All mower bags must let air out in order to function. The pores in the bag material are actually rather large, since the bag is designed to trap grass clippings rather than dust, and in dusty conditions you would expect a large amount of dust to be discharged through the bag. If a certain bag has an obvious opening, that would need to be closed by some means. Can it be stitched up or patched?

Some of the newer mowers use "low dust" bags...And many mulch and generally perform better - a shame that the Honda....VXA is NOT in this group..
I hope the new Lawn Boys are good...I am considering a 10695..

Low dust Bags?

Granted. I realize bags must breathe just as a vacuums must suck :-). But should it coat the operator with dust? I think the dust that must and does leak out should come out somewhere else other than directly in front of the operator! For instance, if the pores of the bag are larger and facing low toward the lawn, the amount of dust one eats would be much less. RIGHT?

Read my overly long postings a little closer --> "The dust comes out of the bag where the plastic 'dump' closure of the bag hangs on the wire hanger". In other words, the opening where one dumps the clippings is at the end of the bag directly in front of the operator. The two plastic clam shell halves that close the bag are not precise, do not line up well, and are 'closed'/suspended by a ~3/8" wire hanger bridging the push handle sides about half way up where the handles fold in half. This setup is a classic KISS (Keep It Simple Stupid) arrangement. KISS is FINE if it works but this actually sucks big time (or is it blows)! Washing the bag helps (my dealerÂs recommendation was to wash, not buy a new one!) but may not even last one mowing. I will be dammed if I am going to wash the bag every time my wife mows. Washing only helps (Washing does not eliminate the problem by any means.

Except for the low end models, most recent mower bags I have seem have provisions for Âdumping at the mower end and not at the operator end! For god's sake, this is a BBC mower! Definatelly not low end. I think this is at the root of the problem. My wife just used the neighborÂs new Toro and she was fine with it: NO DUST PROBLEM to complain about.

As I tried to allude to, the bag system should have been redesigned. I was hoping someone had already done this work for me. I am the one that ends up having to put up with the bad attitude & wrath of my wife. All sweaty & coated with dust when done. Who knows, she might even cut 4 times a year without the dust problem! :-)

Orrr Maybe not.
Radar

You are talking about the plastic in the back of the bag that you put together to close the rear of the catcher and hang it off the hanger on the handle right? I had the rear bag kit for my Lawn boy and when the bag wore out I could not get a replacement so I got a newer bag kit. the hanger closes the bag more securly. Ite kit comes with a new hanger, a different style black shute, and bag. Hopefully this helps. I did not get the dust you are getting from yours , but if the clasp does not close securly im sure that it is very possible.

ShawnLB,

Yes, the plastic 'clamshell' halves that close the rear 'clippings dump hole' of the bag. Yes, Yes, now we are talking. A new and improved design. Perhaps my bag is at the worst end of the spectrum but the dealer (a co-worker from Lockheed) said that a new bag would be about the same. LB/Toro must have come out with a new design since then. Wonderbar!

Got a P/N for reference fitting a MODEL S21BSN? I just hope it does not cost more than the mower. Between the new bag kit and what I have already spent on OEM parts for a CDI, blade & it's 1st major tune-up, I may be well into the cost of a new lower emissions model. Or sadly to say (even sacrilegious to some of you) one of those expensive but wonderfully engineered Japanese models. :-(.

That is why goats look so attractive. No dangerous environmentally unfriendly emissions. Maybe even a little stinky 'Cow Hampshire' cheese on the side. Plus entertainment from the occasional husbandry. Ah, nature at its best.

I would just have to avoid my neighbors like the plague when the goats eat their flowers! Might have to form a neighborhood goat Co-OpÂsafety in numbersÂcould call it the GLA (Goat Lovers Association)Âor GMA (Goat Mowers Assoc, not Good Morning America). Well, mow likely to have peace in tha Middle East this decade. Yu-up!

Beheheheh,
Radar

Have you ever considered just lightly dampening the grass enough for dust control?
Mike

I don't have a part number for the new kit but I originaly got it for my grandmothers 93 silver series. My mom killed it an got a craftsman POS, but the new grass shoot and handle support fit on my 71 MAG. IM sure it should fit on yours. I got it through a place called Terpstras. All they do is lawn mowers and commercial mowers. If you have a place like that I would see if that have one. The shoot is black in color and has a support rod that fits into the hole on the handle support bracket where you would put your long hook support if you were using the side bag. The clam shell sits in the wire you put on the handle and the way it holds the bag it keeps it closed. I will try to get some pics of it for you.

mla2ofus,

Wetting is not a bad idea. I think I may have even tried it. But, if my wife has trouble cutting 3 times a year, do you think she is really going to want to drag out the hose? And maybe end up with a sticky mess in the bag? So the idea was bagged. :-) I thought I mentioned I was in a wheelchair. If I was not it would not be a significant problem. We used to have regularly watered lush thick turf. And I just took a shower afterwards when I cut. No biggieda as far as I can remember

SwawnLB,

I am really confused. What you described seems almost but not quite what I have now? Pictures would help a lot. Please. If I had an e-mail I could send you pics of mine. I am not up to date sending them on bulletin boards. Kind of a newbie at this.

