I have the JD mulch kit on my 2025r with a 60" deck and am pretty pleased with it. It will clump some but only when the grass is long and thick. I had a Kubota BX with the Kubota mulch kit and tried switching to gator blades and it threw grass all over me. Maybe without the mulch kit it wouldn't have. The blades did give a great cut though.

 

You need short grass clippings to be able to mulch properly, without clumping. Or only cut at a shorter swipe, each time you mow.
I'm testing out Gator blades and a chute blocker (no mulch kit under deck).
See my topic in the zero turn forum, for some info.

 

I just put Gator x5 blades on my 54" 1025R, replaced the 3 yr. old original blades.

I very much like them, but it's hard to quantify. Kinda like ANY new tires are gonna be better than your old, worn out tires I guess.

I did sharpen the old ones every other time or so. The G5's take an edge easily, but I don't know how long it will last. I use the grinding cone on a drill thing; works great after a little practice. They are quieter it seems, that's the first thing that I noticed. I did cut some tall grass, and the clippings were fine, short and dispersed well.

I bought a 3pk on Amazon for $42.87 and shipping was pretty fast. They fit perfectly. I did notice that the cutting edge was also a bit longer- it ran closer to the pivot point on the spindle. If the Gator blades are cheaper than a mulch kit, I'd do them first and give them a few cuttings. If you're still not satisfied then get the mulch kit.

 

FWIW...I just put mulch kits on my X360 & 1025 and like them both so far. Pretty sure after this season or sooner I'm going to change to the gator blades. Just running the ones that came with the mulch kits at the moment.

 

I have both Gator G6 blades and the 60d mulch kit. I find that the blades that come with the mulch kit do a better job believe it or not. I've also been using mulching mowers for a very long time and none of them have ever come close to the cut that the JD mulch kit gives. I've never really noticed much clumping, even when the grass is a bit long because of the weather it still performs with ease. Until it dries up I continue to run the Gator blades and side discharge, then I'll switch back to mulching.

 

Thanks Pat. I'll have to reconsider changing the blades then after this season. Maybe I'll stick with the JD ones.

 

Gator blades

I bought by 1025R used over the winter this year, just now getting into mowing with it's 60 inch MMM. Coming from an x739 with a mulching deck, I had intentions of adding the mulching kit to this deck, but hadn't gotten around to it so have been side discharging. The blades on the deck were in rough shape so I swapped them out for the G6 gator blades.

Of course I need to pay attention where I'm throwing grass, but the gatorblades using a side discharge is doing a better job chopping up and dispersing clippings than the JD mulching blades and mulching kit did on my x739. no clumps even with wet grass. I'm pretty impressed. I'll be skipping the mulching kit for the deck and sticking with the gator blades and side discharge!

 

Thanks for all the replies guys. I think I'll try the Gators and go from there.

 

My situation is a little different. The mulch kit for my 62d deck consists of pretty big molded plastic pieces and a set of specific mulching blades. The Gator blades will in now way fit with the mulch kit on.

I’ve used the G6 Gator blades for years with great success. Last year I bought a mulch kit to chop of leaves then tried it on the grass.

My grass is always wet in some places where the sun never hits because of heavy dew. So my first trial with the mulch kit was terrible. The underside of the deck became completely clogged within minutes.

I cleaned the kit up and put it in the corner of the barn out of frustration.

I’m tired of wet grass clippings though. We are in and out of the house all day - out dog Jake must make dozens of trips as he can come and go as he pleases.

I had the thought that I was mowing too low for the mulch kit to work properly. So I leveled my deck again this spring and set the cutting height a bit higher. Here I was mowing at 1.5” without knowing it - just went by looks. So I now set it to cut at 2.5”.

It works! The mulch kit works wonderfully now. I do have to wait until the grass is as dry as possible. Also need to cut more often - it just won’t work when trying to cut too much. The rule of cutting only 1/3 of the grass each time seems to be the sweet spot when using a mulch kit.

