I cut grass for years with those 42" decks. They cut okay but they also streak very badly, I.E., you can see the strip the short/wide blades cut. Every one I ever used, even with sharp blades.

I'd recommend the OP find a 44" deck which I think leaves a much better cut appearance on the lawn.

That is exactly right , same as the shroud on a fan, they are there to create suction. Now it depends, if you're cutting a clover rich yard to 1 inch height it may not make any difference not having those. If you're cutting 4 inch tall fescue down to 3 inches results may not be very good.

I would not go spending more $$ to find a 44" deck that was never built to install onto a 127. Not that it can't be done, but when you have a working 42" deck already that most could not tell the difference in the resulting cuts.

I stand corrected on the 44" deck. Got my tractor models mixed up but I still stand on my statement about the appearance of a lawn that is cut with a 42" deck with two short blades and one long one.

I never cut grass at ground level like some. Maybe that's the difference?

And I'm not that picky.

I would guess that the finer blade grasses would show the poor cutting characteristics more.
The front tires smashing the grass down does not help, lol.

More than likely. Much harder to get a nice cut on a flexible blade of grass that just got smashed down by tires than cutting at the base where it's firm. Much easier to get streaking as well, because variations in cutting height are more easily noticeable. I cut to about 3" and keep my blades sharp enough that you can slice tomatoes with them, get a fairly decent cut with my 44", still not as clean as a push mower. I'm very picky though.

I think to OPs initial question, depending on what you're cutting and how tall you're cutting it, you may or may not have issues. If you're cutting Bermuda, St. Augustine, Centipede or Zoysia you'll definitely be ok because you have to cut those low, if the owner can't tell you what grass they have you'll probably still be ok because they don't care that much, if you're cutting a fine blade Tall Fescue(attached) or KBG lawn to the standard 3" you might have some trouble getting a clean cut.

I think they do fine without them. I have a 38C deck and 44A and I think the 38 does a better job. Keep your blades sharp, should be fine.

Nuff said:biggrin2:

Once again a plethora of information to digest. I think for the most part the lawns he will be cutting are a mix, the area we are in is a mix of fescue and Bermuda, but mainly Bermuda. I found a shroud assembly for what I felt was a reasonable price so I ordered it. I will use my yard as a test because I have all fescue and I am somewhat picky. I will report back with pictures in about 6 weeks when the grass needs to be cut.

Should be fine on Bermuda, it needs to be cut to 1" so you don't need much suction. But while you're at it , think of some other potential money makers. Bermuda requires frequent dethatching, and so a tow behind dethatcher might pay off quickly. Spring is also a good time to plug aerate tall fescue lawns, and even at $60 a yard a tow behind aerator will pay itself off quickly. If you plug aerate you will also want to put down some pre-emergent in tall fescue lawns to prevent all the weed seed you just pulled to the surface from germinating. Extra $. You will also be plug aerating tall fescue in the fall and Bermuda in the summer. Fertilizing could also be part of the maintenance program, charge another $20 on top of actual cost to spread it. Overseeding tall fescue lawns in the fall is big $, to the tune of $300-$500 a yard, depending on size - a tow behind sweeper will help make that a breeze and may be used for leaf cleanup in the fall as well , more $. Just a few extra things your son can offer now that he has a tractor to use.

That looks photoshopped to me sir. Oh wait ... :biggrin2: