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Gravely 60" ZT HD, 2017. Every fall I install https://www.gravely.com/en-us/part/zero-turn-mulching-kit---60-in-decks-79105900 the mulching kit, mainly because without it, the leaves blow out the side chute w/o ever being cut up. So again this year I tackle the project. Sharpen & balance the blades, set the height to 4" (from 4.25") and have at it. And once again the cut just isn't 'even', not like the Oregon high-lift blades give me during the summer months. So my question is, is there such an animal as a high-lift mulching blade that would work with this kit?

The best mulching is more than just the blade. the deck design plays into it. So there are compromises when going from baggin to mulching. I would inquire with your Gravely Dealer since they know the deck and the engineers there should have figured this all out. Maybe someone here works a lot on Gravely's and can chime in.

The best mulching mower I have every used is a Toro Super recylcer. it has a unique blade and deck system. It bags ok too wtih out changing out the blades. It is a walk behind not a rider but the ideas translate.

Good Luck

bullet bob said:

Gravely 60" ZT HD, 2017. Every fall I install https://www.gravely.com/en-us/part/zero-turn-mulching-kit---60-in-decks-79105900 the mulching kit, mainly because without it, the leaves blow out the side chute w/o ever being cut up. So again this year I tackle the project. Sharpen & balance the blades, set the height to 4" (from 4.25") and have at it. And once again the cut just isn't 'even', not like the Oregon high-lift blades give me during the summer months. So my question is, is there such an animal as a high-lift mulching blade that would work with this kit?

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I have a Gravely Pro Turn 260. I will put Gator G6 or Gravely mulching blades on in the fall. I do not use the mulching kit. I side discharge and go over it until the leaves are pulverized. In my experience, mulching kits are pretty useless.
Think about what happens when the deck fills up with mulched up leaves.

MParr said:

I have a Gravely Pro Turn 260. I will put Gator G6 or Gravely mulching blades on in the fall. I do not use the mulching kit. I side discharge and go over it until the leaves are pulverized. In my experience, mulching kits are pretty useless.
Think about what happens when the deck fills up with mulched up leaves.

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Any decent mulching mower that I know of will have two blades per spindle. Think Toro and Honda. Also features on the deck that promote better mulching. i.e. Kickers on the Toro. The Hondas and Toro walk behinds mulch and bag well. I can not speak for their riding mowers.

If the deck is filling up you are mulching wet leaves. You can not mulch wet grass. I assume the same with leaves. Atleast not very well. It may be impossible for you to wait for everything to dry out so you do the best you can with what you have. If someone knows of a good mulching riding mower let us know. I do not know of any that have two blades per spindle but there is a lot I do not know.

nbpt100 said:

Any decent mulching mower that I know of will have two blades per spindle. Think Toro and Honda. Also features on the deck that promote better mulching. i.e. Kickers on the Toro. The Hondas and Toro walk behinds mulch and bag well. I can not speak for their riding mowers.

If the deck is filling up you are mulching wet leaves. You can not mulch wet grass. I assume the same with leaves. Atleast not very well. It may be impossible for you to wait for everything to dry out so you do the best you can with what you have. If someone knows of a good mulching riding mower let us know. I do not know of any that have two blades per spindle but there is a lot I do not know.

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The OP isn’t talking about a walk behind mower.
My mower and his are similar in deck construction and the blades are interchangeable. I’m describing my experience.

I created a chute blocker for mulching leaves. No mulching blades just the OEM Simplicity blades. Mulching grass just seems a waste of effort. Most often the decks get clogged and you have to scrape them out thus the benefit of mulching is compromised. Mulching leaves is a bit more effective but it takes multiple passes most often. I tried hi-lift blades once and didn't see much difference but it sure made a lot more noise. Normally cut grass seems to disappear just as quickly as mulched grass if you cut before the grass gets too tall or to wet. Mulching might work for some but I found it ineffective if you end up scraping the deck and tossing the clippings in the landfill. I also hated the windrowing while mulching. How you can expect the grass to be lifted up and cut and suspended in the deck while being recut several times then dropped evenly on the lawn just makes no sense to me.

What I noticed before I went to the 'kit' was I would shoot leaves 12' - 15' out the side. Run over them again, 12' - 15' out the other side. Seemed like a never-ending battle. Went with a Gravely chute blocker. Didn't work either. So I ended up with the kit.
As a side note I'm really impressed with the kit. Leaves are totally pulverized! In just one pass. But the cut of the grass is less than impressive. That's why I was asking about a high-lift blade that can also mulch. I ran Gators several years ago in the summer months. Just didn't seem to lift the grass & give me that smooth cut. Gave them away. Looks like I may have to try em' again along with the mulching kit. Thanks all for your suggestions!

I've got a funny feeling here that I'm looking for a unicorn. High-lift blade that mulches. I understand that in order to lift grass, you have to have some place for the air flow to go. Making 3 individual cutting chambers with no-where for the air to escape makes it rather tough to lift & straighten blades of grass before you cut it.

I suppose your HOC could make a difference on the blowout of the leaves as well. My leaves are starting to fall and it's time to think about the chute blocker. I made one from some sheet aluminum I bought at HD. Two wing nuts and it's on/off!... You are right about the 3-chambers . Still I would rather just cut the grass normally....and mulch the leaves instead of burning them. It takes multiple passes but I tend to do some Fall Fertilizer Blitzing so my grass needs recutting every 4-5 days anyway. I do have a sweeper for later when the leaves are very wet and the mower won't lift them but it's not my main choice for leaf removal.

HOC ???

Have tried using the mulch blades with side discharge? Yes I understand it won't fully mulch the leaves or grass but provide some mulching while still having a place for air to go.

StarTech said:

Have tried using the mulch blades with side discharge? Yes I understand it won't fully mulch the leaves or grass but provide some mulching while still having a place for air to go.

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I did several years ago. Just wasn't impressed with the cut. Went with some sort of high-lift from Oregon and was very pleased. So now I'm trying to get high-lift, plus mulch. Don't think there is such an animal.........

I haven't seen anything like that due how it has to recycle the cuttings. They have to first lifted and allow to fall back through the cutting area; then repeat over and over until they can't be lifted anymore as you move the cutting deck. Now some walk behind uses double blades (X pattern)but that add quite deck load to the engine.

I have learn to accept that there are limits to each style blade. Mulch blades are low to medium lift so you don't have deck blow out while mulching. Too much deck pressure will cause clippings to blow out.

But at least the Gravely uses 5/8 round so welding a pair of blades in a X is easier than a MTD and Husqvarna star holes. But will take time to get them in balance after doing so.

StarTech said:

I haven't seen anything like that due how it has to recycle the cuttings. They have to first lifted and allow to fall back through the cutting area; then repeat over and over until they can't be lifted anymore as you move the cutting deck. Now some walk behind uses double blades (X pattern)but that add quite deck load to the engine.

I have learn to accept that there are limits to each style blade. Mulch blades are low to medium lift so you don't have deck blow out while mulching. Too much deck pressure will cause clippings to blow out.

But at least the Gravely uses 5/8 round so welding a pair of blades in a X is easier than a MTD and Husqvarna star holes. But will take time to get them in balance after doing so.

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Ballard sells an X shaped blade adapter. This allows the operator to mount 2 blades on the spindle in an X pattern. I don’t like adding that extra weight to the spindles. Meg Mo has a product that has four stubby blades mounted on a circular plate and the blades can swing on that circular plate. Again, there is extra weight on the spindles and more horsepower is desired.

MParr said:

The OP isn’t talking about a walk behind mower.
My mower and his are similar in deck construction and the blades are interchangeable. I’m describing my experience.

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Yes, I know. I was making a point that riders do not have the features that a walk behind that is designed to mulch has. I may be wrong so someone correct me. Also, the wetter and taller the grass the harder it is to mulch. Hense wet or a lot of leaves may not mulch well at all. I was drawing correlations from walk behinds to riders and from grass to leaves. I dont think riders are as well designed to mulch as some walk behinds. That is why I recommenced calling the Gravely dealer to see what type of blade they would recommend to meet his needs with his machine.

nbpt100 said:

Yes, I know. I was making a point that riders do not have the features that a walk behind that is designed to mulch has. I may be wrong so someone correct me. Also, the wetter and taller the grass the harder it is to mulch. Hense wet or a lot of leaves may not mulch well at all. I was drawing correlations from walk behinds to riders and from grass to leaves. I dont think riders are as well designed to mulch as some walk behinds. That is why I recommenced calling the Gravely dealer to see what type of blade they would recommend to meet his needs with his machine.

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There is only one type of blade that will work with the Gravely mulching kit and that is the Gravely mulching blades that came with the kit or a direct aftermarket replacement blade. Gator style blades are designed for side discharge. The manufacturers of the Gator style blades even state this in their product literature. I have tried just about every blade style available for a 60” Gravely. I use mine weekly. I have two different sets of blades for fall leaves. One set is Oregon Gator G6 and the other is the Gravely OEM mulching blades. One or the other will go on after the leaves start falling. I side discharge and cut in a square, throwing the discharge to the inside. It takes several passes to get the desired results.
I wished that I had gotten a video of the landscaper mowing the neighborhood church yard. He was using a Gravely Pro Turn 260 with Gator style blades. Man, that was a mess. There is no telling how long it took to clean that mess up. Clumps of wet grass everywhere. Piles of wet grass clippings that fell from the deck. I use either high lift Dixie Chopper blades or standard Gravely blades and don’t leave that sort of mess.

how high is the grass your cutting; and, what cutting height do you have the deck set at ...???

Dixie Chopper makes blades that you can put 2 blades per spindle on. 30227-60X and 30227-60H. Don't know if the lengths are the same or not but can probably look the lenghts up.

so, we mulch all summer, then once a year de-thatch the lawn, removing all the dead mulch we put down all summer?

bullet bob said:

Gravely 60" ZT HD, 2017. Every fall I install https://www.gravely.com/en-us/part/zero-turn-mulching-kit---60-in-decks-79105900 the mulching kit, mainly because without it, the leaves blow out the side chute w/o ever being cut up. So again this year I tackle the project. Sharpen & balance the blades, set the height to 4" (from 4.25") and have at it. And once again the cut just isn't 'even', not like the Oregon high-lift blades give me during the summer months. So my question is, is there such an animal as a high-lift mulching blade that would work with this kit?

Click to expand...

Put a cover over the shoot, that will chop them up

If you are cutting tall grass down to normal height....mulching may not be the way to go. If you are cutting by the 1/3 rule then mulching is a option. Then the question is.... will mulched grass decompose any faster than side discharged grass. As far as Fall leaf cleanup goes mulching is fine but, raise the deck for the first pass and expect to make multiple passes lowering the deck on the second pass. If you have a lot of leaves all at once, you are going to leave a mess on the first pass. What works one lawn may not work on another lawn depending on HOC, amount of leaves, dampness, wind, etc.etc...

I mow so that the clippings go to the inside of the cut, in the path of my next pass,and each pass mulches them more and more and by the time I get to the center,the clippings have disintegrated into mere dust.
I go at a slower than normal pace in heavy grass and it does fine.
I have a Grasshopper commercial mower;very fast blade speed.Sounds like a small single prop airplane when running.

Like bkeller500 I just made a chute blocker out of a steel sheet I bought at Lowes. I bent it to shape for my Toro 50" deck, bolt it on and go. It mulches the oak, sweet gum, hickory, and poplar. Admittedly, where I have oaks with the smaller leaves and it gets really thickest under the oaks it takes a few passes. But the other leaves are gone in one pass. I use the standard blade and it all gets chopped up. No big deal with the homemade chute blocker.

I use a gravely 52 zero turn, and before the leaves fall I get my grass down to around 2in from the summer length of 3in. When the leaves fall I use the same deck height of 2in go around in a north south direction blowing the leaves outward, then change direction and travel in a east west direction. Everything gets busted up pretty good, I put my blower on pickup everything, and the yard looks pretty good.

I use mulching blades on my Kubota 72” deck and made a wooden cover to block the flow of grass and leaves from freely flowing out. In this board I drilled about 4-5 large holes to allow air to flow thru. As for the quality of the grass cut, it does seem to be that bad at all. BTW, once I get to serious leaf mulching, the quality of the lawn cut is not an issue to me, it’s how the leaves are mulched.

bullet bob said:

I've got a funny feeling here that I'm looking for a unicorn. High-lift blade that mulches. I understand that in order to lift grass, you have to have some place for the air flow to go. Making 3 individual cutting chambers with no-where for the air to escape makes it rather tough to lift & straighten blades of grass before you cut it.

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Best mulcher I have used was my first, a Husqvarna SP that was purpose made for mulching. It had a donut deck, high and rounded. The single blade had a lip for lifting the grass at the tips and another inboard to blow the clippings down. Clippings up on the perimeter, down in the center, deck was rounded like a donut with engine in the donut hole to help the flow. Of course some of the clippings were picked up again and run through again, but it worked.

Then there was the EGo 21" SP. It had zero lift. It could run over dry leaves and they'd still be on the ground. It couldn't lift a runner on the sidewalk. But was amusing when bagging how the grass in the bag would be layed neatly in line, not jumbled randomly.

I just recently bought a set of the gold hybrid blades from Ballard www.ballard-inc.com. They do create more turbulence\discharge on a BB CZT 60" compared to the stock Oregon Fusion BB sells. Used on a rural property cutting 5 acres, they are different.... haven't decided for myself. Sometimes you just have to try things to see if it works for your application.

barny57 said:

Put a cover over the shoot, that will chop them up

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Originally did that...didn't work. Just shot everything out from under the deck. Anybody wanna buy one? Cheap!

Markdd52 said:

I just recently bought a set of the gold hybrid blades from Ballard www.ballard-inc.com. They do create more turbulence\discharge on a BB CZT 60" compared to the stock Oregon Fusion BB sells. Used on a rural property cutting 5 acres, they are different.... haven't decided for myself. Sometimes you just have to try things to see if it works for your application.

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Curious as what your thoughts are with these.

Mulching kits aren't really good in grass. I only use the mulching kit for leaves. I mow the grass as normal as late in the season as possible, right before the leaves start to fall at a good pace. If the mower is only picking up leaves it does a great job of chopping up the leaves. I mean the ground can be covered in leaves a couple inches thick and after making a pass there is nothing but lawn in my trail. The leaves are gone. This is on a John Deere Z655 54" deck using the kit and blades that JD sells.

I have experimented with "lift". What I found is that the bigger the "wing" opposite the cutting edge (reasonably speaking), the more lift there is. Having understood that, several years ago I began adding to standard blades. I weld on extensions to the "wing" using mild steel of the same thickness as the "wing". I add one inch and blend everything perfectly, then balance the blade.

CAUTION: Try it at your own risk. You're building a grenade if your not truly proficient at welding. Should one extension come free, it's probably coming through the shell like a bullet and your mower is going to shake itself so badly you won't likely be able to hold on to it. Make sure your deadman switch works.

spam reported

bertsmobile1 said:

spam reported

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you were 12 minutes ahead of me.....

I am in OZ so I browse at different times to most in the USA
Spammers usually attack in the small hours of the morning local time so the spam has the greatest chance of being read with your morning corn flakes before the IT departments get to work & clean it up .

bullet bob said:

Gravely 60" ZT HD, 2017. Every fall I install https://www.gravely.com/en-us/part/zero-turn-mulching-kit---60-in-decks-79105900 the mulching kit, mainly because without it, the leaves blow out the side chute w/o ever being cut up. So again this year I tackle the project. Sharpen & balance the blades, set the height to 4" (from 4.25") and have at it. And once again the cut just isn't 'even', not like the Oregon high-lift blades give me during the summer months. So my question is, is there such an animal as a high-lift mulching blade that would work with this kit?

Click to expand...

There sure is a kit that will solve you whole leaf problem, it's called a chain saw. Cut the trees down and you get rid of the leaf problem permanently. You also wont have to clean your gutters out either.