 

I switched from my original blades to Gator G6 blades last year and like them well enough. I don't notice much difference in the clippings and their dispersal. But the Gator G6's were cheaper, so that's a plus. I recently bought a mulch kit for my 60d MMM and am not happy with it at all. Currently it is sitting in the box in my garage. $360 with tax and if I use it, I will have to grind down the blades so much (1/4" off each end) to use it, I find it unacceptable. The directions say you might have to grind them, but 1/2" total per blade???? Now my MMM is older as I have a 1026R, so I'm not sure if that has anything to do with it. I think you're making the right choice and just trying the Gator blades first.

 

I switched from my original blades to Gator G6 blades last year and like them well enough. I don't notice much difference in the clippings and their dispersal. But the Gator G6's were cheaper, so that's a plus. I recently bought a mulch kit for my 60d MMM and am not happy with it at all. Currently it is sitting in the box in my garage. $360 with tax and if I use it, I will have to grind down the blades so much (1/4" off each end) to use it, I find it unacceptable. The directions say you might have to grind them, but 1/2" total per blade???? Now my MMM is older as I have a 1026R, so I'm not sure if that has anything to do with it. I think you're making the right choice and just trying the Gator blades first.

I'd have to look again at the installation instructions CP but for now I can say that I honestly don't remember seeing anything about that, nor was there an issue with fitment. That's too bad though, it truly does a very good job.

 

This is my second season using JD Predator blades and I love them. No mulching kit, just a piece of sheet metal covering the discharge opening. If you don't let the grass get too high and use a slow ground speed you won't even see the clippings. Does the same with leaves...gone! I'm thinking the blades cut the grass, circulate it through the deck to be re-cut and then re-cut a few more times. Bob

 

I'm not familiar with the G6 version but the original gator blades said they were Not to be used with a mulch kit.

I have used them with and without the mulch kit and could not quantify a difference.

 

Ok so Pat spurred me on to look at the book again. He’s right (don’t let it go to your head[emoji23]), no mention of grinding them down. I believe I read here in another thread about someone having to take a tiny bit off.

 

[emoji2962][emoji2962][emoji23]

 

That mulch kit is sure different than mine. Pic of the components - and a bit less money at $232.

 

That mulch kit is sure different than mine. Pic of the components - and a bit less money at $232.

Yep, it sure is. I’d thought about offering it for sale, but it’s not practical to ship.....it’s one heavy box.

 

I put G6 Gator blades on my 62C deck on my X595 and had great results. They clop the clippings much finer than the standard blades and get a nicer cut. I add a screen in front of the discharge in the fall to chop up the leaves. As long as their not a lot it does a decent job. The screen holds them in enough to get chopped and add some air flow.

 

OK, I'll preface this with my bias. I absolutely abhor the so called "mulching deck push mowers". Because of that I am still using a Lawn Boy. Taking mulching the the next step of a large riding mower deck is a huge stride in the wrong direction.

I have had gator blades on the 62C deck of the 2305 for 12 years and they work great. It seems like 2/3 of the clippings don't make it out of the deck. Two days ago I ordered G6 gators for the 60" HC deck on the X758. I can't imagine putting a mulching deck on one of these mowers.

 

I can't imagine putting a mulching deck on one of these mowers.

I guess you’ll never know if you’re not willing to try.
The best mulching mower I’ve ever owned and still is a Craftsman push mower that I bought in 1997. 21” with large rear wheels and a deck that was designed for mulching. Fast forward 20 years I tried the mulch kit on my 54D and it was a close second. Now with my 2025/60D I’ve honestly never seen anything mulch as good. But you have to have the right lawn and the right conditions for good mulching.

 

Well I got the G6 Gators for the 60" HC deck on the X758. Mowed once and am very happy with the results.

 

#gatorbladesrule

 

They are good, I just switched over to the mulch kit, been mowing with the Gator blades so far. But I still say this, if your lawn is right for mulching nothing looks better, but you have to have the right yard.