Kubota Mulch vs. Gator Mulch Blades?

swaney

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Hello--1st time posting
I have ZG123S Kubota zero turn, 48" deck. I currently have kubota mulch kit with their blades. My blade needs changing out. Is gator blade better or should I purchase the Kubota mulch blade?
Thank You
 

Woody

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that is a good question I have a ZG222 with the mulching kit and it is about time for new blades so I will be watching this thread.
 

cruzenmike

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Hello--1st time posting
I have ZG123S Kubota zero turn, 48" deck. I currently have kubota mulch kit with their blades. My blade needs changing out. Is gator blade better or should I purchase the Kubota mulch blade?
Thank You
True mulch kit with baffles to isolate blades should ALWAYS be used with wavy mulching blades! Gators are still considered side discharge blades and will result in poor performance. Side discarge blades are designed to do one thing, move clippings towards the chute and out from under the deck. Gators simply add serrations in the sail to cut clippings smaller while still under the deck before discharging but this benefit most often comes when picking up leaves. Wavy mulching blades have design characteristics which help to lift blades of grass, cut them, recirculate under the deck and then cut them again before dropping them back into the ground. The reason for isolating each blade is because it is the only way that you can overcome the clippings wanting to come out he side since they are all spinning towards the discharge chute. Some two-blade decks will not isolate the blades but they have to deal with a lot less air movement.
 

lugbolt

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Use the kubota blades.

I have the same mower and have tried gator. They're a little thinner and they don't last as long. Went back to Kubota blades, as they are 100% designed for the baffles.

Trick to mulching performance is you can't wait 2 weeks between mowings, you ain't gonna cut 6" off the top. 1/3 rule. Cut 1/3 of the total length of the grass and no more. So if it's 6" tall, cut 2" off of the top. Second rule. Cut it DRY. Not damp, definitely not wet. Dry only. Third rule, overlap your passes a little. Fourth rule, SLOW DOWN. Rule #5, make sure the deck is LEVEL front to back and side to side. Lots of folks say it needs to be 1/4" low in front and that's somewhat true but it's a generality. As a general rule, it till take less power to cut if the deck is slightly pitched in the front, HOWEVER, cut quality almost always suffers a little. How? Biggest difference I saw was that with it pitched even 1/8", I'd get 3 vague stripes in the cut grass. At zero pitch I have a well-defined 48" wide stripe instead of 3 16" stripes. On that note, most people check the deck level incorrectly; and I'll leave it at that. Rule #6 keep the blades SHARP and replace them if the tips get rounded even just a little, and if you are mowing an area that has some sand or a lot of loose dirt, they're gonna wear fast which is another reason to use kubota blades since they are a little thicker. Rule #7 FULL THROTTLE only (not half not 3/4, it needs to be full throttle and honestly if you have a tachometer, set your fast idle speed to 3550-3650 no load/hot engine. Rule #8 keep the underside of the deck clean. Buildup reduces airflow and capacity to recirculate uncut clippings which seriously affects mulching performance.

I use mine to mulch leaves and pine straw in the fall/early winter and it turns both into powder which disappears the first rain. Pretty impressive.
 

bertsmobile1

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have to agree with Lugbolt
Nothing works better on a Kubota than genuine Kubota blades
 
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