# Lines in grass?



## thomamon (Jul 8, 2018)

I am quite annoyed, my mower is just over a year old and I've had it checked out 3 times since I got it, twice in the last month. I keep getting these lines in my grass, instead of it being smooth as I feel it should be. Everyone says the deck is even and the blades have been sharpened. I cut it at the highest setting which is 4 inches and use mulcher blades. I have tried setting it to mulch and also have tried having it blow the clippings out the side. I have attached a few pics to show what I am talking about. I have no clue what else it could be and I am very frustrated to pay so much for this machine and not get a perfect cut. Is it a user error? Could I be doing something wrong?

Here are a few pics with a close up of what I am talking about...

Any help would be really appreciated.


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## jha4aamu (Oct 16, 2017)

thomamon said:


> I am quite annoyed, my mower is just over a year old and I've had it checked out 3 times since I got it, twice in the last month. I keep getting these lines in my grass, instead of it being smooth as I feel it should be. Everyone says the deck is even and the blades have been sharpened. I cut it at the highest setting which is 4 inches and use mulcher blades. I have tried setting it to mulch and also have tried having it blow the clippings out the side. I have attached a few pics to show what I am talking about. I have no clue what else it could be and I am very frustrated to pay so much for this machine and not get a perfect cut. Is it a user error? Could I be doing something wrong?
> 
> Here are a few pics with a close up of what I am talking about...
> 
> Any help would be really appreciated.


are you referring to the lines of grass clippings after a pass or something different? when i used to cut my yard above 3" the mower wheels would end up matting the grass down giving it an uneven appearance. what type of blades are you using and are you double cutting your yard in perpindicular passes?


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## thomamon (Jul 8, 2018)

jha4aamu said:


> thomamon said:
> 
> 
> > I am quite annoyed, my mower is just over a year old and I've had it checked out 3 times since I got it, twice in the last month. I keep getting these lines in my grass, instead of it being smooth as I feel it should be. Everyone says the deck is even and the blades have been sharpened. I cut it at the highest setting which is 4 inches and use mulcher blades. I have tried setting it to mulch and also have tried having it blow the clippings out the side. I have attached a few pics to show what I am talking about. I have no clue what else it could be and I am very frustrated to pay so much for this machine and not get a perfect cut. Is it a user error? Could I be doing something wrong?
> ...


if you look at the third picture down I have a close up shot. The line where the grass looks taller than the other grass. I use mulched blades and cut it at 4 inches.

I do not double cut, I go over it once and then a different direction every time I cut


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## craigdt (Apr 21, 2018)

Could it be "striping"?

The direction your mower runs bends the blades over, and when you alternate directions, it gives it a stripe pattern.

Your pictures are kind of hard to tell- I'd like to see straight down the rows or at "grass level", but I bet its either that, or just good 'ol fashioned wheel marks.

Your height of cut is nice and high, so you will be able to notice things like that more.


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## thomamon (Jul 8, 2018)

craigdt said:


> Could it be "striping"?
> 
> The direction your mower runs bends the blades over, and when you alternate directions, it gives it a stripe pattern.
> 
> ...


I will take more pictures tomorrow that you requested. Any suggestions on how to fix that?


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## ABC123 (Jul 14, 2017)

Is it leaving uncut stripes in the same area of the cut? If the blades are round on the end at all you can get streaks of uncut grass.


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## thomamon (Jul 8, 2018)

ABC123 said:


> Is it leaving uncut stripes in the same area of the cut? If the blades are round on the end at all you can get streaks of uncut grass.


I am getting stripes of uncut grass but I have no clue why. I know very little about this, I know I have mulcher blades so no clue what the shape is at the end, I just had them sharpened within the last couple of weeks.


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## craigdt (Apr 21, 2018)

Are you certain the blades are on tight?

Not on upside down?

Silly questions, but an easy mistake to make


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## MasterMech (Sep 24, 2017)

Look to see if your uncut strips line up with the front tires of your machine. With a 4" cut, mulching blades and cool season grass, it may not stand back up fast enough to get cut evenly with the surrounding grass.


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## thomamon (Jul 8, 2018)

craigdt said:


> Are you certain the blades are on tight?
> 
> Not on upside down?
> 
> Silly questions, but an easy mistake to make


I can't answer that because I didn't do it or even know how to do that. I do know both places I brought it to did not mention they were, and it has done this since the beginning to me. Why I have always felt frustrated I spent so much for the machine and never get perfectly even grass.



MasterMech said:


> Look to see if your uncut strips line up with the front tires of your machine. With a 4" cut, mulching blades and cool season grass, it may not stand back up fast enough to get cut evenly with the surrounding grass.


How can I tell if they line up with the tires? Any suggestions on how to fix this?


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## Suburban Jungle Life (Mar 1, 2018)

Have you tried a double cut in an X pattern? Does it help if you go much slower and side discharge?


