Stripping Kit: Worth it or not?

ironhead3fan

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Going to pick up my new IS3200z 72" any day now and was wondering how many of you use the stripping kit. I did not get it installed for now. I know the obvious plus, your yard will look like a ball field. Are there any drawbacks to having the striping kit installed, like how does it do in wet grass, if I have to lower the deck a bit (lower than 3 inches) cause I'll be away for an extended period of time, etc. Thanks in advance.
 

Boobala

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Going to pick up my new IS3200z 72" any day now and was wondering how many of you use the stripping kit. I did not get it installed for now. I know the obvious plus, your yard will look like a ball field. Are there any drawbacks to having the striping kit installed, like how does it do in wet grass, if I have to lower the deck a bit (lower than 3 inches) cause I'll be away for an extended period of time, etc. Thanks in advance.

SO ....... you're gonna spend money on a striping kit ?? just so's some neighbors and friends can say what a good lookin lawn you have ! and how many times will you enjoy hearing it ?? NOW ... if ya spent THAT money on your sweetie, ( maybe dinner and flowers or a trinket, think of the GREAT pleasure that would give BOTH of ya's .. Happy wife, .. Happy Life !! just MY thoughts.. :thumbsup:
 

Padroo

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I just bought my wife a IS3200Z with a 61 inch deck with the mulching kit and the striping kit installed. She always mows the grass and she is not happy with the striping kit compared to her old TORO with a full length roller that is mounted on the back of the 52 inch TORO deck. I haven't tried lowering the striping kit to the lower holes yet but if I do and it still doesn't stripe right I will make a roller just like the one on the TORO. I made the roller years ago out of a piece of 2 inch rigid conduit. The deck is leaving a trail of grass on the right side of the deck and she isn't happy with that either.
We thought the bigger and wider machine would save her time mowing but having to double mow kills the whole process just to get rid of the trails. It wouldn't be so bad but the grass isn't very tall and still leaves those trails. She is very disappointed.
 

dsleeper

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I just bought my wife a IS3200Z with a 61 inch deck with the mulching kit and the striping kit installed. She always mows the grass and she is not happy with the striping kit compared to her old TORO with a full length roller that is mounted on the back of the 52 inch TORO deck. I haven't tried lowering the striping kit to the lower holes yet but if I do and it still doesn't stripe right I will make a roller just like the one on the TORO. I made the roller years ago out of a piece of 2 inch rigid conduit. The deck is leaving a trail of grass on the right side of the deck and she isn't happy with that either.
We thought the bigger and wider machine would save her time mowing but having to double mow kills the whole process just to get rid of the trails. It wouldn't be so bad but the grass isn't very tall and still leaves those trails. She is very disappointed.

We are a small dealer in southwest Iowa and have had great feed back on the Ferris. Hopefully you have a good dealer that can help you fix the issue
 

Padroo

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After I made the post about the Ferris IS 3200 leaving strips of grass on the right side of the deck I got the book out and leveled the deck. The deck was way off, I don't think the dealer did the checks they are suppose to make before it was delivered. The right front corner was low and by adjusting it eliminated the problem. I made a striping kit out of a piece of three inch OD heavy pipe and haven't had a chance to try it out yet but I will leave the Ferris striping kit under the deck also, it should work fine.
 

SidecarFlip

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Not a social butterfly so not worth it in my view. I'd mow the lawn with my 96" brush hog if I could.
 

Padroo

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My wife does all the mowing, she is OCD, she loves those lines in the lawn.

:thumbsup:

She mows about 2 1/2 acres.
 

cruzenmike

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I had a 2009 Cub Cadet riding mower that left beautiful stripes on my lawn without a kit. The striping effect is not just the function of a striping kit. A properly pitched cutting deck and the turf conditions factors into the equation as well. I made my own striping kit using an old rubber door mat and some angle iron that clamps onto the back of my Exmark behind the rear wheels. It is quite simple and does the job. I have the advantage of my deck barely being wider than my track width, so I only needed a flap to be as wide as the inside width of my rear wheels. At the end of the day it made a small improvement, but I can tell you that in only one area of my lawn, I have the most drastic of stripes whereas the rest of the lawn just looks okay. Whether it be the species of grass, how lush the turf is in that area, I don't know, but it just goes to show that the grass matters as well.
 

Darryl G

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I had a 2009 Cub Cadet riding mower that left beautiful stripes on my lawn without a kit. The striping effect is not just the function of a striping kit. A properly pitched cutting deck and the turf conditions factors into the equation as well. I made my own striping kit using an old rubber door mat and some angle iron that clamps onto the back of my Exmark behind the rear wheels. It is quite simple and does the job. I have the advantage of my deck barely being wider than my track width, so I only needed a flap to be as wide as the inside width of my rear wheels. At the end of the day it made a small improvement, but I can tell you that in only one area of my lawn, I have the most drastic of stripes whereas the rest of the lawn just looks okay. Whether it be the species of grass, how lush the turf is in that area, I don't know, but it just goes to show that the grass matters as well.
In my mind a rubber flap like you used is preferable to something like a metal pipe that if it somehow contacted the blades could cause serious damage to the machine and/or bodily harm

Personally I've never used a striping kit nor found the need for one. I want grass to stand up, not lay down.
 

upupandaway

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"... GREAT pleasure that would give BOTH of ya's .. Happy wife, .. Happy Life !!..."
Yeah boobala, isn't that what he is asking about??? I thought that is what he wants being posted as STRIPPING kit but reading further he is inquiring on a striping kit. :-( bummer....
 
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