New Oregon Gator Blades

[BravoXray]

Well, today I finally got to put the Gator blades to the test. They run nice and smooth, so they must be balanced pretty well, and cut really nice. A couple of things I noticed was that they kick a lot of cuttings out of the left front corner of the deck which then pile up on the deck itself and even up onto the floor of the tractor, and they cut 99% of the buckhorn. the old blades left about half of the buckhorn standing, even when the blades were freshly sharpened and running the same speed. Now the yard was pretty dry today, so if that makes a difference or not, I don't know. It was so bad that clippings got into the radiator screen and plugged it up making the engine overheat. I've never seen the temp gauge above a quarter of the way up on the dial, but it got up into the red before I noticed it. I let it cool off and pulled the battery cover and radiator screen and blew them out, then put my long reach nozzle on the air hose and blew the radiator out from both directions. It had pushed some coolant out so I refilled that and everything was back to normal.
But yes, the blades to a great job of cutting grass and do seem to cut it up finer than the stock blades do..

 

[Lilguy]

Do they cut better, hold an edge longer or just better for mulching?

 

[big bubba]

sounds like the gators are working well for those using, glad a good match is made.

in my own personal use (54" zero turn) i have not been impressed w/Or gator blades & have resorted going back to cheaper blade that i sharpen/replace often. they do just as well as gators. i can get 3 sets for the price of a gator. ramps & impact wrench make it easy.

it's only my opinion, not advising anyone to change over from the gator craze described here, respectfully

High Lift Lawn Mower Blade For 54

mowersoutlet.com

 

[Smokeydog]

Think the OP will like the gator blade performance.

We use a 6’ woods 3pt finish mower for lawns, orchard and berry patches. Limbs, roots and rocks are common. Switched to G5 gator blades years ago. Using 20-26hp tractor on tough hilly land could notice having a little more power mowing. We like the bigger mower on a small tractor for trimming reach. Thinner blade 0.2 vs 0.25”? Less lift? They give a well chopped mulched clippings out the rear discharge that doesn’t require raking. Good at mulching leaves. Little bit cheaper than OEM blades and cutting edge last a little longer. Two bolt blade attachment has limited manufacturer options.

Properly adjusting any mowing deck important for the best cut.

 

[GeneV]

sounds like the gators are working well for those using, glad a good match is made.

in my own personal use (54" zero turn) i have not been impressed w/Or gator blades & have resorted going back to cheaper blade that i sharpen/replace often. they do just as well as gators. i can get 3 sets for the price of a gator. ramps & impact wrench make it easy.

it's only my opinion, not advising anyone to change over from the gator craze described here, respectfully

High Lift Lawn Mower Blade For 54

mowersoutlet.com

Hi lift blades generally give a great cut, but the application is different. Hi lifts won't mulch leaves/grass clipping, gators will. I like gators especially if I'm slacking on mowing, coz they'll chop up those clippings.

 

[big bubba]

Hi lift blades generally give a great cut, but the application is different. Hi lifts won't mulch leaves/grass clipping, gators will. I like gators especially if I'm slacking on mowing, coz they'll chop up those clippings.

good point, actually didn't realize that difference. each tool has an application. thx

 

[GeneV]

good point, actually didn't realize that difference. each tool has an application. thx

Man, there's so much variation out there, there's a whole science to what blade works best with which type of deck, notched hi-lifts vs non-notched...there's a rabbit hole to go down into with this stuff (ask me how I know). Wright Mowers has a few great vids going into some of that.

But most commercial landscapers use hi lifts for a reason though...gives a great cut, better than any other blade. If you're consistently mowing (and know your yard doesn't have a bunch of junk in it), hi lifts for sure.