RE: (ET) Gator Blades

["Elie, Larry (L.D.)" <lelie ford com>]

I have both rear and side discharge decks.

The side discharge does NOT have the rubber strip in back; it's purpose is 
to slow the clippings coming out 
of the back.  Side discharge DOES have baffles, but not the same pattern 
as the rear discharge.  Go to 
http://www.elec-trak.org/partscat/ATTACHMENTS.pdf, page 7 of 26 shows the 
baffle for the rear discharge mower.  Page 10 of 26 shows the baffle for 
the side discharge mower.  

Larry Elie

BTW, Even with 7 year OLD batteries, when I mow (mid range green is the 
current/load meter), I mow for about 
2 to 2.5 hours before I need a recharge.  If anyone isn't mowing that 
long, I suspect you aren't getting a 
full charge.



-----Original Message-----
From: Barry Woods [mailto:barry woods wright edu]
Sent: Tuesday, August 05, 2003 4:42 PM
To: thumphrey myself com; elec-trak cosmos phy tufts edu
Subject: Re: (ET) Gator Blades



My deck has no rubberstrip on the rear chute, the side discharge chute is
open and no metal baffles beneath. Basically nothing but a deck and three
blades!  Underneath the deck it's one uninterrupted expanse.  When mowing,
the finely chopped clippings come directly out the back and also out of the
side discharge chute.

 The U-shaped metal baffles, that most of you have on your deck, are
designed to contain and direct clippings to either the back discharge or 
the
side discharge chute depending on which baffles you have installed.  Either
way, the air and clippings produced by the blades are being forced into a
confined channel to be directed to a discharge point, hence backpressure
results. I think this is why Eric had overheating problems,  the much
greater airflow produced by the Gatorblades caused greater back pressure 
and
hence drag.

 However, the baffles probably produce a bit of vacuuming effect to lift 
the
grass blades, resulting in more even cutting. This may explain why my
baffleless deck had crappy cutting results prior to the gatorblades.

I assume that the new deck that Bill made for you is more aerodynamic by
design and thus baffles are not needed for vacuuming effect.

Take care,
Barry



.

>  You say you have no baffles and your clippings are free to exit all in
one sentence.
> Are you under the assumption that the baffles we talk about is the rubber
strip across the back of the deck? They're not. They are 3 steel plates 
that
wrap around the blades inside the deck, basically forming three separate
decks. But the blades hang lower than the baffles so they don't contact, 
and
are opened at the back. So, they form three horseshoe shapes.
>
>  I don't have the strip across the back installed on my deck and my grass
is also free to exit, but not from the side. The new deck has no provision
for side discharge. My lawn gives the appearance of having been cut with a
reel mower and NOT bagged. i.e. no windrows!
>
>
>
> Stay Charged!
>
> Hump
>
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