Mulching Mulching Kit Installation

[CraftsmanT3000]

Hi,

I installed a mulching kit on a Craftsman T3000 tractor. I took off the original shroud because I thought it was in the way and the kit came with a cover to close the hole in the deck. I saw in the instructions where it said to leave the shroud on.

The question I have is should I put the shroud back on? What is the purpose of leaving it on? Safety? Performance?

Any suggestions/comments would be greatly appreciated!

Thanks

 

[whitejww]

Well here's my 2 cents....

I've been using my current and last mover with he deflector removed and the mulch plug in place. In my opinion they instruct you to leave the deflector cover on for liability purposes like many other things these days. This is in attempt to try and fix stupid and you can't fix stupid. Overstating the obvious, if you were to remove the mulch cover and operate the machine you could chop off part of your foot if you happen to ride with it on the mower deck and it slips into the opening. You might also touch the sharp blade that would now be visable and cut yourself. That said and using the mower with the mulch plug in place without the deflector I have had no issue to date. I would strongly advise that you put the deflector on if you are going to discharge the clippings. I was also fortunate to find a deal on Criagslist ($50) for a second deck that was in perfect condition. I use one deck for strictly mulching. The second one is setup for discharge/bagging with high-lift blades and has the deflector as it should. It's not something I swap often but the price was right and for sping/fall/post storm clean ups it is convenient.

The obvious benefit is you can trim tightly on both the left and now right side of the deck with the deflector removed.