Gator Blades

[RSKY]

This may have been discussed several times before but........

Are Gator blades that much better mulching leaves

Asking those that actually have them.

Thanks

RSKY

 

[JerryK]

The gator blades, made by Oregon, mulch pretty good. I don't know if they are ' that much better ' than the odd shaped mulching blades... but sure are easier to sharpen. If you land is sandy, the slotted upturned flap area seems to wear a little faster. I've gone to two sided sand blades that don't have any uplift flap. They work good 'nuf for my poor yard...

 

[Helitech]

I used to own a lawnmower shop. Sold a lot of Gator blades! Only 2 customers didn't like them. So yes, they do work. I use them. Get the Magnums if you can.

 

[smstonypoint]

I use Gator blades on my ZTR for mulching and agree that they do a good job when used with a discharge chute blocker. I had a set of Snapper "Ninja" blades and a baffle kit on my previous mower -- a rear-engine Snapper. That combo did a better job in mulching, but that may have been due to the baffle kit.

Steve

 

[JRobyn]

I really like mine. When they hit a rock or stick, they seem to have a much more distinct and higher-pitched "ting" than regular blades which makes me believe that they are higher carbon steel and harder.

- Jay

 

[Stimw]

They are the only blades I will run on my zero turn Grasshopper 52" !!!
They don't bog down if the grass is thick or wet.

 

[Industrial Toys]

I use them on a rear discharge Steiner mower. Can't tell if they mulch better or not. It would be nice to have two identical machines cutting the same grass, one with gators and one without. Sometimes you think you see the results you expect to see whether it's true or not.

 

[Cpjlube]

The biggest difference IMO is in the spring. Seems like the grass is growing an inch per day and I'm sprinting out between rain showers to mow. They chop up thick grass much better than regular blades. Before I used them on my Grasshopper 721d it looked like I should rake and bale the yard after cutting. Now I get less dead grass clumping and laying on the yard.

The leaves do get chopped up more than usual but if you are in a heavily leafed area the blades seem to get overwhelmed just like regular blades. Maybe, because the leaves aren't attached to the ground, they just bounce around more and can't be ground up.