Originally posted by LawnMower
I don't think its the length of the blade. Its the length of the deck. You could have a 61 inch deck with 5 small blades in there, and would still give a great cut.
Also the larger mower with large tires makes a difference too. Large tires ignore irregularities in the lawn. Wide decks smooth out irregularities in the lawn. Big mowers leave less wheal marks. All these things tend to make a smoother looking cut, I think.
That describes my Toro 580-D exactly.
5 blades on the front deck, all 21"
31" drive tires at 11 psi
I've owned a couple of similar mowers with 24" blades.
One was a 12' bat wing Alamo the other a 15' batwing Howard Price 180.
Neither one's cut could compare to the Toro. I think the pattern is flatter. Less area for one blade to cover. Of course the Toro has extensive baffeling and those great big cast steel spindle housings too.
But in my opinion, 21" is the optimum blade length.
That machine can mow a cow pasture in a single pass make it look as smooth as a fairway on a golf course.
It's kind of funny. Just about every new job I get, someone shows up with their golf clubs. Then proceed to loose every one of their balls. Because there are still holes out there you could break a leg in. The balls just disappear! I can spot them the next time I mow from way up on the mower, but they're almost impossible to find from the ground. I used to have a huge golf ball collection. I finally gave them all away. And folks have wised up. Just because it looks smooth, it isn't a driving range.
Dave