John Deere Z445 Mulch Kit Problems

bos

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Bought the John Deere Z445 with the plastic mulch kit and the mulching blades a few weeks ago. Love the machine but have problems with the cut.

I mow in the 3" setting and my grass is pretty thick, but even when I tried it on the neighbors lawn who cuts lower and has thinner grass I still have issues.

What happens is that the where the knifes 'overlap' the mower leaves a strip of uncut grass. Also the rest of the cut is uneven and looks chopped.

I mow pretty slow.

I called the dealer who is very good about it, they picked the machine up, cut half of the plastic away and let me try it again. It seems to be better but still not a 8 out of 10 or even close to a 10 out of 10.

When I checked underneath the deck the grass is so packed in there after 3 cuts that it created its own 'kit' but the cut is better but still bad. Still have an uneven cut where the blades meet.

Anyone else have issues with a 48" deck. Anything you recommend?
 

Cabinboy

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Hey Bos, picked up my 445 last tuesday, also with the kit installed, but its been raining pretty much solid out here in Alberta since.:eek: I did not seem to have any problems when i used it the day i got it home. Like you, love the machine. Cut my cutting time by half. May have to slow down ;-) Supposed to clear up in the next 2 days, so will advise when i get a chance to cut and not leave ruts.

PS welcome to the forum

Tom

As you and I can see, i need to change my avatar doh!!!!!
 

Cabinboy

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I mow in the 3" setting and my grass is pretty thick, but even when I tried it on the neighbors lawn who cuts lower and has thinner grass I still have issues.

What happens is that the where the knifes 'overlap' the mower leaves a strip of uncut grass. Also the rest of the cut is uneven and looks chopped.

I mow pretty slow.




Got a chance to mow last night finally..........I also cut at 3" height, and I have to say I had no issues at all with strips being left or uneven cuts. And I was cutting fast. My only problem was small tears in the turf from not turning properly. Controls not worn in yet, or more likely the friggin:eek: operator :thumbdown::laughing::laughing::laughing::laughing::laughing::laughing::laughing:

I'll go with the operator. Having said that, i had no issues at all. It sounds kinda strange that they cut plastic away. Thats the whole idea of the mulching kit, is the baffle that is placed in there.

Advise if you've had any luck. I'm gonna get a pic of mine, when I get my MoJack tomorrow. I'll post it when i get a chance.

Cheers

tom
 

mac

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It sounds like either your dealer sold you the wrong size kit, or somehow, your deck got warped. Those are about the only two reasons I can think that could cause that problem. GOOD LUCK:mad:
 

Black Bart

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I bought a new Z TRak this spring and the dealer advised me not to buy the mulching kit.

He said unless I was going to cut ever time it grow-ed a inch to forget it.
I mow on #3 and usually run about 4mph but can run full speed if I want and get a perfect cut but i don't have the mulching kit.

If you are cutting more than 1 inch that may be the problem.
Not good when even the dealer tells you not to buy it.
 

youbetcha

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Bought the John Deere Z445 with the plastic mulch kit and the mulching blades a few weeks ago. Love the machine but have problems with the cut.

I mow in the 3" setting and my grass is pretty thick, but even when I tried it on the neighbors lawn who cuts lower and has thinner grass I still have issues.

What happens is that the where the knifes 'overlap' the mower leaves a strip of uncut grass. Also the rest of the cut is uneven and looks chopped.

I mow pretty slow.

I called the dealer who is very good about it, they picked the machine up, cut half of the plastic away and let me try it again. It seems to be better but still not a 8 out of 10 or even close to a 10 out of 10.

When I checked underneath the deck the grass is so packed in there after 3 cuts that it created its own 'kit' but the cut is better but still bad. Still have an uneven cut where the blades meet.

Anyone else have issues with a 48" deck. Anything you recommend?

My Scotts (JD) 48" deck always plugged up like your Z is doing. When my 48" deck left a stripe of uncut grass, it was always from a damaged blade. In regards to grass constantly packing in the deck there are two things at work. First if I had wet grass, the 48" always packed up unless I had a really small cut of 1/2 to 3/4 inch.

The other trick that works involves going to the local hardware store and buying a can of spray on silicone (mower dealers mark theirs up about 3x more). Since you have to go into the deck, it is a good time to remove the blades and sharpen them up. *** I you have a lot of hours on your mower, try to wiggle the blades and see what shape the spindles are in. If they wiggle (usually left spindle - opposite end of discharge).

Scrape out the deck (again) and spray one coat of silicone and let it sit about 20 minutes. Then spray a second coat and let it sit about 20 minutes. It should be great and will last about 2 cuts. Then reapply, spraying is better than scraping.
 
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