Good mower for mulching leaves

[97prizm]

Are you guys using the G3 Gator blades, I found the G5 blades kinda suck, too much lift, only really good for bagging.

Send them an email. My gatorblade is red with the "winglet" like notches.

 

[borgward]

I'm looking to see what options I have to replace a Troy Bilt TB110 (140cc) push mower. The mower has done well for me over the past decade but the deck is starting to rust through. I have about 10000 square feet of grass to cut. I cut the grass on the highest setting and use the mulcher and bag depending on the time of year. I get a lot of leaves in fall and mulch/bag them to dump on the garden. I also use the mower to knock down any overgrown areas in the garden before tilling each year, which can give it a good work out. I'd like to keep at least the 21" cut width, if not go wider, and also get something with self propel.

I've looked into battery electric mowers as I have a 40V Ryobi string trimmer that works great. My main concerns about electric vs. gas is the cut time and power. I need good suction for leaf pickup and I need the power to knock the garden down, which can include some thick stems. The 140cc Briggs engine works just fine but does bog down sometimes. It's hard to compare gas vs. electric power, and the most powerful electric mowers seem to be in the 1200 watt area (1.6 HP). I know the torque output seems comparable where it is posted on the electric mowers, so I'm not sure how that works out.

Thanks.

I would not consider battery one for more than postage stamp size yard. I used a corded electric one on 300' of cord for years. Quiet. No fumes and heat. Finally had to replace the brushes. I dropped the armature putting a big dent in the commutator so had to junk it. 8 years ago I bought a Poulan Pro XT675 w/Kohler motor. Look for something with a Kohler motor.

I don't think electric corded motors pull near the amperage that they claim. That's just advertising. Might be starting amps. Running on 300' of #16 extension cords I never felt any heat in the wire.

 

[RAVL]

There are a lot of god solutions here. I have found you have to find the one that works for your property. Cyclone rake for example, is excellent if you can make nice straight runs because you have a squarish open yard. Our property is about 3/4 of an acre but the lawn are is irregular in the back so I mulch the leaves with my Honda HRX (sharpen the blades and change the oil once a season) and then, because we get really heavy leaf falls, I go over the area a second time with a billy goat lawn vac. Mulching with the mower reduces the need to empty the bag on the Billy goat frequently, and the mulch that is left on the ground is small enough to decompose naturally and not kill the lawn. I dump the bag in the woods. FWIW, another approach for those looking for ways to handle the leaves.