Thanks for all the good info. Never used a zeroturn in my life and I am just starting a lawncare business. I just bought a Z2 52 Ferris with a Kawasaki 25 hp with only 52 hours. I bought it used with a mulch kit already installed. Yes it's a smaller engine but I already decided the mulch kit is staying. Just seems to be the smart thing to do. Plus I'm an old man and only wanting to supplement my income. I wish I knew more on how to charge new customers. My plan is to cut, edge, and trim but it looks like I should do leaf clean up as well since I have a Ferris with a mulch kit. Anyways I appreciate you.
Nice mower! I think you’ll like the Z2. Let me know what you think of it. I like the way the mulch kit makes the lawn look after mowing or mulching leaves. Always gives it a nice clean look. 💯
Mulching requires more horsepower and the grass has to be really dry or you end up with thick grass stuck like glue gobbed under the deck which is a real chore to clean and causes rust. Side discharge is fine as long as it isn't 5" tall when you mow. The benefits to the lawn of side discharge are as good as mulching but less work under the deck. Thats my opinion.
Yes 👍 I just bought a mower in a hurry last year it’s a mulching one I couldn’t figure out this year why it was bogging down ! Looked under packed with grass horrible
Would like to know your blade setup and your underdeck build up of grass? We are Mulching here with 60 exmark and the deck build up is horrible. Great cut,no clumps,no streaks. Just very unhappy with deck build up.
You gotta use the mulching blades with the mulch kit. If not, you will have a lot of buildup from those high lift blades. There's very little, if any, build up under the deck when using mulching blades.
I have owned only one mulch mower that didn’t leave a win row on the chute side and that was a X mark 60 inch. I run Ferris now just as you got there. I have a 36 Z1 and a 52 Z2. I have tried mulch kits before on Ferris mowers in the past and they all leave a side trail at the side chute. Was my problem not having the deck adjusted right. Didn’t matter how short or long I cut. The shorter just had smaller side row b
Best mulcher i have ever used, but not the best mower because it would scalp was my jd 1026 60" deck with mulching kit. I could drive over the tallest grass then look behind and be like huh? Where did it go?
For mulching grass, I always go with the curvy mulching blades. If not, you'll clog your deck up quickly and the high lift blades will cake the deck. Hope that helps!
I side discharge. But I do have an OCDC chute on my mower. My mower is only a 24 HP and when I mulch I have to go back and go over it again. By the way, THAT BEAT THOUGH!!!😁😁
How does the mower perform with the 24HP and OCDC closed for mulching? I have a buddy that has the same size engine and he's wanting to do the same. Thanks for watchin bro! 🎶 👂
I don’t have a mulch kit on my 61” Vride 2. Just a chute blocker. So I mainly discharge with that mower. I’ve noticed that after several mows over several weeks I start seeing thatch that just won’t cut up no matter how many times I go over it. At that point I have to use one of my Toro Zmaster’s that have full vac systems. I’ll bag them for a few weeks then go back to the Vride. Do you run into thatch problems with the mulch kit?
I have a Deere x394 with the electronic mulch kit installed. I mulch 90% of the time on customer properties as it reduces my time spent on cleanup, and it really keeps dust down having the discharge chute blocked. It can be tough on bi-weekly clients though and I'll sometimes have to discharge the thick stuff and do a second pass with the mulch engaged. Having the electronic kit, which is the equivalent to a GrassFlap on a ZT makes all the difference in the world and I don't have to mess around with decks and mowers. Just flip the switch to whatever is the best option at the time. Having that control also allows me to keep my discharge chute removed without worrying about anything. Having gotten used to it, I don't think I could ever run a mower again without some sort of discharge control. Having a 23hp engine on a smaller 48" deck helps though; I've mulched 8-10" totally unmaintained grass down to nothing. I don't know if I'd feel the same with a larger deck without a power bump.
Definitely understand what you’re saying. I’ve been running the PowerChute operator control discharge chute for the past couple of years and it’s nice to have the option to mulch lightly or throw the grass out the side. I keep the mulch kit and one more though. It just does a lot better job than closing off the discharge chute. appreciate you taking time to watch and giving me your feedback.
@@TheLawnCareLifeinMowssouri Yeah the mulch control kit for the Deere's actually still keep the mulch baffles and blades in, so in mulch mode it's properly mulching, not just blocking off the discharge chute. The baffle design is different though and still allows some passthrough so you can still bag/discharge if you want. I've never seen another mower do it like the Deere does. I can kinda have my cake and eat it too.
Mulching works ok if regularly maintained an not to wet. Side discharge gives a crisper cut an handles taller grass better. This year I haven't mulched but used ocdc. Now that leaves are starting to fall I have put the mulch kit on the 61" turf tiger, an left the cheetah side discharge.
It all depends on the cutting height and size of engine that you’re using. We can make overgrown tall and wet lawns look like they’ve been bagged using our mulch kits. I’m ready for leaves this year. Are you?!
The Lawn Care Life in Mowssouri yes I'm ready for leaves. The 61" turf tiger is a 2006 with the liquid cooled 27hp Kawasaki. Has enough power. Also have 52" vride with mulch kit, or ocdc. Have 52" tiger cat with mulch kit, or clamshell bagger. Wearing out the bolts switching stuff around. I like to mulch for the same reasons as you. Will mulch leaves for as long as possible before I start bagging. I'm In marshfield.
@@TheLawnCareLifeinMowssouri I would like to cut leaning nice strip on my grass on a half acre land. I cut mine every 2 weeks so what’s the recommendation on how much to cut on a 4/4 scale?
I have a Ferris Z2 that I am very happy with. And, I have great success mulching grass with the curvy mulch blades and mulch kit. What is your preferred blade(s) set-up when mulching leaves? Do you single blade or X blade? What blade set up do you find works the best for you?
@@TheLawnCareLifeinMowssouri Thank you so much! You're the best! Because of you I am experiencing great success and efficiencies with my mulch kit on my Ferris Z2. It leaves a very clean result and I never get any unwanted grass in places it shouldn't be. When i am finished cutting a lawn my blow time has been cut to a fraction. And, I am not bagging and rehandling grass...what a time, money, and energy saver! Peace brother!
The Lawn Care Life in Mowssouri they are expensive depending on wheel size. Probably looking at $1,000/set. But are supposed to last 3x longer than regular tires and never need air or maintenance apparently. Ride quality is definitely improved and better traction on softer ground. You also get a more consistent cut since you never have to worry about the pressure in your tires. I don’t personally own a commercial ride on, but I have test driven some with tweels on and know several neighborhood landscaping companies who have them and mentioned they are worth every penny and would never look back.
Thanks for the feedback. I’ve tried them on the gravely Mach one. Only tried them for a day though. Would need to try them longer in order to really see if I like them. Felt like I had more traction. But I don’t know how they would perform on smaller lawns as I would constantly be turning around.
I’m not sure if they would or not, but it seems like they may tend to tear up the grass a little more on smaller lawns. Could be wrong though. I run about 14psi.
Hey man, I was just wondering what do you think of the strange it ads to the engine? I personally don’t like the way mine sounds with the mulching kit, I also have the zx5400 with the kohler 23hp. Thanks
Good question! I’ve put around 10,000 hours on my Toro mowers combined and never had an issue with straining the engines do to the mulch kit. I have 28-34hp engines on them so it makes a difference. With the smaller 23hp it will make a difference. I would just cut 1/2” higher and stick to weekly mowing w the mulch kit. Another thing, the sound may be from grsss sticking to underneath of deck? Try the mulching blades. They won’t make the grass cake up underneath. Thanks for watching!
Hello, Thanks for your video. I have 37 H.P. Vanguard EFI zero turn and will purchase another one with a mulching kit. With your 11,000 hours, Which brand mulching blades work the best for you? I have a Ferris 3200z zero turn and thinking of getting a Hustler Super Z Hyperdrive 60 inch with a mulching kit. Have a blessed day. Mike
Hey Mike! Thanks for watching. We use factory mulching blades with the mulch kits and they work great! Not sure what Hustler offers, but the Toro and Ferris mulching blades always do well for us.
Come back in 2 days. Side discharge area will have lots of brown, dead clippings on the lawn. Mulched area will look completely green. That's my experience.
Yeah that happens quite a bit. Dead/Dry grass on top of you don’t shred it u fine enough. Sounds like you prefer mulching as well. Thanks for watching!
This is exactly the reason I'm adding the mulching kit to my lawnmower. I already bagged a lot of grass that was side discharged (waited until it dried out). My push mower would bog down but it mulched and the clippings disappeared faster when it rained or after irrigation.
What would you say is the most that you would want to cut off for the mulch kits to work effectively? I want the mulch kits to work for me so badly but I just think some of my yards get too tall. Especially my biweekly cuts..
It all depends on Horsepower. How big are your engines? The bigger the engine, the better it’s going to do. Check out my other vids and you’ll find the Ferris Z3X mulching 3 ft tall grass down to nothing. There’s a trick to making it look good when it’s overgrown. But you can definitely mulch pretty much anything if you have enough HP and know how to double cut it correctly. Bi-Weekly mowing is easy for this particular setup. Hope that helps and thanks for watching! 💯
Makes sense. I'm running a 61" Z3X with the 33hp Briggs. And a 36" Z1 with the 19hp kawai. Do you think you can mow a yard just as fast mulching as you can discharging? I'll check out those other vids thanks for the reply.
Nice! With that 33hp you probably won’t have a problem mulching. I can go just as quick mulching as I can discharging as long as you are cutting around 3” plus. Four inch cut would be even better.
@@TheLawnCareLifeinMowssouri Great! I think you've talked me into leaving my mulch kits on come spring to give it another try. I took them off last time because the z1 was leaving alot of stragglers. I'm thinking about running x blades to see if it helps with that. One last question if you don't mind. Do you find that your deck clogs when cutting wet grass with the mulch kits? Thanks..
Good question. You have to use the mulching blades when you use the mulch kit. You can mulch damp grass just fine. If you switch to high lift blades, it will clog up immediately! I wouldn’t run x blades because it’s going to put more wear and tear on your spindles and it’s more of load on your engine. Stick to mulching blades and raise the deck up 1/2” more if needed. I think you’ll be fine!
We’re running the mulch blades. It does well. This grass is super thick and full of moisture. Don’t use high lift blades - it will immediately clog up.
@@TheLawnCareLifeinMowssouri would gator blade style blades work or go with the mulch blades with no teeth? I have the mulch kit but haven't installed it but I only have teeth style mulching blades.
I've used mulch kits with baffles for years! Works great here in Louisiana grass. As long as you follow the 1/3 rule then, you should not have to double cut and it won't leave a trail of Grass on the discharge side. Having a giant engine helps a lot on the cut quality👌Smaller engines don't perform well with the mulch kits with baffles .It is very hard to go behind and clean up after another mower has side discharged too. So, I don't recommend cutting a lawn with both options (mulch and discharge) I use the wavy style mulching blades for side discharging and mulching. They work great for me.
You said is perfectly! Nothing more to add there. It’s obvious that you’ve got the hang of the mulch game. Most ppl don’t realize how much better it does than side discharge because they are running smaller engines. This 37HP Vanguard EFI doesn’t play around lol. Soooo clean when we mulch! Appreciate you watching the video. Have a blessed day! 👍
The same unless you’re cutting 8” off of thick, tall, and wet grass. But then with the side discharge you’ll have a pretty good mess to clean up afterwards.
