Yes.....I know that it's not even the mid-point of the winter yet and most of you guys are all focused on snow you don't have or snow you do have.
However.......before you know it, winter will turn to spring and then thoughts will turn to getting some sweet seat time keeping those blades of grass under control . Whether you realize it or not, NOW is the time to talk about your deck because NOW is when you have plenty of time to bring it down the basement where it's warm and make it ready for cutting season. It's shocking just how fast time flies by so pay attention.
One of the things that gets asked about all the time is MULCHING BLADES. Most of you guys have the earlier tractors with the left hand discharge decks. Those came in four cutting widths. 38", 44", 48" and 60" as do the RH decks. The best known mulching blade is from GATOR. They made ONE ONLY blade for LH Case decks and that one has been discontinued for some time. They MAY still have some sitting on their shelf in the stockroom gathering dust but when those are gone, that's it. So if you own a 44" deck and want mulching blades, you should call Gator directly right now.
There was another company that had aspirations of getting into the mulching blade biz but they disappeared off the landscape years ago. To the best of my knowledge, no one makes an after-market mulching blade for any Case or Ingersoll mower deck, either LH or RH. discharge. With that in mind, I was asking myself the other day just what I might be able to do in order to help you guys solve this problem. Oh...and it gets even worse for you LH deck users. TWO of the major aftermarket blade makers have discontinued all of the blades for the Case LH decks and once current inventory is gone, then that's it for them too.
There is another option, albeit not a cheap one initially but if you understand the concept of spending more upfront to buy a long-lasting superior product, then read on. This past Tuesday, I spent almost an hour talking long-distance with Roy Megli, the inventor and owner of the Meg-Mo blade system. What I like about Roy is that he was a farmer at one point and I have great respect for farmers. Nany interesting inventions happened because farmers said "There has to be a better way" and then kept at it until they made it happen.
That's how Roy's unique blade system came about. Roy informed me that there are only six companies here that make the blades for the entire marketplace and there is an unwritten agreement that none of them will use a higher quality steel than their competitors. Blades don't last because these guys don't want them to. It's all about selling you new blades as often as possible. As Roy so correctly stated to me, you might go out and buy a brand new $10,000.00 Ingersoll with a modern V-twin under the hood and all the latest improvements BUT... the cutting blades are no better than the ones on that 1965 130 Case you had for so many years.
Think about it. Have any of you seen a blade design that is markedly different to the ones you've been using and your dad was using before you? Only the Gator blade offered something different and purportedly better. Now don't get me wrong, Gator's do work but they get dull with use and most guys just sharpen the leading edges and don't understand that those teeth behind the leading edge must be sharpened too or the mulching action is lost. Those are a royal PITA to sharpen and very time-consuming to get right.
The beauty of the Meg-Mo system is that you get a superior mulching action and you just sharpen the leading edges of the blades. All Meg Mo blades are the exact same length. What changes is the diameter of the mounting disc for the blades I asked Roy if he could sell me blades for all the decks we used and he acknowledged that he could. I'm going to send Roy a sample blade so he can properly measure the drop because his discs are dead flat, I believe. Roy's blades are hardened to around 55 Rockwell while the blades you buy are around a 34 Rockwell.
Tough blades last a long time and they hold their edge longer too. So, there is an eventual payback for going with Roy's invention. You get a superior cut. You don't have to sharpen the blades near as often and replacement can be put off substantially. OK... I'm not going to deny the sticker shock here but Roy's been making and selling these blades for around 17 years. If they did not do what Roy claims, then he'd have been out of business years ago. I've invited Roy to come to our forum and share his vast experience with setting up mower decks with all of you.
In addition to owning and operating the Meg-Mo blade company, Roy has also run a large lawn maintenance business all these years. I don't think that anyone is going to teach Roy much about mower decks as he is now in his mid-70's. First of all, here's the link to Roy's web site.
http://www.meg-mo.com
If you look down the left column, you will see an icon in the shape of a camera. If you click on it, you can watch a video of his blades in action on a ZTR. I'm going to send Roy a link to our site tonight and ask him to join so he can come to this thread and talk to you guys about leveling your deck and the relationship of your blades to the leading edge of your deck.
So please take a good look at Roy's site and his video. You know that you want a nice smooth cut and you don't want to bag, rake or sweep. If you don't need to buy a Hydra-Bagger or a sweeper, then factor in those savings along with the aggravation that often goes with dealing with the grass clippings before you write this system off as being too expensive.
Keep an eye on this thread. It won't be hard to figure out when Roy is here but in the meantime, feel free to pose your questions in advance for Roy to answer.
