[terrygt5000]

Hey All,
I have a Craftsman GT5000 with a 48" deck, when mulching (have mulching blades and discharge chute block off installed) it leaves lines of grass behind. I am mowing with grass tall but others do in neighborhood with other machines and they do not leave lines of grass. Has anyone out there solved this problem. Thanks. Terry

 

[Wayne195]

Welcome to the forum Terry!

Are you saying it leaves lines of standing grass or grass clippings? If you have lines of standing grass the blades must be installed improperly.

 

[lakeviewpe]

Make sure the blades are correct for your model and that they are not dull. Also make sure they are properly installed. Has the mower ever mulched properly?

 

[IdBeDan]

Mower deck hieght, travel speed, sharp blades, deck level and beer breaks all play a part. Good luck

 

[Mark / Ohio]

Blades worn back from numerous sharpening can do that too.

 

[greenmachine]

Leaving a line of grass is common when mulching. Here are some general tips to try to avoid that.

- Slow down your driving, giving the deck more time to work as it passes over the area.
- Cut the grass only when the grass is dry.
- If available, use blades explicitly designed for mulching instead of the all-purpose discharge/bagging/mulching blades that are typically standard issue. Mulching blades will make smaller clippings.
- Cut off a small amount of grass (like an inch or so). That usually requires mowing more often, or maybe cutting in two passes with the deck set higher on the first pass. (Don't ever cut off more than 1/3 of the height of the grass on the same day anyway.)

 

[oldyellr]

Some very good advice by greenmachine.

Remember, mulching decks, blades and inserts are not perfect. Ideally, the clippings should be pulverized to smithereens and "rain" down in an even pattern behind the mower, but that's not what happens because mower decks are made to discharge the clippings out of a chute on the right hand side. Mulching devices have to work with this basic design.

Because of how the deck is designed, the mulched clippings will accumulate where the blocked-off discharge chute is and fall out when there is no more room for them. This leaves a "windrow" or trail of clippings on the right hand side. What you need to do is mow in a clockwise pattern from the outside and overlap the windrow on each lap to re-cut and redistribute the clippings.