In the process of getting my 1st ztr, ariens ikon hd 52”. I was going to get the mulch kit, but most reviews for that deck are don’t do it. Only 23hp. This is for my home use. On my previous rider, I had gator blades, side discharge, lots of clumps, but I would cut only 1x week, and at times probably cut to much. On the new ztr, since mulcher kit is a no go, would you use a chute blocker, and a mulcher blade or gator blade? I will probably cut at 3.5” range. I have leaves in the fall that I would like to mulch if possible. I do have beds, pool area, ect... that I would like to keep grass clippings out of. Thanks for any input
I have a Ferris FW35 walk behind mower and I generally cut at 3.5 inches on normal (non fertilized) yards, and about 4" on thick fertilized. I have the mulch kit, and the fertilized yards are hell. Clumps everywhere, even at 4". I have to ride back over spots. It leaves a line of grass next to mower that if I don't mow over again, it will die and leave strip of dead grass. Whats your suggestion for that? I almost essentially have to double mow, and if its remotely wet, you can forget about fertilized yards period.
Im more a discharge guy course here in my small town in Missouri the grass can be rough but then again I have seen where a mulch would work wonders to but I got a big yards that needs cut every week that's how bad it gets for me
Just bought a Skag VRide II with a 52" mulch kit, one month ago .. Already took it off, my customers are not impressed and thick grass is too hard on the mower
My buddy has a VRide and he’s been wanting to try out the Hurricane Mulch kit for it. Thanks for the heads up. I’ve never tried the mulch kit on the Scag, but the Ferris and Toro mulch kits work really well with the bigger engines. What size engine are you running? Which Scag do you have? Thanks for the input!
@@TheLawnCareLifeinMowssouri If you gotta mow over it more than once to hide the clippings you might as well just bag it I do use mulching blades and bag at the same time as not all of the clippings will actually make it into the bag, about 30% stays in the lawn
I think we cut it at 3” if I remember right? But I was trying to take off quite a bit of grass for demonstrating purposes. This is the swamp lands of Mowssouri and it grows so much whether it rains or not. What height do you typically cut at in FL?
@@TheLawnCareLifeinMowssouri I bag however grass disposal is becoming an issue, I will buy a mulch kit and start mulching, my only concern is thatch building up over time, do you think this will be an issue ?
In Florida I've been mulching since 1988 before there were mulching mowers we love them 👍 nice video
Ohhh yeah! What mowers are you mulching with now? Thanks for watching the video! 👍
Thanks for all the good info. Never used a zeroturn in my life and I am just starting a lawncare business. I just bought a Z2 52 Ferris with a Kawasaki 25 hp with only 52 hours. I bought it used with a mulch kit already installed. Yes it's a smaller engine but I already decided the mulch kit is staying. Just seems to be the smart thing to do. Plus I'm an old man and only wanting to supplement my income. I wish I knew more on how to charge new customers. My plan is to cut, edge, and trim but it looks like I should do leaf clean up as well since I have a Ferris with a mulch kit. Anyways I appreciate you.
Nice mower! I think you’ll like the Z2. Let me know what you think of it. I like the way the mulch kit makes the lawn look after mowing or mulching leaves. Always gives it a nice clean look. 💯
Mulching requires more horsepower and the grass has to be really dry or you end up with thick grass stuck like glue gobbed under the deck which is a real chore to clean and causes rust. Side discharge is fine as long as it isn't 5" tall when you mow. The benefits to the lawn of side discharge are as good as mulching but less work under the deck. Thats my opinion.
Yes 👍 I just bought a mower in a hurry last year it’s a mulching one I couldn’t figure out this year why it was bogging down ! Looked under packed with grass horrible
Do you know how often I got to hose it out ?
I would every time
This comment is better , more useful and obviously more efficient than any and all parts of this video combined. Thx.
Would like to know your blade setup and your underdeck build up of grass? We are Mulching here with 60 exmark and the deck build up is horrible. Great cut,no clumps,no streaks. Just very unhappy with deck build up.
You gotta use the mulching blades with the mulch kit. If not, you will have a lot of buildup from those high lift blades. There's very little, if any, build up under the deck when using mulching blades.
I have owned only one mulch mower that didn’t leave a win row on the chute side and that was a X mark 60 inch. I run Ferris now just as you got there. I have a 36 Z1 and a 52 Z2. I have tried mulch kits before on Ferris mowers in the past and they all leave a side trail at the side chute. Was my problem not having the deck adjusted right. Didn’t matter how short or long I cut. The shorter just had smaller side row b
Best mulcher i have ever used, but not the best mower because it would scalp was my jd 1026 60" deck with mulching kit. I could drive over the tallest grass then look behind and be like huh? Where did it go?
