How to Keep Grass from Clogging Bagger Chute (4 Things to Try)

If you get a brand-new lawn mower with a bagger, then usually everything works great to start with. But after a while, you might experience the chute getting blocked every five feet of lawn you mow. When this happens, it means something has either gone wrong with the lawn mower or something has changed.

Unfortunately, if you own a lawn mower with a bagger, then this is an issue you might have to face at some point. So, let’s take a closer look at your lawn mower and see what is going on.

Why Your Bagger Chute Continually Gets Clogged (The Short Answer)

For a conventional bagging system to work, the lawn mower relies on airflow created by the motion of the spinning blade, a clear chute, and enough airflow to pass through the bag. In addition, for the system to work efficiently, the grass shouldn’t be wet. If any of these conditions are not right, then the chute may clog.

4 Possible Reasons Your Bagger Chute Frequently Clogs

I’m guessing that your lawn mower was working just fine when you first got it, and now it seems the bagger chute is clogging on a regular basis. Well, this is a common problem that could be caused by several things. So, let’s take a closer look at your lawn mower and see where the problem could lie.

• Wet Grass
• Obstructed Cutting Deck & Chute
• Incorrect Blades
• Poor Airflow Through the Bag

Wet Grass

Well, this one is kind of obvious. You probably already know that wet grass can create a problem in the bagging system. But just to be safe, I thought I’d add it to the list anyway.

So, if the grass is wet, then it’s going to clump pretty quickly and block the chute on your lawn mower. The quick answer is not to mow when the grass is wet. Simple. But mowing wet grass can lead to other issues that can cause the chute a few problems, even on a dry day.

Obstructed Cutting Deck & Chute

So, your new lawn mower would have had a nice clean cutting deck and chute without any obstruction of dirt and dried-on grass clipping. If you take a look under your lawn mower or down the chute, you could find some dirt and clipping build-up that might be getting in the way of new clippings. If there is any kind of obstruction in the clippings’ path, then your chute can very easily get clogged.

Incorrect Blades

There are lots of different blades available which will fit your lawn mower and perfectly cut your lawn, but not only are lawn mower blades not universal, they don’t work in a universal way. For example, if you look at low-lift blades vs high-lift blades, low lift creates little airflow, whereas a high-lift blade creates a lot of airflow.

A bagging system needs as much airflow as it can get and relies on the lawn mower having the correct blade. So, take a look at the blade you have attached to your lawn mower and see which type of blade you have.

Poor Airflow Through the Bag

If your grass is dry, the deck and chute are clean, and you have the right cutting blade installed, what else can be the problem? Well, the actual bag itself. The bag kind of works like a net. It catches the clippings but still allows air to pass through.

So, while your lawn mower is cutting, it places grass clipping, dirt, leaves, and any other material it manages to suck up into the bag, and all the tiny holes in the bag get clogged with debris. Therefore, the material of the bag acts like a filter, and filters need to be cleaned.

How to Keep Grass From Clogging Your Bagger Chute (3 Ideas)

Now that we have been through what I believe to be the most common causes of a bagger chute clogging, let’s take a look at some fixes. Here are 3 ideas on how to keep grass from clogging the bagger chute that might just help you out.

Clean the Cutting Deck & Chute

So, the first thing I always check if I’m having an issue with my bagger chute clogging is whether the deck and chute have any old dried-out dirt and clipping attached. I use a 2-inch scraper and go to work on the dirt.

A simple back-and-forth scraping motion is all I use to get 99% of the dirt off. For those harder to get to places, I resort to a big flathead screwdriver. Then once I’m finished, I give the whole area a good spray with a PTFE lubricant spray to stop grass from sticking to the deck.

Tools & Parts to Clean a Cutting Deck and Chute

• 2 Inch Scraper
• Flathead Screwdriver
• Non-Stick Spray

Install the Correct Blade

If you take a look in your lawn mower owner’s manual, you’ll find what blade your lawn mower needs to be able to create enough airflow to make the bagger work properly. Usually, new lawn mowers are shipped with a standard blade. This is basically a high-lift blade.

Alternatively, you could take a look on the internet and search for the standard blade for your particular lawn mower.  Failing that, head back to where you purchased your lawn mower and ask them for assistance. You’ll more than likely find that they have the blade in stock as they sell your specific lawn mower.

So, once you get the right blade for your lawn mower, you can go ahead and install your replacement blade. Here are the basic steps to replace a lawn mower blade.

Steps to Remove & Install a Lawn Mower Blade

1. Remove the spark plug cable
2. Tilt over the lawn mower the correct way
3. Brace the blade so that it can’t spin
4. Remove the center blade bolt
5. Remove the old blade
6. Mount the new blade
7. Install the center bolt to the correct torque
8. Remove the blade brace
9. Upright the lawn mower
10. Reconnect the spark plug cable

Tools & Parts to Remove & Install a Lawn Mower Blade

• Blade Brace
• Socket Wrench
• Torque Wrench
• New Blade

Clean the Clipping Bag

The last fix on the list for how to keep grass from clogging the bagger chute is to give the bag a good clean. So, all you need is a garden hose and one of those jet connectors to fit onto the end of your hose. Then just blast the bag until the water runs clean, making sure that you blast the water both from the inside to out, then outside to in. Once I’m finished cleaning the bag, I then grab my leaf blower and blow the water out of the bag.

This is an easy way to dry the bag and to get any last bits of grass out. If you don’t have a leaf blower, then just leave the bag in the sun to dry. You don’t really want to put it away wet as it might rot and stink up your garage if it still has any grass left in it.

Tools to Clean a Lawn Mower Bag

• Garden Hose
• Jet Connection
• Leaf Blower