Left vs right deck discharge

[Bugzilla]

Most every mower I have owned had the mower deck discharge on the right or rear on a Wheel Horse I had. Picked up an AC916H and it has the deck discharge on the left. How common is the left discharge? Has industry gone to right side discharge exclusively now? I did like the rear discharge though.

[landlord2110]

I would like a rear disharge  on my simplicity deck because i use a lawn sweeper.

[Bill725]

The discharge side is based on blade rotation and blade rotation is based on belt drive direction. For example, the blades on a LH discharge deck rotate CCW, as viewed from the top, as they move the cut grass across the front of the deck towards the discharge chute.

[PhanDad]

I may be overthinking this but…

I think the Simplicity tractor decks were left discharge to minimize the angle of the drive belt (pull side) to the hanging PTO.  Since the PTO was on the left side, the left side of the blade pulley is “pulled” resulting in CCW rotation and left discharge.  
Or maybe Simplicity just wanted to be different. 
 

Edited July 4, 2022 by PhanDad
General

[TomSchmit]

I think PhanDad is likely correct about the PTO position influencing blade drive and thus the discharge location! Those engineers did a good job when the fdesigned the first tractor.

[CarlH]

Interesting discussion.  I'll note that it isn't difficult to route the PTO drive belt backwards!

[PhanDad]

1 hour ago, CarlH said:

I'll note that it isn't difficult to route the PTO drive belt backwards!

Got that right. 
But I did that a lot more with the B-110 than the newer tractors. 

[steve-wis]

Not sure if the two things are related, but I know our AC 66 combine on the farm when I was a kid had the header on the left side as you sit on the tractor, pretty sure most others were on the right side.  I always thought that Allis Chalmers wanted to be noticeably different than the competition.  

Steve

[tadams]

So was the round baler, the hand clutch was on the right and it would be hard to reach it if the header wasto your right.

[SmilinSam]

I think the left side discharge Simplicity/AC decks have more to do with being driven off the bevel gear box than anything else.  If you look at all the other brands with right hand decks, they pretty much all run off the engine pto facing forward or off to the right side(I think) 

Sunstars seem to be the exception, still utilizing the left discharge deck albeit with a shaft drive off the front and gearbox.

[CarlH]

Also reuse of deck shells.  Sunstars, Legacy's, and Legacy XL's use the same 60" deck housings.