Mulching mower

winesalot

Member
Jul 14, 2016
152
6
18
Chelan, WA
I am under construction on our winery in the Lake Chelan Valley (Finaly....). We will plant a lawn in front of the tasting room for our customers to enjoy. We want this lawn to be perfect. Green, weed free, luxcios, 'please take your shoes off and enjoy' type of grass. I am looking for a mower that I can mulch when I mow instead of bagging. I currently have a typical three blade John Deere rider that I bought at the depot a while back and while it works great it sucks at mulching. It doesn't chop the clippings well and leaves a trail of clippings on the right side where the discharge chute is blocked with the mulching attachment.

Any recommendations on a machine that would accomplish my goal. I open a kubota 121-3 excavator and a l4701 tractor so I am partial to the orange but I want function over loyalty for this purchase. Thanks in advance.
 

dalola

Member

Equipment
BX2380 w/FEL & Woods RM48 RFM, Yazoo/Kees Max2 ZTR
Jun 30, 2017
316
6
18
Ohio
How big is this "tasting lawn"? Might be a situation where bagging might be better, if you truly expect barefoot customers.

Regardless, if it's a pristine cut & gentleness to the turf you're looking for, take a look at Walker mowers. They have baggers & mulchers.
 

jhschlak

Member

Equipment
BX 1880
Apr 5, 2011
83
6
8
Sharon Center, Ohio
I am under construction on our winery in the Lake Chelan Valley (Finaly....). We will plant a lawn in front of the tasting room for our customers to enjoy. We want this lawn to be perfect. Green, weed free, luxcios, 'please take your shoes off and enjoy' type of grass. I am looking for a mower that I can mulch when I mow instead of bagging. I currently have a typical three blade John Deere rider that I bought at the depot a while back and while it works great it sucks at mulching. It doesn't chop the clippings well and leaves a trail of clippings on the right side where the discharge chute is blocked with the mulching attachment.

Any recommendations on a machine that would accomplish my goal. I open a kubota 121-3 excavator and a l4701 tractor so I am partial to the orange but I want function over loyalty for this purchase. Thanks in advance.
I had a Kubota T2380 prior to my BX. It mulched really well. Had a cool little door on the mower deck that you could slide closed if you wanted to mulch or open up if you wanted to bag it or shoot the clippings out the side. I think the cut on the T2380 was slightly better than the BX.

Jeff
 

PaulL

Well-known member

Equipment
B2601
Jul 17, 2017
2,098
1,106
113
NZ
For me, quality of mulching is closely related to how often you mow. I'd lean to getting a machine that's fast, doesn't damage the lawn, and that you'll be happy to get out twice a week and mow with.

But if mowing also means moving furniture and other prep, then you won't mow that often. Then a Walker or similar is a better idea I think.

I mulch with my BX, without any special mulching setup. My lawn is very lush in areas, if I mow twice a week it leaves nothing. If I mow once a week I always get some clipping residue. I just side discharge to the centre, then mow that again on the next pass, it works fine.

Ultimately there's a lot of variation based on your individual grass and mowing style, so what works well for one person will work less well for another. You'll probably need to try out a few machines to understand which work for you.
 

mikester

Well-known member

Equipment
M59 TLB
Oct 21, 2017
3,125
1,609
113
Canada
www.divergentstuff.ca
I am under construction on our winery in the Lake Chelan Valley (Finaly....). We will plant a lawn in front of the tasting room for our customers to enjoy. We want this lawn to be perfect. Green, weed free, luxcios, 'please take your shoes off and enjoy' type of grass. I am looking for a mower that I can mulch when I mow instead of bagging. I currently have a typical three blade John Deere rider that I bought at the depot a while back and while it works great it sucks at mulching. It doesn't chop the clippings well and leaves a trail of clippings on the right side where the discharge chute is blocked with the mulching attachment.

Any recommendations on a machine that would accomplish my goal. I open a kubota 121-3 excavator and a l4701 tractor so I am partial to the orange but I want function over loyalty for this purchase. Thanks in advance.
https://www.deere.ca/en/mowers/walk-greens-mowers/
 

rjcorazza

Member

Equipment
L4060 HSTC Loader, ZD326, ZD1211
Mar 9, 2016
778
22
18
Hyattstown, MD
If you're cutting frequently, a mulching mower makes sense. Depending on how large an area involved, running a high CFM blower across the lawn will disperse regular clippings, and drop into the turf. I occasionally use a blower on manicured lawns when the homeowner wants it looking perfect.


Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk Pro
 

SDT

Well-known member

Equipment
multiple and various
Apr 15, 2018
3,084
923
113
SE, IN
I am under construction on our winery in the Lake Chelan Valley (Finaly....). We will plant a lawn in front of the tasting room for our customers to enjoy. We want this lawn to be perfect. Green, weed free, luxcios, 'please take your shoes off and enjoy' type of grass. I am looking for a mower that I can mulch when I mow instead of bagging. I currently have a typical three blade John Deere rider that I bought at the depot a while back and while it works great it sucks at mulching. It doesn't chop the clippings well and leaves a trail of clippings on the right side where the discharge chute is blocked with the mulching attachment.

Any recommendations on a machine that would accomplish my goal. I open a kubota 121-3 excavator and a l4701 tractor so I am partial to the orange but I want function over loyalty for this purchase. Thanks in advance.
Be advised that mulching is only a viable option if the grass is cut more frequently than necessary. A mulching mower cannot dispose of clippings without leaving clumps if the grass is too heavy and/or too tall.

I have tried mulching in the past with dismal results.

SDT
 

D2Cat

Well-known member
Lifetime Member

Equipment
L305DT, B7100HST, TG1860, TG1860D, L4240
Mar 27, 2014
12,901
4,269
113
40 miles south of Kansas City
Be advised that mulching is only a viable option if the grass is cut more frequently than necessary. A mulching mower cannot dispose of clippings without leaving clumps if the grass is too heavy and/or too tall.

I have tried mulching in the past with dismal results.

SDT
SDT is correct. Sometimes the grass has to be cut at least twice if you want the clippings totally dispersed.
 

PaulL

Well-known member

Equipment
B2601
Jul 17, 2017
2,098
1,106
113
NZ
SDT is correct. Sometimes the grass has to be cut at least twice if you want the clippings totally dispersed.
I think different people get different results. I always mulch, and very rarely have problems with dispersal.

It comes down to what sort of grass (a fine bladed rye grass will disperse way better than a thick buffalo grass), how often you mow (mowing often means only a little bit of the tip will need to disperse), how long you mow (mowing longer will make your lawn healthier, use less water, and disperse better), and how fussy you are.

They're all things that are unique to your individual situation. We can talk about it forever, but until you try in your situation you won't know. The reality is that your choice is to mulch or to bag. The bagger is an add-on, and it's really annoying. So easy option is to get the mower, mow with it, and see if you like it. If you don't, add a bagger. Otherwise you may end up buying a bagger then either not using it (waste of money and space in your shed), trying to sell it (they're not that popular implement), not mowing as often as you would without a bagger etc etc.
 

Missouribound

Active member

Equipment
B2320, FEL, BOX BLADE, FINISH MOWER, QUICK HITCH
Jun 17, 2014
646
37
28
Missouri
If windrows are an issue get a rear finish mower for your tractor.
But you haven't said how much lawn is in question.
Most mulching mowers work fine. If you are leaving grass then you aren't cutting it often enough.
 

PaulL

Well-known member

Equipment
B2601
Jul 17, 2017
2,098
1,106
113
NZ
PaulL,I thing everyone is saying pretty much the same thing. See what I said..."sometimes".
True enough, it's sometimes hard to tell. :) Looking back, OP didn't specify a tractor, just asked a machine that would mulch cleanly. So a ZT could be the option, or a used F. I'd expect either of them to be pretty magic in terms of cut quality and ability to mulch.
 

mattwithcats

Active member
Jun 17, 2017
772
63
28
Virginia
What blades are on the Deere?

Mulching blades or standard?

Keep the blade speed up, and mower speed down, give the grass time to get chopped up...