the key is to use G5 or G6 blades on the high velocity decks like the scag and deere have. it cuts the clippings up smaller before discharging making it look like the yard was bagged.

it's the best of both worlds. you get the manicured look no matter if the yard is dry or wet.

 

Southern turf and northern turf are different altogether. ......I'd imagine he has owned three different decks, you'd think he has tried gators. Gators made muck here.

 

G5 G6 = Mushy Clumps of Unprocessed Grass. Come North and try Mowing some Challenging Turf Early-Mid Spring.

Discharged a few Decks back in the day and ran 2 Stacked Blades per Spindle on Ultras. Usually some kind of Notched or Big Azz Sail Blade at Discharge which Improved Performance Significantly.

This on a Mulch Deck used for Leaf Dusting in the Fall, but you get the Idea. Almost any deck can be Made to Work for you w/a Little Tinkering.

 

G5 G6 = Mushy Clumps of Unprocessed Grass. Come North and try Mowing some Challenging Turf Early-Mid Spring.

Discharged a few Decks back in the day and ran 2 Stacked Blades per Spindle on Ultras. Usually some kind of Notched or Big Azz Sail Blade at Discharge which Improved Performance Significantly.

This on a Mulch Deck used for Leaf Dusting in the Fall, but you get the Idea. Almost any deck can be Made to Work for you w/a Little Tinkering.

View attachment 337569

Never had much luck on spindle life running doubles and blow out was unbearable unless cutting low. Would also eat up the HP in my experience. Double cutting if clippings are too long is about = to having to scrape because the clippings are stuck under the deck.

 

Thank you HenryB. Very nice to hear from someone who has used all three decks. No doubt this will help people on the fence with which is best and all the hundreds of hours I've read online about these decks reflects what your saying.

Just one question though. Did you use stock blades with each of these mowers or did you play with aftermarket alternatives?

EDIT: I wonder how a blade setup like this would work on a tightly baffled deck? This little Honda can mulch soaking wet 10" + grass without any clumping and almost no deck buildup.

 

Thank you HenryB. Very nice to hear from someone who has used all three decks. No doubt this will help people on the fence with which is best and all the hundreds of hours I've read online about these decks reflects what your saying.

Just one question though. Did you use stock blades with each of these mowers or did you play with aftermarket alternatives?

EDIT: I wonder how a blade setup like this would work on a tightly baffled deck? This little Honda can mulch soaking wet 10" + grass without any clumping and almost no deck buildup.

View attachment 337570

That looks like the honda HRX217. Does it do better than the HRC216 in tall wet conditions, seems similar in deck design with a few differences.

 

The old Toro SFS decks were the Most Open Decks Ever Made® and Sucked. So there goes that theory.

Whoever Posts that Stacked Blades cause Spindle Issues hasn't Run them IMO...they only rob eXcessive hp if you running Underpowered Mowers.

And our Northern grass is a Much More Appealing Shade of Green.

 

The old Toro SFS decks were the Most Open Decks Ever Made® and Sucked. So there goes that theory.

Whoever Posts that Stacked Blades cause Spindle Issues hasn't Run them IMO...they only rob eXcessive hp if you running Underpowered Mowers.

And our Northern grass is a Much More Appealing Shade of Green.

I don't have personal experience with the old Toro SFS decks so I can't comment about that but I've read some good and bad about them.

I was referring to the Velocity Plus, 7 Iron Pro, VX4 (for southern grass anyway) and yes, I'll put the EverRide Warrior/Gravely Pro Ride deck in there too, since I have used them all in comparison on my types of grass.

None of them cut Bahia and Dallis grass, including Exmark Ultracut, quite as clean as the Pro Ride did, with the Exmark having more trouble with tall, thick stemmy grass, such as Bahia and Dallisgrass. V+, 7 Iron and VX4 all handled the grass mentioned above better than Exmark Ultracut.

I will also say that the open deck of the Pro Ride cut weekly Bermuda, zoysia and St. Augustine areas that I cut as well as any of the others that I used.

Not trying to start an argument but you said "there goes that theory" and my experiences , obviously different from yours (also different grass types) prove that in my area, for my cutting conditions and grass types, the more open (V+, 7 Iron, VX4, maybe Ferris ICD, and EverRide Warrior/Gravely Pro Ride tunnel decks work better, all around than the tighter baffled decks (with smaller openings) like the Exmark Ultracut.
The Ultracut does good on these stemmy grasses, just not as good as the above mentioned list.

You might take into account the types of grasses being cut etc. before you say a theory is blown up, as I don't put information out there if I don't have firsthand experience with it.

 

........

 

Hey weeze I find the G5/6 blades work best when the grass isn't sticky. Springtime is the worst around here and don't care to run the G5/6 In those conditions. When it dries out some they are a great blade. Like TurfTracer said I prefer a long sail high lift in those conditions like on Scag's blades.The sticky green mush is a killer.