What's your preferred blade to use to cut/mulch grass and not leaves? Do you still use the high lift or the curvy mulch blade?
For mulching grass, I always go with the curvy mulching blades. If not, you'll clog your deck up quickly and the high lift blades will cake the deck. Hope that helps!
@@TheLawnCareLifeinMowssouri Thank you! This is very helpful!
I side discharge. But I do have an OCDC chute on my mower. My mower is only a 24 HP and when I mulch I have to go back and go over it again. By the way, THAT BEAT THOUGH!!!😁😁
How does the mower perform with the 24HP and OCDC closed for mulching? I have a buddy that has the same size engine and he's wanting to do the same. Thanks for watchin bro! 🎶 👂
@@TheLawnCareLifeinMowssouri does ok. But not as good as a bigger HP mower would
I gotcha
I don’t have a mulch kit on my 61” Vride 2. Just a chute blocker. So I mainly discharge with that mower. I’ve noticed that after several mows over several weeks I start seeing thatch that just won’t cut up no matter how many times I go over it. At that point I have to use one of my Toro Zmaster’s that have full vac systems. I’ll bag them for a few weeks then go back to the Vride. Do you run into thatch problems with the mulch kit?
I have a Deere x394 with the electronic mulch kit installed. I mulch 90% of the time on customer properties as it reduces my time spent on cleanup, and it really keeps dust down having the discharge chute blocked. It can be tough on bi-weekly clients though and I'll sometimes have to discharge the thick stuff and do a second pass with the mulch engaged. Having the electronic kit, which is the equivalent to a GrassFlap on a ZT makes all the difference in the world and I don't have to mess around with decks and mowers. Just flip the switch to whatever is the best option at the time. Having that control also allows me to keep my discharge chute removed without worrying about anything. Having gotten used to it, I don't think I could ever run a mower again without some sort of discharge control. Having a 23hp engine on a smaller 48" deck helps though; I've mulched 8-10" totally unmaintained grass down to nothing. I don't know if I'd feel the same with a larger deck without a power bump.
Definitely understand what you’re saying. I’ve been running the PowerChute operator control discharge chute for the past couple of years and it’s nice to have the option to mulch lightly or throw the grass out the side. I keep the mulch kit and one more though. It just does a lot better job than closing off the discharge chute. appreciate you taking time to watch and giving me your feedback.
@@TheLawnCareLifeinMowssouri Yeah the mulch control kit for the Deere's actually still keep the mulch baffles and blades in, so in mulch mode it's properly mulching, not just blocking off the discharge chute. The baffle design is different though and still allows some passthrough so you can still bag/discharge if you want. I've never seen another mower do it like the Deere does. I can kinda have my cake and eat it too.
Yeah, that’s definitely a unique design that is only on Deere. I wish other manufacturers would offer something similar.
Mulching works ok if regularly maintained an not to wet. Side discharge gives a crisper cut an handles taller grass better. This year I haven't mulched but used ocdc. Now that leaves are starting to fall I have put the mulch kit on the 61" turf tiger, an left the cheetah side discharge.
It all depends on the cutting height and size of engine that you’re using. We can make overgrown tall and wet lawns look like they’ve been bagged using our mulch kits. I’m ready for leaves this year. Are you?!
The Lawn Care Life in Mowssouri yes I'm ready for leaves. The 61" turf tiger is a 2006 with the liquid cooled 27hp Kawasaki. Has enough power. Also have 52" vride with mulch kit, or ocdc. Have 52" tiger cat with mulch kit, or clamshell bagger. Wearing out the bolts switching stuff around. I like to mulch for the same reasons as you. Will mulch leaves for as long as possible before I start bagging. I'm In marshfield.
Good stuff, gives us an idea on how we may cut grass here.
Freeport Lawn Care Hope it helps! Do you mulch or side discharge?!
The Lawn Care Life in Mowssouri discharge only, large property/ fields.
