What makes it a mulching mower?

[l008com]

What makes a mulching mower, a mulching mower?
Is it just the style of blade? The blades with the fans on top to do extra shredding as the blade spins?
If I had a mower that had a plane blade, can I make it a mulching mower simply by putting a mulching blade on it?

I got a free mower I'm going to fix up and then sell. But WHILE I'm selling it, I plan on using it on my yard. BUT I don't bag my clippings and I don't want to. I also don't have a chute for this mower, just the bag. If I could throw a mulching blade on this thing and use it as a mulcher, that would be ideal. If not, I might not be able to give it a proper workout/test use before selling.

 

[mechanic mark]

DEFINITION OF MULCHING MOWER - Google Search

 

[StarTech]

The use of mulching mower would require more frequent mowing as the grass needs to be kept short.

 

[mechanic mark]

The use of mulching mower would require more frequent mowing as the grass needs to be kept short.

The use of mulching mower would require more frequent mowing as the grass needs to be kept short.

I disagree, I cut my fescue grass at 3.5 or higher & can be cut with a mulching mower once a week.

 

[hlw49]

I don't like the gator style mulching blades they don't do a good job mowing. They do a really good job mulching leave though. Put a set on mine last fall and mulched up my leave and forgot to take them off this spring. Was wondering why my mowed grass didn't look good. Decided I should clean under the deck and found the mulching blades on it I had forgotten to change. Cleaned grass from under the deck and installed a set of high lift blades and mowed the yard. What a difference it made. The problem with mulchers is. To do a good job you would have to mowe 2 or three times a week and keep the deck clean. If you mow once a week and the grass is high the clippings have no place to go and lay on top of the uncut grass. It will also clog up under the deck. Have customers buy a new mower and have a mulching kit put on it. It comes back in for a service or to sharpen the blades and the under side of the deck is all clogged up. You can have mulchers. Just my two cents worth.

 

[l008com]

I'm wondering if maybe I didn't word my question clearly because you guys seem to be talking about totally different things.

 

[Skippydiesel]

In my limited experience; Most if not all mowers can be turned into mulching mowers by changing the blades to mulching (if available for your mower) AND closing off the grass exit shoot. Some mowers come with this as an optional extra.

My view - Its a marketing con, waste of $$. Mulching requires more hp or slower operation, so more fuel consumed. I have never collected my lawn clippings - thats what worms, insects, fungi is for. Collecting your clippings is like a farmer harvesting a crop - farmers have to replenish their soil fertility after every harvest removes nutrients.

 

[Tiger Small Engine]

In my limited experience; Most if not all mowers can be turned into mulching mowers by changing the blades to mulching (if available for your mower) AND closing off the grass exit shoot. Some mowers come with this as an optional extra.

My view - Its a marketing con, waste of $$. Mulching requires more hp or slower operation, so more fuel consumed. I have never collected my lawn clippings - thats what worms, insects, fungi is for. Collecting your clippings is like a farmer harvesting a crop - farmers have to replenish their soil fertility after every harvest removes nutrients.

Mulching grass versus throwing grass as far as it will go out of the exit chute, is a no brainer. Mulching is for the birds.

 

[bkeller500]

I find it difficult to fully understand how mulching works. How can a grass blade be cut and recut while it is spinning in the same direction as the mower blade tip is pushing it? How can a mower deck that is designed to lift the cut grass and keep it in suspension also distribute the final mulched clippings with no exit chute? Sure you may be able to pulverize the clippings but the windrowing and clumping and deck clogging all together defeat the idea of the desired mulching benefits. If you are cutting 6" grass to 4" are the mulched clippings any smaller than the side discharge clippings Do those mulched clippings actually decompose any faster? Any better? All of the clippings either way are returned to the turf and to the thatch and eventually to the soil. In a perfect world, maybe mulching is a good option but I have never been able see any real proof that mulching is significantly better than side discharging.

 

[Tiger Small Engine]

I find it difficult to fully understand how mulching works. How can a grass blade be cut and recut while it is spinning in the same direction as the mower blade tip is pushing it? How can a mower deck that is designed to lift the cut grass and keep it in suspension also distribute the final mulched clippings with no exit chute? Sure you may be able to pulverize the clippings but the windrowing and clumping and deck clogging all together defeat the idea of the desired mulching benefits. If you are cutting 6" grass to 4" are the mulched clippings any smaller than the side discharge clippings Do those mulched clippings actually decompose any faster? Any better? All of the clippings either way are returned to the turf and to the thatch and eventually to the soil. In a perfect world, maybe mulching is a good option but I have never been able see any real proof that mulching is significantly better than side discharging.

Mulching is for people that like the idea or theory of mulching. In practical real results it fails. Sure if you were cutting perfectly dry grass about 1” off the top, it works ok, but how often does this happen? Mulching doesn’t even work that well for a 21” mower in thicker and taller grass. Remember, the grass has nowhere to go. I try to educate and help my customers in issues such as this, and they actually listen many times.