Struggling With 54" Deck On 4110. Really Poor Performance.

1466 Views 63 Replies 19 Participants Last post by Fosti, 4 d ago

Wirlybird

Discussion Starter · 15 d ago

Hi all,
So the 4110 is a great little tractor but the 54" deck leaves a lot to be desired.
If I try to mow anything that is a little taller than your mowed lawn or pretty green the deck just clogs up.
One issue is very poor discharge of clippings. At times it is pretty much non-existent. Like there is a mulch plug or something.
You can hear the clumping grass slam around and thump in/under the deck but it doesn't discharge. You mostly get a trail of wet soupy grass that looks like a kale shake straight from the blender!
The discharge chute is perfectly clear also so it is not clogging like in the traditional sense at the chute.
The deck is in very good condition and I have cleaned the underside and replaced the blades with the JD blade from the parts diagram for this deck. Same blade was on it.
Part Number M115496 Description - Mower Blade - Cut Performance Blade for¬ 54 In. Mower. Does not look like a mulching blade.

I suspect the blade is one issue. I am working on leveling and when you mow a kept up area the cut looks good.
My X585 with 54C deck will mow circles around this one in heavier grass. I run G6 Gators on it.

Should I start by going to a different blade? I do not want any mulching, just good lift/cut and discharge!

Thanks for any advice.

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Wirlybird

Discussion Starter · #41 · 12 d ago

Benz88 said:
I can tell you most decks besides a 3 point brush hog or flail will struggle with that height unless you take half passes and only do it in very dry conditions. I wouldn't even try to mulch that

Not so.
As I stated I just mowed this yesterday with the X585 set at a 3" cut and had no issue. And I am not trying to mulch. Also, as I have said, the deck on the 4110 acts like it has a full mulch kit on it but it doesn't. The main issue I see with it is that it just doesn't discharge. The clippings stay under the deck until they are completely turned into pulp. Blade style is the only thing I can come up with at this point.
The X585 in the picture is using G6 Gators so I am getting a set for the 4110 to see if it helps.

The area in the picture is not as heavy as it may look. There is a bunch of that stalky grass in areas but the main grass is probably 3-5 inches and cuts easily.

Reactions: 2

MarkEagleUSA

· #42 · 12 d ago

Wirlybird said:
Not so.
As I stated I just mowed this yesterday with the X585 set at a 3" cut and had no issue. And I am not trying to mulch. Also, as I have said, the deck on the 4110 acts like it has a full mulch kit on it but it doesn't. The main issue I see with it is that it just doesn't discharge. The clippings stay under the deck until they are completely turned into pulp. Blade style is the only thing I can come up with at this point.
The X585 in the picture is using G6 Gators so I am getting a set for the 4110 to see if it helps.

The area in the picture is not as heavy as it may look. There is a bunch of that stalky grass in areas but the main grass is probably 3-5 inches and cuts easily.

No discharge without baffles makes me think the blades are not setup right.

I would verify that the blades are a) installed correctly and b) are turning in the right direction. Might even be an improperly installed deck belt.

Reactions: 4

Wirlybird

Discussion Starter · #43 · 12 d ago

MarkEagleUSA said:
No discharge without baffles makes me think the blades are not setup right.

I would verify that the blades are a) installed correctly and b) are turning in the right direction. Might even be an improperly installed deck belt.

Going to recheck these things when I pull the deck back off to replace blades.

The thing is this - when you use it to "mow the lawn" like you would on a weekly basis it cuts nice but still have minimal discharge so you'd think things are working ok.
Will verify it all though.

Reactions: 1

Gizmo2

· #44 · 12 d ago

Superglidesport said:
Any chance the blades are turning in the wrong direction?

rtgt said:
Kind of what I was thinking.

That was my thought also, I did mention belt routing and or slippage.

Reactions: 1

DRobinson

· #45 · 12 d ago

Belt routing should be in the mower operator manual. Also might be on the underside of the deck cover. All blades must turn clockwise looking down at the deck.

Reactions: 1

Wirlybird

Discussion Starter · #46 · 12 d ago

Gator blades arrived today. Got a couple days of brush hogging to do before I can get back on this one but will report any finding and my experience with the Gators. Fingers crossed!

Reactions: 3

wally2q

· #47 · 12 d ago

Wirlybird said:
I bought the tractor last fall from the original owner with the intention of using it to replace my 755 which I use to maintain some paddocks and other smaller field areas.
The previous owner used it to mow his lawn.
The deck is in excellent condition, seems straight and no rust or obvious damage. Some of the lift turnbuckles where bent up some so I replaced everything to get it all good.

The picture I supplied is from mowing for less than an hour on my lawn, which is done weekly, and you can see how much build up is under the deck.
The main issue is the deck just can't handle anything more than a maintained lawn as far as grass height. It just acts like a mulching deck with little to no discharge and all the clippings just build up under the deck until you get that soupy, mulched up "paste".
At this point all I can assume is the blades have poor lift and discharge ability. New blades of a different style coming.

