Are you cutting more than 1/3 of the growth? If so muching mowers just are not able to cut up (mulch that much grass. Commercial mowers usually have more hp per deck width than home owner type mowers, but comercial mowers are not set up to mulch, in fact I have never seen a muching mower being used by a mowing service. They either bag or side discharge, I used to have a Craftsman 46" deck, 24 hp made by Hssqvarna and it made a wonderful cut as long as I cut less than 1/3 of the grass blade. So it is possible for home owner type riders to give good results. Check out the commercial mowers the next time they mow your neighbors lawn, apples to oranges you'll see they are either bagging or side discharging. You can very easily switch your rider to a side discharge just by removeing the deck mulching plug, you don't need to even change the blades. You can also add a bagger for your mower, but that will cost about $400.

I estimate we cut around a 1/3. I was told to have about 3 inches of grass after a cut to keep it from burning and to look healthy. I think it would be crazy to cut every 2-3 days plus I don't have the time or the money for gas. We are not using it as a mulching mower currently. We discharge out of the side. I tried using the mulching blades with the plug and it would clog up almost instantly. I am not impressed with the Husqvarna. I think the deck is poorly designed.

Apples to organges? Oh, well. I just wanted to say that my Craftsman was a mulcher. (also sorry for all the typos in my post.)

Depending on the grass (cool season grasses), 3 inches is a good height for the reasons you were told. The 1/3 rule would mean you need to cut the grass before it exceeds 4.5 inches. Anyway, my point is, that there are/have been consumer models that will give a good cut, but as you point out- deck design is critical. You may want to check Consumer Reports as they regularly test and rate riding mowers for quality of cut (mulching/bagging/side discharge.) A comercial mower starts at around $4k. Once again, check your neighbor's service--Im guessing it's bagged.

One other thing, you may want to check the pitch of your deck. Having the front of the deck (as measured at the blade tip) 1/8 to 3/16" lower than the back will improve the cut--not that it will necessarily cure your issue.

try to cut during the day when your uncut grass is at it's driest. Keep your engine RPM at full throttle. Sharpened blades. Feather ground speed a bit. Make sure deck underside is clean. All will help.

You mentioned that you had a mulching plug, but do you have mulching blades under there? I know a guy who has a JD (Big box, not the "real" one) with the mulching plug and "mulching blades." He had a similar problem, he switched to "gator" blades and was pleased with the result.

Go to a site that offers mulching blades and compare what you see to what you're running. I would guess that like everything else, all mulching blades aren't created equal.

Good luck,

Ev

If you have a deflection chute (to knock stones down to the ground) take it off. See if that helps.

If that doesn't help, the 23hp Husqvarna is a fiction. I used to cut 4 acres with a Lastec three point hitch mower, pulled by a 33 HP Ford tractor (641). The grass clipping blew about six feet from the mower decks. There is no way you are getting that with your "23hp Husqvarna".

As stated, quality of cut is greatly affected by the cleanliness of the underside of the deck, reasonably sharp blades, proper mowing speed and high engine speed. In short, the deck needs certain conditions to do its job properly. The healthy, juicy spring grass doesn't make it any easier. Save the mulching cover for drier times of the year. The 48" is a nice deep deck and generally doesn't have major QOC issues if set up properly and allowed to work. With all that being said, a commercial mower is a different animal. Higher blade tip speeds and a more efficient design to process the grass in a variety of conditions. Also, these operators don't want dissatisfied customers and typically keep the blades sharp and the decks clean.

Thanks for all the great unput. We don't switch to mulching blades until after the spring grass dries up a little. My husband used to own a large lawn care co. and is very anal about the sharpness of the blades, the cleanliness of the underside of the deck, the soundness of the mower...etc. He lifts the deflection chute up when he cuts so the clippings can be thrown farther. He cleans the underside of the deck after every mowing. We just see the commercial mowers leaving very little (if any) residue...and they are not bagging. Also, one of our neighbors has a 24hp Cub Cadet and even his grass looks better than ours. If we got a higer hp residential mower, would that help??? We just might pull the trigger and trade up for a commercial mower if we can't find a better residential one.

I'm no professional law guy, but I cut my 4 acres.

I think engine size counts for a lot. Get massive tip speed on the blades. If you are bothered by the grass clippings, more engine will help.

A few years ago I dealt with my mid-life crisis by buying a golf course grade ZTR, instead of buying a low mileage corvette:). This machine came from a golf course in Wisconsin. 96" cut, four hinged decks. Engine is 1.5 liter Kubota turbo diesel. Rated 36HP. Has a mulching kit I leave on until late September. Leaves no windrows. One of the few problems with it is that it will leave alot of skidmarks if you aren't careful, because of the weight (2200 lbs. with nobody on it)

This is the manufacturer's product page
http://www.lastec.com/lastec2/Products/ZeroTurnMowers/369696Cut.aspx

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Colorblind - If your husband owned a lawn service, he must know that a residential unit cannot compete with commercial. Residential units have lower blade speed for safety reasons.

I have a Massey Ferguson (aka Simplicity) with a 50" deck and a turbo bagger. It also has a 20HP mower. It has plenty of power and cuts well, but the commercial units cut better. I used to have a Deere LT150 with a bagger that cut very well. My neighbors' landscaper uses an Exmark with a 60" deck. He does bag it and it looks AWESOME when he is done. Much better than mine :(.

My other neighbor has a Toro spin steer (possibly residential cost about 3 grand). Cuts very well and he mows once a week with NO BAGGING. That appears to be a great model. I drove it once and did not feel comfortable, so I bought another tractor.

Even a used commercial unit might be a good option. I swear the higher blade speed makes even a crappy lawn look better. My next unit will be a commercial or I will pay a service.

I used to have the same problem till i got my baby this is why i love kubota tractors. Talk about high blade rpms. I use gator blades they got rid of the lines in a hurry. The only thing is you have to have a taste for diesel mowers plenty of torque is the plus side of this mower the down side is its very heavy at nearly 1800lbs. And it wasnt cheap neither i paid nearly $26 big ones for my entire setup. But of corse i run a big lawn & landscape company were i live. I had to have a mower that could handle 20 acres or more a day.

Here is a link that might be useful: Kubota Specifications

But around here in my beautifull state of Arkansas ive heard of the best commercial like residential grade for home owners are the bad boy mowers which run anywhwere between $3500 and $7000 i have ran one they ride a little ruff on bumby terrain but they do have a clean cut. Which if you can afford one i think it could handle your property very good.

Good luck with whatever you decide!!!!!

Here is a link that might be useful: Bad boy mower webpage

If you want a great cut, get a tow-behind reel mower.

Pros: Inexpensive, can be towed with tractor or ATV, golf-course cut w/ striping

Cons: Reels can lock up with twigs/branches, not good for lawns with trees that regularly shed branches, twigs or pine cones.

When all else fails, unless you have acres of lawn, it only takes a little time to walk over the yard with a leaf blower to take care of the little piles of grass.

Kenneth, 43 lawns is a pretty good sized #

Do you primarily use your Husqvarna lawn tractor for commerical buisness?

What does your setup consist of?

I have a Simplicity ridsr and been thinking about using it for a small lawn service instead of gettting a commerical walk behind or zero turn for the immediate time being.