The Lawn Care Life in Mowssouri discharge only, large property/ fields.
Oh ok. Nothing wrong with that.
Awesome video bro
What’s up Lamont?! Thanks for checking it out bro! 👊
Only mulch 1/3 of the grass at one time we cut 4 inches in the off season but in summer some times 5 inches 😁
Ohhhh yeah. The less you take off the better. Leaves some nice clean stripes when you’re cutting high in the summer. 😎
@@TheLawnCareLifeinMowssouri I would like to cut leaning nice strip on my grass on a half acre land. I cut mine every 2 weeks so what’s the recommendation on how much to cut on a 4/4 scale?
I have a Ferris Z2 that I am very happy with. And, I have great success mulching grass with the curvy mulch blades and mulch kit. What is your preferred blade(s) set-up when mulching leaves? Do you single blade or X blade? What blade set up do you find works the best for you?
Always use high lift blades with the mulch kit in the fall. It allows it to suck up the leaves and shred them to dust!
@@TheLawnCareLifeinMowssouri Do you use a single blade or do you X blade the high lift blades?
Single regular oem high lift blades.
@@TheLawnCareLifeinMowssouri Thank you so much! You're the best! Because of you I am experiencing great success and efficiencies with my mulch kit on my Ferris Z2. It leaves a very clean result and I never get any unwanted grass in places it shouldn't be. When i am finished cutting a lawn my blow time has been cut to a fraction. And, I am not bagging and rehandling grass...what a time, money, and energy saver! Peace brother!
Awesome! Glad you are getting good results with the mulch kit as well. They really are a great addition especially in the fall with the leaves.
Great video ! Can you make a video on your box truck? Thanks!
Angel Cardona Thank you! I have a few videos of the box truck here on the Channel. Check them out and let me know what you think. Thanks for watching!
Great video
THANK YOU!!!!
Love the music! Ever think of getting Tweels for those machines?
Thanks! I’ve thought about it. You think they are worth it???? 🤔
The Lawn Care Life in Mowssouri they are expensive depending on wheel size. Probably looking at $1,000/set. But are supposed to last 3x longer than regular tires and never need air or maintenance apparently. Ride quality is definitely improved and better traction on softer ground. You also get a more consistent cut since you never have to worry about the pressure in your tires. I don’t personally own a commercial ride on, but I have test driven some with tweels on and know several neighborhood landscaping companies who have them and mentioned they are worth every penny and would never look back.
Thanks for the feedback. I’ve tried them on the gravely Mach one. Only tried them for a day though. Would need to try them longer in order to really see if I like them. Felt like I had more traction. But I don’t know how they would perform on smaller lawns as I would constantly be turning around.
The Lawn Care Life in Mowssouri good point about smaller lawns. I wonder if they have a tendency to cause ruts in the turns. Do you run higher PSI?
I’m not sure if they would or not, but it seems like they may tend to tear up the grass a little more on smaller lawns. Could be wrong though. I run about 14psi.
Hey man, I was just wondering what do you think of the strange it ads to the engine? I personally don’t like the way mine sounds with the mulching kit, I also have the zx5400 with the kohler 23hp. Thanks
Good question! I’ve put around 10,000 hours on my Toro mowers combined and never had an issue with straining the engines do to the mulch kit. I have 28-34hp engines on them so it makes a difference. With the smaller 23hp it will make a difference. I would just cut 1/2” higher and stick to weekly mowing w the mulch kit. Another thing, the sound may be from grsss sticking to underneath of deck? Try the mulching blades. They won’t make the grass cake up underneath. Thanks for watching!
Do you have the part number for a 52 Z3. I just got one that doesn't seem to fit.
I'm not sure on part number...
Hello, Thanks for your video. I have 37 H.P. Vanguard EFI zero turn and will purchase another one with a mulching kit. With your 11,000 hours, Which brand mulching blades work the best for you? I have a Ferris 3200z zero turn and thinking of getting a Hustler Super Z Hyperdrive 60 inch with a mulching kit. Have a blessed day. Mike
Hey Mike! Thanks for watching. We use factory mulching blades with the mulch kits and they work great! Not sure what Hustler offers, but the Toro and Ferris mulching blades always do well for us.
