JD Gator blades...very disappointed with cutting performance

[Jetblast]

Solid ideas Ric. Just to add to the data sample, my deck is fabricated but it has a sloped nose to force grass to rebound into the blades. That's according to the wind tunnel PhDs/dubious ad-copy writers at Cub Cadet. My blade tip speed is 17,000 fpm and I'm getting the results I'm seeing at my full-forward mower speed of 9 MPH.

JDgreen, your deck has a fine reputation and I did not find overwhelming complaints of the kind through a search, at least not on your deck specifically. What about forward slope? Does the front hang 1/4 to 1/2 an inch lower than the back? That's all I got for now.

We will solve this good sir, or we will die trying.

 

[JDgreen]

Thanks all, for the detailed input. Yes, the deck is a tad lower in front than the rear, and although nobody inquired, level side-to-side. If I extrapolate the 15950 fpm of blade tip travel @2100 rpm I end up with close to 18,800 fpm @2600 rpm, however, rpm seems to make no difference in cutting ability. at least over 2,000 rpm.

I have never paid much attention to deck design, so I do not quite know what is different between conventional and mulching decks. From what Ric states, the issue is a fabricated deck that is open in the front....?? Do I interpret that as meaning a mulching deck would have additional baffles in the front of the deck? Need to do some research on that.

Jetblast, I mow at a slower pace than you do, perhaps 6-7 mph most of the time...I am going to try fabricating an aluminum or fiberglass baffle plate that fits in the discharge chute opening and see if that results in clipping size reduction. A few years ago I fitted such a baffle so my tractor would chop up leaves better rather than blowing them out.

Think I will leave the Gator blades on for now, they are better balanced and probably sharper than the OEM set, and they cut as well or slightly better. Changing the center blade with the deck installed is a huge headache, it's an even bigger headache to R&R the deck to swap blades though. Will post at how well the baffle works later this week.

Thanks to all of you again !!!

 

[JDgreen]

Solid ideas Ric. Just to add to the data sample, my deck is fabricated but it has a sloped nose to force grass to rebound into the blades. That's according to the wind tunnel PhDs/dubious ad-copy writers at Cub Cadet. My blade tip speed is 17,000 fpm and I'm getting the results I'm seeing at my full-forward mower speed of 9 MPH.

JDgreen, your deck has a fine reputation and I did not find overwhelming complaints of the kind through a search, at least not on your deck specifically. What about forward slope? Does the front hang 1/4 to 1/2 an inch lower than the back? That's all I got for now.

We will solve this good sir, or we will die trying.

Have been doing research on the issue, with little success. Deere does offer a mulching kit for my deck that comes with blades and front baffles that you install on the existing deck (appears drilling is required) but the information also says "this does not work well if you are cutting more than one third of the grass blade off at a time"....YEAH RIGHT....for much of this mowing season I have been cutting two thirds or THREE QUARTERS of the grass blades off because it has rained 45 of the past 55 days since the beginning of April...and yes it is POURING outside right now !!! HTF do they expect people to be able to mow a third off the grass when the stuff grows 3-4 inches between the times that it is dry enough to mow??? So far this month I have measured an actual 13 freaking inches of rain in 25 days and that does not include todays total....!!!!!

 

[oldyellr]

Have been doing research on the issue, with little success. Deere does offer a mulching kit for my deck that comes with blades and front baffles that you install on the existing deck (appears drilling is required) but the information also says "this does not work well if you are cutting more than one third of the grass blade off at a time"....YEAH RIGHT....for much of this mowing season I have been cutting two thirds or THREE QUARTERS of the grass blades off because it has rained 45 of the past 55 days since the beginning of April...and yes it is POURING outside right now !!! HTF do they expect people to be able to mow a third off the grass when the stuff grows 3-4 inches between the times that it is dry enough to mow??? So far this month I have measured an actual 13 freaking inches of rain in 25 days and that does not include todays total....!!!!!