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## ForsheeMS (May 21, 2018)

I would ditch the mulching blades and go with high lift blade and discharge the clippings. Running a mulching set up doesn't create enough vacuum to pull the grass up and give a clean cut, especially at a taller HOC.


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## MasterMech (Sep 24, 2017)

thomamon said:


> MasterMech said:
> 
> 
> > Look to see if your uncut strips line up with the front tires of your machine. With a 4" cut, mulching blades and cool season grass, it may not stand back up fast enough to get cut evenly with the surrounding grass.
> ...


Park the machine in the stripe after you mow and take a look to see if the Mohawks line up with the tires. If it does, either ditch the mulching setup and go high-lift side-discharge or lower your HoC so the grass canopy isn't so ... floppy.


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## thomamon (Jul 8, 2018)

Suburban Jungle Life said:


> Have you tried a double cut in an X pattern? Does it help if you go much slower and side discharge?


I don't even know how to do that? I went slower the last two times and noticed no difference.


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## thomamon (Jul 8, 2018)

ForsheeMS said:


> I would ditch the mulching blades and go with high lift blade and discharge the clippings. Running a mulching set up doesn't create enough vacuum to pull the grass up and give a clean cut, especially at a taller HOC.


Ok, how hard would it be for me to actually do this myself? I'll try anything at this point


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## thomamon (Jul 8, 2018)

MasterMech said:


> thomamon said:
> 
> 
> > MasterMech said:
> ...


Ok, I'll try this when I cut it Friday. What do you Mean by high-lift-side-discharge? Just set it to throw out the clippings?


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## ForsheeMS (May 21, 2018)

thomamon said:


> Ok, how hard would it be for me to actually do this myself? I'll try anything at this point


It's really not hard. Remove the blade bolts and replace the mulching blades with high lift blade. Assuming you had a mulching kit installed that would need to be removed also. Typically that's just a few baffles under the deck and something to block the discharge chute.

I googled your mower but can't find any specs on blade tip speed. That along with deck design can affect the cut but looking at the photos you posted it seems that you just don't have enough vacuum to pull it up.


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## jha4aamu (Oct 16, 2017)

thomamon said:


> Suburban Jungle Life said:
> 
> 
> > Have you tried a double cut in an X pattern? Does it help if you go much slower and side discharge?
> ...


cut the yard how you normally cut it first. then go over it again at a 90* angle to the first cut.


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## thomamon (Jul 8, 2018)

jha4aamu said:


> cut the yard how you normally cut it first. then go over it again at a 90* angle to the first cut.


OK, I can try that. I thought you weren't supposed to go over it twice because it would press it down.


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## thomamon (Jul 8, 2018)

ForsheeMS said:


> It's really not hard. Remove the blade bolts and replace the mulching blades with high lift blade. Assuming you had a mulching kit installed that would need to be removed also. Typically that's just a few baffles under the deck and something to block the discharge chute.
> 
> I googled your mower but can't find any specs on blade tip speed. That along with deck design can affect the cut but looking at the photos you posted it seems that you just don't have enough vacuum to pull it up.


OK, this is way beyond my capability, lol


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## jha4aamu (Oct 16, 2017)

thomamon said:


> jha4aamu said:
> 
> 
> > cut the yard how you normally cut it first. then go over it again at a 90* angle to the first cut.
> ...


i double cut mine that way 2 or 3 times a week with no ill effects. id probably switch up the pattern every month or so but def double cut each mow.


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## Suburban Jungle Life (Mar 1, 2018)

Double cutting helps to make it more even. It is definitely extra work! If you remove the mulching blade and the block off plates for the mulching kit, it should cut better. You would need to switch to a regular blade where the end has a large piece of metal which is curved up. The curve creates a strong suction and the discharge on the side lets the air leave along with the clippings. This will help to vacuum the grass up and give the blades a chance to give a cleaner cut. If you had someone install it for you, did you get to keep the old blades? Maybe go back and have them remove the mulching kit and install high lift blades. If you mow often enough so you don't have super long cuts, then the side discharge isn't that noticeable especially once the cuttings dry and shrivel up. Maybe try this and side discharge?


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## thomamon (Jul 8, 2018)

Suburban Jungle Life said:


> Double cutting helps to make it more even. It is definitely extra work! If you remove the mulching blade and the block off plates for the mulching kit, it should cut better. You would need to switch to a regular blade where the end has a large piece of metal which is curved up. The curve creates a strong suction and the discharge on the side lets the air leave along with the clippings. This will help to vacuum the grass up and give the blades a chance to give a cleaner cut. If you had someone install it for you, did you get to keep the old blades? Maybe go back and have them remove the mulching kit and install high lift blades. If you mow often enough so you don't have super long cuts, then the side discharge isn't that noticeable especially once the cuttings dry and shrivel up. Maybe try this and side discharge?


I do have the original blades, they gave them to me after installing the muncher kit.

