Mulching issue

[Quattro Pete]

With about 5-6 hours of work time on my new Toro 20333, I noticed that the mulching performance is not what it was at the beginning. What happens is that not all grass clippings are evenly dispersed. The mower now leaves a thin line (maybe a couple of inches) of grass clippings lined up behind it. This is of course quite visible to the naked eye.

The blade became dull, so I had Ace Hardware sharpen it for me. It did help in the cutting department - grass edges aren't jagged anymore, but it didn't seem to do anything for the mulching issue.

Do I just need a brand new blade? If so, which one do you recommend?

Or is there something else that's causing it?

Thanks.

EDIT: I guess I will try to overlap the cutting swaths instead of cutting a full swath with each pass next time I cut the grass to see if that hepls. It'll slow me down, but that seems to be what Toro recommends.

 

[ViragoBry]

During this time of year, the thickness of my St Augustine just overwhelms the mulching capacity of my mower. I have to slow my pace, overlap paths and keep the blade sharp (which I do anyway). If it leaves a visible path of grass in a certain area, I go mow somewhere else for a while, and come back and run over it again after it's had a little while to lay there and dry in the sun. That seems to do the trick.

 

[lexus114]

Originally Posted By: ViragoBry
During this time of year, the thickness of my St Augustine just overwhelms the mulching capacity of my mower. I have to slow my pace, overlap paths and keep the blade sharp (which I do anyway). If it leaves a visible path of grass in a certain area, I go mow somewhere else for a while, and come back and run over it again after it's had a little while to lay there and dry in the sun. That seems to do the trick.


Yeah pete,i have basically the same mower as you. mine just has the key start,only difference and i have to mow the grass twice for the same reason you mentioned.i remember my grand father had a toro in the late 70`s and you could hear the grass getting ground up in that thing.but it didnt just have a mulching blade,it had sharp things on the deck itself that also aided in the mulching process.and that was only a 4hp techumseh motor self propelled front drive.

 

[c3po]

Is this one of those mowers that mulches or bags the grass.

 

[Quattro Pete]

Yes.

http://www.toro.com/home/mowers/recycler/20333.html

 

[Nayov]

I have the same mower but it mulches perfectly EXCEPT for where the tires "presses in" the grass and leaves tire tracks if you will which really does show up. I tend to mow often so the grass never gets too tall which I suppose helps. Also, if you mow wet you can hear the grass clumps hit the deck and the mower works harder but still mulches great.

 

[c3po]

Originally Posted By: Quattro Pete
Yes.

http://www.toro.com/home/mowers/recycler/20333.html


Quattro Pete, I may have an answer and this is just my opinion, your mower may not be a real mulching mower since you can also bag with it, I have a Toro SuperRecycler mower which has some plastic triangles underneath and it mulches perfectly.

Mulching the grass is fine unless it is wet or too high.

I am thinking if you looked underneath your mower it would look like any other mower that has a side or rear discharge.

Sometimes mulching mowers have a hard time with thick grass.

I bought my Toro SuperRcycler back in 1997 and paid $330.00 for it and it has an aluminum deck and a 6 horsepower engine.

If I had a yard with thick grass I would probably want a side discharge mower with a gator blade on it, my walk behind mower which I use in the spring on my Dad's mower tends to shred the grass as it shoots out the side.

Again mulching mowers are great under perfect conditions.

I think your deck is made out of steel, so try too keep it clean so it does not rust out, and if there is junk underneath hit it with a pressure washer.

 

[Pete591]

Everybody who mulches on my street does their lawn every 4 days...let it grow too much and the surface has clumps of hay.

 

[dkryan]

Make certain the underside of the deck is free of accumulated grass.

Also make certain you are not cutting more than 1/3 of the grass blade height at each mowing.

Attempting to cut too much will result in the mower not mulching to your expectations.

 

[Quattro Pete]

Thanks all.

I only mow once a week. Maybe that's not enough for proper mulching.

 

[JTK]

Originally Posted By: Quattro Pete
With about 5-6 hours of work time on my new Toro 20333, I noticed that the mulching performance is not what it was at the beginning.


Did you make any height adjustments to the mower since the beginning? Like said, 3 major things effect mulching performance: Trying to cut too much, to wet or too fast. Any mower can mulch under the right conditions.

Joel

 

[Mamala Bay]

On certain grass the sun plays a part. The grass follows the sun. You could be cutting with or against the grain. This can cause different patterns. When double cutting(cutting the same path), one cuts with and the other against the grain. This enables a cleaner cut.

 

[Mamala Bay]

Originally Posted By: JTK
Originally Posted By: Quattro Pete
With about 5-6 hours of work time on my new Toro 20333, I noticed that the mulching performance is not what it was at the beginning.


Did you make any height adjustments to the mower since the beginning? Like said, 3 major things effect mulching performance: Trying to cut too much, to wet or too fast. Any mower can mulch under the right conditions.

Joel


This is also true, try to mow when grass is dry much easier as wet grass will stick and clump together. Also a slower cut will produce a more even and nicer cut.

 

[coachditka]

Originally Posted By: dkryan
Make certain the underside of the deck is free of accumulated grass.

Also make certain you are not cutting more than 1/3 of the grass blade height at each mowing.

Attempting to cut too much will result in the mower not mulching to your expectations.



Beat me to it.

Get a gator blade. If you are mulching, just trim the top of the grass, about 1/3 and you will have great results.

But I swear by the gator blade. When my yard has pine needles, the gator blade makes them disappear. I laugh at my neighbors bagging grass.

http://www.gatorblade.com/