Leaf mulching

[Sutty 96]

Short story long, as is my way, I just bought a hand held leaf blower/mulcher, and it does a 10-1 mulch ratio, and it is doing a great job with leaves around the house, patios, paths, etc. Cheap too, so I'm very happy with it. Last year though, I kept track of the volume of leaves that I mowed up off the lawns, into my bag. In a single day, it came in at 11,000 litres. I counted my trips, with a full 500 litre bag, and it came in at 22, hence my figure, and this, only one day of many repeated days. This presents two problems, first I had to roll over the same piece of grass, to exit my lawns, to go to my dumping area, so many times, that this section became ruined. Second, I was running out of room to dump them. I probably shouldn't say this in here, but I was using my cub cadet lawn mower, lol.

 

Sitting in my shed though, is my trusty wheel horse, which I use for other tasks. I think it's 50 years old now, and it goes great, and all my attachments work still, including my mower deck, which has the impeller driven attachment on the side, possibly a later addition, I forget. Sorry, if I'm not using the right terminology, but hopefully you'll get the idea, and my pictures may help. Fitting the deck is an easy job, so I'm wondering if it might not be a bad idea to fit new mulching blades, in place of the standard ones, refit the deck, and my lawn tyres, in place of the tractor ones, and use that for collecting my leaves from the lawns?

 

My questions, to those of you with much more experience than I, are, first, what sort of blades work best? Second, will it actually mulch, and still pick up, using only the side mounted impeller? Third, if it will work, what sort of mulch ratio can I expect, from this type of blade?

 

I don't know my deck type, but I have a few of pictures here that should help. It has double, rear mounted, hanging bags, that you have to lift off to empty, by first tilting a single plastic cover to release them.

 

 

Thanks in advance for any advice you can give me.

 

Best regards

 

Andrew

[Sutty 96]

I think I got a bit giddy with the age of the tractor, I think it is just coming up to 50 years old, but that aside, damn, you guys and this forum are good. I just found the 8 page parts manual for this deck on here, and it says, blade type, set, 106636, thank you @gwest_ca . So that's part of it done. I just need the best mulching replacements for that type of blade, and your guidance as to whether they will work well enough to make it worth the exercise and the expense of the new blades?

[Snoopy11 5,714]

Well, I consider myself a jack of all trades... master of 1... and that one thing that I have mastered is leaves.

 

The best blade that I have found for ripping up leaves is going to look like this:

 

 

I cannot imagine that you would possibly have more leaves than I do. It literally takes every one of the machines in my shop to battle the leaves, as I have so many trees and so much ground to cover. Here in Indiana, we have some clay soil, so if I don't get rid of the leaves, the ground becomes unbearable... you can't walk on the property without sinking in mud. I have acres and acres to cover, and years of experience with leaves. I've learned a lot, and I think I know the best ways to deal with them!

 

I have found that... if you mulch the leaves VERY fine before attempting to capture them, they will take up much less room.

 

I personally don't need a way to capture leaves while I am mowing them. I blow them out where I can mulch them, then use my lawn sweeper to pick up the particles. I deal with piles of leaves that eclipse my machines.

 

For the most massive piles that I can't blow out to more open areas where I can mulch them, I use my L-157 with the blade to push the leaves out, then either push them into the woods, or push them out in little sections where I can mulch them.

 

I only burn leaves 1 time per year, and that occurs behind the pond area where I put the leaves that I skim out of the pond.

 

Mulching, then bagging/vacuuming/sweeping is the most fool-proof, best method that I have found thus far.

 

Don

Edited November 7, 2022 by Snoopy11

[gwest_ca-(File Mod) 11,037]

Here is what we have for the bagger

https://www.wheelhorseforum.com/search/?q=79301&quick=1&type=downloads_file

[Sutty 96]

31 minutes ago, Snoopy11 said:

Snip

 

Mulching, then bagging/vacuuming/sweeping is the most fool-proof, best method that I have found thus far.

 

Don

 

Thank you Don. Yes, that sounds like you're a master in this area, for sure. I don't have so much to do, but an acre and a half of lawns, surrounded by trees, is enough for me, lol.

 

I was hoping to collect, whilst using a mulching blade, of the type you just showed, and with my smaller area and quantity, perhaps that approach could work? It's always difficult to find a few dry days, at this time of year in the UK, in order to be able to ride round on the lawn without damaging it, but when the time comes, I'd like to minimises the number of trips around, so mulching the leaves, and collecting, in one go, would be great, if that method works at all?

 

One further difficulty that being in the UK presents, is always that part availability is so much lower than in the US. Most people don't even have large lawns, or even lawns at all, so the number of suppliers is always lower, and the price is always higher. Lack of choice, or being able to find things at all, is my nemesis, with both of my tractors, cub cadet and wheel horse.

 

Now I know the size, and the number of the original blade set, maybe I can hunt around for a suitable type of blade like the one you showed, and post back a link for your approval.

 

 

 

[Snoopy11 5,714]

4 minutes ago, Sutty said:

I was hoping to collect, whilst using a mulching blade

It should work... but your leaves will be in bigger pieces using this method.

 

Even if you can't find blades like I posted, as long as your blades are good and sharp, you should be good to go...

 

Don

[Sutty 96]

1 hour ago, gwest_ca said:

Here is what we have for the bagger

https://www.wheelhorseforum.com/search/?q=79301&quick=1&type=downloads_file

 

Thank you gwest_ca. I'll have a browse around with those search results.

[Snoopy11 5,714]

BTW @Sutty... beautiful machine that you have there!!! Thanks for sharing those

 

Don

[Sutty 96]

40 minutes ago, Snoopy11 said:

It should work... but your leaves will be in bigger pieces using this method.

