For you blade fanatics...

[hube2]

I liked the gator blades when I used them on my last mower, they did a better job, but then again I only mow about every 2 weeks.

These do not list my brand of tractor and without some assurances that they will actually fit I can't spend nearly $300 for a set of blades that might not even work. They cannot be returned so if I ordered and they did not fit then I will have spent money on scrap metal.

 

[FTG-05]

Saw these. What do you think? Anyone tried them? Kind of refined brush hog type blades for rotary mower decks.

Rotary Mulching Blades Built to Last

meg-mo.com

I'm not filling out some gad-awful form just to find out a price.

How much for a 3 spindle 60" Kubota ZD326? Don't need exact, just a general idea.

 

[hube2]

 

[pmsmechanic]

It would cost me about $400 CAD to buy a conversion set of blades from Meg-Mo. Factory John Deere blades cost me about $100 for 3. I get about 2-3 years out of a set of factory blades so that means about an 8-10 year break even. Seems a bit high.

I've tossed around the idea of building my own using regular discbine blades. Then I don't have to deal with exchange and shipping across the border. I can just go to pretty well any ag store and buy a set of blades for a lot cheaper than what he is offering.

 

[CH4Ohio]

It would cost me about $400 CAD to buy a conversion set of blades from Meg-Mo. Factory John Deere blades cost me about $100 for 3. I get about 2-3 years out of a set of factory blades so that means about an 8-10 year break even. Seems a bit high.

I've tossed around the idea of building my own using regular discbine blades. Then I don't have to deal with exchange and shipping across the border. I can just go to pretty well any ag store and buy a set of blades for a lot cheaper than what he is offering.

You can get the same blades from Agri-Supply for a fraction of what JD and Kubota and Cub Cadet dealers charge.

 

[hube2]

I would buy a set....but I have to pay for them before they can be "made" for my tractor and they do not except returns. Cost is not really an issue, but I don't want to spend $310 and end up with nothing to show for it. I'm guessing that this is likely. If they don't make gator blades for my deck that has been around for at least 8 years then I'm guessing there's some reason for that and that makes me think twice about ordering something for a brand they don't even list in the options.

 

[pmsmechanic]

You can get the same blades from Agri-Supply for a fraction of what JD and Kubota and Cub Cadet dealers charge.

I have two mowers. Both 6'. One JD and one Farm King. From the dealers the blades are about the same price for both mowers. JD mower blades are noticeably thicker than Farm King blades and last about twice as long. So I did the obvious and changed the Farm King mower to accept JD blades. Now I can chew up 2" branches and just keep going with the mowers. But you have me thinking. Maybe I should try a cheap set of blades on one mower and see the difference since they both see about equal time.

 

[Tinhack]

I would buy a set....but I have to pay for them before they can be "made" for my tractor and they do not except returns. Cost is not really an issue, but I don't want to spend $310 and end up with nothing to show for it

People do that now with a prominent vendor on this site. Sometimes waiting 6-8 months. I hope this doesn't become the norm.

 

[CH4Ohio]

I have two mowers. Both 6'. One JD and one Farm King. From the dealers the blades are about the same price for both mowers. JD mower blades are noticeably thicker than Farm King blades and last about twice as long. So I did the obvious and changed the Farm King mower to accept JD blades. Now I can chew up 2" branches and just keep going with the mowers. But you have me thinking. Maybe I should try a cheap set of blades on one mower and see the difference since they both see about equal time.

Good point. Maybe I shouldn't have said "you can get the SAME blades". Interesting that the JD blades are that much thicker.

I don't think that I really compared them thoroughly. I just know that the name-brand blades that I bought from Cub Cadet a couple months ago were literally 3 times the price of blades I could have bought at Agri-Supply or perhaps Rural King or some other outlet. Similar with Kubota of course. I put some Gator blades on my 6' Kubota deck some time ago and even they were cheaper than buying OEM blades from the dealer.

 

[pmsmechanic]

I've noticed the difference in quality in other areas too. Years ago when I was working for a farmer and we installed over the counter brand name bearings on a John Deere sugar beet digger. It was in a tough area with lots of dirt etc. We ended up changing that bearing half ways through the season because it was wore out. The JD bearing right beside it was ok. Yes the JD bearing was significantly more money but it was worth every penny more because it was a better quality bearing. It had better seals etc.

It bugs me that oem parts are generally more expensive and that I have to do the research as to which parts are worth buying oem and which parts are a rip off.