Most any lawn tractor is capable of mulching by simply purchasing a "mulch kit" for that specific model(usually based upon it's deck size). And the mulch kit I bought through Sears for my previous Craftsman YS4500 54" deck lawn tractor(made by Husqvarna for Sears) consisted of a set(of 3) "mulching style" blades and a plastic cover for the side discharge chute(to keep all clippings inside the deck for the mulching blades to cut into tiny pieces and force down into the cut lawn so they can't be seen). Yes, both of those lawn tractors cut & discharge the same......one comes with the previously described "mulch kit". If I were you I would weigh out the benefits of a longer warranty....AND.... the engine with the most HP/torque which is important for mulching(you need an engine that won't "bog down" when you are mulching grass that is thick or tall). Also......very important.....the "unspoken rule" for mulching is "always cut the grass with the deck at a height that will only cut 1/3 of the total height of the uncut grass"!!!! For instance, if the grass is 3" tall you would set the deck height at 2" so you would only be cutting 1/3 of it's pre-cut height(1" of the total 3" height). If you try to "mulch" cut grass that is 5" tall with the deck at 2"..........you will either make the mower clog up & die frequently and/or still have piles of clippings left because your mulching blades can't cut it fine enough or force all those clippings back into the remaining grass after cutting. So for a nice clean smoothly cut looking lawn cut(mulch) "often", based upon how fast your grass grows and "follow the 1/3 rule"!!! Hope this helps!!!
