JD mulching kits, are they worth the bucks?

[Carl Bert]

Thinking about purchasing a mulching kit for my 62" deck. I was just wondering if it's worth the $225 that it costs. Also does it effect the quality of the cut at all?

Any input would be appreciated, thanks

[ctlguy]

In terms of cut quality they are pretty good. You do need to look at the pro's and con's of mulching which can very depending on your perspective. Mulching promotes growth so may find yourself mowing more often, Mulching does not work all that well when you have to cut more than 1/3 height of your grass as it can clump,you may find yourself mowing slower than before, In the future you may need to look at de-thatching or aeriation as the thatch level builds up. I have always preferred mulching over bagging because I hate handling the grass an extra time and then finding a place to put it.

[Hostaman]

I have always bagged! Here in the South we have fungus issues with fescue.

When I picked up the new mower (54" deck), couldn't get the bragger right away so I am mulching. Love it!!!

Grass is cut so fine that it's hard to fine on the driveway.

[John_in_TN]

I have the mulch kit on my X740, 62" deck and like it.
The first few years I had this rig, I used Gator blades and they did ok. I added the JD mulch kit nearly two years ago and have not removed it since.
I love not having to worry about where the cut grass is being blown (the kit blocks the deck chute) and the yard looks cleaner after mowing. The Gators would leave some visible cuttings, while the mulch kit doesn't UNLESS the grass is too tall.
I do have to go slower with the mulch kit. A little too fast and the deck won't cut the grass: just presses it down and the blade cutting edge passes over before the grass stands back up. My yard is nearly 3 acres and it takes me about 20 minutes longer to mow with the mulch kit but the yard looks nicer. You do have to use the special blades supplied in the mulch kit. Gator or standard blades would cut into the baffles of the mulch kit.

[Carl Bert]

Thanks guys, I do believe I will be adding the mulching kit. I just bought the lawn striping kit. Not very happy with it. I thought it was set up on a spring mount, where you can engage and disengage it when you want to use it. This thing takes the place of the rear deck wheels, and whats worse you can't raise it up as high as the deck wheels because it runs under part of the deck. I have a rocky ramp that I have to climb to get to my back property. As it is the deck wheels get in the way, if I don't raise them. This thing will be catching on to everything in its path. I guess its going back.

Thanks again for the mulching advice.

[jenkinsph]

I have the mulch kit and have used it for a couple of years and had decent results. This spring I bought the MC 519 cart and a set of standard blades. I had planned on bagging two or three times a year and mulching the rest of the time. Now I think I will bag the entire summer and add the clippings to my top dressing pile along with the pine needles I collect. After this breaks down properly I plan to apply it in the late fall in a thin layer 1/4 to 1/2" thick. I don't need any lime but do need the acid so the pine straw will be a plus for me. By next year in the fall I should have about 50 yards of top dressing available and each year thereafter. This way the clippings are not hauled away and are reused instead. I get steer and chicken manure from a neighbor and lots of green manure from the landscape projects too. I am payed $10/yd for the pine needles hauled off customer lawns, I in turn use this money for fertilizer. The hauling fees take care of the transporting costs.

That said I can see where most people would want to use mulching blades to reduce handling and still get a nice appearance. I would do that too but it seems to take alot longer to break down in the arid climate here.

[yelbike]

Once your set up for mulching, how hard would it be go back to bagging? How hard is it to remove the mulching plug? Do the blades have to be changed back as well?

[jenkinsph]

Once your set up for mulching, how hard would it be go back to bagging? How hard is it to remove the mulching plug? Do the blades have to be changed back as well?

The mulching plug bolts on the lower deck easily, blades need to be changed too. Maybe a 20 to 30 minute job at most.

[41Chev]

The mulching plug bolts on the lower deck easily, blades need to be changed too. Maybe a 20 to 30 minute job at most.

I had an 850A with mulch kit. Took me 5 minutes to remove the discharge chute plug and about 45 minutes to remove the under deck baffles. Greg

[Dashe]

Just purchased a x720 with a 54" deck with the mulch kit. Has worked great with no clumping and the lawn looks great. I have a sandy garden and the mulch help hold the moisture in and I don't have to fertilize as much. Kit is real easy to remove. Paid $196 and the dealer installed it for me but believe me the hardest part of the installation is changing the blades. Make sure you keep the orginal blades.