[Hydronerd]

I did look in archives, but couldn't find this combo.

I bought a JD430 with 50" deck for my mom. To be honest, we were disappointed that it didn't suck up or chop up leaves. So I thought to put Gator blades (or similar) on. I have read that some people aren't happy with the Gator blades and the OEM blades are better on some decks. I don't to buy new blades and find they're worst. I put Gator's on my Gilson and it was a fantastic improvement.

So my question is; do Gator's improve performance of a 50" deck on 318, 420 or 430 tractors.

 

[oldtimer]

I did look in archives, but couldn't find this combo.

I bought a JD430 with 50" deck for my mom. To be honest, we were disappointed that it didn't suck up or chop up leaves. So I thought to put Gator blades (or similar) on. I have read that some people aren't happy with the Gator blades and the OEM blades are better on some decks. I don't to buy new blades and find they're worst. I put Gator's on my Gilson and it was a fantastic improvement.

So my question is; do Gator's improve performance of a 50" deck on 318, 420 or 430 tractors.

I can only speak from my experience; which is that I've used them on my 48 " Husqvarna that I left back in Massachusetts, but now have them on my 46" Cub Cadet down here in Texas and they work fine.

 

[PA318Guy]

I would say that they are great in dry grass, any real moisture and they will allow clumps to form. Had them on a 38" deck on my 318 and they cut fantastic.

 

[mrmagloo]

Great blades if you properly sharpen them first.

 

[RussKish]

I have the version for the 46" on my 318, love them, They shred just about everything from twigs, pine cones, pine needles with just a few passes.

 

[rfuerst317]

I have a 50 " deck on my 330 with Oregon brand gator style blades and I think they work great . Cuts grass with no issues and chops up twigs/pine cones and similar sized debris like a hot knife through butter . They do tend to clump if grass is wet depending on how tall the grass is .

 

[jd2854020]

Just throwing this out, they make a speed up pulley for the 50" deck. $131.82 of Green Farm Parts. Use coupon code GTT or TTWT at checkout for a discount.
https://www.greenpartstore.com/John...ck-Center-Speed-Up-Drive-Pulley-AM116141.html

 

[mowergene]

My experience with them is that the "lift" is compromised with them. I look them off my cc2146 after about 20 minutes and went back to my high lift blades so that I could suck up the leaves. When bagging, high lift is the choice blade to choose so that the grass will be thrown out. There's a medium lift and no lift blade that some like to use in sandy soil so that the sand doesn't get picked up and dull the blades. Take a look at the blades that came with the mower. If the "wing doesn't come up very high or the cutting edge isn't straight (mulching blade), then you don't have truly high lift.

"If you can't suck it up, you can't cut it".

 

[Hydronerd]

Thanks for the info. I think I'll give them a try.

Mowergene; good info on lift vs. mulching. Did JD supply high lift blades.

 

[TWG1572]

There are many different variations of Gator blades. I'd only recommend the G5 or G6 blades. I've had them on two different tractors a Deere 116 and now my F725. You can pretty much hear the difference in terms of air flow over stock blades.

Last year, I tried mulching for most of the year. I took the mulching kit off and used the gator blades for the last month or so to get the leaves. It was pretty eye opening how much stuff they sucked up and shredded that the mulcher would just leave alone. I'd love to run them year round, but really like the fact the mulcher eliminates all clippings. I'm still undecided - the mulch kit hasn't been put back on.

 

[mowergene]

Did JD supply high lift blades.

My 445 came with "standard" blades. I order "High Lift" and found the wing came up the same distance. In other words, the blades are identical. Today, we have a variety of blades to choose from and any particular blade may act differently on one deck vrs another. All decks are not created equal! I believe the high lift was the standard blade years ago before they started experimenting. If you look at the gater blades, you'll see that the "wing" is destroyed, thereby cutting air flow. Speed of the blade will certainly affect lift, too. Like a fan has settings of high, medium and low. I'm not an advocate of WOT (wide open throttle). If my mower is not working hard to cut the grass (I rarely cut deep grass), and it's not bogging down, I usually run @ 2/3 to 3/4 throttle. My ground speed is reduced also. I'm generally not in a hurry.

 

[rwmeyer]

I've been using Predator blades from my JD dealer. part # M41967, with my 46" decks. I closed the discharge opening with a piece of sheet metal and started mowing. I always mow WOT, as I believe the engine is producing max hp, running cooler, and not working as hard, and ground speed is controlled by the height of the grass I'm cutting. I love the blades. Anything that goes under the deck just plain disappears! The only problem I've had is my own fault: letting the lawn get too tall. This tends to leave windrows at the discharge side of my deck. If you cut your lawn when your supposed to...cut 1/3 of the grass length... you'll be fine. Bob

 

[TWG1572]

I may try your trick of closing off the discharge, vs. going full mulcher this summer. See how the G5 blades do in that environment with my deck.

I also run full throttle, because blade tip speed is pretty important to getting an even cut with minimal stragglers, and getting full lift from the mower blades.

