mowhigh
07-21-2004, 02:56 AM
Finally had a chance to install and use the mulching kit on my 52" Charger; this is essentially the same deck as on the JAZee (other than blades, 48 & 52 kits are identical, except for the baffle).
My initial concerns were clumping (I tend to procrastinate on mowing, which on my previous JD meant removing the endplate when mowing any tall stuff) and losing the fanatastic blower capability that I enjoyed from the side discharge.
Installation was straight-forward. The included blades are Gators, along with a baffle (attached to endplate). The assembled unit is attached to the deck with 4 hex bolts (which I immediately considered replacing with something like a wingnut for easier removal, especially in tall grass).
Prior to installation (greatly simplified with the flip-up deck) I thoroughly scraped and hosed off the underside (which really needed it - thanks again for the flip-up feature). I worried that it would accumulate even more debris with the additional baffle and endplate (wasn't true).
MOWING: cut great, without any blowout; the deck still had enough suction to pull in taller weeds (last mowed one week ago after lots of rain - had left noticeable clippings/windrows). No noticeable new clippings, while last week's showed moderate improvement. As I started on the taller grass in my back section, I kept waiting for clumping or other signs that the mower/deck was getting overwhelmed, but it just continued humming along. By now, I would have had to remove the JD's endplate and even back up occasionally to clear the deck (a friend's Toro had stalled out repeatedly in this stuff).
After 3 hours of mulching (including a long, wet strip along a neighbor's yard) I expected that cleaning the underside would be much worse than before. I was very pleasantly surprised that I had much less scraping than when I side-discharged. There were a couple of clumps along the added baffle and front corner of the endplate, but these were easily cleared with blower and hose, rather than scraping. I think that easy removal of the mulch kit (still thinking about wingnuts) will further simplify cleanup.
My other concern about losing my convenient blower was also premature. While not as powerful as before, it still did the job better than my old JD (which was better than the new ones I demoed). There was also much, much less to have to blow away (mostly where I had to straddle a sidewalk or driveway). It was also nice to be able to reverse direction (and offset tire ruts) around patios, flowerbeds and perimeters, without worrying about discharged clippings.
My verdict: 2 thumbs up!
My initial concerns were clumping (I tend to procrastinate on mowing, which on my previous JD meant removing the endplate when mowing any tall stuff) and losing the fanatastic blower capability that I enjoyed from the side discharge.
Installation was straight-forward. The included blades are Gators, along with a baffle (attached to endplate). The assembled unit is attached to the deck with 4 hex bolts (which I immediately considered replacing with something like a wingnut for easier removal, especially in tall grass).
Prior to installation (greatly simplified with the flip-up deck) I thoroughly scraped and hosed off the underside (which really needed it - thanks again for the flip-up feature). I worried that it would accumulate even more debris with the additional baffle and endplate (wasn't true).
MOWING: cut great, without any blowout; the deck still had enough suction to pull in taller weeds (last mowed one week ago after lots of rain - had left noticeable clippings/windrows). No noticeable new clippings, while last week's showed moderate improvement. As I started on the taller grass in my back section, I kept waiting for clumping or other signs that the mower/deck was getting overwhelmed, but it just continued humming along. By now, I would have had to remove the JD's endplate and even back up occasionally to clear the deck (a friend's Toro had stalled out repeatedly in this stuff).
After 3 hours of mulching (including a long, wet strip along a neighbor's yard) I expected that cleaning the underside would be much worse than before. I was very pleasantly surprised that I had much less scraping than when I side-discharged. There were a couple of clumps along the added baffle and front corner of the endplate, but these were easily cleared with blower and hose, rather than scraping. I think that easy removal of the mulch kit (still thinking about wingnuts) will further simplify cleanup.
My other concern about losing my convenient blower was also premature. While not as powerful as before, it still did the job better than my old JD (which was better than the new ones I demoed). There was also much, much less to have to blow away (mostly where I had to straddle a sidewalk or driveway). It was also nice to be able to reverse direction (and offset tire ruts) around patios, flowerbeds and perimeters, without worrying about discharged clippings.
My verdict: 2 thumbs up!