54" Deck - Leaf Kit / Anti Blow-out Kit

[Billi]

I don't bag leaves, just back over them which chews them up finely and blows the fines evenly over the lawn. In a short while they just disappear.
I use X320 with 330 hours on it and 48" deck/ OE blades to maintain 3.5 hilly acres.

[ATCtech]

I broke down and bought the lip kit to use while the mulch kit is installed to see if reduces the amount of material leaving the front and left sides of the deck. It does, slightly, but I cut with the deck up pretty high so the effect of the lowered lip edges is minimal. I also bought the leaf kit, substatially larger plates that fit up under the deck which in combination with the high lift blades I hope will make a huge difference to the amount of leave debris blown out from the left and corners of the deck while bagging in the fall. It cannot be installed while the mulch kit is in place.

Cheers!

Bob

[jpa2002]

So did the leaf kit help or not? I am also looking at it. I have the high lift blades and I get a lot of blow out form the front right of the deck.

Jon

[Fishermandan]

I had a cub before I picked up a cherry D140 with a 48 deck. Horrible blowout that I never had with the Cub. I hate that I have to spend $$ to fix a major design flaw.

[Dashe]

I have a x720 with a 54 deck and mulch kit and a billion trees in the yard. This will be my first year with this rig and I am hoping to mulch the leafs and then use my sweeper to rake what remains of the leafs. By November, my yard will have 6" of leafs covering the grass and if I don't clean them up, there will be another 6". I normally put them in a huge pile in the back by the woods, wait a year or two and then grind them up to use to repair bad spots in the lawn. I am sure that I will have blow out, but plan on sweeping afterward any way. If I can get more chopped up leafs in the sweeper, which means less trips to the pile, I will be happy.

[Artillian]

Hi all,

With the mulch kit being fragile plastic moldings, we don't use them during leaf season. I don't believe it will take too many sticks, pebbles, and acorns to eventually destroy them.

Last week, the summertime mulch kit and mulching blades came off and the standard blades and anti blowout kit went on, along with the MC519, for the fall.

The anti blowout kit seems to make the biggest difference when making a right hand turn. With the powerflow blower at the right end of the deck, the left end is most susceptible to losing some material. This is exacerbated when turning to the right for some reason.

At least this was my experience with our former 54" deck on our 2305. Maybe this 48" deck on the x324 doesn't have the problem so much but I wouldn't know because I got the anti blowout kit right along with the tractor when new. It used to drive me nuts having to run around sucking up all of the little streaks of leaves scattered all over so getting the kit was a no brainer.

[turnkey47]

i bought the baffle kit for my x500 54 inch deck with powerflo bagger.....what a difference...very little blowout now..well worth the price!!!