[Scott's Lawn Maintenance]

Which would you perfer to use when not bagging the clippings and your reason why .

 

[jbell36]

probably powerchute...mulching is going to take more time and horsepower and in my opinion not applicable on all yards, and will clump up in many situations...i was in the same situation last year and ended up buying the powerchute, although there is a technique in using it, it will leave a line/trail of clippings...definitely worth it tho, it's a great alternative to not blowing the leaves/grass into flower beds/parking lots...it's very simple, either you use it or you don't it's not like a mulch kit that is always on, it takes about 1 second for the powerchute to power up and down, very convenient

 

[DoetschOutdoor]

Scott, theres quite a bit of difference in the powerchute and a dedicated mulch kit from what I have seen...the chute is just for temporary blockage around areas you dont want grass blowing everywhere. The mulch kit is the blades and the different baffles (i think thats what their called?) that block off different sections under the mower and then you have the discharge area blocked all the time. From all the guys Ive talked to, they arent happy with simply putting down the chute and trying to mulch as it will leave stringers, uncut grass, etc. I think I am going to run a powerchute combined with regularly sharpened gator blades and side discharge most of the time but then with the good mulching blades, maybe be able to keep it down more time without running into cut quality issues.

Also, with the wet wet wet springs and summers we've had the last few years around here, I dont think I could get away with just the mulch kit. Grass grows too fast and mower wouldnt keep up with it.

 

[rjh4758]

Which would you perfer to use when not bagging the clippings and your reason why .

When not bagging I would just blow the clippings.

The mulching kit requires extra horse power and will not work well if at all with wet grass or taller grass. I have a mulch kit and no longer use it. It would not work hardly at all when I lived in PA. The cool season grasses grew too fast in the spring and it was real hard on the mower. Now that I live in the south I could probably get away with it as the grasses are not as thick. But most of lawns here are Bermuda and should be cut short and mulching short did not seem to work well for me.

I have the power chute and love it for keeping clippings off walks, driveways, AC units, beds, and anything else you do not want to blast with clippings but it is not a mulching kit. And if grass is a little heavy it will leave strips of clippings if left shut too long.