Fastrak 36" mulching capabilities

[krazy8]

I recently purchased the 36" Mini Fastrak 15hp and had the dealer put on the mulching kit and the gator blades. I really love this mower and it has pretty much done everything I expected, but I am not completely satisfied with the mulching aspect so far. I have cut my grass weakly and cut it at 3 3/4", but I seem to be leaving all kinds of grass behind. I read a post a while back that said Gator blades might not be the best idea, can anyone give me there thoughts on this. I cut the grass when dry, but with the rainy season here in South florida the grass gets pretty thick this time of year. I was hoping I wouldn't have to cut it more then once per week?

[mowerconsultant]

There are "wavy" mulching blades available also, I believe that will take care of your problem, that and not taking to much off in a single pass.
I don't have the part #'s here with me, but I can post them tomorrow for you.

Pj

[mowerconsultant]

Also,
How much are you taking off when your cutting it to 3 3/4?
Depending on what type of grass your cutting you may have to mow more frequently.

Pj

[krazy8]

Pj,
I believe the grass here is a St. Augustine mix, and I am taking off about an 1 1/2" when mowing. I am cutting every 6-7 days, but like I said I am leaving alot of grass clumps when mowing, and leaving some uncut grass when mowing a little quicker. I would try a different blade if you think that would make a difference. Would the wavy mulching blades be better then the stock blades?, if so I'll wait for the stock #'s and give them a try.
Thanks again Pj, your a great resource to have.

[mowerconsultant]

Ok... Here's the deal with the wavy mulching blade for the 36" Mini FasTrak, as wierd as this sounds......
You can only use 1 wavy mulching blade with the 36" Mini FasTrak, seeing how the 36" deck uses 2 different size blades, and our blade MFG can not make the smaller of the 2 blades in a wavy design, we suggest you use 1 wavy blade (right) and the stock blade as the other (left).
The part # you need for the right side (wavy mulching blade) is 794214.
In any case the wavy blade being on the right is going to do the majority of the mulching due to the natural flow of the deck in this design.
Hope this explains it and helps.

Pj

[krazy8]

Thanks Pj, I'll check into the other blades and see how that will work and let you know.

[TClawn]

pj, what are the sizes of the two different blades?

[mowerconsultant]

pj, what are the sizes of the two different blades?

On the 36" only, we use 2 different size blades, the left blade is 13.75 and the right blade is 20.50

Pj

[TClawn]

wow, those are some weird sizes. so what was the rational behind using the different size blades? I've see the fastrac cut, and it's very good, but I am amazed that it looks consistant with such a difference in rpms.

[mowerconsultant]

It's all in the design of the deck.
Blade tip speeds are within 375 FPM of each other. 18,355 on the right blade and 17,980 on the left blade.

Pj

[Fooltergeist]

Ok... Here's the deal with the wavy mulching blade for the 36" Mini FasTrak, as wierd as this sounds......
You can only use 1 wavy mulching blade with the 36" Mini FasTrak, seeing how the 36" deck uses 2 different size blades, and our blade MFG can not make the smaller of the 2 blades in a wavy design, we suggest you use 1 wavy blade (right) and the stock blade as the other (left).
The part # you need for the right side (wavy mulching blade) is 794214.
In any case the wavy blade being on the right is going to do the majority of the mulching due to the natural flow of the deck in this design.
Hope this explains it and helps.

Pj

I ordered the wavy mulching blade (P/N 794214) for the right side but I'm not sure what you mean by "stock blade" for the left side. Do you mean the original Hustler non-mulching stock blade P/N 793802 or the replacement Gator mulching blade P/N 794222? I assumed you meant the blade that came with the unit from the factory, is the stock blade, i.e., P/N 793802 but I just wanted to be absolutely sure. The order has gone out so its probably too late to change. Thanks.

[mowerconsultant]

The original Hustler non-mulching stock blade P/N 793802, is what I meant.