[cjrenegade82]

Does anyone know if a snapper hivac will do a good job mulching?
or a snapper ninja bag well?
Looking for one mower that will do both well

thanks

 

[knightrider]

Heard they do realllllly well for mulching. Ninja blades may do a better job with that setup as well.

 

[PaulsSmallEngineRepair]

If you need parts, I have a lot of them, from my snapper Hi-vac bought in 1988.

 

[Indy452]

I personally felt like my hi-vac didn't mulch well. It would suck a golf ball through a garden hose though.

 

[lawnboy dan]

ninja will not bag at all -is execellent at mulching. get a gator blade and do both

 

[HydroHarold]

http://www.mytractorforum.com/showthread.php?t=66187&page=2&highlight=gator+ninja

Scroll down to post #30 for some graphic input of my comparison between Gator and Ninja.

Gator on a HiVac won't bag worth manure... you need the straight Snapper blade with the air lift wing kit. THIS WILL pack yer bag! In fact, it will pick up loose stones if you're not careful. Gator is a decent general mowing blade on a HiVac but not nearly as good as the OEM Ninja mulcher setup or the Snapper bagging/side discharge blade.

 

[munderhill]

When I picked up my 28" rer it had the ninja blade on it and PO was bagging with it. He said it worked fine. I took off the blade and put on the correct bagging blade with the wings and it bags excellent! As said will suck up just about everything you drive/mow over!
I have not put the ninja blade back on to try mulching as I prefer to bag. PO said it mulches excellent.

MU

 

[lawnboy dan]

hydro-your test of gator vs ninja was flawed-you set the wheels too high so the leaves could get blown out the left side on the snapper-since the ninja has no vacume leaves dont get blown out as much . also the corect way to mow with a snapper esp for mulching is to use a box pattern always truning left-this blows the escaped leaves back into the path of the mower to be mulched again. i have used snappers proffesionally for 20 + years. i know what i am talking about. the gator WILL bag on a snapper just fine and yes the stock esp with lifts added will bag better but wont mulch well at all. gator is best all around blade on a snapper. who wants to have to change blades for each task when the gator will do it all -and well

 

[HydroHarold]

hydro-your test of gator vs ninja was flawed-you set the wheels too high so the leaves could get blown out the left side on the snapper-since the ninja has no vacume leaves dont get blown out as much . also the corect way to mow with a snapper esp for mulching is to use a box pattern always truning left-this blows the escaped leaves back into the path of the mower to be mulched again. i have used snappers proffesionally for 20 + years. i know what i am talking about. the gator WILL bag on a snapper just fine and yes the stock esp with lifts added will bag better but wont mulch well at all. gator is best all around blade on a snapper. who wants to have to change blades for each task when the gator will do it all -and well

i have used snappers proffesionally for 20 + years. i know what i am talking about.

I have no doubt of that.

...and yes the stock esp with lifts added will bag better but wont mulch well at all

Correctamundo, it's a "bagging and side discharging blade by design".

who wants to have to change blades for each task when the gator will do it all -and well

I wanted to today and it took less than 3 minutes including changing out the mulch cover to the chute for bagging. (Finding the straight blade took only a tiny bit more than 10 minutes because my JD PowerFlo bags were hanging on the same hook in front of the blade.):ROF

I agree that the Gator will work...uhhh OK..,. but I have the Ninja for mulching and the winged wonder for bagging and the time to change blades for peak HydroEffiency lawn care results. I got all the time in the world as long as it's spent outside!

(Jes' rattlin' yer chain a bit, "LawnSnapperBoy" Dan!):sidelaugh

 

[2201_lawnboy_ave]

I want a Hi Vac even more now, at least by fall...

 

[lawnboy dan]

there is no better leaf removal too ever devised than a snapper hi vac with a gator blade-you will never touch a rake again

 

[HydroHarold]

there is no better leaf removal too ever devised than a snapper hi vac

I agree for walking mowers! But my JD w/48C deck equipped with my leading edge antiblowoutpreventingplasticpipe runs a very close second. Plus it does about 3' passes at a time.

Yesterday I mowed with the Snapper straight winged blade and enjoyed hearing all the cedar cones flying around under the deck and going up into the bag. I was cutting at the highest setting and it still sucked 'em right in. I used the bagged clippings for flower bed mulch and those cones were nicely shredded and mixed in with the clippings. Snapper's just a near perfect aerodynamic deck design... which is probably why they haven't changed the deck pattern for a long long time..

 

[lawnboy dan]

hydro -around here i use the snapper hi vac with the lifts added to vacume up debrie on lawns after hurricans-pics up almost everything

 

[HydroHarold]

Dan, before I got the JD my Snapper did all my storm damage. Also pine branches/twigs, pine cones, cedar cones, pine needles, maple junk and all my leaves. They can out suck a Hoover and stand up to "solids" going around and up in the bag.

I really have to admit it seemed like I was beating on it but through the years and owning 2 of them, I've found they'll stand up to just about anything "clean-up". BTW, tha "remote air intake" accessory tube mounted on my handlebar really makes a difference in how often the air cleaner must be changed. It really wasn't expensive at the time, $16 if I remember, but worth every penny in multiple air element changes. It gets VERY dusty under my maples as they keep most of the grass from gowing and lighter rain from hitting the ground.

 

[cjrenegade82]

Thanks for all the info on the snapper systems. Sounds like it will do both fine. I guess get both blades and switch the for best results. Does anyone have any experience using a hi vac blade on a ninja deck for bagging?
Thanks again

 

[lawnboy dan]

cant help with that -all 20 of my snappers are hi vac .

 

[GTP]

cant help with that -all 20 of my snappers are hi vac .

Reviving this Dan...how thick are the leaves you've bagged in the past. Mine get REALLY thick and heavy. I try to rake onto a tarp and pull them (too heavy) but I am getting a snapper HI VAC for the main purpose of leaf mulching the the fall.

Do you let them all fall and them snapper them up or do it every other day I guess my question is how deep in leaves is too deep for the Hi VAC.

Thanks

 

[Paul7]

Be careful and make sure that the mower you get says "hi vac". I had a hi vac from the mid 80's with a 4hp engine and it WOULD bag anything. Last year I bought a used 6hp Snapper that said Ninja on the front instead of hi vac and it was not all that great at bagging.

 

[lawnboy dan]

gtp-you can do this several ways-do it often and bag or mulch them up (your choice) or let them all fall and do it only once -dosnt matter snapper can handle the job. there is NO better tool for this job. if chosing to only do once-mulch the leaves into small bits first-then bag up the remains -or just keep mulching till they are all gone. you need a gator blade for mulching leaves for this to be the most effictive. it will also bag -no need to change blades. you will be amazed at how good the snapper is at this task and you will never rake again!

 

[GTP]

gtp-you can do this several ways-do it often and bag or mulch them up (your choice) or let them all fall and do it only once -dosnt matter snapper can handle the job. there is NO better tool for this job. if chosing to only do once-mulch the leaves into small bits first-then bag up the remains -or just keep mulching till they are all gone. you need a gator blade for mulching leaves for this to be the most effictive. it will also bag -no need to change blades. you will be amazed at how good the snapper is at this task and you will never rake again!

That is GREAT news Dan. I dread fall just for the amount of all the leaves that I have to blow, rake and drag back into the woods. I am excited to be able to grind'em up and bag them.!!:fing32:

I have Gator's on all my mowers. Love them. One is going on the Snapper now for sure!