All,
I've spent some time running three different blades on my 54" Fastrak mower, and I wanted to share some comparisons. I believe the Raptor 54" model uses the same blades. I'd be interested in hearing feedback from others who have tried different blades as well. I cut a northern mix lawn at approximately 3.75". I side-discharge, and I'm in search of a perfect, carpet-like cut. Deck is perfectly leveled per the service manual.
Excluding dedicated mulching blades, there are three primary types of blades I've been experimenting with for this mower:
Starting with the last one first - the Gator G5. I've never been happy running this blade. I've tried under most cutting conditions and found that it doesn't do anything well. It will always leave stringers, and always leave discharge clumps or a discharge trail. I know many are enamored by the Gator G5/G6 blades, but I had not found a situation where I thought it left a good cut. It's a wider and heavier blade, and I believe this saps some power from the FR691V which affects the cut as well (more on this in a minute). For the four years I've had the Raptor/Fastrak mowers, I've run this blade for no more than a couple of weeks. Each time I do, I'm reminded why I stop running it.
This leaves the 797696 (which I will refer to as stock blade) and the 602416 (which I shall call high-lift).
I love the cut of the high-lift blade. It picks up every single blade of grass and never leaves a straggler, under any mowing conditions. It seems to discharge the furthest, though the discharge comes out of the chute like a stream at the front of the chute rather than a spray. Even though it discharges the furthest, it does not necessarily discharge far. Under dry conditions, it rarely clumps or leaves a trail, though it will leave a fair amount of clippings on the row over, usually requiring a double cut. Under wet conditions, it works a little worse than the stock blades with respect to clumping and trails of grass. These blades sound like a jet when operating and really consume fuel - I normally get 3 mows out of a tank of fuel for my 1.5 acres; with these, I'm using what feels like a tank in a single mow. I think the single biggest downfall with these blades it that they do drag more, they are heavier, and they are wider (3") than stock blades. I think this saps a significant amount of power from the FR691V, which reduces some of the benefits of the better cut potential of these blades. I believe these would be the best blades if the engine had a bit more power, or the blades themselves were narrower (2.5") like the stock blades.
I keep coming back to the stock blade as my go-to blade. It will leave a number of stragglers after a single pass, visible when looking at the profile of the lawn from ground level. That said, I almost always double-cut in order to get the look I am seeking (plus, with a weekly mow, my growth is usually so intense that a double cut is typically needed). These blades discharge with more of a fan-line pattern. Discharge can tend to be very close to the side of the deck, especially when the grass is damp, and it will leave more of a distinct trail than the high-lift blade. They can clump on occasion when the grass is damp. I usually come back to these blades when I get frustrated with the fuel consumption after a few weeks. You definitely don't get the same sense of vacuum with the stock blades as you do with the high-lifts. The grass tends to lay over after being cut (unless the cutting conditions are perfectly dry and temps are cool which gives the grass some "spring"), and rarely will they pick up a stick or stone and discharge it.
All that said, I don't think the stock blade is a "perfect" blade by any means, and that's why I continue to switch back and forth between them and the high-lifts. The stock blades do probably give the best balance of cut performance, fuel economy, and discharge within the limitations of the mower (deck design, engine size, etc.). I am planning to try a commercial mower with a big powerplant at some point this season to see how a true pro mower would work for cut quality, likely an Exmark or Scag. I will report back with observations at that time.
I'm interested in hearing others' experience with alternative blades as well.
I've spent some time running three different blades on my 54" Fastrak mower, and I wanted to share some comparisons. I believe the Raptor 54" model uses the same blades. I'd be interested in hearing feedback from others who have tried different blades as well. I cut a northern mix lawn at approximately 3.75". I side-discharge, and I'm in search of a perfect, carpet-like cut. Deck is perfectly leveled per the service manual.