HenryB sounds to me you like a more manicured cut and won't leave long clippings on top. I have seen the long clippings left by the velocity + also that would have me double cutting to clean then up . The V+ disperses well in all conditions but the long clippings still require another clean up pass IMHO.

 

That velicity deck would probably work great in the rain with a accelerator bag on a walk?

 

I use the G5's in the spring and don't have any real problems with them. If the grass is really long, they might throw an occasional small clump, but overall, they work great under the 7 Iron. I still am liking the std Scag blades best for year round work though. They call them a high lift, but to me are more like a medium lift, at least compared to the high lifts from JD. That long sail with its sharp upturn really seems to work great under open decks.

 

Yea that's What Toro Was Calling SFS Back in the Day.

They were Too Shallow though and Didn't have velocity to throw more than 2 Chambers in Thick Stuff.

If your Gators not Blowing Clumps on a 7 Iron in Spring Growth then your grass don't Grow Like Ours Early Spring. Guys Mowing Irrigated Commercials w/Deeres won't touch them until July.

 

Yea that's What Toro Was Calling SFS Back in the Day.

They were Too Shallow though and Didn't have velocity to throw more than 2 Chambers in Thick Stuff.

If your Gators not Blowing Clumps on a 7 Iron in Spring Growth then your grass don't Grow Like Ours Early Spring. Guys Mowing Irrigated Commercials w/Deeres won't touch them until July.

You're making yourself look bad. If it can't get cut with the JD until July, then no other mower will do it either, especially an Exmark.

The truth is though, that I (and thousands of other guys) cut wet spring growth just fine with the 7 Iron. Your grass up there in Canada doesn't grow any thicker, faster or longer in the spring than it does here in the upper mid west.

 

The More that Stupid Wet Stuff gets Processed under the deck the more it Balls.

You want it Outta there as Quick and Clean as Possible here.

 

No but Gators on our Turf in Soaking Wet Thick Spring Stuff Balls it up Under the Deck instead of getting it out Quick and Clean.

No Problems w/Notched.

I ain't running Deeres but Know plenty guys who cut Commercials, I won't touch, that are.

 

And if I was Side Blowing larger Stuff I would run a 7 iron.

Just not Gators in Spring.

 

It's really interesting to hear all these different perspectives I actually owned several Toro sfs decks we added front battles across the top of the deck to make them more like an ultra cut, it did help a lot but Decks have come a long way since then. A lot has to do with personal preference it seems one could make almost any deck work with the right blade combo slash modifications. to answer someone's question earlier I did try multiple combinations of multiple blades for each deck and again I think these three cutting decks are great for different applications. 2 side notes I do like the Bobcat deck and the way it cuts it seems like it gets no love and then as far as Hustler their new deck seems pretty good but I have to admit they're XR7 was a real handful for me that and the Triton deck by Exmark where the only decks I really didn't like

 

. Hey weeze I find the G5/6 blades work best when the grass isn't sticky. Springtime is the worst around here and don't care to run the G5/6 In those conditions. When it dries out some they are a great blade. Like TurfTracer said I prefer a long sail high lift in those conditions like on Scag's blades.The sticky green mush is a killer.

That Sums it Up here also. You hit a Soaked Lawn the Serrated teeth just Add to Grass Packing into Balls. It's like taking a Bunch of Confetti pieces coated with glue and giving them a quick shot w/a Mixer. Best just to blow them Straight Out

 

doesn't work that way here. i've mowed yards in the rain and never had a single clump of grass. must just be different grass types giving different results.

 

Not sure if this helps the debate between open and tightly baffled decks, but here is my 36" Bradley (open deck). It leaves longer clippings but cuts very well when wet. Very little deck buildup but a lot of double cutting required. Very good wet grass mower either way.

 

Now here is my 48" Bradley. It's not tightly baffled but not as open either. It does decent in the wet but will build up over time. Clippings are smaller and almost never have to double cut. This deck seems to be a happy medium between the two.

 

The pictures were taken at a odd angle, but this is the middle blade. The gap is a little further away than what it appears. The discharge blade has a bigger gap between it and the front of the deck.. Grass builds up a little around the bolts but not a lot. Most the buildup is in between each blade. Neither deck builds up where it shuts the blades off but I'm a stickler for super clean decks. I find myself cleaning this deck more often than the 36

 

And here is a photo of the discharge blade. Sorry for all the photo's, wanted to show you guys ... it's difficult to explain but the devil is in the details

 

I assume air pressure is more important than velocity in expelling sticky grass as the open designs have less velocity than than the tight designs.

 

Open decks do NOT have less velocity than tighter decks on the discharge. Common sense should tell someone that when looked at logically. With an open deck like the VX4, V+ or 7 Iron, the vast majority of the air is moved along the front baffle easily in a (relatively speaking) straight, uninterrupted line/flow (which can easily be seen by watching the clippings coming out as you mow). With tighter designs, they may create a bit more suction, but they also have to move the airflow along a wavy, or highly curved baffle, which interrupts and/or slows the flow significantly. If you had two decks with the same baffle shape, with the only difference being the chute opening size, then yes, the tighter opening would have less volume but more pressure/velocity too the discharge stream.

