Blades for 61" Tiger Cat II

davidvercher

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Hey guys, I cut mainly Bahia grass and the OEM blades have done well. I purchased a set of USA Mower Blades "Extra High-Lift" off of amazon. They do not cut as well as the OEM blades. What do you guys run? I don't have any leaves to mulch, so no need for Gator G3s. Should I stay with OEM or do you have a cheaper option that will get the same/better results?
 

Sweats

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I bought a six pack of Gator G5s for about $75 from Amazon late last summer. I don't know if that's a better deal than my OEMs would cost to replace, but the G5s don't cut any better. They're don't cut any worse at least, but they certainly don't cut any better. If the width and weight are any indication, I'll be able to sharpen them more times than the OEMs, so there's that. For what it's worth, I cut a pretty wide variety of grasses.
 

jekjr

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I feel you on Bahia Grass I'm about 100 miles off the coast in Alabama. I have cut back now but was running 4 Tiger Cats blowing over 100 plus properties from 15 acres down. 14 day rotations. I finally just started running Oregon blades and changing them two or three times a day on long days.

I seem to get a little better runs out of the OEM but you can find the Oregon blades much cheaper and they run good.
 

Sweats

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On the other hand, freshly sharpened Gator G5's are WAY better than dull OEM's (haha). My mower was wearing the OEM's most recently and I had a couple of acres of about 8" grass that I wanted to take down to 5" (then hit it again in a couple of days at the 4 1/2 inches the bulk of my yard wears during the hotter months). Anyway, I changed out the blades for some Gators I'd just sharpened, and of course, the mower cut through that field like butter. Credit where credit's due of course; Velocity deck, strong engine, all that stuff yeah yeah, but MAN those blades made short (not intended) work of that grass! Yeow! Gotta love fresh blades.

Just for context, It's not like the OEM's were new; I've sharpened them a couple of times too. It's just that I probably let them go too long this time around. In that respect, bad on me. It's so much easier on the mower when it's wearing sharp blades.
 

Mad Mackie

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Tiger Cub 48" deck with collection system.
I tried Gator G5s and found them to be of no benefit, very heavy as they are wider and thicker. I was much happier with Gator G3s and feel that they are equal to OEM blades and half the price. I buy them on line 12 at a time. Bear in mind that I am in southern New England, rocky, rooty, bumpy and hilly. I use the collection system about 90% on the time.
 

jekjr

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I honestly would love to travel the country and see what grass in all areas of the country is like compared to Bahia Grass. In this forum and many others guys have opinions on cutting grass and blades ect. Most of them are knowledgeable, and are giving great advice. Problem is most do not understand the struggle of dealing with Bahia Grass. I am sure that in other areas they have varieties that have equal struggles but take different blades, setups, etc.

It can grow 2' a day in July and August in Lower parts of the southern states when it rains every afternoon and the temps stay in the 80's at night with a daily heat index of 100+. It is tough to cut and strings out really bad. Mulching is pretty much out unless you cut the mess every day. Bagging is pretty much out unless you have a very small property to cut or you have plenty of time on your hands.

Bahia Grass is a different world.
 
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