I guess I wouldn't say that the wing on the Gator blades is destroyed. It's designed that way to provide lift while throwing clippings back to the center of the deck for re-cutting. I've had some complaints with Gator blades in the past, but none were lift related.

 

[rwmeyer]

TWG, Not sure of the configuration of your deck, but mine had 2 holes on the top at the discharge opening. I cut a piece of metal that I had to the correct...more or less...width, bent it 90º in a vise, drilled 2 holes to match holes in deck, bolted on, and mowed!

I think the direction of rotation of the blades tend to move clippings towards the discharge opening. Blocking this opening lets the clippings "circulate" more under the deck to be re-cut. I'm 70 and eye site ain't what it used to be, but I can't see anything.,.,.nothing!... on the ground/in the lawn after I mow. And as I said before, as long as you keep after your lawn! Bob

 

[wirlybird]

I use the G6's on my 50" on my 332. They are heavy and take just a bit to get going so if you don't have to power for them then maybe a lighter version.
I have always liked how they worked for me.

 

[TWG1572]

I use the G6's on my 50" on my 332. They are heavy and take just a bit to get going so if you don't have to power for them then maybe a lighter version.
I have always liked how they worked for me.

When I bought a set of the G6 blades, the difference in them and the G5 blades was kinda eye opening when I flipped the PTO switch the first time. There was a noticeable (couple second, maybe) difference in how quickly they got up to speed. But once they were there, the mass seemed to keep things from bogging down as much if you hit a spot of thicker grass.

 

[rwmeyer]

About a year and a half ago, I bought a 322 with a 46" deck. The tractor needed work/parts and the deck needed bearings & paint. I replaced the bearings in the deck, wire brushed it, and 2 coats of primer top & bottom. Two coats yellow on top & 3 on the bottom. The blades were totally worn out...about 3/4" wide!...and I figured I'd try the Predator blades. By spring last year the tractor & deck were ready for mowing. I mowed last summer, blew the deck off with air, and put the tractor away for the Tennessee "winter". My grass is almost ready to be cut now, but I reached under the deck and felt 2 of the blades, not good, dull & dented. I took the deck off, flipped it over and removed the blades. The bottom of the deck had a blackish appearance all over plus a few clumps of grass here and there. I scrapped some off, but some, and the blackish, didn't want to come off. Rain was forecast for last night and I left the deck outside. I went out this morning and did more scrapping. The grass came off, the blackish came off, and to my surprise and pleasure, yellow paint was underneath !!!

I've been mowing with a 46" deck on various tractors since 1982 and EVERY spring, the underside ALWAYS needs primer & paint, as quite a bit is down to bare metal. Lat summer was my first time using Predator blades, and last summer was the first time my deck wasn't stripped of paint! Coincidence? Don't know, but I'm going to attribute it to the Predator blades. Just another plus for using them, Bob

 

[mowergene]

About a year and a half ago, I bought a 322 with a 46" deck. The tractor needed work/parts and the deck needed bearings & paint. I replaced the bearings in the deck, wire brushed it, and 2 coats of primer top & bottom. Two coats yellow on top & 3 on the bottom. The blades were totally worn out...about 3/4" wide!...and I figured I'd try the Predator blades. By spring last year the tractor & deck were ready for mowing. I mowed last summer, blew the deck off with air, and put the tractor away for the Tennessee "winter". My grass is almost ready to be cut now, but I reached under the deck and felt 2 of the blades, not good, dull & dented. I took the deck off, flipped it over and removed the blades. The bottom of the deck had a blackish appearance all over plus a few clumps of grass here and there. I scrapped some off, but some, and the blackish, didn't want to come off. Rain was forecast for last night and I left the deck outside. I went out this morning and did more scrapping. The grass came off, the blackish came off, and to my surprise and pleasure, yellow paint was underneath !!!

I've been mowing with a 46" deck on various tractors since 1982 and EVERY spring, the underside ALWAYS needs primer & paint, as quite a bit is down to bare metal. Lat summer was my first time using Predator blades, and last summer was the first time my deck wasn't stripped of paint! Coincidence? Don't know, but I'm going to attribute it to the Predator blades. Just another plus for using them, Bob

Makes TOTAL SENSE to me. Lack of lift from the gaters. They're not slamming the clippings into the bottom of the deck.

 

[Hydronerd]

Well thanks for the info; now I've got too much to make a decision, lol. I want to suck up leaves. I've got to lift them to mulch them. The speed up pulley gets good reviews, but can you do high lift and speed up, or too much torque? Does high lift require more torque than heavy mulching? If I use high lift instead of mulching will I just throw out big leaves.

Ideally, I want to get a powered leaf-vac. I'm thinking if I mulch and suck, I don't need high lift.

 

[mowergene]

I don't have any experience with speed up pulleys, but I do have concerns with them. Most people mow at WOT (wide open throttle) and the decks and mechanisms are designed to handle that. Increasing that speed might have consequences for the belt and/or shaft bearings. I know that if you hit something like a large limb or tree root, it will play havoc with the blade that hits it (even without the enhanced speed). I'd think three times before adding that option.