How well does a tractor with mulching kit work? (x500 or similar)

[johndeereg]

John Deere makes a mulch kit for the 48" deck for x500 that closes off the discharge etc. Would love to hear how much grass it can handle from x500 owners or from owners with similar tractors that have a mulching kit too. If grass gets pretty thick, does it work well? We have lots of leaves in the fall from tall oak trees (I mean tons!) I could mow more often to keep up with them, but I'm wondering how well the mulching kit works for that? Do you have to drive super slow? I don't think I would want to take the mulch kit on and off, so thanks for any replies!

 

[V1Rotate]

I had an X-300 with the 42 inch deck and mulching kit. It worked pretty well, I just used the mulching kit for leaf removal in the fall. If the leaves get too thick on the ground before you mulch them, they will tend to pile up in front of the mower and you end up pushing a big pile of leaves in front of you. If you have "tons" of leaves, the mulched material that is left behind might be so thick that it might not break down into the soil over the winter months and you end up choking your lawn.

 

[mfreund]

I do not have a mulch kit, I would highly recommend Gator blades. You can get them on eBay or Deere dealers sell them and they work well.

 

[KennyG]

I'll second the recommendation to try the gator blades. My 62D left a lot of clipping trails and the gator blades eliminated that. They also mulch leaves well. A lot cheaper than the mulching kit.

 

[jgayman]

I just purchased a new X500 in Feb. with the 48" deck and installed the mulching kit as soon as it was delivered. Unfortunately it's still too early to do any real serious grass mowing. I am very anxious to see how it works myself although from the research I did prior to purchase everyone seemed to give a favorable report. My previous mower was a JD 175 Hydro with a 38" deck and the mulching kit and it worked very well.

Mulching always works best when you keep the grass mowed and only take off about 1/3 of the grass height.

 

[Gittyup]

Mine was great for leaves, but not a good cut in grass. I took mine off and quit using it. Not worth the trouble. Get a vacuum for the leaves and let the grass stay on the ground.

 

[johndeereg]

Anyone have the part number for the gator blades for a 48" or where to get them? Also, are these blades a high-lift type blade or more regular type? I had some high lift blades on our other mower and they really made a dust storm.

 

[Markcuda]

I have a X360, I have the mulch kit with Gator blades.
I would recommend them both.

 

[CAFR11901]

I bought the Deere tri-cycler for the 54 inch deck on my 445. I have been very happy and wished I had gotten it a long time ago.

 

[RetiredCarGuy]

Anyone have the part number for the gator blades for a 48" or where to get them? Also, are these blades a high-lift type blade or more regular type? I had some high lift blades on our other mower and they really made a dust storm.

I just put them in yesterday on my X575 with a 48C. Will be glad to share source, part number, etc. Let me know. The grass is just beginning to grow after a long winter.