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Sat, May 29, 10 at 16:31
| I purchased a 20332 Personal Pace last Tuesday (5/25/10). We have not had any rain in 4 days and I mow in the afternoon, so wet grass is not a possible problem. I mulched with the Toro in the back yard at about 3.5 inches high (cutting off 1 inch total) and the next day the grass looked like it wasn’t cut. Friday, I started mowing the front yard, which was not cut Wednesday, and the Toro 20332 was doing the same thing. The best I can describe it, it is cutting 75-90 percent of the grass and blowing down the rest. When I run my foot across the grass, all the uncut grass stands up and it is real obvious it wasn’t cut. Some blades of grass are anywhere from a quarter inch to 1 inch taller compared to the rest. The only time I have ever seen anything like this is when I put a blade on upside down or backwards. However, when the blade is on backwards or upside down, the blade shatters the top of the grass and you have that uneven cut look. The grass with the Toro has a clean, smooth cut, it is just not cutting all of it across the entire width of the mower. I used my old 8 year old mower in mulching mode and it cuts all the grass. I looked at the blade on the Toro and the sharpened edge of the blade is rotating clockwise towards the side chute, so I believe it was installed correctly at the factory and matches the pictures in the manual. I have adjusted the mower height at the wheels also, starting at the very bottom and raising up the front then the back, and also adjusting one side then the other side. I have K-31 fescue mixed with a medium/fine fescue in shaded areas in the back lawn and mixed fescue with WaterSaver RTF taking over the front lawn. I am thinking about cutting again in three days with the bag on to see if it is a possible warped or defective deck. If it cuts clean with the bagger, then the air flow is some how messed up? Make sense? Any suggestions? The engine is great and the Personal Pace is fantastic! I’m willing to give it one more attempt before I return it for a refund. |
Follow-Up Postings:
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| Excellent post and completely understandable, but I don't think anything is wrong with the mower. I'm confident you'll get an excellent cut with the bag on, which is typical of any mower. The problem for mulching is, the mower can't suck and blow at the same time. In oder to blow the clippings upward so they can be re-cut, the discharge port has to be closed. The resultant air flow created by the fan-like blade has to exit under the mower, which is why it can blow grass down when mulching as high as 3.5". Just make sure to criss-cross next time you mow. Also, try alternating mulching and bagging which works for me to even it out. Is the old mower at the same height as the new one? If it's at 3" or less it could explain why it cuts better in mulching. Every mower I've had did what you're reporting when mulching at 3.5" or higher. We're getting regular rain so far, so I'm having to cut twice a week. This helps keep the cut even, but there are some uncut blades here and there. I don't think a Fescue lawn can be perfect at 3.5" because a lot of the grass lays down, which is why you can get some uncut blades. Coming back next time with the bag on takes care of it. |
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| When the mower is mulching it has to chop and re-chop all the cut blades until they are dropped on the lawn. Because grass is growing rapidly there is quite a wad of grass under that deck airflow may be reduced such that uncut blades won't stand up. Try reducing the volume of cut grass by slowing down mowing speed and cutting less than a full deck width with each pass. |
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