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head1956
27-08-2013, 10:25 AM
Have read here numerous times how some contractors mulch lawns only and never pick-up (surly not wet lawns , longer grass etc). I have always picked up - have mulched on a few occasions with not great results. I own a couple of Rover sp's - both are not great at mulching unless perfect conditions. Question is am I expecting too much because I know that the finish on a mulched lawn is different to a lawn picked up or am I approaching this in the wrong manner. What is the procedure, more regular mowing, different grasses etc and what about thatch caused from too much mulching. I know that the clientele would be a bit miffed if they didn't get the finish I have had to date. These guys are exceptional payers and don't want to loose them but some mulching would be a good time saver. There is probably lots on these forums about this subject but couldn't find any that put it simply on how to get the good finish.

imoww
27-08-2013, 07:05 PM
i heard that there are dedicated mulch mowers that give the best finish.
also, mulching needs to be done weekly in the growing months
at a high height to be sucsessful.

head1956
27-08-2013, 07:43 PM
Thats what I thought - have always picked up the lawns that I mow but occasionally tried mulching without achieving results customers expected - probably spoiled them from the start.

GardeningSolutions
27-08-2013, 08:05 PM
I was disappointed with the Honda catch/ mulcher years ago and have been using dedicated mulchers with good results ever since. I mulch every thing I can. cuts 10 minutes off a 30 minute job. I reckon these mowers actually leave less mess than a Honda when cutting wet grass. Yes , I mow when its raining. Saying all that, You have to be smart where you use them. Don't mulch fanatical golfers lawns, People with small yappy dogs that'll drag minute grass bits through the house. Do mulch every Kikuyu, buffalo lawn, rental, holiday house or property where the occupants seem breezy or don't show much care in their yard. Bottom line is they get used to you not catching after a while and it becomes the norm.

Edit
Forgot to mention. I cut at normal height at 2/3 wks. You let it get to high and the customer will complain and you will have an almighty job to get it back to normal and it'll look way worse then than cutting at the correct height regulary

imoww
27-08-2013, 08:30 PM
so what mulch mower did you get?


I was disappointed with the Honda catch/ mulcher years ago and have been using dedicated mulchers with good results ever since. I mulch every thing I can. cuts 10 minutes off a 30 minute job. I reckon these mowers actually leave less mess than a Honda when cutting wet grass. Yes , I mow when its raining. Saying all that, You have to be smart where you use them. Don't mulch fanatical golfers lawns, People with small yappy dogs that'll drag minute grass bits through the house. Do mulch every Kikuyu, buffalo lawn, rental, holiday house or property where the occupants seem breezy or don't show much care in their yard. Bottom line is they get used to you not catching after a while and it becomes the norm.

Edit
Forgot to mention. I cut at normal height at 2/3 wks. You let it get to high and the customer will complain and you will have an almighty job to get it back to normal and it'll look way worse then than cutting at the correct height regulary

Redeye
27-08-2013, 08:35 PM
I was disappointed with the Honda catch/ mulcher years ago and have been using dedicated mulchers with good results ever since. I mulch every thing I can. cuts 10 minutes off a 30 minute job. I reckon these mowers actually leave less mess than a Honda when cutting wet grass. Yes , I mow when its raining. Saying all that, You have to be smart where you use them. Don't mulch fanatical golfers lawns, People with small yappy dogs that'll drag minute grass bits through the house. Do mulch every Kikuyu, buffalo lawn, rental, holiday house or property where the occupants seem breezy or don't show much care in their yard. Bottom line is they get used to you not catching after a while and it becomes the norm.

Edit
Forgot to mention. I cut at normal height at 2/3 wks. You let it get to high and the customer will complain and you will have an almighty job to get it back to normal and it'll look way worse then than cutting at the correct height regulary

me too - victa mulchmaster

HPM
27-08-2013, 09:00 PM
The secret to getting a good result when mulching is to cut only one third the leaf which is just enough to get a nice even look to the lawn.
I see a lot of bad mulch jobs in spring and its always due to the grass being cut too low.

GardeningSolutions
27-08-2013, 09:01 PM
so what mulch mower did you get?

Been using 20 inch MTD with 6.5 hp briggs. Had three of them, engine really only good for 2yrs. I think they have a fake Honda engine on them now. They're a cheap residential mower that does a good job.

PaulG
27-08-2013, 09:12 PM
The Honda "Mulch n Catch" is nothing but a regular Honda with a mulch plug added. To be truly effective 'Mulch' mowing needs to be done at least weekly so you are not leaving behind a trail or clumps of grass. 99% of customers will not pay for weekly mowing, in my experience here at least.

Stump
27-08-2013, 09:33 PM
I use Rovers to mulch 95% of my jobs all year round. I find the pushie pro cut 50 does the best job, because the slower you go, the better the finish. No difference in the summer months when comparing the SP with the pushie. Train your new customers during negotiation at the start. Most dont know what it is. I make the catch option a little dearer and offer a quick demo. Also sell it as eco friendly. Dont forget to add about the natural fertiliser aspect as mulched grass has 8% nitrogen content, and it will make the grass greener.
I have not noticed any thatch problem in the 3 years that I have been in business. I also use my side throw at every opportunity with any lumpy lawns or dog yards. Dont just assume every customer wants what you have in mind as the finished product. Many are not fussed at all.

