My yard sometimes looks that way. The worst time is when the grass has gotten too tall or too damp or wet. To tall can result in the grass not exiting the deck properly and resulting in a mass of swirling clippings and the middle just doesn't get cut properly. Same would be true with damp or wet grass. Both can result in the blade trying to work its way thru swirling grass covering the blade edge. Grass that should not still be there. Also the vacuum that picks the grass up for cutting is the turned up part of the blade at the outer ends of the blade. Also, If the grass has been cut when too wet or damp, it can build up stuck to the under side of the deck, resulting in a loss of proper channels for air flow. Last but certainly not least,
has already been mentioned. Low engine RPM. If the RPM is to low, there will not be enough vacuum to stand even the right height and the dry grass up properly. I have had your actual problem in the past even though the cutting conditions were great. Sharp blades, perfect grass moisture and height, clean under deck, and engine RPM correct. Grass appeared to have a slight mound between the marks the tires leave on the grass. . A few hours later it looked fine. I have no ides what causes that.
A couple of thoughts about engine speed. Lawn mower Air cooled engines have a fan that pulls air through the cooling fins. They also reach their full potential at full RPM. Running them slow can and will cause them to overheat because we are asking them to do a job with too little cooling air and not enough power. The engine is not happy. and will not last as long as one that has been run as the manufacturer recommends.
In the owners manual of every mower I've owned starting and driving instructions include let the engine warm up a few minutes, then move the throttle forward about half way and engage the blades. Then PUSH THE THROTTLE TO THE FASTESS POSITION, then cut grass. Move the throttle back to half before disengaging the blades. Be sure to use oil designed for air cooled engines. They run hotter than car engines and need the extra zinc. A properly maintained engine will outlast the rest of the mower. Some dealers will rip us off with oil prices. So shop around. A given brand works fine in most mowers. I use Honda Power Equipment 10w30 in 3 different brand engines with no problems... Any other brand should work just fine. I just happened to find a dealer that was reasonable with his pricing. I have not researched it, but my understanding is that a tachometer for a lawnmower is really cheap on Amazon, and easy to use.
has already been mentioned. Low engine RPM. If the RPM is to low, there will not be enough vacuum to stand even the right height and the dry grass up properly. I have had your actual problem in the past even though the cutting conditions were great. Sharp blades, perfect grass moisture and height, clean under deck, and engine RPM correct. Grass appeared to have a slight mound between the marks the tires leave on the grass. . A few hours later it looked fine. I have no ides what causes that.
A couple of thoughts about engine speed. Lawn mower Air cooled engines have a fan that pulls air through the cooling fins. They also reach their full potential at full RPM. Running them slow can and will cause them to overheat because we are asking them to do a job with too little cooling air and not enough power. The engine is not happy. and will not last as long as one that has been run as the manufacturer recommends.
In the owners manual of every mower I've owned starting and driving instructions include let the engine warm up a few minutes, then move the throttle forward about half way and engage the blades. Then PUSH THE THROTTLE TO THE FASTESS POSITION, then cut grass. Move the throttle back to half before disengaging the blades. Be sure to use oil designed for air cooled engines. They run hotter than car engines and need the extra zinc. A properly maintained engine will outlast the rest of the mower. Some dealers will rip us off with oil prices. So shop around. A given brand works fine in most mowers. I use Honda Power Equipment 10w30 in 3 different brand engines with no problems... Any other brand should work just fine. I just happened to find a dealer that was reasonable with his pricing. I have not researched it, but my understanding is that a tachometer for a lawnmower is really cheap on Amazon, and easy to use.
Last edited: