mulching blades on rotary cutter

[dirt clod]

Why doesn't someone make a gator type mulching blade for rotary cutters?
Sure would be nice to be able to mulch the small stuff while hogging. I'm almost tempted to weld some wings on my blades. But then again with my welding skills safety would be a concern. Also deck clearance might be issue.

 

[RoyJackson]

Why doesn't someone make a gator type mulching blade for rotary cutters?
Sure would be nice to be able to mulch the small stuff while hogging. I'm almost tempted to weld some wings on my blades. But then again with my welding skills safety would be a concern. Also deck clearance might be issue.

Because a cutter isn't for mulching grass...it's for pulverizing field brush. And, they do a great job at that.
I have read of guys who "sharpened" their cutter blades (remember, cutter blades are 2-3 times the thickness of a mower blade) to get a better cut. I have no idea how successfull this was.

 

[medicshawn]

You could get a flail mower and have the best of both worlds.

 

[dirt clod]

Because a cutter isn't for mulching grass...it's for pulverizing field brush. And, they do a great job at that.
I have read of guys who "sharpened" their cutter blades (remember, cutter blades are 2-3 times the thickness of a mower blade) to get a better cut. I have no idea how successfull this was.

Have no desire for sharp blades, I like to bust woody material so doesnt grow back. Not talking about mulching grass have a riding mower for that. I like to have groomed woods around parts of my property. Have went behind after bushogging with lawn mower and it gives a nice mulched look. Its hard on mower though. Would be nice to have mower to flip up material and recut smaller. I probable should have noted in post making a manicured lawn with a bush hog isnt the goal.THX

 

[dirt clod]

You could get a flail mower and have the best of both worlds.

I looked at getting a flail mower before I bought the HD 7' cutter. I liked the idea of smooth cut and safety. I talked to dealers in my area and mechanics. The dealers that sold them no longer carried them and only recommended them for cutting in populated areas. Mechanics said they required a lot more in parts replaced than a rotary and adds a lot to cost of use as well as time. I've seen a few that was built for grass cutting, but I have not seen any in my area that was built for brush cutting. I understood that cutting around wild vines they would roll up around the shaft. Also to get one that would cut 4" material would be costly. I'm still intrigued by them though. If I found a deal on one it would have a new home:thumbsup:

It would seem to me a mulching blade on a rotary would give a nice mulched look to areas cut at a much cheaper cost than a skid steer mulcher.

 

[galaxie428]

I looked at getting a flail mower before I bought the HD 7' cutter. I liked the idea of smooth cut and safety. I talked to dealers in my area and mechanics. The dealers that sold them no longer carried them and only recommended them for cutting in populated areas. Mechanics said they required a lot more in parts replaced than a rotary and adds a lot to cost of use as well as time. I've seen a few that was built for grass cutting, but I have not seen any in my area that was built for brush cutting. I understood that cutting around wild vines they would roll up around the shaft. Also to get one that would cut 4" material would be costly. I'm still intrigued by them though. If I found a deal on one it would have a new home:thumbsup:

It would seem to me a mulching blade on a rotary would give a nice mulched look to areas cut at a much cheaper cost than a skid steer mulcher.

I don't know how well it would work but you can get a mulching blade for most anything. All you need to know is the width of your blade and the dia of your shaft on your cutter. There are several internet sites where you can order based on those sizes and not specific to brand.

I will say that I bought some for my Caroni finish mower and I am not impressed with them at all. I think that the 540rpm is not enough to make them keep throwing the grass up and cutting it because my gator blades on my ZTR is night and day difference. I don't know the rpm it spins but I am pretty sure it is much faster than the Caroni.

 

[RoyJackson]

I don't know how well it would work but you can get a mulching blade for most anything. All you need to know is the width of your blade and the dia of your shaft on your cutter. There are several internet sites where you can order based on those sizes and not specific to brand.

I will say that I bought some for my Caroni finish mower and I am not impressed with them at all. I think that the 540rpm is not enough to make them keep throwing the grass up and cutting it because my gator blades on my ZTR is night and day difference. I don't know the rpm it spins but I am pretty sure it is much faster than the Caroni.

You may not use rotary cutters so you may not realize they do not use blades like a finishing mower. These blades attach to one end (rather then the middle of the blade) so they can pivot when the hit an obstruction. The blades aren't sharpened like finishing blades are...actually, they're pretty blunt for pulverizing rather the "cutting". Cutter blade tip RPM is very fast so they can chop finer material like field grasses.

 

[Transit]

You can taper the blades to 1/8 inch for a more finished cut if you dont need to smash things up.

 

[RickB]

The best way to "mulch" with a rotary cutter is to keep the blades reasonably sharp (Woods R/C blades are far sharper than Bush Hog R/C blades when new, for example) AND set the front of the cutter a little higher than the rear. Material will be cut higher, then lower, essentially recutting all material at least once more than if the machine is run level or a little low in front. Keep PTO speed high and ground speed low.

 

[dirt clod]

thinking about drilling holes in blades and building some wings to mount on top of blades.