Small Engines (Lawn Mowers, etc.): Honda leaving grass blades standing, grass blades, blades of grass
QuestionAbout a month ago, I bought a new Honda HRC216K3HXA commercial mower. I have continuously had a problem with single blades of grass left standing randomly throughout the yard. Usually it leaves a couple in just about every row. Sometimes the standing grass blades are close, and other times spaced further apart. This happens while bagging or mulching. Otherwise, it really mulches and bags very well. I am mowing at full throttle, and have tried the full range of ground speeds, from a crawl to as fast as it will go. Of course the slowest speeds gave the best results, but still left behind some "standers." I spoke with Honda, and they suggested having the engine RPMs checked. The dealer guaranteed that it was checked before I took it home. The only other suggestion was to have the two Micro cut blades sharpened to a razor edge. They are still in good condition with and "factory sharp." With all four wheels set at the same height, I am assuming that the bottom of the deck should be "level" to the ground - right?" I did find that the mower is actually closer to being level if the rear wheels are set 1 notch lower than the front. This is with the front wheels at the highest (4") setting. I have not yet tried mowing with this configuration.
To be fair to the mower, because of the large amounts of rain, the grass usually ends up being about 7" tall before I am able to mow it. Your thoughts/suggestions would be appreciated.
Thank you
AnswerYour last paragraph answered your question. for optimum results, you shouldn't try to remove more than 1/3 of height. And cutting at 4", the grass is able to bend more than were you cutting at 2 1/2-3". So some is being blown over by the blades and not being cut. The blade should be near level for the smoothest cut. Some people like to tip the leading edge down a little bit, but too much and you'll have an uneven cut. Let me know if you have any questions. Thanks, PK.
