cod 120 #1 Posted November 4, 2022 As a kid, raking leaves was never high on my list of yard chores and I'm glad that someone got the bright idea of a mulching deck. My 418 came with one when I got it and I use it every Fall instead of a rake. That said, I've been thinking about tweaking my re-cycler deck for years. Years ago I added a circular membrane around the spindle and held it in place with silicone caulk and the kickers (pictures 1 & 2). As I only use the deck in the Fall for leaves it worked fine and kept the area under the membrane clean. Over time, I have noticed that the rotation of the blades causes air pressure to build up in the right front corner of the deck and tends to blow the leaves away. One of the things I thought of was that it might be from the kickers deflecting the air down to help mulch.So today I decided to experiment with an idea that replaces the kickers with a metal plate (pictures 3 & 4) and see if that helps with the airflow. So they are gone for now and I also added a second blade to each spindle to see if that improves the mulching. With that done, it was time to test the theory and pictures 5 thru 7 show the result. There is still some air build up under the right front corner but it appears to work and the rakes love it... 3 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
squonk 41,040 #2 Posted November 4, 2022 I had a Beagle that ate grass clippings so I used to have to run the sweeper twice a week. Finally got a recycler 5 years ago and it was one of my better investments. Use it year round in stock form. Sold the sweeper! Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
JoeM 7,871 #3 Posted November 5, 2022 The two blade thing will definitely mulch up. I tried it a few years ago on grass. I built a 48 inch mulching deck and my buddy that has tons of leaves ended up with it. I don't have as many trees now but still miss it in the fall. Seem like I got to run over the piles twice or three times to get the same effect. 1 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
edgro 677 #4 Posted November 5, 2022 Great topic, good timing. I had picked up a recycling deck with a tractor this year. I took it apart for cleaning and just got it back together. I was planning to mow today, but it's raining. It was totally packed with grass/debris. Not surprising, as the tractor was also. Pretty rusty, so l wire brushed and sprayed with Rust-Oleum rust converter/sealer, then undercoating, we will see how that works. I look like it will have to come apart every year for cleaning. The membrane looks like a good idea. I had thought about putting foam under the deflectors to prevent grass buildup 1 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Southern_Secret 463 #5 Posted November 15, 2022 On 11/4/2022 at 4:22 PM, squonk said: I had a Beagle that ate grass clippings I fill like everyone passed this by without realizing what was said @squonk Did you ever change the batteries, they could have went dead causing the malfunction 😂 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
