Grading Mower blade upgrade

[Hootie]

I have gotten awfully picky with the yard and its appearance. BX22 x/60" MMM does a good job. However last year I bought a Bota ZG 23 and immediately could tell a difference in finish cut quality. But as always, trying to improve. I read about Gator Blades and did some research. Ordered some for the ZG and mowed yesterday and am totally impressed. These blades are awesome. The cut is superb and the discharge is cut by at least 50%. The design of these blades makes them similar to mulching but still discharging. I am also going to order some for the BX MMM. They say that in the fall, the gators do an awesome job on the leaves and pine straw. I highly recommend these blades. Their website is http://www.oregonchain.com/OEP/oep_blades.htm
My experience was while they may not show your specific Kubota mower model blade available, you just need to measure your blade, center hole diameter and work in reverse. The blades I ended up with were for a Dixon mower. But fit the specifications for a Bota ZG 23. These blades are heavy and will also decrease times to be sharpened and will probably be hard to sharpen.

 

[Junkman]

I went to the website and they show a few different models of the Gator blades. Which ones did you order? When you locate the correct number for the Kubota BX 60" MMM please post the part number for our future reference. I have a new set of Kubota blade that I have yet to install, but if the Gators are better, they will remain on the shelf forever.. thanks Junk...

 

[tractorworks]

Looking at purchase of zg23. How long have you owned it and what are your thoughts. Will be used for light commercial work. I have a 6' finish mower for tractor but find myself using 48" craftsman and making better time due to trimming around trees. Looking at purchase price of 6400 before rebates. Any problems, would you buy one again?
Thanks,

 

[Hootie]

I am delighted with the ZG23. Yes I would buy another one. But, like always happens, we always want more power, not that it needs it, but those ZD's are really cool. The price you mention is a darn good one.

 

[Will_C]

Hootie, I also would appreciate if you could post the part number for the BX blades. Thanks,
Will

 

[tractorworks]

Got the ZG23 but there was some confusion on price. 6400 was zg20, got the 23 for 6925 minus 900 in Kubota rebates. Should have done it sooner.

 

[PERCOS2]

I could use that number for the Gator Mulcher HI Lift. oem blades won't lift the grass up from the BX tire tracks.

 

[NY_Yankees_Fan]

Has anyone tried the Meg-Mo system? if so, how does it work? any better then the standard blades? Let us know. /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif

web page

 

[Hootie]

Now that's interesting, I look forward to hearing from folks about these.

 

[lww05]

PERCOS2,

ARE you using the turf tires on your BX? In my situation, I am cutting at the 3.5 inch height and using the bar tires. I bought the turf tires separately and have used them some but noticed they seem to lay the grass over more so than the bar tires do. My soil is compact enough that unless it is pretty soggy, the bar tires don't tear up the surface.

 

[lww05]

I am curious if anybody is or has used the mulching kit in the 60" deck for the BX tractor and if so, how did it perform?

I used one in the 54" deck that I had last year and it was satisfactory but I always found myself going back over the left over small disharged strips. I now have a BX23 with the 60" deck and just puchased the mulching kit for it but do not have it installed yet. The baffle kit is slightly different for it and is made of heavier gage material than the kit for the 54" deck.

If the aforementioned gator blades would fit with this baffle kit installed, maybe that would be a good combination??????

 

[Hootie]

It is my opinion that the Gators would be a good fit for ANYONE, even someone using a push mower bought from wally world. The clippings discharged are decreased significantly. I have contacted Oregon about the proper blades, have yet to hear back from them. Sorry to be so repetitive, but I am really impressed with these, especially after having experimented with mulching kits, with and without mulching blades and so on. I have yet to try adding a baffle or mulching kit but imagine the result would be good.

 

[have_blue]

</font><font color="blue" class="small">( Now that's interesting, I look forward to hearing from folks about these. )</font>

It is interesting. I like the concept of small cheap blades.

One thing I wonder about it power. The better a blade mulches, the more power it uses. If a mower has marginal power, I would be afraid it would more likely to bog down than standard blades.