Having the air flow take the clippings out in a relatively uninterrupted stream keeps them flowing smoothly instead of packing up around spindles or baffles etc. It also helps with the spread pattern on the surface.

 

Open decks do NOT have less velocity than tighter decks on the discharge. Common sense should tell someone that when looked at logically. With an open deck like the VX4, V+ or 7 Iron, the vast majority of the air is moved along the front baffle easily in a (relatively speaking) straight, uninterrupted line/flow (which can easily be seen by watching the clippings coming out as you mow). With tighter designs, they may create a bit more suction, but they also have to move the airflow along a wavy, or highly curved baffle, which interrupts and/or slows the flow significantly. If you had two decks with the same baffle shape, with the only difference being the chute opening size, then yes, the tighter opening would have less volume but more pressure/velocity too the discharge stream.

Having the air flow take the clippings out in a relatively uninterrupted stream keeps them flowing smoothly instead of packing up around spindles or baffles etc. It also helps with the spread pattern on the surface.

Sorry your wrong "Pressure is inversely proportional to velocity", this is accepted science as expressed in the Bernoulli equation that's why a carburetor works. Any velocity lost by the tight curved baffle (friction) is quickly overcome by the addition of more force due to the close proximity of the blades along the front baffle. You can not have more pressure and velocity , physics proves this , it is accepted science.

 

The previos post brings up some great points some of my real-world observations are the open deck design like velocity,7-iron cetera do not throw the clippings as far out the discharge as say the Exmark or even bobcat. One thing I find impressive about the velocity Plus is it does discharge the clippings very evenly in a nice spread they are long but it's a great distribution

 

This is because closed decks have more velocity.:nod:Look at this video at 1:58 to 2:02. Narrow curved section, dots speed up.

 

A 48" ultra cut with medium lift blades throws grass further than a 61" v+ with high lift blades in my experience.

 

Wow, more rear world feedback that supports science......

 

My mower makes grass shorter to! Science bro! Lol

 

beware the Lawnsite Fanboys. Their Units allways the Bestest and Strongest. Flashback 20 years on LS it would be DC that could Do No Wrong.

Good thing about Mulching Everything is it don't really make much Difference what deck you use....they all pretty much the same w/a Fully Baffled Mulch Kit.

 

beware the Lawnsite Fanboys. Their Units allways the Bestest and Strongest. Flashback 20 years on LS it would be DC that could Do No Wrong.

Good thing about Mulching Everything is it don't really make much Difference what deck you use....they all pretty much the same w/a Fully Baffled Mulch Kit.

I agree with you about mulching, but if you are talking about me as fanboy, then you haven't paid much attention to my posts. I run a little of everything, and will try about anything as well given the chance. I run what I run right now because it is superior to the UC in almost every way. I could have bought and run a UC. I paid cash for my mower, so choice was wide open. The Exmark dealer is a lot closer to me than the JD dealer, and they Exmark dealer is where I buy almost all my oils, blades etc, as well as my hand helds.

 

Most of this Bickering comes down to Conditions. Serrated Blades Suck in the Spring here. Period. Apparently they don't elsewhere. Since I'm not Mowing that Turf can't comment.

Open Decks when Filled with Lush Green Stuff here will Generally Clump Less but Throw Closer.

Different Conditions. Different Turf. Different Rain and Watering Habits of Customers.

Get over Yourself.

 

Most of this Bickering comes down to Conditions. Serrated Blades Suck in the Spring here. Period. Apparently they don't elsewhere. Since I'm not Mowing that Turf can't comment.

Open Decks when Filled with Lush Green Stuff here will Generally Clump Less but Throw Closer.

Different Conditions. Different Turf. Different Rain and Watering Habits of Customers.

Get over Yourself.

LOL

 

Anything don't fit Ridin'Green Narrow Vision of How Things Are gets his Official B.S. Stamp®

.I've had some bearings that say otherwise. Hard to keep one blade balanced per spindle balanced well much less 2.

Blade Balance Overrated IMO. Bought a Mag8000 w/the Balancer about 15years ago. Used Balancer maybe 5 times. Mostly run Sealed Spindles, some w/over 2k Running Stacked and nary an Issue. Others a Random Bearing. Nothing unusual and Better than Most according to Mechanic here.

 

Anything don't fit Ridin'Green Narrow Vision of How Things Are gets his Official B.S. Stamp®

Blade Balance Overrated IMO. Bought a Mag8000 w/the Balancer about 15years ago. Used Balancer maybe 5 times. Mostly run Sealed Spindles, some w/over 2k Running Stacked and nary an Issue. Others a Random Bearing. Nothing unusual and Better than Most according to Mechanic here.

You're a poser on here and most of us have caught on to what you are. You keep changing your story about your location or what all you do, then when one of us call you out on it, you get mad. That's on you.