Thanks to the great British summer this year, there is more grass to cut than ever - but it never stops raining!
Many complaining about not being able to mow lawns, I have only had to reschedule one cut (from yesterday to this morning) and yes, we have had some appalling weather here too....
Most mowers can have their wet grass collection improved with a few simple tweaks or just some basic maintenance.
Here's a few tips - might be of use to someone:
Wash out the box
Wet grass quickly clogs the fabric of most grass boxes, meaning that the airflow (and grass cuttings!) can't pass from under the deck as quickly as it might.
As a simple test, put your hosepipe in the grassbox and see if the water collects in it - one of my Hayter boxes was that bad this last week it could have been used as a bucket!
A high pressure jet wash works wonders on clearing this accumulation of muck and clearing the mesh of the bag - if you can easily remove the grass bag fabric from the frame (like on some Honda's), then try soaking it overnight in a dustbin of water with some Daz washing powder in - trust me that works too.
Investigate your blade options
I am currently running 'non genuine' blades on my Hayters as compared to the genuine blades, they have a 50% larger wing tip area - more wing tip = more air movement = better collection in all conditions.
Many manufacturers have reduced the wing tip on genuine blades in line with EU noise regulations, at the expense of collection ability.
Clean, sharp blades mean less stress on the engine too.
Cut according to the conditions
Some lawns are growing so quickly that they need a high cut first, then the blades lowering for a second pass. It can be tempting to try and do it in one pass on low but this always results in blocked decks as the grass physically can't clear from the deck fast enough. When the deck clogs, it normally leaves a nasty mess of mashed grass on the surface of the lawn - not very professional.
If you have a variable speed or geared mower, try using a lower gear or ground speed so the blades have longer to cut the grass.
Know your machine
If your mower has independent wheel adjustment, experiment with it - my Honda HR216 collects 50% better with the front wheels set one notch above the rear setting due to the blade being able to pull the air in better.
Treat the engine to a service
A poorly running engine may bog down in long wet grass, often a simple service will restore it to full power - a new spark plug, air filter and some oil isn't expensive but well worth doing regularly to maintain peak performance.
Keep the under deck area clean
A clogged deck leads to disrupted air flow currents, which leads to grass cuttings getting dropped as the air stream into the back looses its force.
There we go, few things to try, some of which which may be of use to the homeowner and professional alike - remember - its never too late to learn......
Maybe someone can think of something that I have forgotten?
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I would echo all of the above, plus of course sharp blades.
A lot of our contract customers invest in a spare grassbag so that one is drying off in the van whilst the other is in use.
Nice one Adam! Sometimes we are too busy chasing our backside and whinging to take timeout and think a bit more!
I have also found my lawnflights better (in the wet or dry)than and hatyer I have owned in the past.
So, where do you get good after market blades from. Can anybody give a web site or dealer details. Think we could all benefit from high lift blades at the moment.
Agree with all these points.
Just to add that i have used a soldering iron to produce half inch holes all over one fabric bag.
This i keep for the wet days ........ makes such a difference.
On your point of raising the front of the machine up a notch ....i find that raising the rear higher works better.
Something to be said for the rigid plastic collection baskets - don't see so many of them now .....
I have one on an older mower and has lasted eleven years . Better air circulation without clogging and stronger when carrying wet grass etc. also handy for weeding !
I do have to add though that Lifting the rear of a machines deck will increase collection and air flow far better than lifting the front
2 main reasons why.
1- the air is drawn in from the rear left of most machines and continues to be drawn in from the sides until discharge into box, the front half of a deck is it main cutting face, so lifting the rear will increase the space aloud for air to be drawn into the deck from the less used rear section
2- lifting the rear of the machine also changes the stress on the machine to only cutting to desired depth on the front section of the deck, leaveing the rear section of the deck to be left free to collect air in with out trying to suck past grass, as the blade is spinning at a slight angle. Lifting the front will give a small increase in some situations but you will actually be putti g the machine under more stress as the blade will be contacting the grass through its whole revelution and every time collecting more grass rather than air so will eventually clogg up
Brian, here's some info that may help from a simialr thread in June:
http://www.landscapejuicenetwork.com/forum/topics/hayter-mowers-in-...
We use 'high lift' blades a lot. In reality they are not 'high lift' but merely original blade designs from before noise regs stopped the makers fitting them. In comparison to current blades however they do make a difference. Typically you can find them for most main makes, including Etesia's I believe
www.mibservices.co.uk said:
Beat me to it Gary..... I was just trying to find that discussion!
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