[7579lincoln]

I removed my 50"mower to install the snowblower on my 318 and saw that the blades need replacing. The old blades were low lift blades, but I think I want to go to either a medium or high lift blade, but not the mulcher type of blade. Does anyone know what the John Deere part number is for both of these types as they are not listed in my mower manual? Would either of these higher lift blades be so powerful that they would vacuum up topsoil?
Thanks.

 

[brian_b]

There are only two types of blades available from Deere, either the standard low lift blades (M86209), or the medium lift blades (M76461). If I recall correctly, the low lift blades have a wing that is 7/8" above the cutting plane and the medium lift wing is something like 1.25", don't know how that compares to yours.

I haven't tried the medium lift blades yet, someone else will have to comment on vacuuming topsoil. I recall Wyoming member Hank saying the medium lift blades kicked up too much dust in his dry yard, but I can't imagine that's a problem in most parts of Michigan unless you are mowing the sand dunes.

 

[gwc]

I have the "medium lift" blades on my 50 in. mower deck. I don't have a problem with them kicking up dust here in Kansas. I do like how they work when I am using it to pick up the fall leaves around my place with the MC-519 cart hooked up to the back......Gary

 

[7579lincoln]

Thanks for the responses, Brian and Gary. I have a couple of large bare areas in my back yard due to all the trees there. I plant new "shady" grass seed every year, and it does well for a while, but it usually dies within 6 weeks even with fertilizer and an underground sprinkling system. I think I am stuck with the bare areas unless I cut down more trees, so I probably will have to stay with the low lift blades. I run a bagger/power flow attachment all during the mowing season and the low lift blades do a good job of picking up leaves as long as they aren't too thick. The problem is the bagger also picks up some dirt with the leaves.

 

[hankvc]

Just to clarify things, I have two 50" mowers and 10 M76461 medium-lift blades. These mowers and blades are ideal for my property. I mow two areas with them: 1/2 acre of landscaped lawn, and 2 acres of pasture. About 2/3ds of the pasture is flood irrigated from ditches. The remaining pasture and lawn are watered by sprinklers fed by water pumped from another ditch.

I've mentioned dust as a problem, in the past. One major project was to get grass growing in about a 1/2 acre area in the pasture that had been ringed off for use as an horse exercise arena, and that grew more weeds than grass. It was a three year project to get grass, that started with killing and tilling the weeds, followed by a couple of deep rototillings. Until I was able to get a good grass cover established, I'd get a fair amount of dust. It was fairly manageable with the JD mowers, but running a Husqvarna 48" stamped deck was just plain out of sight, even with the lowest lift blades available. Had to use a respirator, and that deck makes a dandy leaf blower.

I mow in Wyoming conditions, which are very definitely different than Eastern (or "Midwestern") conditions. Normal annual rainfall here is about 8", and dew points are normally near freezing. So the grass is either "dry" or "very dry," and there is never morning dew. Only the flood-irrigated areas are wet while flooding them, and they dry up 24-48 hours after I shut the water off. In addition, good pasture grasses here are coarse grasses that do not spread, so even good grass areas in the pasture have plenty of soil visible, looking straight down. The lawn area was originally pasture, but has been overseeded with spreading grasses that hold the dust down, even dry.

I mow at 3", which is a good level for my conditions. Lower, in the lawn, looks better, but gives burnout in midsummer. Also, with the mowers set that high, I can mow with open chutes (no deflectors installed) and get very little windrowing. Topsoil maintenance is critical here. The subsoil on my place drains better than most Wyoming areas, but is Ph8.4, quite alkaline.

The 50" decks with the JD medium lift blades give me a very nice cut. It's a real pleasure to listen to the bark of a 318 Onan, the hum of a 50" deck, and watch the grass spew out of the chute. I'd rather fight than switch.

Hank

 

[shivelyt]

Hank,
Are you using a speed up pulleys on your decks?
Tom

 

[hankvc]

Speed up pulleys? No, not on my decks. I probably don't mow as fast as some. The pasture is quite rough, and there are no really long straight runs on the lawn.

There are times in the pasture, where areas that have been flood irrigated get pretty dense, and I have to double-cut them. First pass is with the mower lifted, to clear off the tops.

I picked up a 330 last spring, and the Yanmar diesel seems to load down better than the Onan.
While the diesel is very smooth-running, it doesn't have the real "I mean business" bark of the Onan. Still, if the blades are sharp and the deck is clean underneath, I can charge through some pretty dense grass with either setup and get a nice cut.

 

[7579lincoln]

I checked with my dealer and he only sells the medium lift blades as they are pretty good all around blades. I guess my blades must have been medium lift blades instead of low lift blades. I mow about 4 acres on my Northern Michigan property and about 3/4 acre on my Western Michigan property using a power flow on my 50" deck. I usually run new blades on the smaller lawn for one or two seasons and then move them to the larger parcel the next year. I think I will stay with the medium lift blades.