[Rarefish383]

I started not to post because I was mowing 11, one acre yards, which is not home owner conditions. I had a 52” walk behind with a mulching kit. It was leaving a soggy strip buy the discharge block off plate. Everyone kept saying I had to slow down, way down. So, on my yard I tried it. To get a near perfect cut I had to slow down to about 1/3 of my mowing speed. I couldn’t do that, it would take me a week to do a days work. I got rid of the mulching kit. I think mulching kits are for the perfectionist that has time to relax and mow slow. If speed is in your needs, I think mulching might leave you less than impressed.

 

[Herd of Deeres]

If speed is in your needs, I think mulching might leave you less than impressed.

Agreed 👍👍. I have a half acre divided into three sections and I’m going to start including a coffee break and lunch on the mowing schedule. Before I read this thread I’d ordered a set of Gator G6 blades that are supposed to come in today. Right now I’m using OEM mulchers that were new this season. I’ll throw the Gators on just to see if there’s any difference but 4 days later my slow motion cut from last week is holding up pretty well. No where near as ragged as my previous SpeedRacer results.

 

[ivel03]

Before I read this thread I’d ordered a set of Gator G6 blades that are supposed to come in today. Right now I’m using OEM mulchers that were new this season. I’ll throw the Gators on just to see if there’s any difference but 4 days later my slow motion cut from last week is holding up pretty well.

I don't know if you have the mulch kit but i've read that the Gator G6 blades will hit the plastic mulch kit - some people say it's an issue, some say no big deal; it will "self clearance"!

I have a 54C deck without a mulching kit and i've used the stock OEM blades that came with the deck, the predator brand "gator like" blades, the G6 Gators and also the high lift JD blades. The G6 blades did better than the predators as far as chopping up the clippings and also have higher vacuum. The G6 blades have close but not quite as much suction as the high lift JD blades. The stock blades are OK, i'm sure they're a good all around blade but it feels like it compromises in every way. You can tell when you have the high lift blades on - it leaves a cleaner cut sucking up the grass where the wheels push the grass over and also blows the clippings further. The predator blades seemed good as compared to the OEM blades but after getting the G6 blades i'd say don't bother. I try to run the G6 blades but they do miss the pig weed, dandelions and other thin weeds in the grass and also show the tire tracks more than the high lift. Some of that could be due to the fact that my rears are loaded with wheel weights so i'm tracking over my lawn with some weight!

As others have mentioned, there is an ideal height as well; otherwise the deck doesn't make a seal with the grass. The observations above are for my lawn - which is grass, clover and some weeds so your mileage may vary depending on the composition of your lawn. My lawn is also not consistent everywhere so sometimes one blade will do better in one area or another; if the grass is heavier then the G6 blades don't do as nice of a job but not so bad that i want to change the blades!

 

[Herd of Deeres]

Great review ivel, thanks! The Gators came today - along with the rain. Nice thing with the x310 is I can change the blades with the deck all the way up, no jacking 👍. The rain will turbo my grass so it won’t be long before I get a test run.
And I don’t have a mulch kit, just the plug. Couldn’t seem to find an under deck kit for the 42” deck.

 

[PA318Guy]

Great review ivel, thanks! The Gators came today - along with the rain. Nice thing with the x310 is I can change the blades with the deck all the way up, no jacking 👍. The rain will turbo my grass so it won’t be long before I get a test run.
And I don’t have a mulch kit, just the plug. Couldn’t seem to find an under deck kit for the 42” deck.

Found this, not sure it is your deck:

 

[Herd of Deeres]

Found this, not sure it is your deck:

Definitely not my deck - one blade too many. Didn’t know they made a separate mulch deck.

 

[Herd of Deeres]

The Gators came in yesterday and I pulled the JD OEM mulching blades that were new at the start of this season. Took a side-by-side pic for comparison. Found the right side blade attaching nut was loose and there was some wobble. 🤨?? Might contribute to the less than great cut.

 

[Herd of Deeres]

Don’t quite get why both blades are stamped “RIGHT”. Made for a moment when I pulled the left blade off first and thought they were location specific.

 

[Herd of Deeres]

No serious buildup yet and what’s there looks pretty finely cut.

 

[mdn14]

Let us know how you like them! With and without the mulching plug installed.

Are the G6 edges sharp or will they need touched up prior to installing them? Lots of people report they're a little dull straight from Oregon.

 

[Herd of Deeres]

Let us know how you like them! With and without the mulching plug installed.

Are the G6 edges sharp or will they need touched up prior to installing them? Lots of people report they're a little dull straight from Oregon.

So that’s a great question and it seems another personal preference thing. The blades seem to have a paint coating on the cutting edge so I did some surfing and found this reference:

If you want to skip the YouTube video it’s a guy who does lawn care talking about pre-sharpening blades and he says ‘no’ - just stick them on the tractor. And since it’s on the internet it must be true! 😮
So for the sake of scientific method I’m going to run them straight out of the box. That and since I already put them on I won’t have to take them back off 😐

 

[Herd of Deeres]

So while I was changing blades I decided to check the deck level again even though I did it at the start of the season. Not quite right, LF tire has 4 PSI 🤨? Plug the hole, relevel the deck and finally off to the races…

 

[Herd of Deeres]

The start wasn’t that great and I didn’t love the cut immediately after it was done before the grass bounced back. But the next day it looks just as good with the Gators as with the OEM mulch blades. I may throw them back on for the next cut just to do a more direct comparison since a was mowing with a low tire and my early spring deck level job was “less than ideal.” Looks like the paint will wear off the leading edge of the blades pretty quickly.

 

[mdn14]

That's a little disappointing. Did you have the mulch kit on? Doesnt look like it in your photo.

 

[Herd of Deeres]

I don’t have the mulch kit, just the plug. Think I have a GFP discount code and will shop for kit availability.

 

[mdn14]

Try taking the plug out when you mow next. The gators need to breathe to lift the grass up. Based on what I’ve read there should be no plug or kit installed.

 

[Herd of Deeres]

So… you’re saying take the mulch plug off (and therefore reinstall the discharge deflector) to act as an air intake? One of the things I like about the mulch plug is improved maneuverability and being able to cut close on both sides. But I’ll give it a go next mow.

 

[mdn14]

Not as an intake but as an exhaust. Oregon’s websites claims they’re high lift and for side discharge/bagging but mulch everything as they do so.

 

[Herd of Deeres]

So the chute deflector mysteriously fell off when I installed the mulch blades and I’d have had to reinstall it because we don’t bypass safeties at MTF. And sticking with the thread theme on mulching I pulled the Gators back off and put the OEM mulch blades back on. All here will be shocked to learn that with a deck leveled to with 1/8” side-to-side by measurement and properly inflated (and not leaking) tires done at reduced speed the cut quality improved dramatically. I am going to hang onto the Gators and see how they do with the bagger come leaf season unless I catch a rock with the OEMs. Have to say I like being able to mow from both sides to get through some trouble spots on my lawn. Thanks to mdn14 for the background on the Gators. Still glad I tried them and will have them on again soon.