[al b]

I found Oregon #91-242, and Stens #320-515, that fit my 50" deck -05199846- Not much difference in price but what about quality? I like to find mulching blades also but can't find any 2" wide.

 

[WH401]

Your only option for mulcher's, i.e. Gator Blades, is to get the later style blade cradle or hub that allows you to run blades wider than 2". Hub, like shown in my posts below, is part #08886500, and cradle is #08798700.

Take a look at these two posts of mine:

http://www.mytractorforum.com/6840218-post38.html

http://www.mytractorforum.com/6869250-post42.html

I've been very pleased so far with the Gator blades. They chop up the leaves much finer when I run around and suck them up with my bagger vac.

Rick

 

[Mikey4]

What is the consensus regarding the grinding of a notch is the wider blades to fit the narrower 2" cradle? I posted this same picture a while back but got no response. Looks easy enough to do. Obviously there is some weakening of the blade but if done with care, and balanced, it seems to me this would work.

The other idea is to notch the cradles such that they accept the wider blade cross wise. This mod would allow the standard blade to be used, too. Not at the same time, but alternatively.

 

[ATLANTIC CENTRAL]

Mikey,

Carefully done the notched blades should be fine.

Personally I'm not a fan of the mulching blade thing, but what do I know?

I did this with stock blades, and like the results:

[URL=http://s1002.photobucket.com/user/carrollhome/media/DSC01120_zpsc9a5e00d.jpg.html][/URL]

And I have always bought GRAVELY blades.

Sheldon

 

[DJ in WV]

Maybe it's just me being paranoid, but I'd be terrified to run the notched blades Mikey. I can just visualize a stress crack starting right in the corner of one of those notches and a blade failing catastrophically. Again, maybe I'm just paranoid but I've got the heebie-jeebies thinking about that one.

 

[Mikey4]

Mikey,

Carefully done the notched blades should be fine.

Personally I'm not a fan of the mulching blade thing, but what do I know?

I did this with stock blades, and like the results:

[URL=http://s1002.photobucket.com/user/carrollhome/media/DSC01120_zpsc9a5e00d.jpg.html][/URL]

And I have always bought GRAVELY blades.

Sheldon

Hey Sheldon,

Yeah, one of my ideas was to notch the cradle like you did for that setup. The notch would be wide enough to accommodate the wider blades others seem to favor.

 

[ATLANTIC CENTRAL]

Mikey, I 'm not sure that would work. it would not leave much of a tab if you made it wide enough for 2-1/2" or 3" blades.

[URL=http://s1002.photobucket.com/user/carrollhome/media/DSC01100_zpsf714f4c8.jpg.html][/URL]

[URL=http://s1002.photobucket.com/user/carrollhome/media/DSC01101_zpsffd7986e.jpg.html][/URL]

And I did not take them all the way down, just enough to allow the twin blades to make good contact with each other.

I bag rather than mulch, but my clippings are much finer with the dual blades then they were with single blades.

Sheldon

 

[Mikey4]

Maybe it's just me being paranoid, but I'd be terrified to run the notched blades Mikey. I can just visualize a stress crack starting right in the corner of one of those notches and a blade failing catastrophically. Again, maybe I'm just paranoid but I've got the heebie-jeebies thinking about that one.

Thanks, DJ.

(BTW: Nice job on the floor pour!)

Nothing is impossible, but I think a heavy blade, ground carefully, with the inside corner of the notch eased (probably by stop drilling and then grinding to the hole) would be pretty unlikely to fail as you imagine. That said, I am not at all qualified to render an authoritative opinion.

I actually like the notion of notching the cradle for a wider blade better (see my reply to Sheldon, above^^).

 

[DJ in WV]

You may very well be right Mikey. Easing that "notch" like you say might just be the trick.