Which replacement blades for Deere L110?

[The_Eric]

Hey guys- was out mowing today and ran afoul of some rocks and ended up bending a blade. They were OE blades that I had been keeping a pretty decent edge on.

Per a thread where a fellow was having problems mowing tall grass with his low end mower, I learned that the factory angle wasn't ideal- so I reduced it a bit and kept them much sharper and had great results (thanks!) Also from that thread I learned that the Oregon blades are reputed to hold up better due to being harder, so off I went to their website to get a number... Only to find out there are a couple options for my mower. Looks like they offer a Gator G3, an Extended 100 series.

Question- are the Gator G3's exclusively for baggers/mulchers? I have accommodations for neither. Would there be a benefit to running that blade even without the bagger/mulcher?

Would the Extended 100 series provide an adequate finish?

Is there additional info needed?

 

[Charlie1935]

I use gator blades on my LA 115.
been using them for 5 years at least and very satisfied with them.

 

[robshelton]

Get the heavier blades and you will never regret it! Arnold extreme blades are my favorite but I don't know if they are available for your machine. I bet gator blades are available and highly recommend them too.

 

[cheech279]

I've gotten 95 hours from my original blades on my Snapper LT125. I'll replace them with factory Snapper blades to avoid any performance issues. I don't necessarily trust aftermarket blades---I've been burned in the past.

 

[old1]

95 hours on a set of blades? what are you mowing, rocks? I got around 1000 hours on my first set of blades.

 

[Oldmoparguy1]

I use gaters on my 42" rider. Mow in the summer, bag in the fall. They work great and hold up well.

 

[jeepman3071]

I love gator blades. They are called "mulching blades" but you don't need a mulching attachment to use them. They just cut the grass clippings finer.

 

[cheech279]

Originally Posted By: old1
95 hours on a set of blades? what are you mowing, rocks? I got around 1000 hours on my first set of blades.


1,000 hours without sharpening them? You mustn't care what your lawn looks like, or maybe you cut fields. I cut an irrigated lawn. I replace blades, not sharpen them.

 

[old1]

I sharpen them every year, but don't throw away blades just because they are dull. To me that is a big waste of money, unless of course you can buy blades for $5 each. But then I sharpen them myself to a much sharper edge than new blades come. Do you throw away your kitchen knives, pocket knives, and pencils when they are dull? To each his own of course, but it just seems like a waste to me.

 

[cheech279]

Originally Posted By: old1
I sharpen them every year, but don't throw away blades just because they are dull. To me that is a big waste of money, unless of course you can buy blades for $5 each. But then I sharpen them myself to a much sharper edge than new blades come. Do you throw away your kitchen knives, pocket knives, and pencils when they are dull? To each his own of course, but it just seems like a waste to me.


That makes sense for you, living in a rural area. For me in the suburbs. a new set of three blades every three years is a small price to pay. Plus I don't have to worry about blade balancing.

 

[The_Eric]

Thank you for your input guys- I ended up ordering a set of Gator blades.

 

[cronk]

I have a set of Gator blades on my JD 316 and like them.
I do think the oem Deere blades are good quality also, thicker than most of the blades you would see on a MTD or AYP tractor.

I do like the design of the Gators, they do seem to cut up the clippings finer. I'm on my 2nd season with mine and they hold an edge well. I did sharpen them this season, but they were not terribly dull.

 

[gman2304]

old1, I'm with ya. I use a floppy sanding disc on my angle grinder, then touch them up with a file and 150 grit sandpaper. Balance them from a nail on the leg of my work bench. My JD LX is 17 years old with 1200 hrs and cuts beautifully. I did replace the OEM blades after 12 years, just because.