I hear you, JD! This has been a freaky spring. I've been cutting every 3rd or 4th day when normally in the spring I seldom need to do it more than once a week. It's recommended you don't cut more than 1/3, but then I'd have to be doing it every other day, but I won't do it in the rain. The grass is so damp it won't mulch and disperse, but just builds up inside my deck and falls out in clumps. Often I have to back up to let it fall out.

I've started to follow this thread on mulching blades because I've been considering getting a pair for my 40-year-old JD Model 68 RER, but I don't see anything out there other than stock style replacement blades. From what I'm reading here, it looks like getting the clippings to mulch properly is a crap shoot depending on on the kind of deck you have and how much the grass has grown between cuttings. For some reason the grass in my front yard grows slower than in the back, probably because of drainage and the septic system. In the front the clippings seem to disappear but in the back I see rows of clumped that somebody more anal than I would have to rake.

Anyway, this spring looks like a poor time to judge the performance of mulching blades. Must be the global warming, or cooliing, or wetting, or whatever. :biggrin:

 

[Giles]

I am no engineer but I have tried three sets of Gator blades on three different mowers.
I could not tell a difference in any mowing condition. All three set are hanging in my garage since I have regular blades on all machines.
Just look at the Gator Blade design--How can the serrated wing on top of blade cut??:thumbdown:
On one of my mowers, I modified the mower deck so that the front of the deck is 1/2" to 3/4" higher then the back. This way the grass is cut twice with one pass.
Don't laugh--It has worked for me.:thumbsup:

 

[JDgreen]

I am no engineer but I have tried three sets of Gator blades on three different mowers.
I could not tell a difference in any mowing condition. All three set are hanging in my garage since I have regular blades on all machines.
Just look at the Gator Blade design--How can the serrated wing on top of blade cut??:thumbdown:
On one of my mowers, I modified the mower deck so that the front of the deck is 1/2" to 3/4" higher then the back. This way the grass is cut twice with one pass.
Don't laugh--It has worked for me.:thumbsup:

I would never laugh at someone else's ideas unless it was something like "I have my blades on upside down and they work great..." :laughing:

I think the idea behind the serrated wing on top is to create airflow that keeps the grass clippings suspended so they can be recut numerous times...however, if you have a deck like mine they get blown out before the recutting can occur...

Would love to go out and try the new discharge chute baffle I made yesterday, BUT...got another inch and a half of rainfall yesterday and overnight and it is still coming down now...almost FIFTEEN INCHES OF RAIN SO FAR THIS MONTH !!!!!:frown::thumbdown:

 

[JDgreen]

OVER SIXTEEN INCHES OF RAIN THIS MONTH.....

 

[Giles]

Lots of rain-- DOWNPOURS---here in NW Al. There are areas in my lawn where the grass is washed out of ground and tree roots are above surface. Wouldn't know what you are talking about if you said "spring showers" However when the rain stops, it will stop Been this way for the last several years. Mid to late summer--everything will burn up because it won't rain for 6 to 8 weeks

 

[JDgreen]

Lots of rain-- DOWNPOURS---here in NW Al. There are areas in my lawn where the grass is washed out of ground and tree roots are above surface. Wouldn't know what you are talking about if you said "spring showers" However when the rain stops, it will stop Been this way for the last several years. Mid to late summer--everything will burn up because it won't rain for 6 to 8 weeks

When I feel bummed out about the rain I just look at images of the tornado damage down south and think "so what am I griping about"....????? You think those folks would care about all the rain? You think they would care about foot high grass?

Nope, a lot of them would be happy just to have a roof over their heads and a pot to p--- in. Shame on me....:ashamed:

 

[Black Bart]

We got 3.5 inches of rain yesterday and I mowed between thunderstorms.
The lawn looks nice no clippings but I have a power flow on my JD and it leaves the lawn clean even if you mow in the rain.:thumbsup: