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Gator Blades for lawn mowers.

Started by gspren, April 15, 2013, 06:45:05 PM

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gspren

  Good or bad I just ordered a set of Gator Blades from Baileys to fit a 48" deck on my 345 JD. I have had this tractor for 13 years and like everything except that it doesn't handle damp grass at all so I thought I'd give a different style blade a try. Any opinions?
Stihl 041, 044 & 261, Kubota 400 RTV, Kubota BX 2670, Ferris Zero turn

beenthere

Not sure anything handles damp grass...well, and the way the Gator blades work (chopping grass blades into finer pieces), I doubt they will do any better. Hope you find they work well for you tho.

I've switched back and forth between the regular blades, hi-lift blades, and Gator blades, and only use the Gators now for leaf and debris pickup with PowerFlow and cart.
south central Wisconsin
It may be that my sole purpose in life is simply to serve as a warning to others

thecfarm

I put them on my 30 hp tractor that we mow with. We mow a field,but mow it like a lawn. I had them gators,they did ok,but I did not buy them again. I like the ones that did not have much of a lift to them. Those gave me the cleaner look. I buy new blades every year. They are all worn out in one year. We mow alot and hitting a few rocks don't help much.
Model 6020-20hp Manual Thomas bandsaw,TC40A 4wd 40 hp New Holland tractor, 450 Norse Winch, Heatmor 400 OWB,YCC 1978-79

Ed

Been using Gator blades for years now...I really like them. The mower deck stays cleaner longer.

Ed

trapper

 I bought a set from Baileys for my old rider and like them. Old john deere sabre.  It is getting worn and the steering is loose.  I still use it to keep trails in my woods clear.   My dealer recomends them for when I need to replace the blades on my new mower.
stihl ms241cm ms261cm  echo 310 400 suzuki  log arch made by stepson several logrite tools woodmizer LT30

gspren

Quote from: Ed on April 16, 2013, 09:09:16 AM
Been using Gator blades for years now...I really like them. The mower deck stays cleaner longer.

Ed

  That is what I am looking for, with the stock JD blades the grass clumps up and really sticks under the deck. On my older JD 318 with a 50" deck the grass spreads out much better even when damp and in the spring it is always damp. I just want to get the 345 to do better.
Stihl 041, 044 & 261, Kubota 400 RTV, Kubota BX 2670, Ferris Zero turn

SwampDonkey

Damp grass up north here is a daily routine in the early morning. I don't know much about blades, I just mow and when the blade wears bad I get something similar. I guess that's in line with my attitude on lawns. They are a nuisance and weekly chore that needs done. The old timers in my family never mowed no darn lawns, that's what calves and young cattle done. :D
"No amount of belief makes something a fact." James Randi

1 Thessalonians 5:21

2020 Polaris Ranger 570 to forward firewood, Husqvarna 555 XT Pro, Stihl FS560 clearing saw and continuously thinning my ground, on the side. Grow them trees. (((o)))

Al_Smith

I have to deal with wet grass too due to the fact I live in the woods in a manner of speaking .Mulching type blades just never seemed to work out for some reason .

About the only thing you can do is mow it the next day to knock the clumps apart .

thecfarm

Swampdonkey,I feel the same way. My FIL can't wait to mow.  ::)  He likes to be the first one and brag about it. I could go all summer without mowing,but if I did that I would have bushes 6 inches high by the end of summer.
Model 6020-20hp Manual Thomas bandsaw,TC40A 4wd 40 hp New Holland tractor, 450 Norse Winch, Heatmor 400 OWB,YCC 1978-79

Sonofman

gspren, I have a low end commercial ztr. I use regular blades on it of the style that are oem, and it does really well. It even does fairly good with wet grass. Of course, the blades on the deck spin really fast, that is one of the secrets of a ztr cutting grass faster is the speed of the blades. I would say they spin 2 to 3 times faster than your standard Murray type riding mower.

I have not tried anything but what came on it blade wise, but as I said, it does well enough with them for me. The underside of the deck stays really clean unless cutting wet grass, then the next time I cut dry, it cleans most of it out by itself. The high speed of the blades also dull them pretty fast, that and the fire ant mounds, I sharpen and change them every other cut. I am also mowing close to 8 acres at a time.

cfarm, your FIL ought to move down here, I cut this past weekend for the fifth time this year, and will cut every week, unless it gets to dry, until the first of October, and most likely 2 times in October.
Located due west of Due West.

Tom L



  That is what I am looking for, with the stock JD blades the grass clumps up and really sticks under the deck. On my older JD 318 with a 50" deck the grass spreads out much better even when damp and in the spring it is always damp. I just want to get the 345 to do better.
[/quote]

I have gator blades on my 318 and it really helps throw the grass. with the stock blades I did not get much grass shooting out of  the deck. the gator blades really helps that mower. . should be a benefit on any machine with a bigger deck
what year is your 318 , I bought mine in 93 with 150 hrs on it. still running strong. great machine

gspren


[/quote]

I have gator blades on my 318 and it really helps throw the grass. with the stock blades I did not get much grass shooting out of  the deck. the gator blades really helps that mower. . should be a benefit on any machine with a bigger deck
what year is your 318 , I bought mine in 93 with 150 hrs on it. still running strong. great machine
[/quote]

Tom, my 318 is a 1986 that I bought 5 years ago to do some of the rougher areas with but it mows better than my much newer 345. I also have a dozer blade and snow blower for the 318, tough little tractor!
Stihl 041, 044 & 261, Kubota 400 RTV, Kubota BX 2670, Ferris Zero turn

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