Mower blade shootout. OEM vs Gator Blades, which are better?

It's time for new blades on your mower. Are aftermarket blades like the Gator Blades we tested worth it?
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[@spyder000069]

I run the gator blades in the fall to better mulch up the leaves from our maple tree and it mulches up the walnut fruit ankle twisters. You have to slow down and give the deck time to handle its business. In the summer months its standard blades. I sharpen each set when swapping so I'm always ready for next season.

[@denniseft6460]

Pretty sure if you drop her down below 75 mph, you will find a better cut.. WAAAAAY to fast of ground speed.

[@donalddavis3308]

Agree, way too fast

[@danandfaith]

I suggest running the test again in a few weeks, once the lawn has recovered, and run at 1/2 speed. Or do 6 sections, race car driver speed and slow and steady speed with the three different blade sets.

[@anomicanomic2705]

Realistic test we go flat out at all times except turns. If mower can’t mow at 10mph why pay 12k for it?

[@Morpheen999]

Speed is important for commercial cutting.. The faster you can cut the more money your going to make

[@philswords6390]

Most everyone seems to want to go too fast!

[@GDyer-cl8fl]

3” is a good height for lawns. Most people cut too short. 31/4 or 31/2 even better. Grass will withstand dry times better & tends to smother out weeds

[@johndavis7112]

Good lord you’re not in a race I’m surprised it cut anything that bouncing around is your entire problem 😮

[@mikerossman9863]

I found that the gator blades work well in a sandy yard where they don’t “lift” the sand and make the dust cloud as bad as the OEM blades with the singular fin.

[@arizflash]

I've been running Gator blades on my Gt48DXLS with a mulch plug for 6 years. I mulch my maple leave in the fall and bag. They work as well for bagging as the high lift blades. Mulching the green grass saves from putting down mid-summer fertilizer. I bought the G-5 Gator blades last summer and they are still sharp they have a harder steel than the G-3 which I was using.

[@stephenoffiler8024]

So many variables! It must be great fun to be a mower deck engineer. I've run Gator on my 48" 25HP Gravely zero-turn, and wasn't impressed. Length of grass, moisture, time of year (for those of us with a variety of grasses and some other stuff growing in our lawns, some parts of the year mow different than others). I keep coming back to OEM, which seems to provide the best consistency as those variables change, so the engineers did their job well.

[@GregFisk-n4p]

Speed in which grass is cut is all important.Moisture of grass number 2. Thickness and height number 3. Found extremely Sharp blades not needed as they dull very fast, edge of blade will round over.

[@stephenoffiler8024]

@@GregFisk-n4p I am mildly surprised that moisture is listed ahead of thickness and height, but I am not debating you here, just pondering. I still think a blade with aerodynamic characteristics that are matched to the deck is very high on the list. I used to get in a hurry and resharpen without cleaning the underside of the deck, and cut quality suffered. It is so obviously a matched system.

[@GregFisk-n4p]

@@stephenoffiler8024 Reason moisture over thickness and height is wet grass clumps up and will not spread. I found gator blades work best with leaves

[@GregFisk-n4p]

@@stephenoffiler8024 very true about air flow

[@Morpheen999]

@@GregFisk-n4p Unless you cut commercially, then simply slowing your speed you cut at.. Isnt an option

[@Andrew-fg7gw]

Running an FDR1660, the landpride high-lift blades give a great cut, but I've found the clippings from the gator blades are finer and "disappear" into the lawn a bit better. When mowing wet/heavy grass you definitely notice a difference in the power the gator blades require.

[@chdinct6792]

Exactly why I changed to Gators, to reduce the size/length of the clippings. And they work great in the fall to mulch up the leaves.

[@KubotaL4060]

Many variables when comparing blade performance. My preference is Gator Blades all season on my Kubota ZD mowers. They give a good cut, mulch leaves in the fall well, and are very durable. I sharpen them about every 40 hours, and my last set were replaced after 700 hours.

[@joegeorgia8989]

Proffesional lawn jockey here. Most OEM blades are designed to lift and cut. For side discharge decks you want the "high" lift blades. They will cut a longer piece but will throw the clippings farther. Rear discharge decks the gator blades do better.

[@amandadavis9726]

Actually,…Gator blades will throw clippings just as far as OEM blades. I tested out a set of G6 blades on my mower. They would throw clippings almost three passes over. They changed the way that I mowed. The G6s are a much heavier blade as well. They’ll rob your mower of power. I could really tell in the thicker grass. My OEM blades would cut faster and cleaner through it.

[@kevindickerson8036]

What mower has a rear discharge.I want one

[@MrToddwest]

Kubota ZD 1211-72 RD. I have an orchard and love this mower.

[@chaseledbetter5186]

​@kevindickerson8036 most newer 3 point finish mowers are rear discharge. You are never cutting the already cut grass twice. I love mine. Of course you need a tractor to run one. And they are certainly not as fast as a zero turn.

[@henrymorgan3982]

Blade speed is what it is all about. Like a propeller.

[@wildbill23c]

Yep, stop the propeller on an airplane and the pilot is not happy LOL.