Excluding dedicated mulching blades, there are three primary types of blades I've been experimenting with for this mower:
- 797696 - This is the blade that came on the mower. It's listed in Hustler's manual as a high-lift blade, though I would characterize it as medium-lift. It has a moderate air foil with no notch. It's a 2.5" blade.
- 602416 - This blade is not listed in the Hustler parts manual, but it was provided to me by my dealer when I was troubleshooting cut issues. I've seen it described in other Hustler documentation as a "catcher blade", designed for use with grass catcher systems. It is a very high-lift blade, with a high air foil and a notch. It is 3" wide.
- Gator G5 596808 - This is the Gator G5 replacement blade for this mower. It is a 3" wide blade with the typical Hustler G5/G6 design. The air foil is not quite as high as the catcher blade. It has the treated blade edge surface to keep it sharper longer. I believe it's a thinner blade than the G6 (the G6 was not available for this mower when I purchased the G5, I now see that Oregon has a G6 part number), consistent with the thickness of the other two blades I've run (about 0.204").
Starting with the last one first - the Gator G5. I've never been happy running this blade. I've tried under most cutting conditions and found that it doesn't do anything well. It will always leave stringers, and always leave discharge clumps or a discharge trail. I know many are enamored by the Gator G5/G6 blades, but I had not found a situation where I thought it left a good cut. It's a wider and heavier blade, and I believe this saps some power from the FR691V which affects the cut as well (more on this in a minute). For the four years I've had the Raptor/Fastrak mowers, I've run this blade for no more than a couple of weeks. Each time I do, I'm reminded why I stop running it.
This leaves the 797696 (which I will refer to as stock blade) and the 602416 (which I shall call high-lift).
I love the cut of the high-lift blade. It picks up every single blade of grass and never leaves a straggler, under any mowing conditions. It seems to discharge the furthest, though the discharge comes out of the chute like a stream at the front of the chute rather than a spray. Even though it discharges the furthest, it does not necessarily discharge far. Under dry conditions, it rarely clumps or leaves a trail, though it will leave a fair amount of clippings on the row over, usually requiring a double cut. Under wet conditions, it works a little worse than the stock blades with respect to clumping and trails of grass. These blades sound like a jet when operating and really consume fuel - I normally get 3 mows out of a tank of fuel for my 1.5 acres; with these, I'm using what feels like a tank in a single mow. I think the single biggest downfall with these blades it that they do drag more, they are heavier, and they are wider (3") than stock blades. I think this saps a significant amount of power from the FR691V, which reduces some of the benefits of the better cut potential of these blades. I believe these would be the best blades if the engine had a bit more power, or the blades themselves were narrower (2.5") like the stock blades.
I keep coming back to the stock blade as my go-to blade. It will leave a number of stragglers after a single pass, visible when looking at the profile of the lawn from ground level. That said, I almost always double-cut in order to get the look I am seeking (plus, with a weekly mow, my growth is usually so intense that a double cut is typically needed). These blades discharge with more of a fan-line pattern. Discharge can tend to be very close to the side of the deck, especially when the grass is damp, and it will leave more of a distinct trail than the high-lift blade. They can clump on occasion when the grass is damp. I usually come back to these blades when I get frustrated with the fuel consumption after a few weeks. You definitely don't get the same sense of vacuum with the stock blades as you do with the high-lifts. The grass tends to lay over after being cut (unless the cutting conditions are perfectly dry and temps are cool which gives the grass some "spring"), and rarely will they pick up a stick or stone and discharge it.
All that said, I don't think the stock blade is a "perfect" blade by any means, and that's why I continue to switch back and forth between them and the high-lifts. The stock blades do probably give the best balance of cut performance, fuel economy, and discharge within the limitations of the mower (deck design, engine size, etc.). I am planning to try a commercial mower with a big powerplant at some point this season to see how a true pro mower would work for cut quality, likely an Exmark or Scag. I will report back with observations at that time.
I'm interested in hearing others' experience with alternative blades as well.
