Mowing Mulching mower

JClark · Feb 12, 2005

Hey BigPete,

I think I saw in one of your posts somewhere that you are using a mulching kit on the 60" MMM on your 4110. How do you like it? What parts are in the kit? Does it use a lot of extra power?

My GT275 has the Pirahna 44 mulching mower and it does a beautiful job, looks like the clipping were bagged. It does take some extra power and the going can be very slow in thick or tall grass.

Now that I have a RMM for my field I can devote the MMM on my 4110 to the lawn. If the mulching kit works well I would like to go that route.

bigpete · Feb 13, 2005

I had the Tricycler kit first on my 60" on my 445, then the 62C on my 2210, and now on the 60" deck on my 4110. I love the cut and what it does for the health of my soil and turf.

On the down side, keeping the deck and baffles clean definately takes more time. You learn the areas where clumps build up in corners and behind the baffles. I just reach under the deck and pull them out after each mowing. During the peak mowing season, I take the deck off every 6-10 mowings and power wash it. Never had a rust problem. I do a wire brush and slip plate coat each spring. It's worth the extra 2 hours.

For the 60" deck, the kit comes with three mulching blades, steel baffles that bolt on through exisiting holes in the deck, and a plug plate/screen to cover the discharge chute. The 62C kit uses plastic baffles which is a good design, too.

I try to cut frequently and as long as you don't try to mow more than 30% of the grass height and try to mow when grass is generally dry, it will never even slow the 4110 for a second. I have cut heavy wet grass with it and the tractor never runs out of power. The deck may plug up in really bad conditions if the grass is really wet, but it does that without a mulching kit, too.

I cut pretty fast and can't complain. A few times a year it seems like I have to double cut if the lawn gets away from me for too long. I have heard some people say they hate them, but those are tyically people who want to simply mow all season without having to look under their deck until fall.

Good luck.

JClark · Feb 13, 2005

Thanks, Pete. I will get to the dealer this week and order the mulching kit. I don't mind the extra maintenance as I remove the deck many times each season to sharpen blades and other tasks. I have noticed that nice, sharp blades make a much nicer cut, especially with my mulching mower. They even sound better, going swish instead of thwack.

bigpete · Feb 13, 2005

Just another suggestion: I have two sets of mulching blades. I rotate them throughout the season. I always have a sharp set on the bench. As you mentioned, it makes a huge difference. A few people talk about after-market blades, but I think the stock JD mulching blades work beautifully.

JDFANATIC · Feb 13, 2005

bigpete,

Would the tricycler work with gator blades? I've used them on my 425 and now the 2210 and like what they do. Just wondering. /forums/images/graemlins/cool.gif

bigpete · Feb 13, 2005

I suppose they would work, but I don't think they would really do any better than the stock blades. The clippings that the stock kit creates are so fine they fall into the grass and you never see anything on top of the turf. The Gators might be overkill and just turn the clippings into a paste that would clog the deck. That's just a guess, though. I've never had any blades but stock and never thought I needed to change.