36" Rear discharge Gator Blade how-to

[mwagner 0]

Hello everyone, I'm a new member as of recently. I surfed this forum for a long time and got some great info here, so thought i would post this in case anyone can use it. I posted this on "another" tractor site a while ago but seems like this is the place to be!

I have an early 80's C-85 with a 36" rear discharge deck (It has an ID# 05-36MR01). I had lots of problems with clumps and streaks of grass, I would pretty regularly have to cut the yard twice to mulch up all of the junk.

I installed a set of Gator blades a few weeks ago. At the same time, i also removed the baffle on the back of the deck (the metal piece that angles the grass toward the ground). Both of these things really made a big difference. No more clumps or streaks, even whent the grass is long or a little wet. Worst case, there is a small streak on the left side of the pass, but this easily gets mulched up on the next pass if you overlap a little.

Anyway i thought i would post what i used, since when i called to order the blades they said they did not make any for my deck. My 36" deck has three blades - two small outer blades about 12" long and a longer middle one about 13-7/8" long. I crossed over into blades from some other brands and made them work, overall it was pretty easy. All three shafts were 3/4" dia on the deck.

Here's what i ordered:

Middle Blade - 90-943 13-27/32" long - this is really for another brand mower, but it fits perfect with no modifications. Already has a 3/4" hole and the length is right.

Small outer blades - 91-954 12-1/8" long, you'll need two. This is a wheel horse blade, but the center hole needs to be modified to fit. These blades have a 3/4" x 5/8" wide slot instead of a round hole. You'll need to round out the edges of the slot to make a 3/4" hole. I was able to do it with a round file, although it did dull my file since the material is pretty hard. A carbide burr in a die grinder would probably be the way to go. Besides that the length is good and everything clears no problem.

I took the tip from some others on the forum and ran these blades in addition to the standard blades, 90 degrees apart, 2 blades on each spindle. I put the standard blades down, toward the grass, with the mulchers up toward the deck. I had to get rid of the thick washer that is standard under the nut and got a thin steel bushing at the hardware store instead. It looks like a 3/4" I.D. washer but is about half as thick, i found it in the assorted hardware bins. With this there is just enough thread to fit both blades on the spindle and get full engagement on the nut.

Hope this helps - I've been very happy with the results. Overall cost was about $60 with shipping, definitely worth it.

[Wheel Horse Fan 3]

Thanks for the info and :omg:

[ddechri 0]

Interesting set-up. Anyone have a similar positive experience on a 42" RD?

I just called the local Toro dealer and there is no mulching kit for my deck.

- Dave

[mwagner 0]

Here is the site I used to size mine up, in case you can't find a listing for your deck:

Gator Blades

In the middle of the page about halfway down you can click on the Toro logo and browse the sizes. As i said I had to cross over into other brands for my middle blade. It's pretty straightforward, just watch that a few of them are set up for opposite rotation, you'll want to check which way your blades are going.

I just cut with mine again last night, the grass was huge, and they worked beautifully. Before with the stock blades the yard would have been a total mess cutting it that long, now it looks like a golf course when I'm done!

[Carlsbarn 0]

86001 recyler kit for 42" rear discharge

[WheelHorse_of_course 99]

Hello,

great write up.

When looking at the bottom of the blades what is the rotation for each blade (clockwise or counterclockwise)?

Thanks

[stoneman 10]

Matt . . . I'm just wondering if your center spindle has been replaced. Am I right in thinking that there is not a double d type shaft with the keeper pins? On my 78 C-81 with the original 36" RD deck, (95-36MR01) all three are the same. Also, is the deck model # on the deck somewhere? Thanks

[mwagner 0]

Hey everybody, thanks for the responses. The deck is a model 05-36MR01, and from what I know, the spindles have never been replaced. My wife's father owned it since new, and it sat for about half of its life in his garage. I don't think he ever did anything out of the ordinary maintenance wise on it. I did put all new spindle bearings in it this year and all three spindles and housings were identical.

To answer the rotation question, when you're looking at the deck flipped over so you can see the blades, all three blades go counterclockwise. This was the "standard" rotation when I ordered the blades. If you look at the listing for the Gator Blades, they do seem to have a very limited few that are the opposite rotation if you need that, they call them "left hand cut" on the link I posted. If you look close at the pictures you can tell which way they should go.

About the spindle shafts, all of mine are the same. I'm not sure what you mean by a double D shaft, I'm guessing you mean the kind with two flats on it. None of mine are like this, that's why I had to file out the middle blade to have a round hole. I needed to get that part number cause it was the only one that had the length and rotation i needed. Hope this helps---

Matt

[WheelHorse_of_course 99]

Matt,

thanks again. This is great news as mine rotate in the same direction!

Of course the only one that will fit my deck is the one you found for the center (yes, it is a 3/4 shaft with 2 flats 180 degrees apart. This is for the pulleys and blades both. Blade end also has two smaller holes..

Time for me to dig around again on the gator site. I'll update everyone...

Thanks again

Rolf :D

[mwagner 0]

Good deal. I realized after i made that last post that i remembered something wrong.. It was the two small outer blades that had the double D flatted shaft pattern the I had to file out to round. The middle blade had an already round hole, so that was good for me. I think you can see this stuff in the pictures on the website.

[holler1 4]

This is an old thread but still useful. I have a 308-8 with a 36" RD deck. I posted an earlier thread with my repairs on the deck. I ordered and installed the Gator blades as mwagner described, old blades on the bottom and Gator blades on top at 90 degrees to the old blades. I've only used this setup on short grass so far, but it seems to work well and generate a lot less clippings. I haven't blocked off the back discharge port at this point.  I'll post a few pictures if possible. One change that I found when ordering the blades - the longer blade is for a Toro mower and has a 3/4 center hole. The two shorter blades are a for a different brand mower with the "double D" hole that I had to file out to 3/4 round.