Chute blocker for Fastrak mower?

mooch91

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Hi all,

I have a 2016 Fastrak that works great on my 1.5 acre property, except in one 1000 sq ft area around the front of my house. I have a 10' pathway in between two planting beds and there is no way to direct the discharge in this area so I don't blow clippings in to the beds. I'd like to find a chute blocker or operator controlled discharge chute (OCDC) for my mower to help me quickly tackle this area. What I do now is to keep the plastic chute down in this area which helps but doesn't solve the problem. My beds look terrible the week after I mulch them because of the clippings that blow in.

I've taken a look at a few of the options available, but all seem so expensive for what they are (minimum $200-300). Plus, none seem "bolt on", most require some drilling to install. For the price of some of these, I figure I can probably buy a cheap 21" mulching/bagging push mower to solve the problem.

Any recommended, less expensive, or creative options for a chute blocker for this mower?

Thanks!
 

Dorians

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You need to purchase a mulch kit, you get the chute door and mulching blades this way all the nutrients are put back in the grass and you wont have the clippings blowing allover.
 

kraky

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I was pretty hot on getting one for my fast track but what I read was that they leave pretty good grass trails when The chute is closed..... and I was afraid on Windy days with It Wide Open a lot of stuff would fly back and land on me and the mower.
 

Grass Whisper

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Good Sirs....

I have a mulching kit on my 54 inch Fastrak. Works great and leaves no trails in the yard when mowing. Now something to note: I cut at a higher setting and I have noticed that there will be grass trails if I cut too low. I am no engineer but think it has a lot to do with the amount of area under the deck to allow for "Re-cutting". Just makes sense to me. I only cut dry grass, and have gator blades in place.

Empire Zoysia

Personal Yard

"I cut that grass for FREE!!"
 

mooch91

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Returning to this thread after some time...

I purchased the Trac Vac Discharge Shield (DS100) for my Fastrak mower. My need is for around a few beds in my front yard where I have no option but to direct the clippings at the beds. One week after mulching they would look awful with the build-up of clippings.

The Trac Vac chute blocker was the most affordable of the bunch I researched. It has a manual handle control on it and three positions: full open, half open, or full closed.

I hated drilling the deck (Hustler just replaced it due to paint issues), but I could not find a cleaner way to do it.

These chute blockers are universal fit, so I had to do some manipulation with the brackets to get the height to clear the tabs and lip on the edge of the deck. The flap edge about 3/16" higher than the bottom of the deck, so I may need to extend the flap with something to get it to seal fully (depending on how much blow-by I get).

I realize this is not a replacement for a mulch kit (my intent it NOT to use it for mulching the yard), and I also realize that I may get grass trails even if I use it in the small area I intend. I still believe this can be managed with multiple passes and is still far better than blowing tons of clippings in to the mulch.

Haven't used it yet, hope to try it out this weekend.

For those who are interested, I can share where I bought it and how I did the install. It may save someone some time.
 

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Foco10

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Returning to this thread after some time...

I purchased the Trac Vac Discharge Shield (DS100) for my Fastrak mower. My need is for around a few beds in my front yard where I have no option but to direct the clippings at the beds. One week after mulching they would look awful with the build-up of clippings.

The Trac Vac chute blocker was the most affordable of the bunch I researched. It has a manual handle control on it and three positions: full open, half open, or full closed.

I hated drilling the deck (Hustler just replaced it due to paint issues), but I could not find a cleaner way to do it.

These chute blockers are universal fit, so I had to do some manipulation with the brackets to get the height to clear the tabs and lip on the edge of the deck. The flap edge about 3/16" higher than the bottom of the deck, so I may need to extend the flap with something to get it to seal fully (depending on how much blow-by I get).

I realize this is not a replacement for a mulch kit (my intent it NOT to use it for mulching the yard), and I also realize that I may get grass trails even if I use it in the small area I intend. I still believe this can be managed with multiple passes and is still far better than blowing tons of clippings in to the mulch.

Haven't used it yet, hope to try it out this weekend.

For those who are interested, I can share where I bought it and how I did the install. It may save someone some time.
[/QUOTE
I just bought the same chute blocker and have the same mower as yours. I am having a hard time getting it high enough to clear the tabs. Do you have anymore pictures of yours
 

mooch91

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See if this picture helps. Can't guarantee this is the way I installed the brackets, but it looks like it might have been (I sold the mower and can't really confirm). Raises it higher than if the angle irons were arranged the other way.
IMG_4070.jpg
 
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