First time Snapper Owner

Hello. And :MTF_wel2:. Looks like DC 3MECH has filled you in on your manual information request. There has been some lively discussions here on the Snapper forum concerning the Ninja vs the Gator vs other after market brands of mulching blades. Just plug in Ninja, or Gator into the search feature in the Snapper forum and see what comes up. I personally have a Ninja for my 33" SR150. It is used in the fall for fallen leaf cleanup. Dry leaves do not stand a chance with the Ninja. They will be pulverized to dry leaf dust. I am sure the Gator would have the same effect. You will have the best mulching results when the mulching cover is used. If you do not use the cover the blade acts just like a regular standard blade. Cut the grass then expel the grass out the discharge chute. What worn out blade are you currently running? If it is a standard you may be able to resharpen it. The Ninja can be resharpen also. The other brands I am not familiar with. The pics depict what style of blades are available.

KEEP US POSTED

AND AGAIN

:MTF_wel2: :MTF_wel: :Welcome1:

Thanks for the replies!

The person I bought it from said it had a mulching blade. Does Snapper make a mulching blade that is not the Ninja? The blade is shot, I did sharpen it a bit but the blade has some small cracks, etc. The blade kind of looks like the orange blade you have in your picture. I am leaning toward the Ninja blade at the moment.

Thanks again for your replies - I am sure I will have some other questions as I get used to this new Snapper.

I have both the Ninja and the Gator for my 33" deck with the closed off plastic cover. Both do a great job on dry leaves, both do a great job on normal grass. You won't go wrong with either. I've tried neither in very tall grass so I can't comment there.

If I'm not mistaken I believe it was dc3mech that I first noticed claim the Gator seemed to stay sharp longer. I have to agree with him. There is not a huge difference in hardness but the Gator would be my choice if I had to choose. IMO, the edge on a sharpened Gator lasts a bit longer.

The Ninja certainly looks better but it should when you compare the price. I don't recall anyone saying the Ninja is not very good.

Welcome!

These guys have you pointed in the right direction, but one thing that has been left out is....

Where are the pictures of your new2U Snappers?!?

Tom

Hey Tom,

I will try to get some pictures up over the next few days. :thThumbsU

Thanks,
Vince

The "mulcher" is a very specialized"
type of mowing,as opposed to "bagging",and normal "grass discharge" mowing. Your particular conditions,should determine which system that you use. If you have a clean,not too high, grass lawn,the Ninja will do a beautiful job,but in my particular use I some times,mow a common area,around,a boat launch ramp,and sometimes some vacant lots,to control weed growth,and seeding.There is "pea gravel" near the roads,and sometimes,twigs,and Hickory nuts,the "gator" seems better suited to my conditions.If it rains,and I can't get my mowing until,the grass is very tall,I will take off the "block off",and let the grass fly out on the lawn,and then put the "block off" back on,and go over it again.Very tall grass and weeds will sometimes,clog up the mulcher mower deck,and stall the engine or slip the belt,this depends on how tight the belt is adjusted.

The orange looking blade is an Internet provided stock photo of a red Snapper regular standard blade. The Ninja is the X shaped photo. The other is the Gator. I think Oregon makes the Gator. Oregon is a very high quality product that uses a skootch stouter thicker material than the stock Snapper blade. I have used both with great results. Arnold & Rotary, Stens are some other aftermarket replacement parts suppliers. I have used Amazon as a price guide source. This helps to keep things in perspective when laying out $$$ for parts either locally or via Internet sales.

HOPE TO BE OF HELP.

OH YEAH

:wwp: :wwp: :wwp:

There was {is?} a factory mulching kit for the HiVac, 33" size at least, as I have one. The blade looks very similar to the standard shown as the third picture, except that the 'wings' on the tips of the blades are significantly highter. The turned up tips are used to churn the cuttings so they can be chopped more than once, I assume, when the mulching plug/plate is installed. I have yet to use the plate.
My deck has some holes in the top, I expect used for different suspension mechanisms. When mowing on dry or thin grass, the holes allowed 'stuff' to get blown upward and out, resulting in a 'grit' cloud surrounding the operator {me}. I took some pan head machine screws and a couple nuts, and installed them into the holes with the head towards the inside of the deck. Viola. No more stuff getting blown up into my eyes. Worked well so far, with no negative effects I can discern.
The blade does tend to blow the cuttings out the chute better than original if you are a non-mulching type of mower.
tom

tomw0 said:

There was {is?} a factory mulching kit for the HiVac, 33" size at least, as I have one. The blade looks very similar to the standard shown as the third picture, except that the 'wings' on the tips of the blades are significantly highter. The turned up tips are used to churn the cuttings so they can be chopped more than once, I assume, when the mulching plug/plate is installed. I have yet to use the plate.
My deck has some holes in the top, I expect used for different suspension mechanisms. When mowing on dry or thin grass, the holes allowed 'stuff' to get blown upward and out, resulting in a 'grit' cloud surrounding the operator {me}. I took some pan head machine screws and a couple nuts, and installed them into the holes with the head towards the inside of the deck. Viola. No more stuff getting blown up into my eyes. Worked well so far, with no negative effects I can discern.
The blade does tend to blow the cuttings out the chute better than original if you are a non-mulching type of mower.
tom

Click to expand...