Harvey
28-08-2013, 08:15 AM
Yep same as above, mulch most with a rover sp summer, winter, in the rain. One fancy garden lets me dump in back yard so i catch that every second visit. Longer grass gets mulched at highest height. Only had 2 jobs where grass was too long and attached the side discharge thingy to the back of it to get through then went back over it mulching. You dont want it to get too long or short as you cant hide the clippings amongst the leaf blades. I often change the mowing height as im going to leave behind the neatest finish. I never mention catching as an option to customer, most dont care, i reckon about ten customers just assume i catch because they dont realise theres a mulch option but they would never tell the difference. I guess i would catch more if i had fine couch lawns but most are kik. And i guess i would catch more if i had an easy way to dump clippings without collecting them all in trailer and doing tip run at end of week. But i wouldnt switch to catching just to improve the cut quality as most customers wouldnt even notice

head1956
28-08-2013, 08:16 AM
Another reason why I wasn't quite so keen on mulching all the time was with my own lawn. When we put a pool in 5 or 6 years ago I put buffalo round the pool and over a perod of years mulch mowed the whole time. Due to inexperience I congratulated myself on how thick and lush the grass was and over a period of time developed a thatch about 2" thick. That is going to be my practice at removing thatch when I get the time because it doesn't look anywhere as good as it used to. I have got an old mtd 6.5 in the back shed dedicated mulch mower - I might ressurrect it for the summer on a few of the lawns and see how it goes. Not sp'ed unfortunately - shame how we get spoilt in this game..

GardeningSolutions
28-08-2013, 08:45 AM
MTD used to do a SP many years ago but ceased production. I've been looking around and the only dedicated SP mulcher I've found so far is a Masport.

imoww
28-08-2013, 02:59 PM
or the victa mulchmaster....

MTD used to do a SP many years ago but ceased production. I've been looking around and the only dedicated SP mulcher I've found so far is a Masport.

EVAN86
28-08-2013, 07:51 PM
[QUOTE=imoww;124665]or the victa mulchmaster....[/QUOTE

What about husqvarna?

GAMS
28-08-2013, 08:40 PM
Previously when doing lawns in Vic, used a Masport dedicated mulcher. Absolutely brilliant. Still have it to this day, although replaced 3.5 Briggs with a 5hp Biggs. When grass is dry and a lot of leaf matter on the lawn - cleans it up like magic. Seen plenty of these mowers available second hand. First Mulcher was a MTD - lasted 31 days before engine died - air cleaner was locate directly above mulch plate in the deck so it sucked all the crap into air filter. After buying a Masport, never looked back and it paid for itself time and time again. But....................that was a lifetime ago. GAMS

Cranbourne Lawnmowing
28-08-2013, 09:10 PM
I only mulch about 5% of my lawns and they come up great but they are on very tight schedules so that I'm only just trimming them. Even over winter they still get mowed every 3 weeks.

m287j
28-08-2013, 10:04 PM
Who said you can't mulch mow professionally with a Honda 196 with mulch plug ?
Before shot is of a longish overgrown wet lawn I did today. After shot is after mowing with my Honda with the mulch plug. Looks a quality finish to me.

South East Mowing
28-08-2013, 11:34 PM
Who said you can't mulch mow professionally with a Honda 196 with mulch plug ?
Before shot is of a longish overgrown wet lawn I did today. After shot is after mowing with my Honda with the mulch plug. Looks a quality finish to me.

Many poor tradesmen blame their gear!

Others just get on and get the job done:bike:

TomS
29-08-2013, 07:52 PM
Most of my new lawns are a bit overgrown and need a major job done on the edges.. they need catchered the first time. A post here talked about a mower that you could have the mulch plug and catcher in at the same time .. that'd be good to avoid arguments with little old ladies!

Otherwise I do the edges then catcher around the perimeter and mulch the rest if I can get away with it. I leave the Rover 560 on the mulch position all the time. sharpen the blades every weekend or so and it does a good job.

Tom

imoww
29-08-2013, 09:07 PM
And with the low lift mulch blades to add....


Who said you can't mulch mow professionally with a Honda 196 with mulch plug ?
Before shot is of a longish overgrown wet lawn I did today. After shot is after mowing with my Honda with the mulch plug. Looks a quality finish to me.

holdenhead
29-08-2013, 10:05 PM
Used to mulch everything with good results. Now use a yardman SP (silver bushranger rebadged) Catch's awesome, no mulch plug but take the catcher off and leave the door shut and it does a great job. Back pack blower is prob the best tool ive got. Odd lumps and bumps are blown away. Little to no difference catch or mulch and blow.

cadase
29-08-2013, 11:04 PM
Did one today that was fairly overgrown, used the deutscher in circle pattern, throwing everything to the right, when you start throwing over the freshly cut grass, you do 2-3 lengths with the catcher mower and it's done. A lot less clippings to haul away, and sharp blades on the deutscher leaves a nice finish

GardeningSolutions
29-08-2013, 11:06 PM
In the mower shop today and checking out the masport and victa mulchers. Masport sp looks good but only 18 inch and super light. How do you fellas feel about the weight of the victa sp mulchers and their performance? Leaning towards a victa as it seems to be the only dedicated mulcher with a side throw. Interested in your thoughts.

