50C doesn't mow very "clean"
 

The 50C on my 1811 doesn't leave the nicest looking yard. I have been running for 2 years with the Gators that came on it. Yesterday after mowing some bigger grass I decided it was time to put on the new set of conventional blades I had in stock. The Gators had gotten really dull and were leaving thick spots uncut, really loading the engine even. Swapped the blades out and headed for some better maintained grass--my yard instead of around farm buildings. These cut fine, but leave a small row of clippings between the discharge and middle blade, like the discharge blade cant handle the volume. Anybody else have trouble with a 50C not mowing as pretty as 60"Habans or 44? Next week I may wake up the 128 with a 44 deck to see how it does (its been napping since fall). For the record, the baffle is still around the blades, the discharge chute has been removed, The engine is running plenty fast enough (close to full if not all the way), and no I'm not driving too fast.

I run a 50C deck on my 784 and the thing I noticed over the years is how sharp the blades are. When they start to dull, the quality of the cut goes down. It is a signal for me to pull the deck, sharpen the blades and clean up any residue clinging to the underside. Running the engine at WOT is a must.

:ThumbsUp:

Do you think the 44's do a nicer looking job?

If you take the time to do the math,, and compare blade tip speeds,,
the Cub Cadet decks just turn "slow" :bigthink:

A nice cutting deck will be turning fast, and it is a significant difference.

My only success with a Cub Cadet deck was achieved by using a different deck pulley,, that sped up the deck blade tip speed.

My Gravely 24G runs crazy fast tip speeds compared to any IH GT,, and it shows.
That machine can make a sows ear look like a silk purse,, because of the tip speed,,, :biggrin2:

Unfortunately, I'm going to have to agree with both Roland and John.

The "C" series decks aren't the best deck ever made in my opinion.... and John is right. Compared to other machines, they turn slow. This is yet another reason I set my engines to run 3800 RPM.

Roland is also correct. They do really like good sharp blades. I will also add that I have found the ONLY blade that leaves a really nice finish is a Cub Cadet blade. No other brand does as nice a job. I don't know why, and I don't care. I just pay the money for the better blades.

Here's another thing: While you don't think you are driving too fast, likely because your argument is it isn't pulling the engine down... I've found the H-twin Mag makes more than enough power to run through grass faster than the "slow" blades will cut it. In other words, try slowing down anyway and see what they does. You can literally drive faster than the deck can cut. Like you stated, it's like the outer blade can't handle discharging the grass from the other two AND cutting the grass.

Another note: All of the decks in that design, (original, A and C) do not like wet grass, or tall grass. They do best if only cutting off 2" or less. They still cut nice when cutting 3" of growth, but above that, you almost have to mow two times to make it look nice. I've used these decks for 30 years. Just how they are. The older "triangle" decks don't have the same issues. Actually, I think they were a better deck. While I religiously use a C deck, I'm not a huge fan. It's just what mounts up to the machines I use, and it's the largest deck.

No.... I don't think the 44 is any better. Just 6" narrower.

I have a 50C on a 982 that does a beautiful job.. I did have a 44A once that the spring loaded idler under the cover had frozen up on.. the arm wasn't pivoting any longer and letting that outside blade slip a little.. after freeing up the idler arm it went right back to work.. I have seen some smaller pulleys on some of the decks and yes they do seem to cut better in taller grass.. I'm sure it's due to the increase in blade speed.

I think what I did was mount a deck that was originally used with a "B" width belt on a tractor that used an "A" belt.

The A belt fell deeper into the mower pulley, causing the mower to rotate faster.

It cut very good,,, that was over 20 years ago,, memory is a little "foggy",,,:bigthink:

:biggrin2:

The note about the idler slipping is a good point. But it's something I check every time I take the cover off, which is at least 3 or 4 times a season. I pull my decks off pretty often and clean them. About every 3rd time I pull it, I will take the cover off and clean out the grass and check everything out. As a note, I find things like I did last time. I had noticed an odd noise coming from the deck at low speeds. Like when I idle the engine down so I don't throw a lot of grass at something, or throw rocks like when I mow next to my gravel road. It was a clunking noise, and I thought it odd, but it wasn't anything more than that. While I had the cover off, I found a short piece of stick had gotten in around the center pulley, and become lodged in one of the outer spindles. At lower speeds, it made the tensioner arm really rattle and it looked like the slack side of the belt was whapping the rear of the cover. Dug the stick out, and obviously the noise went away. But the point it is I check the idler pretty often. I also usually shoot some oil on it since it isn't greasable.

Along the same lines as the tensioner getting hung up and causing slippage, there is the fact that pulleys do wear out. I have noticed that in the last couple years it seems as though I'm getting worse and worse a cut. Back in the early 2000's (2001?) I put all new pulleys on the deck. They were so wore out that the deck belt would slip and squeel and the outer blades would actually stop. All new pulleys and belts and it cut like new again. That was a long time, and a lot of acres of grass cut ago..... I probably need to replace all the pulleys again. In heavy grass, they are likely slipping again, and need replacing. I keep an eye on them, and they are wore quite a bit, but as of yet, the belt isn't bottoming out like before. That doesn't mean they are holding the belt tight enough though. Takes some money to keep old things working in top shape. Just how it is.

I should have mentioned the deck has been completely rebuilt, all 3 pulleys, idler arm, idler pulley, both belts, bearings, seals, blade nuts---It was a money pit. I will admit that even at 2 yesterday afternoon the humuggity was so bad that the tires were still wet from the moisture in the grass. Maybe it will be drier next week and I'll get better results. Maybe the 128 can go lap for lap with it for comparison.

I will agree with the others, my 50C does NOT like wet grass.