Best blades ?

[bgaston]

What are the best, cleanest cutting blades to use on a 52" ZTR eXmark ? "Side discharging".
Also, what blades did mine come with ? I bought it new in May 02'.
I have done a search in both this forum and the Commercial lawn care forum. Still have not found direct answers.
Thank you.

[eXmark]

Bgaston,

Thanks for the question. I pasted in some information on blades that Fred put together for us that kinda helps explain the advantages of each blade.

My favorite blade when side discharging or bagging is the solid air foil. In my opinion once the spring growth is over and things begin to dry out it leaves the cleanest most manicured cut. It can also be useful then conditions get a little to dry and dust begins to become more of an issue. I will warn you however, when used in wet or spring growth conditions the will produce a very dirty deck which can then cause the quality of cut to decrease.

Great blade

Thanks

Terry


Notched Air Foil
These are factory blade and best for most applications
Max. lift and discharge velocity
Ideal for heavy thick grasses
Takes full advantage of hp

Solid Air Foil
Blades reduce flex when mowing
Blades don't tend to bend as easily after impact
Can help in reducing blow out
Helpful in cutting Bahia shoot, Dandelions, Foxtail, etc.
Will reduce discharge velocity

Low Lift
Used a lot in sandy areas
Helps reduce build-up on bottom of deck
Reduces discharge velocity
Reduces blow out
Uses less hp to operate
Lower noise

Mulching
Works well with our mulch kit
Uses maximum hp for best results
Forces clipping back into turf
Blades need to be sharpened more often do to increase cutting of clippings

[bgaston]

Thanks for the info.
Your post says that the Notched Air Foil are the factory blades. So these are what came on my ZTR from the factory, correct ?
Also, what are the best to use during wet and spring growth conditions ? "Side discharging".

[eXmark]

Bgaston,

The notched come standard from the factory on all Exmark mowers larger than 21".

The notched blade performs better in wet spring like conditions but performs well in nearly all conditions. Since most machines are sold in the spring that is the standard blade. The solid airfoil is our best-performing blade once you get through he spring growth and works extremely well right up until you hit extremely dry conditions.

Once you’re past normal summer cutting and into very dry fall conditions or drought conditions this blade is in my opinion the best choice. In these conditions the blade still cuts fine and doesn't create as much dust as the notched blade but it can still create some dust.

If the dust issue becomes to great you should then use the low lift blade. The low lift blade is also a good choice if your doing some brush hogging or in sandy conditions.

All 3 of these blades are suited very well to bagging or side discharging when used in the appropriate conditions.

Thanks

Terry