Great video, which one strips better, mulch or discharge?
Mulch leaves a better stripe IF you do it right.
@@TheLawnCareLifeinMowssouri thanks👍
No problem!
@@TheLawnCareLifeinMowssouri thanks 👍
Come back in 2 days. Side discharge area will have lots of brown, dead clippings on the lawn. Mulched area will look completely green. That's my experience.
Yeah that happens quite a bit. Dead/Dry grass on top of you don’t shred it u fine enough. Sounds like you prefer mulching as well. Thanks for watching!
This is exactly the reason I'm adding the mulching kit to my lawnmower. I already bagged a lot of grass that was side discharged (waited until it dried out). My push mower would bog down but it mulched and the clippings disappeared faster when it rained or after irrigation.
What would you say is the most that you would want to cut off for the mulch kits to work effectively? I want the mulch kits to work for me so badly but I just think some of my yards get too tall. Especially my biweekly cuts..
It all depends on Horsepower. How big are your engines? The bigger the engine, the better it’s going to do. Check out my other vids and you’ll find the Ferris Z3X mulching 3 ft tall grass down to nothing. There’s a trick to making it look good when it’s overgrown. But you can definitely mulch pretty much anything if you have enough HP and know how to double cut it correctly. Bi-Weekly mowing is easy for this particular setup. Hope that helps and thanks for watching! 💯
Makes sense. I'm running a 61" Z3X with the 33hp Briggs. And a 36" Z1 with the 19hp kawai. Do you think you can mow a yard just as fast mulching as you can discharging? I'll check out those other vids thanks for the reply.
Nice! With that 33hp you probably won’t have a problem mulching. I can go just as quick mulching as I can discharging as long as you are cutting around 3” plus. Four inch cut would be even better.
@@TheLawnCareLifeinMowssouri Great! I think you've talked me into leaving my mulch kits on come spring to give it another try. I took them off last time because the z1 was leaving alot of stragglers. I'm thinking about running x blades to see if it helps with that. One last question if you don't mind. Do you find that your deck clogs when cutting wet grass with the mulch kits? Thanks..
Good question. You have to use the mulching blades when you use the mulch kit. You can mulch damp grass just fine. If you switch to high lift blades, it will clog up immediately! I wouldn’t run x blades because it’s going to put more wear and tear on your spindles and it’s more of load on your engine. Stick to mulching blades and raise the deck up 1/2” more if needed. I think you’ll be fine!
What blades are you using on the mulch kit? I'm debating putting a mulch kit on my z3x. How does it perform in tall wet grass?
We’re running the mulch blades. It does well. This grass is super thick and full of moisture. Don’t use high lift blades - it will immediately clog up.
@@TheLawnCareLifeinMowssouri would gator blade style blades work or go with the mulch blades with no teeth? I have the mulch kit but haven't installed it but I only have teeth style mulching blades.
I’m sure they would do great. Just as long as they aren’t high lift. High lift blades tend to suck grass up and it caked on the deck.
I've used mulch kits with baffles for years! Works great here in Louisiana grass. As long as you follow the 1/3 rule then, you should not have to double cut and it won't leave a trail of Grass on the discharge side. Having a giant engine helps a lot on the cut quality👌Smaller engines don't perform well with the mulch kits with baffles .It is very hard to go behind and clean up after another mower has side discharged too. So, I don't recommend cutting a lawn with both options (mulch and discharge) I use the wavy style mulching blades for side discharging and mulching. They work great for me.
You said is perfectly! Nothing more to add there. It’s obvious that you’ve got the hang of the mulch game. Most ppl don’t realize how much better it does than side discharge because they are running smaller engines. This 37HP Vanguard EFI doesn’t play around lol. Soooo clean when we mulch! Appreciate you watching the video. Have a blessed day! 👍
Can you cut faster with the side discharge, mulch kit, or the same?
The same unless you’re cutting 8” off of thick, tall, and wet grass. But then with the side discharge you’ll have a pretty good mess to clean up afterwards.
