Hey, new member here. I have a JD X300 mower, standard side discharge deck and plain off-the-lot blades. I have read several strings here and on Mytractorforum about different options for dealing with clumps and lines after mowing. The problem is that I see a lot of disagreement, and most folks saying what NOT to do, but no consensus on what to do. Some folks say bagging with high lift blades is the best way to go. Others say $500 and it doesn't work well at all. Some say go with the $150 "mulch kit". Others say it clumps as bad as their OEM blades. Some say go with gatorblades, but a lot of folks say NO bcs they ruin your spindles. Then you have the folks with nothing to do but mow grass. Of course it's best to mow off 1 inch of dry grass every 5 days but just is rarely doable for us folks with more work than time. So, I am completely confused and would appreciate hearing your experiences on this issue, and suggestions. Thanks in advance
Bag, mulch kit, gator blade?
- Thread starter Themaker
- Start date
Hi and welcome.
I've been mowing commercially since 2002 and have tried about everything. I don't know why Gator blades would ruin your spindles unless you're running them out of balance and that would go for any blades.
High lift Gator G5 mulching blades for me most of the time (with an open discharge) with a quick second pass when necessary for stringers and windrows. Standard high lift blades don't cut clippings fine enough for my liking. Bagging is a pain. Mulch kits are great until you get into less than ideal conditions. If you can mow often and in dry conditions and don't mind mowing at a snail's pace at times then mulching is possible - it takes dedication to monitoring lawn conditions.
There's always the option of just hitting the rows and clumps with a backpack blower, but that would depend on the size of the lawn and the severity of the problem.
I've been mowing commercially since 2002 and have tried about everything. I don't know why Gator blades would ruin your spindles unless you're running them out of balance and that would go for any blades.
High lift Gator G5 mulching blades for me most of the time (with an open discharge) with a quick second pass when necessary for stringers and windrows. Standard high lift blades don't cut clippings fine enough for my liking. Bagging is a pain. Mulch kits are great until you get into less than ideal conditions. If you can mow often and in dry conditions and don't mind mowing at a snail's pace at times then mulching is possible - it takes dedication to monitoring lawn conditions.
There's always the option of just hitting the rows and clumps with a backpack blower, but that would depend on the size of the lawn and the severity of the problem.
stevestd
Active Member
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- Aug 31, 2016
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Hi new member,
Every different deck (mulching or otherwise) will give a different result, as will height of cut, height and type of grass, different blades types, and different mowing conditions; hence no consensus. Clumping in my experience with a mulching deck is usually more prevalent with wet grass. I use a range of different blades for different mowing conditions, and although each set has different characteristics, they all basically do the same thing. Try different height settings (higher preferred as to lower), blades types and mowing techniques and see what works for you.
Every different deck (mulching or otherwise) will give a different result, as will height of cut, height and type of grass, different blades types, and different mowing conditions; hence no consensus. Clumping in my experience with a mulching deck is usually more prevalent with wet grass. I use a range of different blades for different mowing conditions, and although each set has different characteristics, they all basically do the same thing. Try different height settings (higher preferred as to lower), blades types and mowing techniques and see what works for you.