General Mowing Question

[Cougar123]

I currently have a 52" walk behind and a 44" inch walk behind. One has a 15 hp kaw and the other has a 14 hp kohler. I currently use high lift blades and just discharge the clippings. I am thinking i might get a better cut and leave less grass clippings in flowerbeds if i put a mulching kit on one of them...or both. I live in michigan and i cut mostly bluegrass. What do you all think i should do to achieve the best cut mulch or discharge, also does mulching slow down the speed i could mow at enough to make it not worth my time. What do you guys think?

[cjm2783]

i bought a mulching deck on my 36"... i love it and i hate it. it's great when you're doing leaves and lawns that aren't too high, but once you get into some tall wet grass it can be a pain.
i'm going to leave that one on, but next year when i buy new equipment i will discharge from that machine.

good luck,

cjm

[Cougar123]

reply to cjm

thanks for the reply, how long does it take to switch the mower from mulchinto to discharge?

[highlander316]

switching the kits in and out can take time. In my opinion, get an OCDC. I think discharging gives a better cut because you are not robbing the machine of HP while trying to mulch, so then you can in turn go faster. I go almost full speed all the time on my ZTR (except turns, hills, etc.) and leave an excellent cut.

[Cougar123]

reply to cjm

thanks everyone, any other input?

[cjm2783]

thanks for the reply, how long does it take to switch the mower from mulchinto to discharge?

you need an impact wrench for most or at least on mine, might take about 1 hour.. longer if you dont know how to do it at 1st.
cjm

[njnewbie]

I would either:

A) put doubled-up low-lift non-serrated mulchers on there and discharge (I have them on my recently purchased TTHP and they work great)

or

B)upgrade the engine the 19 or 23hp and get a true mulch kit with baffled chambers and double-blade it

In my opinion, 15hp is simply too weak to do anything but discharge. If grass doesn't grow much and you have dry conditions most of the time maybe it'll work for you, but it wouldn't fly in my region.

Discharge requires less horsepower. I discharge with single mulching blades on a Exmark TTHP 36" 15hp Kaw and it works excellent 99% but it's pushing it on the thickest grass. I am switching to doubles when I get my mulch kit. If the engine can't take it, I'll discharge and avoid the beds until I can afford the engine upgrade to 17hp.

[jgc8fan]

I use Gators and have a mulch plate on my 44" ZTR (19 HP Kohler), but do not have the front anti-blowout baffle kit... Doesn't seem to be much coming out the front at any rate. I mow at full speed except on thick or wet grass... For that I have to either mow slower, or in some cases raise the blade and mow high, and then come back with the blade at the right height (but then it's easier to change height on a Z vs a WB). It leaves a nice cut, but you have to keep on top of blade sharpening... With hi lifts you can sometimes get away with letting the blade go a bit between sharpenings before the cut suffers, but with the Gators I really notice it when the blades get dull. It is nice not having to worry about where clippings are going since they stay in there, and it's really nice having the chute off... Almost like having 2 trim sides on the deck (almost... The discharge side doesn't do quite as good as the true trim side, but it still saves some trimming).

It also does clump under the deck when mowing wet grass, and you may have to go back to mow clippings a second time if they are damp (it will leave a line of clippings on the discharge side).

I leave mine on year round... I just adjusted my mowing habits to deal with the little quips you run across with a mulch kit on. I gotta buy a few more sets of Gators this year to replace the ones I've worn out.

[njnewbie]

I'm not a fan of gators. They tend to leave a scrappy, chopped-up cut. I guess it's the serrated edge. Non-serrated leave more a "carpet" look that everyone wants.