If I was a Lawn Mower designer......

[Eric in IL]

I think I would make an experimental deck. The technology is already proven.

I'd make a deck based on a disc mower that is used in the hayfields.

Shorter blade surfaces to sharpen. With the discs covering most of the underside of the deck, less surfaces for gunk to stick to.

The only problem might be a lack of lift or blowing power for a side discharge. The blades would have to have a wing for lift so would be non-reversible.

No deck belt and cheaper blades.

Maybe this has already been tried.

 

[Geo-TH,In]

If I was a Lawn Mower designer:
1. I would design one for an old man with a bad back.
2. I would design one that doesn't stir up grass mold, which I allergic too.
3. I would design one that chops all grass clippings.
4. Must have air conditioning too.
5. Oh well, I won't need any of the above is it's AI, self driving.

 

[Geo-TH,In]

6. Has to be cordless so I don't need to service engine. I want it will back up to charging station.
7. Has to be programmable, so it cuts grass when needed.
8. Has to have self sharpening blades too.

 

[oldproudvet]

It sounds like you guys just need a few goats............ Larry

 

[grizz02]

Look at TORO (my ride ) both seat and foot deck float up and down 3 in and is adjustable for weight

 

[Geo-TH,In]

Larry,
Goats that will only eat grass. Don't need a fence to keep them in will work for me.

 

[Bob Harvey]

Geo. Goats will eat anything available - especially stuff you don't want them to eat !

 

[Bob Harvey]

My answer would be; make a mower deck that is flat or slightly angled on top, making it easier to clean up, rather than the humps and bumps most lawn tractors have that hold clippings and take a lot of hose work to clean - waste of water.

 

[gtractorfan]

Rear discharge the width of the deck. Dad had one that was that way, F 911 or something like that. Could mow close to objects on either side, now has a zero turn 757 side discharge. Can only mow close on one side and when it's windy the cut grass blows back at you.

 

[kcm.MN]

For our area, I would want a tracked machine for our soft, often soggy ground. The tracks would have to be rounded and pretty smooth to not tear up the turf.

The mower would be on front. I agree with the disc-type blades. Rear discharge. Not mulching the grass would use less power, so smaller engine could be effectively utilized.

Frame would be sturdy enough to mount loader, blade, etc. Rear could accept a full-size ball hitch. Would be nice to have a cab of sorts, mostly for protection from skeeters.

When not being used to mow, the engine would have an output shaft that could power a generator head, water pump head, etc.

....AND A BETTER SEAT!! *lol*

 

[T.R.K.]

I have HAD experience with goats. They're like Humans. They eat the good stuff first.

 

[ss55]

Today most home owners want lawn mowers to mulch clippings into 1/4 inch or shorter pieces so there is nothing left to rake. Most hay bale producers want the least leaf damage possible.

 

[ss55]

Sheep would be better than goats. Goats love to climb on vehicles and compared to sheep goats are master escape artists.

 

[John T]

Hey Ive done that lol. Ive raised BOTH sheep as well as goats. However, its my experience sheep are more grazers (grass etc) while goats are browsers (grass as well as briars or leaves, multiflora rose or some weeds or small sticks or anything they can get hold of lol).........Also its easier to contain sheep then goats, so if its mainly grass Id prefer sheep instead of goats.

John T

 

[Geo-TH,In]

Bob
That's my point. Train goats to eat only grass and no fences required.
George

 

[Blackhole49]

Early Jacobson push rotary mowers were 4 blades mounted on a disc. Scroll down to the bottom of page one in link.
Untitled URL Link

 

[Mike(NEOhio)]

Had an old Wheel Horse that did that. Back of the deck was open, two blades geared together so they didn't clash.

 

[560Dennis]

Lawn mower designers are paid to design lawn mowers to last three years. The better they are at that the more they get paid, or still have a job .

 

[47fivewindow]

I remember those Jacobson mowers. It was harder to pull the rope because it was like having another flywheel. They ran very smoothly.

 

[Janicholson]

Gramps had one it was interesting in two ways, starting with the pull rope started slowly then faster and faster because of the inertia. and it was dependent on that inertia to get through heavy spots, as the 2 stroke engine was not radical. It discharged very well, and mowed very clean. Jim

 

[kencombs]

About 1950 Dad had a homemade rotary mower. Angle iron frame with plywood deck. Some sort of bearing spindle that looked like an old car axle rear end cut off and modified.

On the bottom was a big steel disk. Could have been a car flywheel. I was too young to remember for sure. But what I do remember was four sickle mower sections bolted to the rim of that disk

Worked great, but the thought of those breaking off or bolts shearing is scary now

 

[kencombs]

https://meg-mo.com/
I just thought of this company. It gets good reviews

 

[Dean]

I remember a push mower with 2 cycle Tecumseh engine and circular blade carrier carrying 4 sickle sections riveted to the carrier.

It did not work well because there was little vacuum to pick up the grass and discharge the clippings.

IIRC, the blade carrier was reversible to allow cutting on the opposite side of the sections.

Dean

 

[DR. EVIL]

I'll help you with that! Forget rinsing your deck with water. If you check there's lots of places your mower deck has bare steel, no paint, the water causes those places to rust. So use compressed air, gets the mower clean, no harm to the bare steel. I bought a brand new big zero turn 5 years ago, had 200 hours on it end of last year's mowing. It has NEVER seen a drop of water, and never will.
And if you wait till your grass dries, walk through your grass and no tiny wet spots on the toes of your work boots, the grass clippings won't stick to the underside of your mower deck, in fact my deck wears them off so bare shiney steel shows.
Water from ANY source and lawn mowers do not mix!

 

[ss55]

Try painting the underside of the mower deck with graphite paint. That greatly reduces the amount of clippings that stick to the deck and it also makes any cleanup easier. The paint wears fast at blade level, but lasts for years above that.

 

[bc]

If I was a lawn mower designer then I would make them light enough for the idiots to pick up and trim their hedges with. Have to watch the news for someone doing that with the battery operated ones.

 

[Keith True]

I have a couple of Wheel Horses with rear discharge decks.I really like them.One is a 73,and the other a 71.I've owned the 73 coming up on 50 years now.I have no idea why they didn't catch on.You never have to run over a windrow that you made on the pass before.I've heard a lot of supposition,but no concrete reason as to why they gave up on them.

 

[Charles in Aus.]

The husband of the lady who works at the local green grocer's has already done that BC. :shock:
The idiot really did pick up a running mower by the sides of the deck to trim a hedge .
The wonder of it was he managed to finish most of it before losing two and a half fingers . :roll:

 

[Geo-TH,In]

This is my lawnmower. 72 inch woods finish mower.

Comes with radio, heat and AC.
Adjustable seat.
Use 48 inch mowers for trim work

 

[DR. EVIL]

I tried Slip-Plate 10-15 years ago, twisted wire brushed entire underside of deck to clean shiny steel and wet grass still stuck to the coating on the deck, and dry grass wore thru the soft coating in only a couple mowings of my 2+ acres.
If I put ANYTHING on the underside of my decks it would be a brush-on pickup truck bedliner coating that dries to a smooth shiney surface that wears like iron. Something I could build up a thickness to the coating.
I have a L-O-T of trees and bushes in my yard, and there's crushed rock next to the road for over 600 feet that I mow, something tough is a must if I put anything on, it gets hammered with sticks and limbs and lots of rocks. Interesting thing, I mowed for FOUR YEARS with my Cub Cadet TANK zero turn before I had to sharpen the mower blades the first time. When I was mowing with my IH Cub Cadet garden tractor decks they needed sharpening every 2-3 mowings. The zero turn throws clippings over twice as far as any old Cub Cadet I've ever seen too, the old 38, 44, and 50 IH decks struggled to toss clippings one mower deck width, this zero turn tosses clippings around 8-9 feet.

 

[sotxbill]

(quoted from post at 16:09:27 04/23/21) I think I would make an experimental deck. The technology is already proven.

I'd make a deck based on a disc mower that is used in the hayfields.

Shorter blade surfaces to sharpen. With the discs covering most of the underside of the deck, less surfaces for gunk to stick to.

The only problem might be a lack of lift or blowing power for a side discharge. The blades would have to have a wing for lift so would be non-reversible.

No deck belt and cheaper blades.

Maybe this has already been tried.

That design would cut but not "mulch" up the grass as its for cutting long hay and leaving it long for cattle feed. Most folks dont want long stringy grass laying everywhere taking, weeks to break down??

 

[muleman51]

A few years ago their was a after market design like that. It was a mom and pop shop. I had literature on it at the time It used the short blades from a disc bine. We had one of the Jacobsen mowers like that, Don't remember much about it.

 

[muleman51]

The link is cutlassblabes.com . They make a blade that uses 4 small blades. The videos are impressive.