Which 48" mower would you put a mulching kit on?

[davidcalhoun]

If you could only choose one, which of these two 48" mowers would you put a mulch kit on?

John Deere Quik-Trak 647A with a 7 Iron II deck. 19 hp Kaw.

Exmark Viking 48" Hydro with a TriVantage deck. 15 hp Kaw.

I would like to get some feedback as to which mower might do best with a mulch kit.

Additional info: Northern Indiana. Grass will mainly be cut at 3" to 3 1/2".

Thanks,

[rmslawns]

I would put it on the JD. 7 Iron deck mulches well, plus the extra HP vs the Exmark. Best results for me at least is not mulching on wet grass if you can work it out. Not sure of your situation. Make sure you have some extra sets of mulching blades. They really need to be changed more often than open chute cutting.

[mowerbrad]

Originally Posted by davidcalhoun

If you could only choose one, which of these two 48" mowers would you put a mulch kit on?

John Deere Quik-Trak 647A with a 7 Iron II deck. 19 hp Kaw.

Exmark Viking 48" Hydro with a TriVantage deck. 15 hp Kaw.

I would like to get some feedback as to which mower might do best with a mulch kit.

Additional info: Northern Indiana. Grass will mainly be cut at 3" to 3 1/2".

Thanks,

I can comment on how well the quik traks cut with the 7iron decks, just not mulching.

Do you currently own these machines? If you are looking at buying and get the quik-trak you will probably get the updated 647A with the PRO deck and 22hp engine...along with a few other minor updates. You just missed the $400 rebate on the quik traks last month, I bought my new 647A (2011 updated model) for $6300.

[dishboy]

I would pick the stamped deck over the fabricated deck as grass sticking to the deck will slow down the mulching operation more than anything else on two similar mulch kits/blade setups. Why are you stuck on a 48" , they use a small 16" blade and blade circle which leaves little room in the chamber to cycle the grass. IMO a 52 or 42 would be a better choice for a mulch deck. Not sure if that is a JD option though?

[davidcalhoun]

Hi guys,

I should have mentioned that I already own these two machines. Just trying to obtain your insights when it comes to mulching with these decks.

Thanks,

[MJB]

Originally Posted by davidcalhoun

Hi guys,

I should have mentioned that I already own these two machines. Just trying to obtain your insights when it comes to mulching with these decks.

Thanks,

The Trivantage deck mulches very well. I have a 60" that I mulch with and it's great. Also your JD probably side discharges better than the Exmark, so if that is the case I would mulch with the Exmark... only... if the power is sufficient. There is where your weak link would be in the power. My 60" has a 22hp L/C Kawi and it bogs down a lot more than my 28 Kawi. The hp might force your decision back to the JD.