I only get to cut my grass about once a week because I work night shift and I read your not supposed to cut during the middle of the day? I would love to be able to cut more. Last time I cut was Saturday night and I'll cut again tomorrow and do a double pass. I'll use the leaf blower first too. I will also contact someone about removing the mulching kit. The guy who did my tune up should do it at a fair price.

The good thing about night shift is I get to water the grass when I get home from work at 5 and have my wife shut it at 6:30 when she gets up for work. Should I cut at 4 inches again tomorrow or you think I should try a little lower?


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## thomamon (Jul 8, 2018)

So here is the latest cut from tonight... I'm so confused, for a minute I think it looks better, then I look from another angle and not so much. I took a bunch of photos, from different angles and after a line of mowing with the mower. I also cut the height down from 4 inches to 3.5. Is it an improvement? Should I just ditch the mulching kit? Also, I think the color of the grass looks so much better in person, looks so much worse in the photos and I don't know what is up with that.


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## jha4aamu (Oct 16, 2017)

from the photos it looks exactly like an issue i was having this spring (i have a z225 which is pretty similar to what you have) i was getting the line in the yard from the wheels matting the grass down and "windrows" from cutting too much grass at one time. lowering the hoc and cutting more often fixed my issues buy your schedule and this weather my not be conducive to that


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## MasterMech (Sep 24, 2017)

Nothing wrong with cutting mid-day. I'd keep it at 3.5" for a bit and see how you like that. The green will return if you cut consistantly st that height. If you want to try and get a little more airflow under the deck, you can go ahead and remove the discharge chute plug.


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## thomamon (Jul 8, 2018)

jha4aamu said:


> from the photos it looks exactly like an issue i was having this spring (i have a z225 which is pretty similar to what you have) i was getting the line in the yard from the wheels matting the grass down and "windrows" from cutting too much grass at one time. lowering the hoc and cutting more often fixed my issues buy your schedule and this weather my not be conducive to that


Oh wow! I did cut it down to 3.5 this past time and noticed a difference compared to when I was cutting it at 4. What do you cut it at now? I have tall fescue so I don't think I can go too much shorter in the summer. I am going to try mowing twice a week and see if it makes a difference. I was always so anal about doing it at the right time, but from the sounds of what people tell me, it doesn't matter all that much.

Do you have the muncher kit on yours?

Any more advice on how you fixed your problem would be greatly appreciated.


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## thomamon (Jul 8, 2018)

MasterMech said:


> Nothing wrong with cutting mid-day. I'd keep it at 3.5" for a bit and see how you like that. The green will return if you cut consistantly st that height. If you want to try and get a little more airflow under the deck, you can go ahead and remove the discharge chute plug.


How hard is that to do? Would I keep the mulching blades on or should I switch back to the regular? I still have them


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## JDgreen18 (Jun 14, 2018)

thomamon said:


> ForsheeMS said:
> 
> 
> > It's really not hard. Remove the blade bolts and replace the mulching blades with high lift blade. Assuming you had a mulching kit installed that would need to be removed also. Typically that's just a few baffles under the deck and something to block the discharge chute.
> ...


Where did you buy your mower from a dealer or big box store? If its from a dealer go talk to them and tell them your issues. Even if you did get it not from a dealer you can still bring your mower to a dealer have them change it out for you. Like stated it is really easy to do it yourself tho. You can watch a video on YouTube I bet to show you.


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## jha4aamu (Oct 16, 2017)

thomamon said:


> jha4aamu said:
> 
> 
> > from the photos it looks exactly like an issue i was having this spring (i have a z225 which is pretty similar to what you have) i was getting the line in the yard from the wheels matting the grass down and "windrows" from cutting too much grass at one time. lowering the hoc and cutting more often fixed my issues buy your schedule and this weather my not be conducive to that
> ...


I cut mine on the 3.25" setting but it's actually closer to 3". I do have a mulching kit on mine but I am able to cut 3x per week so the mower is able to handle the minimal clippings better.

Honestly the double cut and lowering the hoc got my cut looking very even. I tried a ton of different fixes this spring (bagging, different after market blades, changing pitch of the deck) that never seemed produce the results I was looking for


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## thomamon (Jul 8, 2018)

jha4aamu said:


> thomamon said:
> 
> 
> > jha4aamu said:
> ...


I was thinking of removing my mulching kit to try and fix it, but I did notice lowering to 3.5 definitely helped. From one angle it looks great, from another not so much, I see the lines. I do t know if I should drop down another 1/4 inch yet if it would hurt the grass. Wish I could do mine 3 times a week!!!

Next time I'll double mow. Does how fast you go effect it?


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## jha4aamu (Oct 16, 2017)

going slower def helped for me


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## thomamon (Jul 8, 2018)

jha4aamu said:


> going slower def helped for me


OK, latest cut... 3.5 inches, went criss cross up and down. I think it looks better? Opinions?


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