zero turn mower

[uk gardening]

Hi guys.
Does anyone know if a zero turn mower has been made which gives you the option of rear discharge or side on same machine ?
Surely manufacturers like bobcat etc have thought of it ?
Sides great but it would be superb if you could change in a matter of seconds to rear by shutting side with a mechanism and use rear. Near cars, buildings etc to stop mess.

 

[BlazNT]

The way I know it and my knowledge is lacking. Rear discharge the blades go opposite of each other and side discharge all go the same way. If this is true and I don't know that for sure you could not do both on the same mower. This is only my limited knowledge of the few rear discharge mowers I know of.

 

[djdicetn]

The way I know it and my knowledge is lacking. Rear discharge the blades go opposite of each other and side discharge all go the same way. If this is true and I don't know that for sure you could not do both on the same mower. This is only my limited knowledge of the few rear discharge mowers I know of.

That's very interesting....I've seen a few posts by users who have a rear discharge ZTR(I think most of them were either Hustlers or Scags) but there was never any mention of the blades turning in opposite directions. How would that work on a 3-blade deck??? Seems like if the outer blades went opposite directions the middle blade would have to be the same as one of the outer blades. Do you have any more details about how that works(I understand you said you aren't extremely knowledgeable about the rear discharge)???

P.S.
To answer the OP....I've never heard of a "dual discharge" ZTR.

 

[LoCo86]

Hi guys. Does anyone know if a zero turn mower has been made which gives you the option of rear discharge or side on same machine ? Surely manufacturers like bobcat etc have thought of it ? Sides great but it would be superb if you could change in a matter of seconds to rear by shutting side with a mechanism and use rear. Near cars, buildings etc to stop mess.

The only thing I can think of that can help you is an OCDC chute. Or the MOD deck on the John Deere Z Trac mower.

 

[MRCo.]

None that I know of, the counter rotating blade needs different belt routing, etc. for those who don't know RD decks, the Hustler web site has good info. The best alternative I can imagine is a side discharge deck with mulch kit / plug you can add and remove.

 

[BlazNT]

Walker mowers are the limit of my knowledge of rear discharge mowers. They are gear driven not belt driven. I looked at their 3 blade decks but all are side discharge.

 

[djdicetn]

None that I know of, the counter rotating blade needs different belt routing, etc. for those who don't know RD decks, the Hustler web site has good info. The best alternative I can imagine is a side discharge deck with mulch kit / plug you can add and remove.

Thanks...found the details of the rear discharge deck on the Brochure PDF on the Hustler website(see below for those interested):

"Limited Lifetime warranty on the leading edge
of the decks. See dealer for details.
54 and 60 available on X-ONE model and 60
and 72 available on Diesel Z, Super Z & Super
Z HD models.
Industry exclusive counter rotating blade for
the best finished appearance in it's class.
Dual trim capabilities for increased productivity
and greater protection from thrown objects.
Deck is noticeably quieter in operation.
Rear discharge requires less horsepower
to operate because clippings are not being
passed through each blade.
Same durable construction Hustler is known
for.
Heavy duty ductile iron spindles with sealed
bearings for unmatched durability and life."


Seems like Hustler may be exclusive in the counter rotating blades and there is a picture on the brochure of how it works. Here's a link to the brochure which gives a very good overall picture of the complete Hustler line:

http://www.hustlerturf.com/images/Brochure_PDFs/2014_Brochures/FullLineAccord_2014.pdf

 

[Shughes717]

Thanks...found the details of the rear discharge deck on the Brochure PDF on the Hustler website(see below for those interested):

"Limited Lifetime warranty on the leading edge
of the decks. See dealer for details.
54 and 60 available on X-ONE model and 60
and 72 available on Diesel Z, Super Z & Super
Z HD models.
Industry exclusive counter rotating blade for
the best finished appearance in it's class.
Dual trim capabilities for increased productivity
and greater protection from thrown objects.
Deck is noticeably quieter in operation.
Rear discharge requires less horsepower
to operate because clippings are not being
passed through each blade.
Same durable construction Hustler is known
for.
Heavy duty ductile iron spindles with sealed
bearings for unmatched durability and life."


Seems like Hustler may be exclusive in the counter rotating blades and there is a picture on the brochure of how it works. Here's a link to the brochure which gives a very good overall picture of the complete Hustler line:

http://www.hustlerturf.com/images/Brochure_PDFs/2014_Brochures/FullLineAccord_2014.pdf

That is not true. Exmark also has a rear discharge deck with counter rotating blades.

 

[Shughes717]

The main obstacle I see as to why there are no combination rd/sd decks on the market is air flow. The baffles would be configured different for each type deck and would have to be moved when swapping from one to the other. Too complicated. I don't think it would be impossible, because there are some talented engineers working at these companies. I just don't think it would be practical enough for them to put much time or money into it. The jd mod deck does something similar to what you are asking about, and look at the complaints it is getting from customers. Even the die hard jd supporters on this site don't like it.

 

[djdicetn]

The main obstacle I see as to why there are no combination rd/sd decks on the market is air flow. The baffles would be configured different for each type deck and would have to be moved when swapping from one to the other. Too complicated. I don't think it would be impossible, because there are some talented engineers working at these companies. I just don't think it would be practical enough for them to put much time or money into it. The jd mod deck does something similar to what you are asking about, and look at the complaints it is getting from customers. Even the die hard jd supporters on this site don't like it.

Yep, even user Jwatson99, who just bought a JD Z960R, started to get the MOD deck and then decided not to after demoing it.