BX24 mulching kit installation for 54" deck...

Jabroni · Feb 2, 2010

(cross post)
I'm thinking about leaving the grass collector off this mowing season, and going with the mulching kit. Has anyone installed this kit on their existing 54" standard deck? How hard is it to change back to the rear collector? I was told there is some drilling involved to install it. At a price of around $400 without the blades, I'm mulling it over. It could also be used for mulching the leaves in the fall and leaving them where they drop, but at nearly $500 total, I could go a little more, and get one of those wheeled blowers.

dodge man · Feb 2, 2010

I put one on my 60" deck and have been pretty happy with it. It wasn't an easy install, it took maybe 4 hours total and I had to have some help. Mine is a side discharge, is your a rear discharge? I remember mine being several hundred dollars but not 400. I had to order two kits, one was the baffles and I think one of them included blades. It almost seemed like the original kit was designed for a 54" deck and the second kit make it fit the larger 60" deck. I am really happy with the results and will never bag grass or leaves.

Jabroni · Feb 2, 2010

My deck is a side discharge, but I have the PTO driven collector on the back. Assuming that I would have to change blades and baffles for each application, switching back and forth from bagging to mulching really isn't much of an option as the deck would probably have to be removed each time the swap was made. I have a mountain of clippings in a corner of my yard that have been there for several years but haven't decomposed enough to utilize them. Mulching would give me that corner back and stop the constant running back there to empty the (IMO) woefully undersized bags of clippings, and especially bags of fall leaves.

dodge man · Feb 2, 2010

Unless you have a really nice yard, I'd think you would be happy with the mulching kit. It does a good job of picking up leaves and chopping them up, but not as good as a leaf vac or bagger would. You also get the benifit of taking off the bagging chute and you don't have to put the deflector back on, although the instructions say not to take it off. This makes the deck several inches narrower. You also don't have to worry about throwing grass up against the house or other items, although thats not a problem if you bag your grass. The biggest plus for me is it doesn't windrow the grass, just kind of distrubutes it evenly behind the mower.

Jabroni · Feb 2, 2010

Do you find that you can mulch the leaves in the Fall as opposed to raking them up? That's the big headache here for me. I had a Cyclone Rake but sold it upon getting the BX24. I only used it in the autumn season, but it paid for itself. The 3 collection bags fill with leaves within 100' and are totally useless.

dodge man · Feb 3, 2010

I think if you have a good thick lawn, the leaves will stay on top and get mulched really well. The problem with my yard is the grass isn't that great in places, almost bare dirt, and the BX tends to not pick them all up. I have had mulching mowers on yards other places I lived and was always happy with the results. Where my grass grows well it does a good job.

keyman1808 · Feb 3, 2010

Jabroni, Do you not like the collector?? Just curious because I am looking to get one in the spring and if there are someserious cons to it I may reconsider.

YotaBota · Feb 3, 2010

Hey Keyman. The collector works great, but I find that the bags are a bit undersized-but if they were too much larger, it would be difficult to lift them off the frame to dump. Thats what I'm thinking. The real bummer is putting it on the tractor itself. The unit is so large and heavy on one side that it makes handling it by yourself to put it on nearly an impossiblity. I've posted a couple times looking for a dolly to help handle it, to no avail. BX Expanded would help, but he's a long way from Winterpeg Manitoba Canada! A hydraulic floor jack works well though to pump it up to get it into the hooks, drop it down, and then rotate into the pin holes while hooking up the pto shaft. It takes about 5 minutes once you'vr got your technique down. (works well on concrete or blacktop).

I am curious on the mulching though, as I have the same large mountain of grass clippings in the back corner of my yard. I'll have to research that one some more.

AMR · Feb 3, 2010

I had a bagger on my BX23 and loved it. I was worried about removing all those clippings from the yard though. When I got my B3030 I ordered it with a bagger, it was supposed to be here month after month, it never showed. I mowed with the regular side discharge deck and felt liberated. Oh my, how awesome it was not to have that bagger on the back, no dumping bags, more room in the garage, could put on implements, etc.

I have a really nice lawn, there are better but ours looks really really good, we have a chemlawn service and it is amazing. I mow about 100,000 SF. All I use is the side discharge and it does an awesome job. You need to stay on it. If it gets too tall I will make a windrow of grass and then chop that up, but it is awesome.

I am not sure that I would want a mulch kit. My compromise, not wanting to build up too thick a layer of thatch, was to take a core aerator instead of the bagger, twice a year, spring and fall and the yard looks golf course-esk.

keyman1808 · Feb 3, 2010

I use a husky mower now and going to switch to my BX24. I also have a mount of clippings but I burry them with the BH. I now hear some people dont like the bagger so now I dont know if I want to switch. I dethatch, core aerate and slice seed every year so I guess I could go without a bagger but am reluctant due to old habbits I guess. Just getting a feel from those that have them.