GardeningSolutions
29-08-2013, 11:08 PM
Did one today that was fairly overgrown, used the deutscher in circle pattern, throwing everything to the right, when you start throwing over the freshly cut grass, you do 2-3 lengths with the catcher mower and it's done. A lot less clippings to haul away, and sharp blades on the deutscher leaves a nice finish

A lot of the old crew down here use this exact method.

Redeye
30-08-2013, 12:00 PM
In the mower shop today and checking out the masport and victa mulchers. Masport sp looks good but only 18 inch and super light. How do you fellas feel about the weight of the victa sp mulchers and their performance? Leaning towards a victa as it seems to be the only dedicated mulcher with a side throw. Interested in your thoughts.
I reckon the mulchmaster 550/560 is the only truly commercial mower out there - that's why councils have been flogging the guts out of them for decades

PaulG
30-08-2013, 06:30 PM
http://www.gumtree.com.au/s-ad/liverpool/lawn-mowers/victor-master-series-mulchmaster-560/1025277937

Redeye
30-08-2013, 09:13 PM
not s/p.....and they're pretty heavy

Neil&family
30-08-2013, 09:27 PM
I do simular with my cub cadet. Except i let the chute clog up then travel in a clockwise direction. Any overflow that wont mulch ends up in a little strip that eventually gets pushed to the middle. Mow in reverse for the last run down the middle and its all gone.sneeky sneeky.
"quote cadase's post here dammit"

imoww
05-09-2013, 04:21 PM
I was happy with the new low lift mulch blades with the mulch plug...
67246725
And nothing to blow away

TomS
05-09-2013, 05:48 PM
How much room do all you guys have on your ute? Sounds like you have to have a catcher mower for the quality lawns, a dedicated mulcher for when you can get away with it, a sidecast for ferals, an 18" for lifting up the steps into tiny backyards, an old clunker for the offsider and a backup for breakdowns??

Tom

South East Mowing
05-09-2013, 06:36 PM
How much room do all you guys have on your ute? Sounds like you have to have a catcher mower for the quality lawns, a dedicated mulcher for when you can get away with it, a sidecast for ferals, an 18" for lifting up the steps into tiny backyards, an old clunker for the offsider and a backup for breakdowns??

Tom

Getting a bit like that Tom:laughing: Well spotted!!!

imoww
05-09-2013, 06:56 PM
2 blades disks ( 4 swing low lift blades on a disk and 4 swing high lift blades on the other disk) and one mower.
Use the hand held ratchet gun to change the bade disks on the job.

HPM
05-09-2013, 10:21 PM
Walker mower with the multi deck does it all....bit hard carrying it up the stars though!

geoff
06-09-2013, 07:24 AM
http://www.indmowing.com.au/forum/image.php?u=31830&type=sigpic&dateline=1378358119
holy crap John is there anything you don't belong to or not have.:(
you know mick gatto is one of them too lol

TomS
06-09-2013, 10:02 AM
Walker mower with the multi deck does it all....bit hard carrying it up the stars though!

Even carrying it up the stairs would be hard.

Tom

South East Mowing
06-09-2013, 07:05 PM
http://www.indmowing.com.au/forum/image.php?u=31830&type=sigpic&dateline=1378358119
holy crap John is there anything you don't belong to or not have.:(
you know mick gatto is one of them too lol

Ahh me old mate Mick!! Looks ike he is gunna lose his boxing licence:rolleyes:

Geoff, the $3-$400 a year I am prepared to pay. If commercial clients don't pay the little old lawnie will put a little black mark on their company! It's not fool proof but iuf you are going to chase the work you need to have the right tools - this just helps a little!
Heres something I could do with Geoff >> :marilyn :rolleyes:

geoff
06-09-2013, 07:27 PM
oh john you shouldnt:cheer::cheer::cheer:

imoww
22-12-2013, 06:06 AM
I recall someone mention that in the old days, the contractor mulched the lawns with the discharge throwing the clippings to one side. Then mowing in circles until there was a heap of clippings in the middle. Then collect it with the catcher...

GardeningSolutions
22-12-2013, 07:21 AM
Yep. Done that on a few big fussy jobs, but used the push mower to pickup the centre row.

imoww
22-12-2013, 07:22 AM
YEp, The pushy for the clean up in the middle

DavidS
22-12-2013, 11:57 AM
Yep do the feral lawns with side throw SP throwing to inside then set SP high and cleanup mess, sometimes I have to run around the pile sooner as it gets to big to throw into centre.