 

Even if you can't find blades like I posted, as long as your blades are good and sharp, you should be good to go...

 

Don

 

They won't be Don, but I could sort that, of course. It's not been used for mowing, since I got the cub cadet for that purpose, over 10 years ago. I'd prefer one of those blade types you showed, so I'll see what I can turn up over here.

[Snoopy11 5,714]

1 minute ago, Sutty said:

I'd prefer one of those blade types you showed, so I'll see what I can turn up over here.

Well, let me know if you can't find what you need. Shipping might be expensive to the UK, but I have helped other intentional members in the past get parts, and I would be willing to help you get whatever you need.

 

Don

[Sutty 96]

2 minutes ago, Snoopy11 said:

BTW @Sutty... beautiful machine that you have there!!! Thanks for sharing those

 

Don

 

Oh, thank you. I have placed some pictures of it up before, somewhere in here. I was/am a little embarrassed that it is not spony new looking, and shiny. Then again, it gets used, so I'd only spoil it if I did it all up, lol.

[Sutty 96]

4 minutes ago, Snoopy11 said:

Well, let me know if you can't find what you need. Shipping might be expensive to the UK, but I have helped other intentional members in the past get parts, and I would be willing to help you get whatever you need.

 

Don

 

Wow, fantastic. That is really appreciated. I doubt it will come to that on a blade only, but there have been other things that I have been pulling my hair out in the past. Very kind of you indeed.

 

Cheers

 

Andrew

Edited November 7, 2022 by Sutty

[Snoopy11 5,714]

8 minutes ago, Sutty said:

 

Wow, fantastic. That is really appreciated. I doubt it will come to that on a blade only, but there have been other things that I have been pulling my hair out in the past. Very kind of you indeed.

 

Cheers

 

Andrew

Absolutely! More than happy to help! If you need anything at all, just message me and we can work out how much parts would cost and shipping details...

 

We have abundance here in the United States and I am happy to share with our allies!!!

 

Don

Edited November 7, 2022 by Snoopy11

[Jeff-C175 7,199]

I will typically mulch the leaves and leave them on the lawn.  I use my 48" SD for this.  I do have to go round and round, herding the leaves into a pile in the center and then reverse the process to blow them out evenly onto the grass... I just use the standard cutting blades for this.

 

I have found that for some reason, the deck mulches them into much smaller pieces if in REVERSE, but it generally won't blow all of them out the chute, so once I get them rounded up into a pile, I will go forward, back up over them, forward, etc... easy with a hydro, pain with a gear jammer.

 

[Snoopy11 5,714]

1 minute ago, Jeff-C175 said:

easy with a hydro, pain with a gear jammer

Even easier with a zero turn...

 

 

Don

[Sutty 96]

Yeah, thanks Jeff, not overly keen on leaving them on the lawn, even when mulched. I know I'm taking goodness away, but it just makes such a mess of it.

 

Here is a typical small corner of the lawn, that I snapped through one of the windows the other day for another purpose. This is what it all looks like, and there's so much more to come down yet, lol.

 

 

[Snoopy11 5,714]

6 minutes ago, Sutty said:

 

 

Imagine... leaves 2 inches thicker than that...

 

That is what I deal with... literally...

 

Acres of it... then when you blow them out to where you can mulch them... you have MASSIVE piles twice as tall as your tractor. Madness...

 

Don

[Sutty 96]

lol, I believe you, and I feel for you. I'd already collected twice on this section, just using the Cub cadet on high mow, and there's far more remaining in the trees than I already took away. Leaving that on the lawn just seems to kill the grass, especially when it's all there, whenever the weather, on occasion, has forced that upon me, over the years.

[Snoopy11 5,714]

1 minute ago, Sutty said:

Cub cadet

I've heard just about enough about that Cub. Now, I've got to see it... 

 

May we have some

 

Don

[Sutty 96]

Well, I don't have many, but I did find one just now from 2021. I'm surprised this is allowed, but you did ask, lol.

 

 

 

[Jeff-C175 7,199]

1 hour ago, Sutty said:

allowed

 

As long as there's no GREEN to go with that yellow, we're all good!

 

My machine mulches them so fine after a few passes that they simply disappear into the (what there is of the) turf.  Your grass is so much nicer than mine!  But we've got quite sandy soil so the organics is needed.  But, maybe that's why my grass isn't that good?  Maybe the leaf litter is spoiling it?

 

Yes,  you leave (get it?) those on top of the grass and it'll be dead by Spring time!

 

 

[Snoopy11 5,714]

1 hour ago, Sutty said:

Well, I don't have many, but I did find one just now from 2021

Well that's a nice old girl! I've never seen a bagger on the back of the machine here in the states... maybe I am living under a rock...

 

But yeah, I believe that @Horse Newbie has a cub or two tucked in his barn as well. 

 

Don

[Sutty 96]

Is that a reference to John Deere? If so, I'll never mention them again. 

 

I've never tried mulching, and letting them just discharge onto the grass. The mower I've used above, for the last, well, thinking about it now, it must actually be 15 years, just hoovers them up, and barely mulches them at all. If I just left them to be discharged out of the back, leaving the bag off, I think they would be pretty much the same size. They don't look much smaller when I dump them. 

[953 nut 55,123]

We have over an acre of lawn with about fifty trees of various species so I have to mulch several times as each type of tree has it's own time to drop leaves. I have had great success with a 42" rear discharge deck and a tow behind leaf sweeper. I drop the ground up leaves at my composting site and go in with the front end loader every few months to turn the piles and consolidate them as nature works its magic. If the rain lets up for a couple days I will be able to finish the job this week.

[Moparfanforever 844]

I have the same bagger that you have. It has regular Wheel Horse blades on it. I bag the leaves and put them on my garden and till them into the garden in the fall.