Which Gator Blades?

[Rock Crawler]

I also noted that these blades are much thicker (& heavier) than the Deere blades. I suspect that they may result in more wear to the clutch when engaging the blades. Time will tell, I guess.

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Just make sure that you idle down the engine before you put power to the PTO clutch. Think of it like your truck clutch, you wouldn't floor the throttle and then side step the clutch lever, and if you did you would not have a long clutch life. So be just a bump over idle, hit the clutch and allow it to grab, then bring your engine speed up to mowing speeds. I'm always shocked to watch others bring the revs to full and then mash the PTO clutch to grab the blades.

 

[RandyT]

Just make sure that you idle down the engine before you put power to the PTO clutch. Think of it like your truck clutch, you wouldn't floor the throttle and then side step the clutch lever, and if you did you would not have a long clutch life. So be just a bump over idle, hit the clutch and allow it to grab, then bring your engine speed up to mowing speeds. I'm always shocked to watch others bring the revs to full and then mash the PTO clutch to grab the blades.

Some manufacturer say to do it that way in the owners manual.

 

[4570Man]

Hitting the blades at idle stalls my mower. I try to do it and 1/4-1/2 throttle.

 

[TractorGuy]

The gator blades I bought for one of my mowers said NOT to use them with a mulch kit. I do it anyways and haven't had a problem.

 

[Rock Crawler]

The gator blades I bought for one of my mowers said NOT to use them with a mulch kit. I do it anyways and haven't had a problem.

I was going to say it.... but since you did, I will call you up. I emailed back and forth with them about blades for my XT3 GSX that does not have any upwards suction. I explained that I side discharge and they responded that side discharge is what I need to do with their blades.

Straight from the horses mouth...

 

[Stevedore]

Thanks for the comments regarding engaging the blades at a lower engine speed; hadn't thought about that, but it makes sense that it would be easier on the clutch. I found today that engaging at idle will stall the engine, but a small increase in throttle works fine.

I got these blades installed today & mowed a small section of grass as a test. So far, they're a big improvement over either the original JD blades or the blades that came with the JD Mulch Control Kit. No clumps or rows of clippings whatsoever.

The section I mowed today was with the mulch door closed. I'll try it both ways tomorrow when I mow the rest of the lawn & see what happens.

 

[Stevedore]

I got around to mowing the front with the new blades today, & did a bit of experimenting. The grass was a little taller than I should let it get between mowing, so IMO, it was a good test opportunity.

I started with the mulch control door closed, & found that with the new Gator blades I had much less evidence of grass clumps & rows of clippings as I drove around. Huge improvement as compared to either the original JD blades or those that came with the mulch control kit.

After a few times around, I opened the mulch kit door & let the clippings blow out, as suggested above. This mode appeared to result in far less evidence of clumping or rows of clippings. However, as my path around the yard got smaller & smaller, the clippings began to pile up in the middle significantly, and at the end I had to drive back & forth over the last area to shred & spread the piled up clippings.

I suspect that if I were to go counterclockwise around my yard, with the mulch door open & blowing the clippings out onto the already-mowed area, I might end up with a cleaner result. I will by all means try this when I mow again.

Sorry to continue to be long-winded about my choice of mower blades, but being old & retired, such things have become a much larger part of my life than in the past. :laughing:

 

[Rock Crawler]

I got around to mowing the front with the new blades today, & did a bit of experimenting. The grass was a little taller than I should let it get between mowing, so IMO, it was a good test opportunity.

I started with the mulch control door closed, & found that with the new Gator blades I had much less evidence of grass clumps & rows of clippings as I drove around. Huge improvement as compared to either the original JD blades or those that came with the mulch control kit.

After a few times around, I opened the mulch kit door & let the clippings blow out, as suggested above. This mode appeared to result in far less evidence of clumping or rows of clippings. However, as my path around the yard got smaller & smaller, the clippings began to pile up in the middle significantly, and at the end I had to drive back & forth over the last area to shred & spread the piled up clippings.

I suspect that if I were to go counterclockwise around my yard, with the mulch door open & blowing the clippings out onto the already-mowed area, I might end up with a cleaner result. I will by all means try this when I mow again.

Sorry to continue to be long-winded about my choice of mower blades, but being old & retired, such things have become a much larger part of my life than in the past. :laughing:

I always do my first 3 runs blowing in to center, or away from my sidewalk and landscaped areas. After 3 rounds I am further than the discharge throws, so I flip directions and mow the entire rest always blowing clippings outward. Otherwise, as you said above, you build and build the clippings until you have a thick discharge covering the center.