Bag vs. Mulching vs. Side Discharge

[Green Acres]

How many of you bag or mulch your lawns? Last year I just used the side discharge but think I will get a few sets of gator blades this year to try them out. I know there are certain benefits to mulching so there isn't any excuse for me not to get them. I'm not sure about bagging. I've seen a few people bagging and it seems like alot of extra work and doesn't look all that better if any. I can understand maybe in apartment complexes in tight places and around the cars but that's it. Maybe it's just me. Which method do you perfer? If you can shed some light onto the situation for me please do so. Thanks

[kutnkru]

I would advise your clients to allow you to side discharge. By doing this we have cut back on the amount of our fert apps by almost 50%. I find that side discharging creates a healthier turfgrass environment and cuts down on the costs associated with bagging. We only bagg in the early spring or late fall when it is necaessary to get the heaviest growth off the lawns. I am going to try the "double blade" theory this season and hopefully I can eliminate bagging all together. As for mulching I havent seen but one contractor with the set-up on a 36 here.

Hopefully this helps.
Kris

[TJLC]

I would think that during the season it would be very difficult to mulch because of the height and thickness of the grass. I've always discharged the grass. I had a mulch kit on my 36" mower, but took it off. This is not to say you can't mulch with good results. Maybe I'll try it sometime. To each his own.

[VLM]

If anyone tells me they want me to bag it I tell them they have the wrong guy. I used to bag when I first started out but that was many years ago and now I dont need the headache. The consensus around here seems to be side discharging with a combo of dual blades, lifters and gators. I've been using the Gators, side discharging for a few years now and it works great, but I cant wait to instal the double blade configuration. By the way, do you need spacers between the blades?

[Mowman]

Up until last year I used a Toro 21" Commercial WB w/ the recycler deck. My lawns looked great except in the spring I had to mow very SLOW as not to plug up the mower. After getting my SD Walker in June I now SD everything. SD is much faster. Yes, you may have to run over it twice but that is still faster than POKEING along mulching long heavy spring grass. Customers still think their lawns look just as good or better than when I used the recycler.
Good Luck,
Mowman

[kutnkru]

VLM

I believe they are using a 1/4 inch spacer between blades.
Cannot wait to try this out myself. Im tempted to try it on the snow covered ground to see if I see a green stripe or not. LOL

Kris

[GLM]

I side discharge the crappy lawns and bag the nice lush ones. I use high lift blades and these cut and lift thick grass and the results on plush lawns are a nice clean cut and no clippings. Gators work great but my lawns are 50/50 nice and not so nice and the gaters in my experience do not have enough lift to fill my bag, so the high lifts do the job for me. Keep in mowing Jon G GLM.

[kutnkru]

High lifts definitely put a better ribbon cut on the lawns than do gator's.

Kris

[moonarrow]

I use side discharge and mulcher both, but use double blades on both works great for me

[rdh]

vlm & KUTNKRU
ijust put the dbl. blades in a cross no spasers.
just use wire wheel to clean paint off keeps them from moving if you hit some thing.
my mowers have spasers 3 of them i just take one off to make up for the xtra blade (no there is no spasers inbetween
the blades).

[rdh]

glm i would say dbl blades gator and hi lift will pack that bag better then again you may never use bag thouse blades will through grass across 5 passes they realy move some air
thats whe i think my decks dont clugg up even in wet grass.

[kutnkru]

Thanks rdh.
Kris

[65hoss]

I put the mulching kit on the exmarks. Looks like you bagged it without all the hassle. I will put the kits on after I finish spring cleanups. Personally I hate the looks of side discharging. Thats why I went with the best mulcher on the market. eXmark!

[Randy Scott]

Hey 65hoss, I think I want to put the mulch kit on my 60" Lazer but my dealer doesn't really think I need to. I would like to do it just to control the clippings as much as possible, not have them blowing all over. And if it does just a touch better of a job as far as results go, that's what I would like, better than the next guy. I don't want to be average, I want better than average results. How much is the mulch kit, I never asked the dealer yet?

[65hoss]

I think it is around $110. That is the very reason I like it, it makes me different than all the others cutting grass. People don't associate me with the mow and blow crowd. I see people say that it doesn't work in wet conditions or tall stuff, but I use mine all the time and it works good in all conditions. Yes, sometimes you might need to double cut (not often) but look at how many others do the same thing also. Sometimes in tall or wet conditions all of us need to double cut. With the Lazer you can fly over the second cut and it is perfect. Its also quicker on most lawns to do this than to spend the extra time cleaning up. You will no longer need to worry about going between two flowerbeds and deciding which one gets the grass blown in it.

[GLM]

RDH, I don't think that I can use double blades I'll have to look in to it. Gravely uses a funny bottom on the spindle that the blade sits in.I would need a spacer to get the bottom blade out of the holder and across the other one.I would like to try it. I take it that you put the high lifts on the bottom and let them lift and cut the grass and send it into the mulchers? I think that would be a neat experiment for me this spring. Thanks for any info Jon G. GLM

[Fantasy Lawns]

down here it's 60/40, I have to mulch my premium accounts ....the st aug does not lay down like the thin blade grasses....so it chops up much better ...only at peak summer I may have to run a blower on heavy clippings .....but I sd every chance I can on larger retention ponds or +acre lots....so much faster ...especially if wet

[Randy Scott]

Thanks 65hoss, I think for that price I'm going to just go ahead and get one and experiment for myself. I would really like to make an impression on customers to do the best job possible. I guess I will just have to wait and see how it'll work out.Thanks, Randy.

[John DiMartino]

I would side discharge wherever possible-it is the quickest and most proiftable in open areas.Islands and tight areas sometimes are better mulched or bagged to keep clippings from going everywhere.

[AlpineLandscpMaint]

This question is for those who have Exmarks and mulch, do you run the Exmark mulching blades or others? and how do sharpen the mulching blades without making a mess out of them. I put on a mulching kit this past fall and love the results on my Lazer Z/HP 48" deck...