you probably should have gone for a 24 as these are the real deal when tacking bigger areas, only downside is they are not self propelled but they really tackle kikuyu with ease
Alas 24's not being a SP really wouldn't help me that much - I will keep them in mind for the future BUT I really need a SP for the summer months and how thick and fast the grass grows on the slopes here. :-)
*NOTE* - I do not recommend anyone perform what I am about to describe. It is extremely dangerous. Please use your mowers as they were designed and as per the instruction manuals.
I have a 560 push and self-drive, awesome machines. And with the grass in Sydney growing like crazy at the moment, they really help with that raw cutting power. Personally, I've never used the 24, but I can say that if you remove the mulching plug and side chute cover, they'll cut through the longest and toughest of grass. If grass is cut as it should be, no more than about 1/3 of the blade, then the chute on the 560 would be OK to leave on, however, when you're doing a commercial job for someone who hasn't had maintenance in weeks/months/years, you need to be able to get bulk amounts of grass out ASAP so it doesn't bog down the engine. The 24 has the advantage of just having a flap which is safer and allows for the better ejection of larger amounts of material. If the 560 had that, with the same PT engine, you'd be in the same ballpark, though I agree the blade speed with the extra couple of inches that the 24 gives you would increase the MPS of the blades by a substantial amount.
FYI I'm finishing up restoring a 560 (VEX60) self-drive I have if anyone is interested.
