Mowing Type of Blades on a Zero Turn?

Hexa Fox · May 1, 2014

Hey guys I have a Craftsman 54" Zero Turn Mower. I am getting ready to invest in some new blades for my tractor. I was thinking about buying the mulching kit for my model that consists of three mulching blades and a attachment that blocks the discharge. I am responsible for mowing a few yards this year and may even inherit more.

So far this little mower (made by MTD) is treating me pretty well. It has a 24HP Kohler Engine in it. Anyway what do you guys think of mulching blades, gator blades, and high lift blades. So far from what I am reading one of those three are going to be the right choice for me. I was hoping maybe this community could help me make that decision.

In some areas of my customers yard my mower bogs down a little bit due to high grass. I am going to guess I have high lift blades on it now. This not only bogs my mower down some but also sends a nice large pile of grass clippings out of my discharge that needs to be raked. Now so far I have seen that in these high areas a mulching kit may slow me down a little more. However I think it would be worth it if I had to slow down a little but did not have to deal with the grass clippings.

Basically I want something that will do a good job cutting the lawn like I have now but will also mulch up the clippings better.I would also like something that is going to work year round. Plus there are many obstacles in these customers yards where I can not throw grass clippings. Again this is another reason I am targeting the mulching kit. So what do you guys think of this?? Have any of you guys added mulching kits and had good luck with them?

RG1 · May 1, 2014

I mow for a living. Gator blades are meant for mulching while side discharging or bagging only. They are NOT for use with a full mulch kit. The oregon rep has said so many times on lawnsite.

I doubt your little Craftsman has true high lift blades on it, but I could be wrong. probably closer to medium lift, or are even the multi purpose blades so common on lower end machines these days.

If you are having bogging down issues now, you will have them much more with a mulch kit unless you slow way down. Just keep that in mind. I am not too sure that Oregon is making the G5 blades for your machine, but if they are, they would be what I would recommend trying first. They reduce clippings much more than regular blades do, but do not require a mulch kit, and thus you can go along at a faster clip than you can with a mulch kit.

Hexa Fox · May 1, 2014

RG1 said:
I mow for a living. Gator blades are meant for mulching while side discharging or bagging only. They are NOT for use with a full mulch kit. The oregon rep has said so many times on lawnsite.

I doubt your little Craftsman has true high lift blades on it, but I could be wrong. probably closer to medium lift, or are even the multi purpose blades so common on lower end machines these days.

If you are having bogging down issues now, you will have them much more with a mulch kit unless you slow way down. Just keep that in mind. I am not too sure that Oregon is making the G5 blades for your machine, but if they are, they would be what I would recommend trying first. They reduce clippings much more than regular blades do, but do not require a mulch kit, and thus you can go along at a faster clip than you can with a mulch kit.

Thanks for the reply. For the record I knew I was getting what I paid for. So far this mower is a beast especially for what I paid for it. Which was under $3,000. Anyway back to the subject. I checked out the G5's you recommended trying and it does not look like they are available for my tractor. However Oregon does make Gator Blades for my tractor. It is a 54" with three blades each measuring 18.5. So the ones at the following link would fit my tractor.
54" Gator Blades Husqvarna Craftsman Sears AYP 187254 | eBay

Would these be a acceptable choice?

Also about the bogging down I am only having it where the grass is very thick. Which is about roughly 10-15% of what I cut. However for me they are in the most inconvenient areas. As they are usually areas like right in front of the customers house or so. So I either need to rake them up or find a blade that will chop them up better. I figured that a mulching kit would make this worse but I figured if I slowed down or even made a second pass it would be worth it if I did not have to rake.

However if you are telling me that gator blades might give the same cut and also chop the grass clippings up better this would make me very happy. As I probably would not have to rake, or I could make a second pass, or of course if the raking was minimal.

Hexa Fox · May 1, 2014

RG1 said:
I doubt your little Craftsman has true high lift blades on it, but I could be wrong. probably closer to medium lift, or are even the multi purpose blades so common on lower end machines these days.

It is a 24HP Kohler engine so it is pretty powerful. Obviously not a high end commercial mower but definitely beats most of the other residential junk out there. It has a heavy deck and good engine which is why I bought it. The only things I don't like is I would like to have bigger tires, more weight, and more play in the suspension when ground is uneven.

You could be right it could be Medium Lift because it does shoot the clippings pretty far but not that far. I also am just learning the difference, so you know.

RG1 · May 1, 2014

Yes, Gator blades can make a big difference in how much debris is left on top of the lawn, but you may still need a double cut sometimes. Still, a double cut is faster than going extra slow to make sure to chop the clippings and not bog down. I have used full mulch kits with quite good success, but they are far from the best choice in thick lush spring growth. I have a JD MOD deck, and that works pretty well, but not as well as a ful mulch kit for true mulching. However, you will get clumping with a true mulch kit if the grass is damp or wet and it is thick and long. That's why I recommended the G5's. The blades in your link appear to be regular old gator blades. I don't believe you would be very pleased with them. I only recommend either the G3 (which were formerly known as the 3-1 high lifts, the G5 or the G6 blades where gators are concerned.

I will say this though- I have used JD's OEM wavy mulcher blades under several decks with no kit installed, and they chopped the clippings up quite well, and discharged more than good enough to boot. That may be something you could also try if you can find a set for your particular deck.

If you give me a part number off one of your OEM blades you currently have, I can do some digging with oregon and see what I can find that may work.

One thing you need to be aware of if you don't already know this, but Kohler has been way over rating their engine HP for years. They are finally doing better after the class action lawsuit a couple years back, but even with their new, tighter ratings, they are still inflated over the true HP. The point is, your 24 HP engine is more like 20-21 unless the machine is new this year. Give me a model number (for example CV740 or something similar in the Courage line) and I can look up the true specs for you.

4310 · May 1, 2014

While we're on the subject....is there a site somewhere that I can read that will tell me everything I ever wanted to know about mower blades and such?

RG1 · May 1, 2014

4310 said:
While we're on the subject....is there a site somewhere that I can read that will tell me everything I ever wanted to know about mower blades and such?

There's tons of stuff if you google it, but you can go to lawnsite and do searches and read for hours.

Hexa Fox · May 1, 2014

RG1 said:
Yes, Gator blades can make a big difference in how much debris is left on top of the lawn, but you may still need a double cut sometimes. Still, a double cut is faster than going extra slow to make sure to chop the clippings and not bog down. I have used full mulch kits with quite good success, but they are far from the best choice in thick lush spring growth. I have a JD MOD deck, and that works pretty well, but not as well as a ful mulch kit for true mulching. However, you will get clumping with a true mulch kit if the grass is damp or wet and it is thick and long. That's why I recommended the G5's. The blades in your link appear to be regular old gator blades. I don't believe you would be very pleased with them. I only recommend either the G3 (which were formerly known as the 3-1 high lifts, the G5 or the G6 blades where gators are concerned.

I will say this though- I have used JD's OEM wavy mulcher blades under several decks with no kit installed, and they chopped the clippings up quite well, and discharged more than good enough to boot. That may be something you could also try if you can find a set for your particular deck.

If you give me a part number off one of your OEM blades you currently have, I can do some digging with oregon and see what I can find that may work.

I appreciate you going out of your way to aid me. In my owners manual my Mower Model # is: 24725061 and I looked through the parts and it says Blade, 18.5 Part #942-0677B. I copied and pasted that on Ebay and some blades popped up so I am thinking it might be the one you need to help me. Again I am most grateful for your time.

I also heard that if you are bogging down you can use Mo Deck (spray) on your deck and it will help keep the clippings from sticking to your deck, which means less clumping. I am going to give it a try. At $10.00 a can it better work good.

Hexa Fox · May 1, 2014

4310 said:
While we're on the subject....is there a site somewhere that I can read that will tell me everything I ever wanted to know about mower blades and such?

I hope your not being sarcastic. As I searched on Google and couldn't find much besides people talking in places like this. So I decided to make my own and hope someone could help me with my specific issue... like RG1 has done. He is definitely more help than I thought I would ever get. So much thanks to him.