In the process of getting my 1st ztr, ariens ikon hd 52”. I was going to get the mulch kit, but most reviews for that deck are don’t do it. Only 23hp. This is for my home use. On my previous rider, I had gator blades, side discharge, lots of clumps, but I would cut only 1x week, and at times probably cut to much. On the new ztr, since mulcher kit is a no go, would you use a chute blocker, and a mulcher blade or gator blade? I will probably cut at 3.5” range. I have leaves in the fall that I would like to mulch if possible. I do have beds, pool area, ect... that I would like to keep grass clippings out of. Thanks for any input
Mulching always wins.
I love to MULCH!
I have a Ferris FW35 walk behind mower and I generally cut at 3.5 inches on normal (non fertilized) yards, and about 4" on thick fertilized. I have the mulch kit, and the fertilized yards are hell. Clumps everywhere, even at 4". I have to ride back over spots. It leaves a line of grass next to mower that if I don't mow over again, it will die and leave strip of dead grass. Whats your suggestion for that? I almost essentially have to double mow, and if its remotely wet, you can forget about fertilized yards period.
Yeah, with that small engine you will definitely have to double cut. Only way around it is to raise the deck up, but it still won’t look very good.
What pitch do you run your deck at?
I haven't checked the pitch of the deck, but my dealer sets them up when I buy them. Appreciate you taking the time to watch. 👍
Im more a discharge guy course here in my small town in Missouri the grass can be rough but then again I have seen where a mulch would work wonders to but I got a big yards that needs cut every week that's how bad it gets for me
I gotcha. It’s growing thick right now. Gotta stay on top of it. Every 3-4 days would be ideal on some lawns. Which part of MOWssouri are you?
@@TheLawnCareLifeinMowssouri a little town in St Francis county
Nice!
Good stuff👊
Thanks for watching!
Do you feel that the side discharge striped better or are they pretty equal?
They are pretty close to being equal. I think mulching may stripe a little better if you’re not taking off much grass.
Have you found that you had to double cut any of your weekly accounts here lately?
Some of the thick lawns to make it look 💯
Just bought a Skag VRide II with a 52" mulch kit, one month ago .. Already took it off, my customers are not impressed and thick grass is too hard on the mower
My buddy has a VRide and he’s been wanting to try out the Hurricane Mulch kit for it. Thanks for the heads up. I’ve never tried the mulch kit on the Scag, but the Ferris and Toro mulch kits work really well with the bigger engines. What size engine are you running? Which Scag do you have? Thanks for the input!
@@TheLawnCareLifeinMowssouri
If you gotta mow over it more than once to hide the clippings you might as well just bag it
I do use mulching blades and bag at the same time as not all of the clippings will actually make it into the bag, about 30% stays in the lawn
Thanks for the update on the mower. My buddy has the original VRide with probably the same engine size, so I’ll pass it along to him.
@@TheLawnCareLifeinMowssouri
You just about can't make a profit in lawn mowing with out a "stand on" mower
It almost looks scalped in Florida the sun would cook the grass cutting that low
I think we cut it at 3” if I remember right? But I was trying to take off quite a bit of grass for demonstrating purposes. This is the swamp lands of Mowssouri and it grows so much whether it rains or not. What height do you typically cut at in FL?
The only difference between the two is which one will cause more stress on your machine? The mulch kit will, esp with thick or tall grass.
Definitely logical thinking, but we just haven’t experienced that over the 11,000 hrs we’ve mulched with the mulch kit setup.
Mowsouri
Yes sir
@@TheLawnCareLifeinMowssouri Thank you for the video, it was very helpful
Awesome! Glad it added value for you. Do you mulch or discharge?
@@TheLawnCareLifeinMowssouri I bag however grass disposal is becoming an issue, I will buy a mulch kit and start mulching, my only concern is thatch building up over time, do you think this will be an issue ?
It’s never been an issue for us, but we have the big engines. Not sure which engine you are running?
Always mulch..never liked side discharge
Looks bad 😖
😎