Do you have a favorite mower blade brand?
- Thread starter ZZman
- Start date
The Gator mulching blades are the best I've used. I've got 5yrs on a set mowing my 1/2 acre (48in zero turn mowing takes 30min) and they are just now ready to be replaced.. I do sharpen them every year. I know project farm on youtube is sort of frowned upon, but he just posted a lawn mower blade review video on youtube. I haven't watched it yet though.
Oregon
www.oregonproducts.com
Mower Blades | Oregon Products
Cut grass with precision, speed, and efficiency. Built for durability and designed with the latest technology, Gator Blades can manage any environment.
I liked the Oregon G5/ gator blade on my basic MTD self-propelled mower. I only mulch the grass when I mow. And as a mulching blade, I found it did a better job than the original "lift" type OEM blade it came with. I also raised the RPM of the engine to 3200 vs the stock RPM of around 2800. This made a Huge difference.
With my Toro super recycler, the OEM blade is designed to work with the deck and I am not going to change that.
With my Toro super recycler, the OEM blade is designed to work with the deck and I am not going to change that.
I've been running the Oregon Gator blades for years. Won't use anything else at this point. Yes, they're a heavy blade... but for me, they do what they claim. I'm using them on 2 John Deere 425 AWS units. Kawasaki engines. One with a 54" deck and one with a 60" deck.
The Snapper Ninja blade is my fav. Smooth and quiet, with great mulching ability. Much quieter than the multi-slotted blades (that I've tried) when running at a full 3600RPM. This is important when trying to mow on Sunday morning.
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Oregon Gators, been using them for years. I haven't found a downside besides them being a bit heavier and requiring a bit more HP to run. They might also not be great for a really sandy environment, where you would want a blade with no lift.
-Great for mulching, I mulch all the leaves in my yard with my 48" mower using just the blades and a mulch plate.
-Great for bagging, the smaller clippings allow you to mow longer before the bags need to be empty.
-Tough cutting edge, lasts multiple sharpenings and stands up to hitting sticks and debris much better.
-Great for mulching, I mulch all the leaves in my yard with my 48" mower using just the blades and a mulch plate.
-Great for bagging, the smaller clippings allow you to mow longer before the bags need to be empty.
-Tough cutting edge, lasts multiple sharpenings and stands up to hitting sticks and debris much better.
Under $20 for a Black and Decker 18 inch blade on Ebay.
Toro factory blades most of the year. Gator G5 blades spring and fall for leaves and twigs.
I've gone to a 60 grit flap wheel for this reason.
Gator G5. Reason, it has a special coating on bottom of cutting area making it very rugged. I use nothing else for my Husqvarna rider. I let the clippings fly out the side chute but also works great for bagging and sucking up leaves in the fall.
It really depends on what kind of terrain you mow and how many hours you put on the mower. My grandpa mows a 5+ acre field every week with a large commercial mower. The terrain isn't always great, lots of debris and sticks. All the cheap blades looked horrible after one season, to the point where they had to be replaced. The Gators last 2-3 seasons before he destroys them, so the cost difference is worth it.
The commercial mowing companies I service mowers for all use OEM or Gator blades only.
Huh. I've never bought a new lawnmower blade. Even my 20 year old rider had the original blades when it got retired because of a bad transmission.
But for everyone else, please continue. Interesting thread.
But for everyone else, please continue. Interesting thread.
I never had a problem. I mow three acres weekly, I sharpen twice a year. Sticks have never hurt my blades.Only stones have damaged my blades.If I had a mowing business, yes I would go with OEM. That's just common sense.
Was it leaving strips of uncut grass? My uncle brought a riding mower to me with the original (15+ year old) blades on it. They had no "lift wings" left as they had worn down, and the blade tips were severely worn, creating more distance between the blades under the deck leaving strips of uncut grass.
No, it was cutting just fine. I will say that the steel in the blades was very hard. A file wouldn't touch it.
It was a Genuine Honda OHV rider - and we don't have any rocks to cut.
But now that you mention strips of uncut grass - I've seen that from friends that replaced their riding mower blades.... mostly because the replacements were a fuzz shorter than the originals.
Nice those old Honda riders were quality machines. Having a good lawn with no rocks and not much sand helps tremendously.No, it was cutting just fine. I will say that the steel in the blades was very hard. A file wouldn't touch it.
It was a Genuine Honda OHV rider - and we don't have any rocks to cut.
But now that you mention strips of uncut grass - I've seen that from friends that replaced their riding mower blades.... mostly because the replacements were a fuzz shorter than the originals.
