I see a lot of discussion here about how to deal with windrows and clumps. The photos are from a low priority bi-weekly mowing account of mine. Due to lots of rain recently I got behind on mowing and let this one slip to 18 days. The lawn area shown is low lying and was really long.
The mower is a Bob-Cat FastCat Pro 52 running OEM high lifts. I usually run Gator G5 high lift mulching blades but pulled them off due to heavy growth and crabgrass. They tend to make mush of crabgrass. The lawn quality and price don't justify the time and effort to bag it and there's no on-site disposal area. So I just raised the deck up from 3.5 to 4 inches and make a second full speed pass. I ran a third on a few of the heaviest rows. Ideally I would have cut this lawn area first and let it dry a bit but I mowed it last because I knew it would probably plug my deck up.
The first photo shows the lawn area after one cut with a second pass on the 4 left rows and the second is the final product. Not too bad for a crappy unfertilized weed infested lawn that was a foot tall IMO. There's no way I could leave it like it was after the first cut and bagging would have taken way longer and generated a huge amount of clippings.
Edit - Note that the dark blotchy look in the left foreground is just shade from a tree.
I have a low lying area that grows fast and long in the wet times and clumped and clogged badly with my old mower. I would do the same as you stated. Mow, let dry and go back over it with the deck raised up, sometimes twice. Occasionally I'd blow it into rows and rake it. Not much fun but I can dump it in the field behind my lawn. I am in the 3rd season with my 52" Simplicity Citation and haven't had any clumping with this mower. Even the taller and wetter grass chops up and spreads out. Never clogs or clumps.
Tom
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Been experimenting with this deal here in So. Ohio too. Crazy summer here, mow twice a week and even that isn't enough. I've been mowing first with the deck up high, then again at normal height. Seems to cut better and the clippings spread out better. Tried the normal height first and then higher set to spread out the grass, not as good here. Have also cut the discharge chute back to get a good "throw" of the cut grass. And with all the humidity around here I have to wait until late in the day for the yard to get actually dry.