Ok thanks for that clarification.
So you mention that you mow weekly. The buildup is purely a function of moisture content in the grass. Wet grass = sticking to the deck. Dry grass doesn't stick. Time-of-day (ie morning-dew) or mowing 2 hours after a rain fall - could cause that.
it's not easily avoidable. I clean the same build up off my decks every 2-3 weeks.
I also dont think there are any blades out there, that will magically prevent this.

but in your other post - you talk about mowing a pasture every 2-4 weeks.
Is that when you hear the clumps of grass choke the deck (per your original post?)
if so - no surprise. The volume of grass-matter you are trying to process, is beyond the design of this deck. It has nothing to do with HP, or how heavy-duty the tractor is. This deck is for mowing a lawn - where you are clipping off 1.5-2.5" at max. Not hay-grade pasture. It's a design limitation.
For that pasture to be mowed effectively with that deck you need to go dead slow. Or just get a different 3-ph deck made for purpose.

Note - I maintain a set of trails on a pasture field that is just as you pictured. It's shared property with a horse-ranch next door.
I use the 62C deck on my 2305 for that. When I get into areas that are not previously cut - i get the same effect. it's normal for this product. I go dead slow, and at full height (4.5-5" tall), toi knock it down and then go 2nd pass at normal height (3").
But that's trails.... not a ton of area. if you need to knock down 8 acres this way, it's impractical. You just need to get a different deck - made for purpose.

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Wirlybird

Discussion Starter · #48 · 12 d ago

wally2q said:
Ok thanks for that clarification.
So you mention that you mow weekly. The buildup is purely a function of moisture content in the grass. Wet grass = sticking to the deck. Dry grass doesn't stick. Time-of-day (ie morning-dew) or mowing 2 hours after a rain fall - could cause that.
it's not easily avoidable. I clean the same build up off my decks every 2-3 weeks.
I also dont think there are any blades out there, that will magically prevent this.

but in your other post - you talk about mowing a pasture every 2-4 weeks.
Is that when you hear the clumps of grass choke the deck (per your original post?)
if so - no surprise. The volume of grass-matter you are trying to process, is beyond the design of this deck. It has nothing to do with HP, or how heavy-duty the tractor is. This deck is for mowing a lawn - where you are clipping off 1.5-2.5" at max. Not hay-grade pasture. It's a design limitation.
For that pasture to be mowed effectively with that deck you need to go dead slow. Or just get a different 3-ph deck made for purpose.

Note - I maintain a set of trails on a pasture field that is just as you pictured. It's shared property with a horse-ranch next door.
I use the 62C deck on my 2305 for that. When I get into areas that are not previously cut - i get the same effect. it's normal for this product. I go dead slow, and at full height (4.5-5" tall), toi knock it down and then go 2nd pass at normal height (3").
But that's trails.... not a ton of area. if you need to knock down 8 acres this way, it's impractical. You just need to get a different deck - made for purpose.

Ok, once again I will say that the X585 W/54C deck cuts with no issues. Pictures above are the other day, 4 acres in a couple hours. 755 W/60" deck also no issues. It is not a perfect cut but more than acceptable to the customer.
This deck can't get out of it's own way.
Grass build up in the other picture more at the beginning of this thread is from a clean deck and is less than an hour mowing. Grass was dry, i.e. no rain, and was from my lawn with about a week+ growth. I understand about build up but this seemed to be excessive and I feel it is due to the deck just holding the clippings and pulverizing them into a mush and not discharging.
I do not get build up like this on the other decks.
If I could post a video I would of the X585 mowing that stuff in the picture so you could hear it not bogging at all and see my ground speed.
The grasses in these pictures is not as tall and thick as it looks.

One thing is I am trying to find a good 60" deck for this mower as I think the design is different and may do better.
However, for now I will be changing blades to see what that does. After testing that I will see about removing the blow-out kit and see what that does.
If this thing is just not capable then I will likely sell it and move on to something else to replace the 755.
But I have mowed these areas for years now and know what my various equipment can do so I do have a base line to work with.
Also, for some of these areas, using a brush hog or a large finish mower are just not good options.

Off to work, got 20 acres to get cleared this weekend.

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Shawn T. W.

· #49 · 12 d ago

The pictures of the field look about like my lawn after I come home after trucking for 2-3 weeks ... My Z960M with 60" 7 Iron Pro deck takes it all down, mostly at full speed, slowing down to turn!

Reactions: 2

Wirlybird

Discussion Starter · #50 · 12 d ago

Shawn T. W. said:
The pictures of the field look about like my lawn after I come home after trucking for 2-3 weeks ... My Z960M with 60" 7 Iron Pro deck takes it all down, mostly at full speed, slowing down to turn!

