Mulching Craftsman T110 riding mower mulch kit question

J

JDRide

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I just bought a Craftsman T110 riding lawn mower (42" deck) and bought a mulching kit with it. I have to install the kit, but the instructions direct me to replace the regular blades with the mulch kit blades. However, I noticed the mulch blades are very dull, whereas the regular blades (already on the mower) are sharper. My purpose is just to block the side discharge so that when grass is cut, it falls on the lawn and not thrown over the side onto the road. My questions are:
1. can I just use the blocking panel from the mulch kit, without replacing the blades? Will this do the job?
2. why are the mulch blades so much duller than the regular blades? wouldn't using the regular blades mulch the grass much better? as long the grass is blocked from the side discharge by the mulch kit panel, wouldn't this serve my purpose (to keep cut grass falling on lawn where it is cut, not being blown away through the side discharge)?
3. if I just install the blocking panel and not the mulch blades, will using my mower this way damage it in any way?
THANK YOU for helping me. Really appreciate it. JD.
 
stevestd

stevestd

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Any blade will work with a mulching deck. However, as a mulching deck is meant to lift the grass up to recycle and not out to discharge; a high lift blade will work best under most conditions. Lower lift blades will cut the grass but will result in an inferior cut quality by leaving larger clippings and/or clumps of grass on the lawn. All blades should be (relatively) sharp. Try both sets of blades to compare cut quality.
 
Bob E

Bob E

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Normal blades won't work as good.
I've noticed the dullness on new craftsman mulching blades too. I thought maybe it was just a heavy coat of paint, but nope.
 
I

ILENGINE

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According to Oregon blade sharpening advice to their dealers we are suppose to sharpen at a 30 degree angle and leave a 30 thousands blunt edge. A razor sharp edge that people want doesn't last more than a few minutes or less.
 
Bob E

Bob E

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Yeah, a sharp point will just roll over. When I say dull I'm talking rounded.
 
C

cruzenmike

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Normal blades, usually a 2-1 or high lift containing a taller sail has only one purpose; to move as much air and clippings OUT from under the deck. The reason why your mulching kit has different blades is that they will lift the grass just enough to cut and then re-circulate the clippings under the deck without trying to move them out from underneath Obviously the plug completes the package by allowing the clips to stay under the deck to get re-cut over and over. A high lift blade with a plug will result in a lot of blowout and clippings piling up on the discharge side of the deck. Even with the kit installed correctly, be advised that mulching only works well when conditions are just right. The grass must be as dry as possible, you must remove only 1/3 or less of the grass length and you cannot mow at full speed. Doing this as I have described will leave a nicely cut lawn with small clippings recycled into the turf to provide fertilizer. If you follow my advice and you still get a lot of visible clippings or some clumping, either slow it down or mow more often. As for blade sharpness, the blade isn't supposed to be "razor" sharp. As stated by others, blades that are really sharp will wear/dull faster.
 
stevestd

stevestd

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cruzenmike said:
Normal blades, usually a 2-1 or high lift containing a taller sail has only one purpose; to move as much air and clippings OUT from under the deck. The reason why your mulching kit has different blades is that they will lift the grass just enough to cut and then re-circulate the clippings under the deck without trying to move them out from underneath Obviously the plug completes the package by allowing the clips to stay under the deck to get re-cut over and over. A high lift blade with a plug will result in a lot of blowout and clippings piling up on the discharge side of the deck. Even with the kit installed correctly, be advised that mulching only works well when conditions are just right. The grass must be as dry as possible, you must remove only 1/3 or less of the grass length and you cannot mow at full speed. Doing this as I have described will leave a nicely cut lawn with small clippings recycled into the turf to provide fertilizer. If you follow my advice and you still get a lot of visible clippings or some clumping, either slow it down or mow more often. As for blade sharpness, the blade isn't supposed to be "razor" sharp. As stated by others, blades that are really sharp will wear/dull faster.
Click to expand...

This is exactly right. The techniques used to mulch grass are different to side discharge, especially for long and/or wet grass. You will have to experiment to obtain the best results using different blades types under different mowing conditions.
 
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