 

[KennyV]

Tom …
I am still of the same opinion after buying Meg MO. Stick with factory blades… This is my last reply to this question as to having tried Meg-Mo …
“Yes I have…
A few problems, the first set for my 72” ZTR were cut wrong and didn’t mow right . They did ship another set, but it did not cut evenly. Too much air moving around 12 blades with lift on each one was much too much air and it pushed the grass down instead of lifting it. Nice idea, just dose not work.
I replaced every other blade with a flat knife made for a disk mower, it helped A LOT… but still not as nice a cut as factory blades.
The 4 large circles cut in the round plate do mulch about anything that you mow, that part of the blade is ok, but the over all performance was not to my expectations.

The guy that makes the blades is a nice guy but his blades don’t work on a large deck, they may work fine on a single blade set up. This was 2 years ago they may have corrected the problem? I think you will wish you had just bought $200+ worth of factory blades and used that lifetime supply … keep mowin’… KennyV”

 

[KennyV]

Bob you are right about power. To mulch you are cutting the same grass more times and your engine will burn more fuel, generate more heat. It is fortunate that most mowers are over powered to compensate for many different types of mowing. However if you get into too heavy or tall grass and don’t reduce your rate of travel… you will run out of power quicker using a mulch type blade. KennyV.

 

[PERCOS2]

I am running turf tires.
Hootie I got a hold of the Gator guy and they do not make them yet.
Hi,

I am looking for Gator Mulcher Hi Lift blades for a Kubota Bx2230 with a 60" RCK60B mower deck. oem blade #K5371-99040. Are they available?

From: Jeff Martin
To: Technical Services and Sales ;
Sent: Monday, August 01, 2005 10:47 AM
Subject: RE: Gator Blades


We do not currently have that blade available.

Thanks for thinking of Oregon(r).

Thanks Jeff,
Is it possible to ream the center hole on a blade of the correct length? Will you be adding these blades in the near future? I have heard great things about your blades and I think they would help with my tire tracks flattening the grass and not lifting it up to be cut.
We have many BX 2230 60" tractors in this area and I think they would be a big seller for you.
Thanks,

It is not easy to ream these blades due to their very hard heat treatment. I also do not suggest that any blade be altered in any way.

I will keep your request in mind for the future.

Thanks

Now!! If we all contact them maybe they will see the demand for them is out there. Lets make it happen.

As for the post about the mulch kit. I got mine with the deal I wish I would have tried to block the chute first and got the brush bar instead. I hear that that works just as good with Gators and 60" decks.

 

[NY_Yankees_Fan]

PERCOS2

How about posting the e-mail address you used to contact them? /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif Then we all can send the same e-mail and see what happens. The more mail they get requesting blades for the 54" and 60" decks they will perhaps make them sooner. /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif

 

[Berniep]

Here is my experience with gator blades for a 50 inch dixon deck.
I will save you the details but after a mixup at my dealer and a wait of about a month I ended up with blades the right lenght but with too small of a hole. Rather than take the blades back to the dealer /forums/images/graemlins/blush.gif I ruined three drill bits and did not do the drill press any good getting about halfway through ONE of the three blades. I ended up taking them to a tool and die shop (one of my in-laws worked there and did it for nothing so I don't have a price but he said it was pretty easy). Anyway after using them for a while on my lawns I found that I liked the way the stock blades distributed the grass clippings better on the lawn, the gator blades produce somewhat smaller clipings but they tend to end up in strips on my lawn I did find that the engine turns about 30 to 40 rpm faster with them on and that they cut very tall grass(like waist high) better without bogging down as much. Untill I got the BX 23 they were my bush hog blades.

 

[PERCOS2]

They will love this. Email address for Gator Blades for our tractors. BX2230's 60"mmm
Martin, Jeff
E-mail Address(es):
Jeff.Martin@oregonoep.com


Jeff Martin
Product Line Coordinator - Blades
Oregon OEP
Phone - 816-920-8312
Fax - 816-920-7506