42” Recycler Blades

[nylyon-(Admin) 8,854]

I bought my 416H new and ordered it with a 42” Recycler.  They didn’t have a recycler deck so they gave me a 42” RD and ordered a recycler kit, which is the same thing.  I would take the kit of on the spring because it would clog up WAY too much with wet grass, it’s really a dry grass attachment.  Through the years, I just stopped putting the recycler on.  Last year I got a KILLER deal on a 42” Recycler, brought it home and just hooked it up and it worked nicely but didn’t recycle like I remembered my old one doing.

Well, getting things ready for this year, I took off the snow blower, and dragged up the 42” Recycler to put on the 416-8.  I still have my daughters 310-8 with a restored 42” RD for wet grass.  Anyway, I wanted to sharpen the blades and turned it upside down and something looked off.  Left is a real recycler blade, right is what came off the deck.  Well, the recycler NOW has 3 sharp RECYCLER blades.

 

 

 

[nylyon-(Admin) 8,854]

It definitely sounds more like I remember.  Grass is too wet to try it, but looking forward to seeing if it’s back to mulching properly.

[squonk 45,803]

I have a Recycler deck plus a set of new blades the manual calls for. My blades look like the ones you pictured on the right. 

 

[Handy Don 16,055]

Ours look like @squonk’s, as well. Without lift, the cuttings do not circulate to get chopped up to fall down past the blades at the perimeter. 

In our experience grass length, blade sharpness, and travel speed are ALL critical for a good cut.

If the grass is drooping over or wet, the blade is dull, or the tractor is moving too fast the cut starts to be uneven. 

[nylyon-(Admin) 8,854]

2 hours ago, squonk said:

I have a Recycler deck plus a set of new blades the manual calls for. My blades look like the ones you pictured on the right. 

 

Do I have it reversed?  Are the wider blades the standard blade and narrower blade the recycler?  I could have sworn the wide blades was the recycler.

[sqrlgtr 2,309]

The blade on the left looks like a blade off my Toro commercial zero turn all the other Wheel Horse blades I have look like the one on the right. 

[nylyon-(Admin) 8,854]

I am 99% sure the blade on the left is the recycler blade.  Maybe I’ll buy a new set to compare?

[nylyon-(Admin) 8,854]

@squonk are these wider?  Post #29

 

And this one from @Brockport Bill definitely the wider blade.

 

[Brockport Bill 2,253]

various 42 recyclers

[nylyon-(Admin) 8,854]

Right, definitely the wider blade.  Thought I was going crazy for a moment.

[Handy Don 16,055]

 

1 hour ago, Brockport Bill said:

various 42 recyclers

Well that tells me I may be buying new blades for our recycler!