Those little wings you speak of are for extra lift, they are primarily used with a bagging attachment.


Oh, p.s.
:wwp:


LOL

Here's an illustration,from series 13(late 70's early 80's).The blade situation can be very confusing,with production changes between series,new products,(Ninja),aftermarket blades(Gator),and different names,such as "mulcher" blade".#40,is called the recycler blade P/N 7016980(7026453 "ninja" also mentioned(28"). #14 is the standard blade,with the 3 holes in each end for the air-lift kit(#15). I agree with the other members,that the "air-lifts" are mainly used to increase the airflow,for bagging,and to also increase vacuum,for the "hi-vac' deck to straighten up the grass,and also blow the cuttings out better.

My late father had Snapper RER's since the late 60's. I still have his original 30" Standard deck, 28" Hy Vac & SR150. I remember conversations that we had where he mentioned that the add on wing tips were designed for high/thick grass & light brush as well as the lifting effect for a bagger. Adding the weight of the wing tip onto the end of the blade helped the flywheel effect of the blade. One had to keep the blade speed up, engine revs at max rpm. for maximum effect. He never had a bagger since he cut 2.5 to 3 acres at a time. He always learned about a piece of equipment before he bought it. I have him to thank for my Snapper addiction.

MY TAKE ON THE ADD ON TIPS

Hi All,

Thanks for the very useful information. I ended up ordering a Gator blade G5 series - will let you know how it works out.

Also, any insight on what you do with a new blade regarding sharpening? It seems that some people sharpen them a bit before installing and some people just install them out of the box with no sharpening.

Another quick question if you do not mind. I own a Series 17 and I read that you should check the Rear Left Drivers side axle to make sure it is greased. However, I believe the manual states that this axle is greased with transmission grease. When I pull off the wheel caps on my tractor you can see grease for every wheel except the Rear Left Drivers side. My brother just bought a 25 inch Series 21 and his is the same way. I am not sure if this axle has a grease plug (have to take a look) - but do you recommend that I put some grease on the Rear Left Drivers side axle??

Thanks Again!!

They are sharper from the factory than I can make them, so there's my 2 pennies on that one.

Some have a grease fitting for one of the axle bearings. Heavy duty have a sealed bearing. If you have the zerk, grease it with a few shots. If not, don't worry.

tom

p.s. The blade I have was sold as a kit, from Snapper dealer, with mulching plate that fitted under the deflector in the original position. It looks similar to the illustration, but may have higher 'wings' .. or not.

Like TomwO stated "They are sharper from the factory than I can make them." is true. The factory has dedicated machines that sharpen the blade at the correct angle plus the blade is balanced. If you want to resharpen your own blades just keep the angle correct and make sure it is reasonably balanced. Just a thought here. Blades are made from a low tempered steel so when you resharpen them on a grinder go slow and do not let the sharpened edge turn blue. This will take the remaining temper out of the metal. I usually use the grind wheel to get the basic shape of the angle correct then use a file to get the final sharpened edge. Still do not expect a resharpened blade edge to last as long as a factory edge. I have considered a blade sharpening machine but the $$$$ makes one think HMMM? As far as balancing the blade just use a thin finishing nail as a fulcrum into a vise like in the illustration below. Works pretty well for me so far.

HOPE THIS HELPS.

Most rer's have the "bushing"type rear wheel bearings,these have the grease fitting,on the drivers,L/H side. The R/H bushing is lubricated by leakage,from the transmission/differential assy,on the riders R/H side.The rer's with the X in the model#,and XT on a decal,(and maybe some others) have sealed rear wheel ball bearings,and in most, 8 pinion gears vs 4 in the standard rer's.Many of the parts manuals show both set-ups,I converted my MW280921B,to the complete "X" type rear end,many other parts need to be changed,including "fenders","bull gear"(8 threaded holes vs 4 standard),some spacers,thrust washers,etc. The axles are the same,and the pinion gears,and their spacers,only more of them.