Yes! My 757 W/60" 7-Iron will take it down also with little effort but the area is pretty wet at times and as you surely know the Z-Turns don't like soft, wet ground very much!
I will use it at that one place during the summer when the ground is dry but I don't care to use it out in some of the horse pastures. just replaced the engine so it gets the cushy jobs for now!

Reactions: 2

JDGreen-n-Yellow

· #51 · 11 d ago

Wirlybird said:
Ok, once again I will say that the X585 W/54C deck cuts with no issues.
...

I believe you. I use a x738 with a 54HC deck to mow a 2+ acres property every 6-8 weeks. It's at least as tall as what you show in your picture. My 'lawn tractor' handles it @ 4.5" with no fuss so I would expect a CUT to be at least as capable. Hopefully you get it sorted out.

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Wirlybird

Discussion Starter · #52 · 11 d ago

JDGreen-n-Yellow said:
I believe you. I use a x738 with a 54HC deck to mow a 2+ acres property every 6-8 weeks. It's at least as tall as what you show in your picture. My 'lawn tractor' handles it @ 4.5" with no fuss so I would expect a CUT to be at least as capable. Hopefully you get it sorted out.

Thanks,
The tractor seems capable but it's just the deck performance at this point. New blades are here so going to try to get them on ASAP but got another 15 acres to brush hog so that takes priority!
I am actually amazed how good the X585 does.
I did head gaskets and new coils last fall and it has never run better. Tons of power.

Reactions: 4

Jock

· #53 · 9 d ago

Your blades aren’t installed upside-down? I’ve seen it done.

Wirlybird

Discussion Starter · #54 · 8 d ago

Jock said:
Your blades aren’t installed upside-down? I’ve seen it done.

No, checked that.

Wirlybird

Discussion Starter · #55 · 8 d ago

Ok UPDATE:

Finally got time to put the Gator G6 blades on. Very tight on clearance at their tips but they clear all parts of the deck. I read about others having issues with the width of the G6 causing it to hit certain areas of the deck shell.

One thing I found this time when I flipped the deck over was that the blow-out kit on the front edge of the deck was indeed causing grass build up and creating blockages. This combined with the stock blade that doesn't have much lift or discharge capability is a problem.

The G6 blades definitely have more lift and discharge so now the deck is better in the heavier stuff. The G6 blades don't cut great but seems I found this when I put a new set of them on another deck. May just have to "break in"!

I would like to put the stock blades back on and see how it does with the blow-out kit removed. Didn't think of it earlier.

Still having leveling issues but getting closer.

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Wirlybird

Discussion Starter · #56 · 8 d ago

Another UPDATE:
Couple pictures to illustrate an issue. Cut height is approximately 3 inches. Please don't tell me about how this grass is too tall etc. for this type of mower, deck bla bla bla!!
I just have an area with good tall dry semi difficult to cut grass to test basic cutting and discharge.

This is with the stock blades which are new. The blade on the right, chute side cuts pretty good in this long grass. The blade on the left, non-chute side cuts crappy.
Blue arrow is chute side and red is non chute side. BOTH the G6 and the stock blade cut like this so it isn't the blade. The stock blade did ok considering. It did start to clog more on discharge but was an improvement after removing the blow-out kit.
I tried the same area with the X585 and it cut a little better or at least more even on both sides. It did leave the grass higher kind of in the area of the bolts for each outer blade or maybe front tires.

So, for some reason the left side of the deck just doesn't cut well when compared to the right. I still think this deck is a not a great design and maybe was retro fitted to this series. Who knows.

We'll keep working on it.

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Wirlybird

Discussion Starter · #57 · 7 d ago

OK, for anyone interested here is what the X585 W/54C deck and G6 blades does a decent job on. Did this yesterday. 9 acre mow at about 3 1/4" cut height.
Speed is a brisk walk.

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2

Wirlybird

Discussion Starter · #58 · 7 d ago

OK, so first real test with the blow-out kit removed and new G6 blades.
2 acre horse paddock/pasture.
Overall it did pretty good. Still leaves the typical striping which I guess is from where the blades meet but certainly much better than the original setup which would have choked after about 10 feet.
The after picture looks better than it is but still pretty good.

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Benz88

· #59 · 7 d ago

I find in the same thing happens with my D170 if I cut long grass like that and dont do overlapping passes. Ill get the strips of uncut or half cut grass.

Wirlybird

Discussion Starter · #60 · 7 d ago

Benz88 said:
I find in the same thing happens with my D170 if I cut long grass like that and dont do overlapping passes. Ill get the strips of uncut or half cut grass.

I used to think it was the front tires matting the grass down but the stipes don't line up with the tires.
It would seem in this day and age that this is an issue that should be easily resolved but I can't figure it out.

Reactions: 1

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