Oh and one more thing. This thread is not about whether you buy Roy's system. It's primarily about learning how to get the best out of your deck no matter what you use for blades. All of you guys should be lining up here to learn from an expert who has willingly come here to educate you. This is a super opportunity so don't miss out. Roy is in his slow season right now and I'm not going to be able to get him back in the spring. So if you blow this now, you may regret it later. :thumbsup:
However.......before you know it, winter will turn to spring and then thoughts will turn to getting some sweet seat time keeping those blades of grass under control . Whether you realize it or not, NOW is the time to talk about your deck because NOW is when you have plenty of time to bring it down the basement where it's warm and make it ready for cutting season. It's shocking just how fast time flies by so pay attention.
One of the things that gets asked about all the time is MULCHING BLADES. Most of you guys have the earlier tractors with the left hand discharge decks. Those came in four cutting widths. 38", 44", 48" and 60" as do the RH decks. The best known mulching blade is from GATOR. They made ONE ONLY blade for LH Case decks and that one has been discontinued for some time. They MAY still have some sitting on their shelf in the stockroom gathering dust but when those are gone, that's it. So if you own a 44" deck and want mulching blades, you should call Gator directly right now.
There was another company that had aspirations of getting into the mulching blade biz but they disappeared off the landscape years ago. To the best of my knowledge, no one makes an after-market mulching blade for any Case or Ingersoll mower deck, either LH or RH. discharge. With that in mind, I was asking myself the other day just what I might be able to do in order to help you guys solve this problem. Oh...and it gets even worse for you LH deck users. TWO of the major aftermarket blade makers have discontinued all of the blades for the Case LH decks and once current inventory is gone, then that's it for them too.
There is another option, albeit not a cheap one initially but if you understand the concept of spending more upfront to buy a long-lasting superior product, then read on. This past Tuesday, I spent almost an hour talking long-distance with Roy Megli, the inventor and owner of the Meg-Mo blade system. What I like about Roy is that he was a farmer at one point and I have great respect for farmers. Nany interesting inventions happened because farmers said "There has to be a better way" and then kept at it until they made it happen.
That's how Roy's unique blade system came about. Roy informed me that there are only six companies here that make the blades for the entire marketplace and there is an unwritten agreement that none of them will use a higher quality steel than their competitors. Blades don't last because these guys don't want them to. It's all about selling you new blades as often as possible. As Roy so correctly stated to me, you might go out and buy a brand new $10,000.00 Ingersoll with a modern V-twin under the hood and all the latest improvements BUT... the cutting blades are no better than the ones on that 1965 130 Case you had for so many years.
Think about it. Have any of you seen a blade design that is markedly different to the ones you've been using and your dad was using before you? Only the Gator blade offered something different and purportedly better. Now don't get me wrong, Gator's do work but they get dull with use and most guys just sharpen the leading edges and don't understand that those teeth behind the leading edge must be sharpened too or the mulching action is lost. Those are a royal PITA to sharpen and very time-consuming to get right.
The beauty of the Meg-Mo system is that you get a superior mulching action and you just sharpen the leading edges of the blades. All Meg Mo blades are the exact same length. What changes is the diameter of the mounting disc for the blades I asked Roy if he could sell me blades for all the decks we used and he acknowledged that he could. I'm going to send Roy a sample blade so he can properly measure the drop because his discs are dead flat, I believe. Roy's blades are hardened to around 55 Rockwell while the blades you buy are around a 34 Rockwell.
Tough blades last a long time and they hold their edge longer too. So, there is an eventual payback for going with Roy's invention. You get a superior cut. You don't have to sharpen the blades near as often and replacement can be put off substantially. OK... I'm not going to deny the sticker shock here but Roy's been making and selling these blades for around 17 years. If they did not do what Roy claims, then he'd have been out of business years ago. I've invited Roy to come to our forum and share his vast experience with setting up mower decks with all of you.
In addition to owning and operating the Meg-Mo blade company, Roy has also run a large lawn maintenance business all these years. I don't think that anyone is going to teach Roy much about mower decks as he is now in his mid-70's. First of all, here's the link to Roy's web site.
http://www.meg-mo.com
If you look down the left column, you will see an icon in the shape of a camera. If you click on it, you can watch a video of his blades in action on a ZTR. I'm going to send Roy a link to our site tonight and ask him to join so he can come to this thread and talk to you guys about leveling your deck and the relationship of your blades to the leading edge of your deck.
So please take a good look at Roy's site and his video. You know that you want a nice smooth cut and you don't want to bag, rake or sweep. If you don't need to buy a Hydra-Bagger or a sweeper, then factor in those savings along with the aggravation that often goes with dealing with the grass clippings before you write this system off as being too expensive.
Keep an eye on this thread. It won't be hard to figure out when Roy is here but in the meantime, feel free to pose your questions in advance for Roy to answer.
Oh and one more thing. This thread is not about whether you buy Roy's system. It's primarily about learning how to get the best out of your deck no matter what you use for blades. All of you guys should be lining up here to learn from an expert who has willingly come here to educate you. This is a super opportunity so don't miss out. Roy is in his slow season right now and I'm not going to be able to get him back in the spring. So if you blow this now, you may regret it later. :thumbsup:
