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Mulching leaves
#1
tigercat
tigercat
I'm looking towards the fall cleanup in the next few months. Does anyone run a 52" scag mulching leaves without the baffle kit?
The reason I ask is I have the collection system which works fine, but I want to try 100% mulching this year. I have way too many leaves and the piles are a pain after a while. Perhaps it will be less labor intensive to just mulch.
I've heard without the mulching baffles the blades really push out the dust from all sides of the deck. I read that the dust kicking out is really bad, on the new V decks.
My plan is to use the mulch cover and will try it with gator blades. Here is my idea and I have no way of knowing this will work as I haven't tried it yet. I cut the wing away from the 18" blades. The mulching top wing portion I left it alone, just the outer most lift is where I cut 2" or so from each side of the blade. My logic is to reduce some of the air pressure so I don't choke myself out.
They are all balanced and sharpened ready to go. The cover is test fitted last weekend as well.
So does anyone mulch without the baffles? Does anyone think this is worth a shot?
Plan B is another set of Gator blades in proper form, without the mulch cover. Just go back and forth making a few extra passes if I must.
Thanks for your replies
The reason I ask is I have the collection system which works fine, but I want to try 100% mulching this year. I have way too many leaves and the piles are a pain after a while. Perhaps it will be less labor intensive to just mulch.
I've heard without the mulching baffles the blades really push out the dust from all sides of the deck. I read that the dust kicking out is really bad, on the new V decks.
My plan is to use the mulch cover and will try it with gator blades. Here is my idea and I have no way of knowing this will work as I haven't tried it yet. I cut the wing away from the 18" blades. The mulching top wing portion I left it alone, just the outer most lift is where I cut 2" or so from each side of the blade. My logic is to reduce some of the air pressure so I don't choke myself out.
They are all balanced and sharpened ready to go. The cover is test fitted last weekend as well.
So does anyone mulch without the baffles? Does anyone think this is worth a shot?
Plan B is another set of Gator blades in proper form, without the mulch cover. Just go back and forth making a few extra passes if I must.
Thanks for your replies
#2
S
shiftsuper175607
Why not just buy some regular blades instead of ruining your gators?
S
shiftsuper175607
I'm looking towards the fall cleanup in the next few months. Does anyone run a 52" scag mulching leaves without the baffle kit?
The reason I ask is I have the collection system which works fine, but I want to try 100% mulching this year. I have way too many leaves and the piles are a pain after a while. Perhaps it will be less labor intensive to just mulch.
I've heard without the mulching baffles the blades really push out the dust from all sides of the deck. I read that the dust kicking out is really bad, on the new V decks.
My plan is to use the mulch cover and will try it with gator blades. Here is my idea and I have no way of knowing this will work as I haven't tried it yet. I cut the wing away from the 18" blades. The mulching top wing portion I left it alone, just the outer most lift is where I cut 2" or so from each side of the blade. My logic is to reduce some of the air pressure so I don't choke myself out.
They are all balanced and sharpened ready to go. The cover is test fitted last weekend as well.
So does anyone mulch without the baffles? Does anyone think this is worth a shot?
Plan B is another set of Gator blades in proper form, without the mulch cover. Just go back and forth making a few extra passes if I must.
Thanks for your replies
Why not just buy some regular blades instead of ruining your gators?
#3
D
Darryl G
D
Darryl G
Mind you this is with 2 Exmarks and a Bob-Cat mower, not a Scag:
What I do is first mulch the leaves down to about dime sized with Gator blades and an open discharge, then pick them up with the vacuum bagger. I've tried full mulch kits, just a blocking plate without the baffles and just about everything else. With a blocking plate I find that wavy mulchers such as those that come with a mulch kit work best. The problem with blocking the discharge, besides the dust, is that leaves tend to "run away". You can't get them mulched if you can't get them under the deck.
Another option is to use a blocking plate but don't use a solid piece. You can use hardware "cloth" wire or expanded steel such as what is used on trailer gates. This allows the air to escape but retains the leaves until they're small enough to pass through. Yes, it will clog some. This is the method my uncle used on his heavily treed 4 acres. I've never tried it personally. Or I guess you could cut some slots in the blocking plate you have.
What I do is first mulch the leaves down to about dime sized with Gator blades and an open discharge, then pick them up with the vacuum bagger. I've tried full mulch kits, just a blocking plate without the baffles and just about everything else. With a blocking plate I find that wavy mulchers such as those that come with a mulch kit work best. The problem with blocking the discharge, besides the dust, is that leaves tend to "run away". You can't get them mulched if you can't get them under the deck.
Another option is to use a blocking plate but don't use a solid piece. You can use hardware "cloth" wire or expanded steel such as what is used on trailer gates. This allows the air to escape but retains the leaves until they're small enough to pass through. Yes, it will clog some. This is the method my uncle used on his heavily treed 4 acres. I've never tried it personally. Or I guess you could cut some slots in the blocking plate you have.
#4
John R
John R
I've had good luck using just the Gator blades on the V deck.
#5
tigercat
I run high lift blades for cutting grass year round (collection system in the fall).
I purchased 2 sets of Gators one to modify like in my original post and a second set of 3 if it doesn't work well. I thought the Gators might mulch better. If they don't then it was a waste of money experimenting and purchasing them.
tigercat
Why not just buy some regular blades instead of ruining your gators?
I run high lift blades for cutting grass year round (collection system in the fall).
I purchased 2 sets of Gators one to modify like in my original post and a second set of 3 if it doesn't work well. I thought the Gators might mulch better. If they don't then it was a waste of money experimenting and purchasing them.
#6
tigercat
John are you using the mulch end plate?
tigercat
I've had good luck using just the Gator blades on the V deck.
John are you using the mulch end plate?
#7
tigercat
I've seen some modified this way. One guy cut slots into the end plate to allow air flow but he said he wants to protect himself from throwing rocks and stuff, so this is why he runs the plate.
I decided to cut some of the wing off the blade, instead of modifying the end plate. (in order to reduce some of the air under the deck).
I'm looking forward to testing this out (but not to doing the leafs LOL)
tigercat
Yes this is always a little nuisance if the grass is short.Mind you this is with 2 Exmarks and a Bob-Cat mower, not a Scag:
The problem with blocking the discharge, besides the dust, is that leaves tend to "run away". You can't get them mulched if you can't get them under the deck.
Another option is to use a blocking plate but don't use a solid piece.
I've seen some modified this way. One guy cut slots into the end plate to allow air flow but he said he wants to protect himself from throwing rocks and stuff, so this is why he runs the plate.
I decided to cut some of the wing off the blade, instead of modifying the end plate. (in order to reduce some of the air under the deck).
I'm looking forward to testing this out (but not to doing the leafs LOL)
#8
jekjr
jekjr
Leaves are the only thing we ever use Gator Blades for on a Scag. We put a mulching plate on and a set of mulching blades on and go at it. If you will raise the mower up and lower the front deck baffle to the lowest position it will help the blowout on the front of the deck considerably. You can mulch them down to a brown dust if you desire to.
High lifts are what we use to cut grass and Gator Blades are what we use for leaves. I have never had any success using Gator Blades to cut grass. We have 4 Tiger Cats.
High lifts are what we use to cut grass and Gator Blades are what we use for leaves. I have never had any success using Gator Blades to cut grass. We have 4 Tiger Cats.
#9
tigercat
Thanks.
Many years ago I used a tarp to move the leaves. I dragged over 15 fully loaded 20' X 30' tarp fulls of leaves. Which is a lot. The trees are bigger now, others I cut down.
Then I used the Scag collection system which saved me a ton of work. This is by far the best tool I found as of now.
But as I get older I try to find easier ways. I think pure mulching mixed with blowing the leaves to less dense areas will be my strategy this year. Around here the first week of OCT the fun starts. I will put the Gators on then. It lasts until the yard is snowed on. They I finish up in the early spring. I shut down the Scag late November to service it and park it for the winter. I continue with smaller machines as the leaves are 95% down by the time is snows.
tigercat
Leaves are the only thing we ever use Gator Blades for on a Scag.
Thanks.
Many years ago I used a tarp to move the leaves. I dragged over 15 fully loaded 20' X 30' tarp fulls of leaves. Which is a lot. The trees are bigger now, others I cut down.
Then I used the Scag collection system which saved me a ton of work. This is by far the best tool I found as of now.
But as I get older I try to find easier ways. I think pure mulching mixed with blowing the leaves to less dense areas will be my strategy this year. Around here the first week of OCT the fun starts. I will put the Gators on then. It lasts until the yard is snowed on. They I finish up in the early spring. I shut down the Scag late November to service it and park it for the winter. I continue with smaller machines as the leaves are 95% down by the time is snows.
#10
John R
No, Just the Gator Blades, and the deck set up like it came from the factory.
John R
John are you using the mulch end plate?
No, Just the Gator Blades, and the deck set up like it came from the factory.
#11
tigercat
Thank you for the answer. If my mulch plate is not working out for me, I will just remove it with confidence and mow / mulch like you are.
tigercat
No, Just the blades and the deck set up like it came from the factory.
Thank you for the answer. If my mulch plate is not working out for me, I will just remove it with confidence and mow / mulch like you are.
#12
jekjr
I think I misled on the above. When I said raise the deck I meant to allow you to lower the baffle. You want to actually run it as low as you can to mulch the leaves. The lower you can run it the less blow out you appear to have and finer they mulch in my opinion.
jekjr
Leaves are the only thing we ever use Gator Blades for on a Scag. We put a mulching plate on and a set of mulching blades on and go at it. If you will raise the mower up and lower the front deck baffle to the lowest position it will help the blowout on the front of the deck considerably. You can mulch them down to a brown dust if you desire to.
High lifts are what we use to cut grass and Gator Blades are what we use for leaves. I have never had any success using Gator Blades to cut grass. We have 4 Tiger Cats.
I think I misled on the above. When I said raise the deck I meant to allow you to lower the baffle. You want to actually run it as low as you can to mulch the leaves. The lower you can run it the less blow out you appear to have and finer they mulch in my opinion.
#13
tigercat
Yes I understood what you wrote. My yard has hard clay soil so the tree roots tend to be at the surface. I always cut my yard with any machine above 3" to avoid striking a tree root in a few places in the yard. This practice also makes for a nice lawn which I never water but is green and healthy all year long. But the best part is no bent spindles!
Anyway I will mulch at the same heights. So I expect a few to run from the machine, but with the grass long they won't run far.:smile:
tigercat
I think I misled on the above. When I said raise the deck I meant to allow you to lower the baffle. You want to actually run it as low as you can to mulch the leaves. The lower you can run it the less blow out you appear to have and finer they mulch in my opinion.
Yes I understood what you wrote. My yard has hard clay soil so the tree roots tend to be at the surface. I always cut my yard with any machine above 3" to avoid striking a tree root in a few places in the yard. This practice also makes for a nice lawn which I never water but is green and healthy all year long. But the best part is no bent spindles!
Anyway I will mulch at the same heights. So I expect a few to run from the machine, but with the grass long they won't run far.:smile:
#14
tigercat
tigercat
Update:
I installed the mulch plate today with a set of gator blades. Prior to installing the blades, I cut off the wing of the blades (but not the serrated portion of the wing) to see if the air pressure under the deck would be acceptable. Then I put a little sharper edge on them and I balanced them.
The leaves are starting. But it was about 6" tall thick grass mixed with a little leaves on top.
I started the machine to test it out. 2 things I noticed right away. It was much quieter. Perhaps the air pressure under the deck? I don't know otherwise. The other observation was there was virtually no grass or leaves blowing on the deck. I stayed very clean. Not like before when I was covered in a layer of dirt.
I even glanced over to see if the blades were running once or twice. Wow this is nice. No dust, a decent mow with 1 pass only.
In closing this mod works and works well. If you have a cutting wheel and want to try this I promise you won't be sorry you invested a little time re-doing the blades.
Cheers.
I installed the mulch plate today with a set of gator blades. Prior to installing the blades, I cut off the wing of the blades (but not the serrated portion of the wing) to see if the air pressure under the deck would be acceptable. Then I put a little sharper edge on them and I balanced them.
The leaves are starting. But it was about 6" tall thick grass mixed with a little leaves on top.
I started the machine to test it out. 2 things I noticed right away. It was much quieter. Perhaps the air pressure under the deck? I don't know otherwise. The other observation was there was virtually no grass or leaves blowing on the deck. I stayed very clean. Not like before when I was covered in a layer of dirt.
I even glanced over to see if the blades were running once or twice. Wow this is nice. No dust, a decent mow with 1 pass only.
In closing this mod works and works well. If you have a cutting wheel and want to try this I promise you won't be sorry you invested a little time re-doing the blades.
Cheers.
#15
D
Darryl G
D
Darryl G
Good to hear!
I broke with tradition and just bagged the minor leaf accumulations on my lawns yesterday since they all have on-site disposal areas. I've got Gator G5/G6 blades on both machines now. That's all I use on my walk-behind these days and swap between Gators and high lifts on the Z. I don't get any blowout on the Bob-Cat running the Gators with the bagger like I do with my Lazer Z. Nice clean single pass pickup.
I broke with tradition and just bagged the minor leaf accumulations on my lawns yesterday since they all have on-site disposal areas. I've got Gator G5/G6 blades on both machines now. That's all I use on my walk-behind these days and swap between Gators and high lifts on the Z. I don't get any blowout on the Bob-Cat running the Gators with the bagger like I do with my Lazer Z. Nice clean single pass pickup.
#16
jekjr
We never run Gator blades for anything but cutting up leaves. We put the mulch plate on and lowering the inside front baffle helps on the blowout on the front of the deck. We run medium high lift blades to cut grass. Gator blades in my opinion are a waste of money to cut grass because if you cut tall grass, you need something that discharges better and they are made to shred and mulch in my opinion not discharge.
jekjr
Why not just buy some regular blades instead of ruining your gators?
We never run Gator blades for anything but cutting up leaves. We put the mulch plate on and lowering the inside front baffle helps on the blowout on the front of the deck. We run medium high lift blades to cut grass. Gator blades in my opinion are a waste of money to cut grass because if you cut tall grass, you need something that discharges better and they are made to shred and mulch in my opinion not discharge.
#17
tigercat
Yes. I did this only for leaves. I'd rather not pack the deck with grass clipping during the spring summer months. If I mulched this way all year, it would be me more work to scrape the deck underneath, something I want to avoid.
tigercat
We never run Gator blades for anything but cutting up leaves.
Yes. I did this only for leaves. I'd rather not pack the deck with grass clipping during the spring summer months. If I mulched this way all year, it would be me more work to scrape the deck underneath, something I want to avoid.
#18
tigercat
My town will come buy very late fall or early winter to suck the leaves up with a truck. I've been doing this for the last 15 years. In my yard the piles laying on the grass will kill sections of grass by the road. It comes back by June, then I kill it again a few months later.
It's messy as the wind always blows it around, it takes up 1/2 the travel lane in the road when it blows around, so I tend to maintain the pile by raking it back up by hand to keep it contained and neat looking.
My yard will have mulched leave piles 10 feet wide 3-4 feet tall and 50 feet long by the road when they remove the leaves. This is why this year I will try just mulch and let it lay where they fall this year. Maybe this will work easier for me. Hopefully, the yard will look nice in April. If it looks nice in the spring then this will be my new way of doing fall cleanup.
tigercat
Good to hear!
I broke with tradition and just bagged the minor leaf accumulations on my lawns yesterday since they all have on-site disposal areas.
My town will come buy very late fall or early winter to suck the leaves up with a truck. I've been doing this for the last 15 years. In my yard the piles laying on the grass will kill sections of grass by the road. It comes back by June, then I kill it again a few months later.
It's messy as the wind always blows it around, it takes up 1/2 the travel lane in the road when it blows around, so I tend to maintain the pile by raking it back up by hand to keep it contained and neat looking.
My yard will have mulched leave piles 10 feet wide 3-4 feet tall and 50 feet long by the road when they remove the leaves. This is why this year I will try just mulch and let it lay where they fall this year. Maybe this will work easier for me. Hopefully, the yard will look nice in April. If it looks nice in the spring then this will be my new way of doing fall cleanup.
#19
D
Darryl G
Edit:. Added photo. G5 on the left with regular Gator on right. G3 think? They can make the air foils much bigger with the extra half inch width. Disregard the length difference - 48 vs 52 inch decks.
D
Darryl G
Have you tried the Gator G5/G6 high lift mulching blades? They're wider and discharge pretty well and have good lift. The carbide inpregnated edge holds up well too. The G6 are thicker and hold up really well but are heavy and take a well powered machine to spin them well. I originally used them but stepped down to the lighter G5s.We never run Gator blades for anything but cutting up leaves. We put the mulch plate on and lowering the inside front baffle helps on the blowout on the front of the deck. We run medium high lift blades to cut grass. Gator blades in my opinion are a waste of money to cut grass because if you cut tall grass, you need something that discharges better and they are made to shred and mulch in my opinion not discharge.
Edit:. Added photo. G5 on the left with regular Gator on right. G3 think? They can make the air foils much bigger with the extra half inch width. Disregard the length difference - 48 vs 52 inch decks.
Attachments
#20
D
Darryl G
D
Darryl G
Here's a leaf mulching method you guys probably haven't tried. Basically you use your mower as both a mower and blower. I know, you're thinking you've done that. But probably not like this. I run 2 gator blades per spindle bolted in a plus configuration. Then I put my discharge chute down and start mowing straight rows. If I have a woods edge that I can dispose of leaves to I start on the opposite side. The high velocity of the discharge blows enough of the leaves away so that when you turn around and head back, the few leaves remaining mulch up cleanly. When you get to the far end you'll have some leaves to deal with. Either grind and blow them to the woods or grind them up and thrown on a catcher to pick them up.
Note that the blades are precision balanced and I'm doing this on commercial machines. Haven't done it lately since the vac unit on my Bob-Cat picks up leaves so beautifully.
Note that the blades are precision balanced and I'm doing this on commercial machines. Haven't done it lately since the vac unit on my Bob-Cat picks up leaves so beautifully.
#21
tigercat
tigercat
Last weekend we had a wind and rain storm. So I blew the leaves into a pile 12"- 18" max over the section of the yard the leaves were at. I mulched with the machine and video taped it . The dust is kept to a minimum and it works really well.
Just bump the tape along to speed it up. I didn't want to cut it as some people watch movies like this eating their breakfast.
https://youtu.be/15A9Q00noMY
Just bump the tape along to speed it up. I didn't want to cut it as some people watch movies like this eating their breakfast.
https://youtu.be/15A9Q00noMY