What kind of blade should I use on my mower?

That is a common question among folks who mow there yards everyday. In short, it depends on your equipment and the desired thatch that you want in your yard. (Thatch: the remaining dead grass left over along the ground next to the base of the grass plants, aka: dead grass) Well good news for you, there are many different choices for lawn mower blades and equipment setups. There are so many that you can find the correct one for your yard. Let's take a look at four of the most common blade setups available currently.

Standard Blade: 

Standard blade for a JD 54" deck. 

This blade is used in side discharge applications. Using only a straight cutting edge on opposite sides of the ends of the blade, this blade just lops off the blade of grass and creates air flow to move the grass out of the discharge chute, usually on the RH side of the mower. This blade is perfect when mulching or bagging is unnecessary or you are looking to move the mowing debris quickly from under the deck. This is the most common style of blade and is standard on about every riding mower from the factory (excluding ones with mulching decks). The best benefit of these blades are that they are easier to resharpen than the other blades because the cutting edge is straight, so these blades may last longer for the operator than other blades. They are also cheaper than the other types of blades we will be discussing today.

Mulching Blade:

Bend in the cutting edge.

Mulching Blade for a JD 54" deck.

This blade can either be used in mulching or side discharge applications. This blade uses the strait cutting edge just like the Standard blade but also has a bend in the middle of the blade to create suction so the clippings get chopped up more than once. Many times to get the full benefits of mulching your mower needs to be equipped with a mulching kit. This kit blocks off the discharge chute and forces the blade to chop the clippings up many times. When these clippings are chopped up "finer" they will decompose faster and thus they aren't as visible for long times and release nutrients back to the grass faster. This is much shorter that the clippings left over by the standard blade. Many push mowers come with mulching blades, because they are many times a "2 in 1" or a "3 in 1." This means that the mower can discharge or mulch and a "3 in 1" adds the option to bag up the clippings. One positive of this blade is that you can mow next to sidewalks with limited debris getting blown on the surface, making for a quicker clean up later on.

High Lift Blade: (Bagging)

Notice the lifted edge.

High Lift for JD 54" deck.

This blade is intended for use with a bagging system, because the blade is designed is such a way to create a great amount of lift to pickup all the grass clippings. It is designed to work with a material collection system (fancy term for a bagging system) and you don't see them on push mowers because the mulching blade creates adequate lift for that particular application. An issue with this blade is that the suction is so great that it tends to pull up debris like rocks and sticks. This is why it is not recommended to use on side discharge, well unless you like replacing glass on your home or vehicles. Some might get away with using this blade on a side discharge but you would need to keep your yard picked up in order to avoid those accidents. These blades equipped with a material collections system do an excellent job removing grass clippings, but you will have to dispose of the left over clippings. Many make compost piles and add the grass clippings to it to make fertilizer to put back on your yard. This is the best setup for a golf coarse like lawn and those really concerned with grass clippings.

Gator Blade:

Gator for a JD 21" Push Mower.

Notice the notches in the blade.

The last blade that I am aware of on the market is the Gator blade.(Also called a Predator blade) This odd looking blade gets it's name from the scale like projections made in the lifted part of the blade. This blade is designed to chop the clippings even more finely than a mulching blade but able to remove the clippings like a standard blade. These blades are made just like a mulching blade but with a noticeable difference and that is the notches that are in the lift portion of the blade. I am personally not sold on these blades and haven't heard good things from people I know that have used them. However, I have heard stories of some people that like them and swear by them so I guess it all depends on the grass and the speed of your blades.

In the end it all depends on your needs and your mower's setup on which blade you can run on your mower. Honestly, many people who mow can use the standard blade and see the results that they desire and the good news is that these blades are the cheapest. Mulching blades are a next followed by the High Lift and then the Gator blades are generally more expensive. Unless you really pay attention to your yard and the level of thatch (most people don't) the standard blade is for you. If you want to manage your yard with a little more attention the Gator blade and the Mulch blade is what you need to run on your mower.  Lastly if you are a big time neat freak and have to have the type of lawn show up in Better Homes and Garnens then the High Lift is for you. All in all, like many things in life, "To each his own."

Filter Service: How often should I change filters?

John Deere Air Filter #M113621

The age old questions comes up all the time, especially since mowers go by hours of operation and not by miles like your car does as an indicator that you need to change oil. You might have a push mower that doesn't even have an hour meter on it. Many folks don't change their filters when the owner's manual suggests, they just do how they feel is best or think is best.  So the questions still remains, how do you know when it's time to change your filters?

Push mowers:

Huskee 22" Push Mower

My suggestion is to change your push mowers filters and oil every year before the season starts. While you are sharpening the blade and cleaning the old grass clippings from under the mower deck, this would be a great time to drain the oil from the mower. Also, I recommend that you replace the air filter at this time too. The cleaner the air filter the better your push mower is going to run and the better it runs the better your yard looks. Air filters for these mowers aren't very expensive, so purchasing one isn't going to break the bank.

Riding mowers:

John Deere Z-Track Z425

Riding mowers are a different animal altogether. Many do have hour meters so you can regulate the hours in between each oil change. My suggestion is that you change the oil at the beginning of the season and then again sometime during July. Of course you may need to do so more often if you are mowing a lot (commercial mowing) or less if you mowing less than an acre per week.

As far as the air filter, riding mowers have bigger motors with bigger air filters than push mowers. Many times a filter has a main element or paper element and a foam pre-filter. These filters can both be cleaned out and reused. The Paper filter can be blown out with an air compressor (Be careful not to blow a hole in your filter, because then it would be useless and a new one must be purchased). You should blow out the existing filter no more than 10 times, after that it time to purchase a replacement. The foam filter can be cleaned with soap and water and dried. Then a light film of oil (we use penetrating oil) is put on the foam help catch the real fine particles of dust. Once you have them cleaned you can put them back on and you are ready to fire it up. *I suggest that you have more than one foam pre-filter in stock so you can wash the last one and put a clean one on why the other dries, it helps to eliminate the down time of allowing the pre-filter to dry.

Cost:

John Deere Fuel Filter  #AM116304

Some of you may be saying to yourself that you can't afford to purchase filters every year for your stuff, and I say to you that's silly. One large particle of dirt that gets in your motor and you have to purchase a new mower you will wish you would have just opted to pay $10.00 for a new filter. Also, look around for deals, companies like Fram and Wix may make the same filter for your machine at a cheaper price. Also, look for sales at your local dealership. John Deere has filter sales every year in February and August. Lastly, ask if they offer a Home Maintenance Kit. These kit come with all the needed filters and sometimes the oil to do a complete service at home, and our offered at a cheaper price than buying individual filters.

Anyway, the key to keeping your mower running at peak efficiency is keep up the maintenance on your equipment. Your grass will look cleaner and your mower will cut better, taking less time to cut your grass and giving you more free time to relax.