On Mon, 06 Apr 2020 14:37:23 +0100, John Rumm wrote:

Problem I have is the mower can collect or mulch, but does not have a
deck with an open side or back, so it can't just cut and drop.

Is there not a way to remove the chute from the cutter deck to give the
opening you require which would allow a 'cut and drop'? Most of the ride-
on mowers I've seen which resemble your description (including mine)will,
with a bit of jiggling around, allow the chute to be removed. On mine
(Honda) there are either 2 or 4 (I can't remember which) self tapper like
screws which allow the chute to be pulled out from the collector mounting
plate.