When I got my new left over 1988 S21BSN in 1991, LB had recently come out with a new M-Series (?). It was darker green, black and boxier looking with as far as I can remember a true rear discharge (?). The S21BSN has the black plastic side chute that wraps around to the rear, looking more aero, and is suspended by a ~ 3/8" post that goes into a steel reinforcement toward the rear of the deck. The quasi rear bag slides from the top into this assembly in the front in a KISS fashion. The bag attaches with the plastic clam shell to the 3/8" wire that bridges the side handles half way up. I did not buy the new model cause it was lots more $s and did not have BBC available. It was either a 4 cycle or had oil injection instead of mixed fuel. I chose BBC so my wife does not have to restart the mower every time the bag is emptied as you have to with the dead man ignition kill that has become industry standard . I do not mulch as it reintroduces weed seeds. I do not like to use weed killer due to the close dioxin connection. Most weed Killer is chemically off by only one D. I think 2-5-D instead of 2-4-D which is dioxin more or less. I am in principle very sensitive to the use of defoliants. Not a good idea!

Thanks again guys,
Radar

You could get a side bag kit ... I think they go for around $40.

Grass dust can irritate my alergies, so I always cut mine in the morning while the grass is still slightly damp. This would be another option, but you need to keep your blade good & sharpened when cutting wet grass.

Doug

DougMac,

You have a good point. Dew is a great natural mister that will cut down dust on days we have it. Without any additional work or the dreaded dragging out of the hose (from a gimps point of view)

However, as the devils advocate I read (perhaps a Scotts flier we used to get) or heard on a lawn care segment many years ago that it is best to cut in the evening. Here is why more or less as I member:

When you mow in the mornings, the grass is shocked more so than when you mow in the evenings. The sun does a number on the newly exposed grass leaves left after mowing no longer shaded by the cut part. Particularly if you break the golden rule of never cutting more than 1/4 to 1/3 of the blade height at one cutting.
In the evening the shock is much less since the grass has a chance to recover overnight and it may get misted by dew before the sun beats down on it. A good 16 to 18 hours of rest or recovery period of sorts. Akin to us sleeping to get recharged for the next day (does grass sleep?).

Anyhow it made a lot of sense to me and I have always done so since informed while I was able to mow. Now that I cannot mow from my wheelchair, I as a rule still forbid my wife to cut in the mornings. Particularly in the middle of the day that being the worst case scenario shock wise.

On the other hand since the lawn now looks like crap anyway under my wifeÂs loving care, perhaps I should rethink my golden rules. She might be happier and the lawn may just go from terrible to just slightly a hair more than terrible. :-)

I guess what I am saying is that this theory might only apply if you truly are hell bent on having the best lawn on the block organically or otherwise. Sort of an edge or sorts for those anal retentive types concerned to the nth degree about what their lawns look like.

Or just plain like a lush green carpet of grass blades. Boy do I miss it! The green natures carpet that is. Not the work. Seems like we (or I) have much more important things to spend time on these days such as trying not to think about the inevitable soft drink or another sinister plot someone will get on board a planeÂnot entirely what it seems to beÂ.just a matter of time.

Or enticing that elusive 18" rainbow to take your most recent cricket imitation creationÂ
What do you think about them apples?

Thanks,
Radar

I'm from the other end of the spectrum ... I enjoy my Lawn Boys and the excercize when cutting the yard but that is about it.

I have never fertilized or watered my lawn. We have very sandy soil, so it would be a lot of work & $$ to get my lawn to where it could be called "beautiful" and a lot of work & $$ to keep it that way. Neither my wife or myself have any interest in gardening or landscaping at this time in our lives. We are in our early 40's with three growing boys 10,12, & 14 ... at the moment, there are more important things to spend time and money on than our yard !!

What you say about cutting grass in the evening vs. morning makes sence.

Thanks,

Doug

Doug,

You are on the right track; spending time with the boys is of utmost importance. I have 2 girls and should have done the same. I was fortunate in that my lawn only required on the average about 1-2 hours a week to keep it nice. It is small. Watering in the evening was a good break from watching TV or an escape from working on the house...just moving the sprinkler around was a pain. Now I kind of miss it though. Sort off.
A nice lawn is not my idea of play time, but I somehow managed even with the occasional 3-4 hour of maintenance a week periods. Usually they came in the spring and in the fall.

Girls are less maintenance if you are lucky. I could have spent more time with them anyway in hindsight.

It now has been two weeks since I got the mower running and I have not finished the once whether it needs it or not every 14 year major maintenance. I bought 8 new seals for the wheels and all that is left to do: to clean and lube the wheels and install the new seals. About an hour if everything goes well. Unfortunately other things took priority. Maybe this weekÂ

Oh well,
Radar