Toro Timecutter (75742) G6 Gator Blade question

[apg1979]

I have a new Timecutter 75742 42" mower that will be used for the first time this spring.

42" TimeCutter® 22.5 HP Gas Zero-Turn Mower 75742 | Toro | Toro

I picked up 2 G6 Gator blades to add in and they went on fine but curious if anyone has any advice if its not a good idea to use on this mower given they are wider and a decent amount heavier than the stock blades? I tested the PTO with them and it works fine but you can tell it takes a little more umph to get them going and a little louder when engaged

Mulching Blade, Gator® G6™, 21-9/16" | Oregon Products

Just wanted to get some smarter people than my opinions on this setup before i start using the new machine

thanks for your help!

 

[bertsmobile1]

Usually the results are good.
Got lots of time cutters running Gators of various styles.
If Oregon recommend them they will be fine .
The extra weight is a good thing for cutting rough & tuffted grass.
The only downside is it puts extra shock load on the clutch & belt so try to avoid turning the brakes on & off unless necessary.
Also note that they are designed to be able to throw so do not instal a mulching cover or the clippings will just build up under the deck till they overload the motor
By that time the grass clippings are a thick shake and when finally cleared out will not rot normally & can kill the grass where they land

 

[apg1979]

thanks for the info! would that extra weight affect the spinning speed as well i'd imagine and impact the cutting performance when going full speed on my zero turn?

You mention the extra load on the clutch/belt and to avoid turn the brakes on/off.....excuse my inexperience since i'm new to zero turns but w/ that type of machine would that mean avoid going from forward motion to neutral w/ the levers more than you need to? (only brake that i know of other than the electronic brake when its in park w/ levers outward)

waffling if the risk of load on the clutch/belt is worth the benefits. i wonder if i could find some G5's for my size deck which i believe is lighter

 

[apg1979]

i was looking what Oregon has for G3/5 for my model but they dont list anything. I did find G3 at the same 21-9/16th length and 5/8 center hole but the offset is 5/8 vs 5/16 which Oregon cautioned me against. think that difference is worth worrying about?

 

[MParr]

I did some looking for you. There aren’t a lot of options for you. I found a couple of replacement blades. They aren’t Oregon brand. They are Rotary brand.

137-1999-03

137-1999-03

www.rotarycorp.com

I would choose the Rotary brand. My reason? These blades are closest to the original thickness and length to the Toro blades. You certainly don’t need a G6 on your mower. Why? It’s a residential unit and isn’t designed to spin 3” wide x 1/4” thick metal blades at 18,000 RPMs.

 

[apg1979]

thank you for taking the time on this! appreciate the help! i ended up sending the g6 back today.....brand new mower i dont want to be worried about extra wear on it that isnt needed. I agree, not a lot of options for mine out there from what i see....i did find Oregon has a g3 which is identical to the g6 for what i'm supposed to have but its just that offset drops the blade about .3" lower. not sure if thats of any worry or not.... looking at that rotary option you sent that also looks promising but that also looks like it has a little bit of a drop compared to the stock blades (and the g6). Gator® G3™ Blade, 21-9/16" | Oregon Products

 

[MParr]

thank you for taking the time on this! appreciate the help! i ended up sending the g6 back today.....brand new mower i dont want to be worried about extra wear on it that isnt needed. I agree, not a lot of options for mine out there from what i see....i did find Oregon has a g3 which is identical to the g6 for what i'm supposed to have but its just that offset drops the blade about .3" lower. not sure if thats of any worry or not.... looking at that rotary option you sent that also looks promising but that also looks like it has a little bit of a drop compared to the stock blades (and the g6). Gator® G3™ Blade, 21-9/16" | Oregon Products

The G3 that you linked to looks promising. They are close to the same thickness as your original Toro blade. The only thing that I would be concerned about is the blade length. After mounting them, you will need to check the clearance between the blades and between the blade and deck edge. You wouldn’t want to engage the PTO without confirming the clearance.
Catalog pictures can be deceiving. Both of the Rotary blades are listed as replacements for the Toro blade part number. The G3 doesn’t show their blade being listed as a replacement for your Toro blade part number. That’s why I said to check the clearances.

 

[apg1979]

yup definitely smart thing to watch! so at least on the spec sheet, the g6 that i had and that g3 from the link above are identical on length (21-9/16) and the only thing different was the offset which is the part that would worry me that it would dip down too far and shoot the grass out of the bottom instead of towards the side discharge (or or course hit the bottom part of the deck metal that has a little lip on the bottom part. i'm gonna check more into those rotary ones ....the mulching blade looks like it has an offset similar to the g3 from what i can tell but it doesnt list the specs for that. do you have any experience w/ their blades? i was not familiar w/them

 

[bertsmobile1]

thanks for the info! would that extra weight affect the spinning speed as well i'd imagine and impact the cutting performance when going full speed on my zero turn?

You mention the extra load on the clutch/belt and to avoid turn the brakes on/off.....excuse my inexperience since i'm new to zero turns but w/ that type of machine would that mean avoid going from forward motion to neutral w/ the levers more than you need to? (only brake that i know of other than the electronic brake when its in park w/ levers outward)

waffling if the risk of load on the clutch/belt is worth the benefits. i wonder if i could find some G5's for my size deck which i believe is lighter

Specific blades are designed to work with specific decks
No all blades will work with all decks due to the amount & direction of clipping throw.
Some times if using a wide blade they will just touch & need a little taken off the rear to avoid this & then of course rebalancing.

Now nothing is free so all that extra momentum in spinning the extra weight of the heavy blades will cause the throttle to be open a touch further to maintain the governed engine speed so You will use more fuel .
Engine is governed so the blades will spin at the same speed regardless of their weight because the engine always spins at the same speed ( or tries to )
Because the blades are heavier it will take a couple of extra seconds for the blades to attain full speed .
Listen to the sound when you turn the blades on.
After the screech of the belt & clutch engaging it take a couple of seconds before you get the sound of the blades spinning at their full speed.
Using heavier blades this will take a little longer because the blades require more energy to spin
The extra load on the belt & blade clutch is sort of like the difference between starting your car on the flat & starting going uphill .

We are talking about the BLADE clutch, there is no drive clutch as you have hydro drives .

Offset I believe you are talking about the step between the bolt hole & the cutting edge
Well here is the drum on that
This will change the volume of the air between the blades and the roof of the deck
This can have drastic effects and cause the clippings to get stuck under the deck & not discharge properly .
But exactly what the effects are will depend on so many variables it is not funny.
On some decks it does not matter as they come with spacers to alter the blade height , on others it can be a problem.

I have been supplying G3's for Time Cutters and the customers are very happy with them .
Only one customer is using the G5 and he loves them so much he now buys them from the USA & has them shipped to Australia because B & S are not going to import them any more ( B & S have a world wide Oregon distribution deal ) .

 

[apg1979]

thanks so much for all the great info here! i knew a lot went into the dynamics w/ the deck/blades which i wouldnt even try to pretend to know a sliver of so thats my hope to find the smart people here

On the timecutter g3/g5, would you happen to know if anyone w/ my specific 42" model was one you've supplied before and gotten feedback from? honestly i was hoping to find a g5 for my model but even talking to Oregon they had no ideas of any models that fit mine specifically. (https://www.toro.com/en/homeowner/riding-mowers/timecutter-75742)
Like i was saying before, the g3 theres one thats damn close but that offset (drop from the bolt to the blade) is what concerns me but i very well could be overthinking it all)