conditions. If you're cutting high grass then move the lip up so the grass doesn't get bent over so far. If you're mulching leaves or cutting shorter grass put the lip down to reduce blowout.
 
#8 ·
apples017 said:
Richard Martin, yep no doubt this is a big area that would affect it. One ride on we have does just that, it folds the grass over = stragglers. My old MTD is way better as the blades sit lower than the deck edge.

I think the Toro G3 Turbo force deck is higher at the front???
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I think there are several mowers out there that have an adjustable lip. I know the Dixie Choppers do because I have one. We have a grass here thats called Bahia that grows a real long stem with a seed head in a week. It does this week after week all summer long. I see other guys cut this stuff and they have to go over it a couple of times to get all of the seed heads. My Dixie gets them all in the first pass.
 
Discussion starter · #9 ·
Yeah that Bahia sound similar to some Australian 'paddock' grass. It's not called that but sound like your description.

On another note. It's very weird how the USA grass is so damn long and soft/fluffy like. Over here in oz, its all cut at say 1" to 1.5" high. You fellas cut it at 4" sorta thing.

I was over there a few years ago and it was just weird how the grass was like that. And you get all those stripping patterns which we don't.

Ohh, and you drive on the wrong side of the road and your doughnuts suck. :)
 
#12 ·
All mowers leave stragglers if the deck isnÂ’t set up correctly. Some people think the deck is supposed to be level and that is incorrect. Other people think you are supposed to mow at full speed and this will also leave uncut grass. Then you have the yahoos that sharpen there blades once every 2 weeksÂ…again, this will leave uncut grass.

It is true that some mowers like the Great Dane brutus has a plate under the front of the deck that bends the grass before it is cutÂ…HOWEVERÂ…in most cases, the question should beÂ…how do you cut all the grass without missing any. 9 out of 10 times it is the operators fault and not the mowers fault.
 
#14 ·
SangerLawn said:
All mowers leave stragglers if the deck isnÂ’t set up correctly. Some people think the deck is supposed to be level and that is incorrect. Other people think you are supposed to mow at full speed and this will also leave uncut grass. Then you have the yahoos that sharpen there blades once every 2 weeksÂ…again, this will leave uncut grass.

It is true that some mowers like the Great Dane brutus has a plate under the front of the deck that bends the grass before it is cutÂ…HOWEVERÂ…in most cases, the question should beÂ…how do you cut all the grass without missing any. 9 out of 10 times it is the operators fault and not the mowers fault.
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I was curious and looked at your site. Looks nice. I did notice the mulch beds look bad without edges. It looks like the mulch is blending into the turf. Bottom of page one.
 
#16 ·
i know if you have a JD with a 7 iron deck , make sure the rpms are running at least 3600. If you go any less, you will see stranglers.
 
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#17 ·
SangerLawn said:
All mowers leave stragglers if the deck isnÂ’t set up correctly. Some people think the deck is supposed to be level and that is incorrect. Other people think you are supposed to mow at full speed and this will also leave uncut grass. Then you have the yahoos that sharpen there blades once every 2 weeksÂ…again, this will leave uncut grass.
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SangerLawn--when you say there are folks that sharpen their blades only once every 2 weeks--are you implying that this is too often or not often enough? Sorry if this sounds like a dumb question but I've had people tell me that, because I tend to sharpen my blades about 2 or 3 times a week that I am actually doing more harm than good. In other words, I've had folks tell me that by sharpening so much I'm actually making the blade's cutting edge weaker, which in turn causes them to dull more quickly and thus giving a poorer quality of cut. Just wanted to clarify...:confused:
 
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