[@anthonyjohnson100]

Only way to truly mulch is to close off the shoot and run less than 5mph. The slower you go the more it’ll mulch with a mulching or high lift blade and closed shoot.

[@thebradleysoncatbirdhill6849]

Nice comparison, Neill!!! I've heard about gator blades from a lot of folks, but this certainly answers the questions I had. I'm sticking with OEM!

[@markgardiner5150]

I had 1 pair of the Gator blades that would occasionally tick while running. Other than that no problem. I use them on a Kubota 2200 54” which very seldom bogs under any mowing load.

[@windzer]

I run gatorblades in the fall for mulching leaves and it does an awesome job but I run oem highlift blades all summer on my deere they seem to shoot the clippings farther and scatters them better less clumping that way

[@cujo7240]

I'm surprised that you stated that engine HP was an issue with the Gator blades, since you stated your mower has a 40HP engine!

[@danhenson6386]

Smaller clippings from the Gator Blades clog up the deck on my Kubota 421-60kw in the early season. Work great late season and fall but not worth the hassle. I’m sticking with OE on my 2 acres.

[@anguslean4058]

I have the exact opposite I use a husqvarna 46 inch I do get build up on the deck just like with the OEM blades but using a blower to get them out is much easier and quicker then with the OEM blades because the cuttings are much finer

[@malcolmdean6899]

On my push mower the gator blade hands down cuts the grass super fine.

[@georgetullis7216]

The cab would be great for mowing very large open lawns. Like 10 acres. But the reality is I’m picking up debris the most of the time. Sticks, small limbs, pine comes, a mushroom, what ever. My Kubota will go about 12 MPH and will cut a perfect plot beautifully. But truth is most lawns aren’t perfect and require slowing down to 6 or 7 MPH

[@Bentwrench28]

What another person has already said. Slow down. Just because a mower is advertised to run 10 or 12 mph, doesn’t mean you’re going to leave a good cut. You look like a bouncing ball and your deck is doing the same. I’m also guessing that the suspension on that mower is slightly over loaded. And when you’re in the large open areas raise the chute.

[@1jw298]

😂 that part of the video was sped up.

[@dennisberghorn9512]

Lol

[@danaevans3524]

Maybe blow the deck/mower off? The cab looks stupid. Not very practical. One good wallop with a tree limb it's all over. I know, it's free! Oh my gosh 3" tall grass! I hope you can rescue that yard? 3" I'm not sure you can pull it off with that equipment? I like Toro OME & Copperhead blades. Keep them sharp and balance you will be in good sharp shape. Keep it simple.

[@adamedwards4305]

Video request: for the L02 series gear driven tractors, there seems to be a few different types of PTO drive systems and clutches in use (according to the spec sheet). I can't find any info about this. I'd love to see a video explaining each of those.

[@garypuls5263]

I had the exact same results with my John Deere 1025r with the 60D deck with the mulch kit installed

[@RobertBrothersJr-dc7nr]

Great comparison Neil. As I expected the majority of the time OEM is better. Good learning experience for me . Thanks

[@wildbill23c]

Those Gator blades work great, just as good if not better than OEM....Neil was going way too fast in that last clip....he didn't go as fast with the 2 previous tests.

[@WeSRT4]

Copperhead blades all the way!

[@earlyriser8998]

This was well timed as I am not happy with the cut of my OEM blades and was looking at the Oregon blades and otehr Mulching styles.

[@ericcrockett6396]

The Gator blades may also be demanding more horsepower from your mower because not only is it actually cutting the grass with the sharp Leading Edge of the blade but it's also chopping it up with the scalloped edge with the little bit of mulching affect so it is bogging Your mower more because it's actually cutting the grass twice I have a set of Gator blades on my bx2670 belly mower and I had a set of sharp OEM style blades and with the type of grass I have which is essentially a nicely trimmed Hayfield the Gator blades do a much better job at grinding up the clippings and they can disperse better as the smaller clippings can be blown out farther rather than just the long cut stems of grass being blown out into almost a windrow

[@janking2762]

Three inches long? I keep mine at four inches and it’s always thick and healthy, even in the current SE PA heat. OEM Blades on BS 23s tractor.

[@davidmason7093]

How fast are you mowing?

[@richardweihert6233]

Would have been interesting to put one Gator blade one new and one used, and simply look at the standing grass cut quality.

[@kmb957]

Im running Ballard Razors. I like them. Im going to try their X blade setup in the fall.

[@2020Tundra]

I’ve run both the Ballard Razor blades and their Gold blades and I like their Razor blades best. They sure seem to last longer for me, too.

[@wildbill23c]

I've been using Gator G3 and G5 blades for several years....they work great, and they mulch very well also. G3 blades for regular lawn mowers, so your basic push mowers, and self propelled 21 and 22 inch walk behinds and lawn/garden tractors, and homeowner model zero turns. The G5 blades might be available for some of higher end mowers, but you need more HP to run them as they're heavier. I wish I could get Gator Blades for the mid mount mower on my Kubota BX2680 60" deck. I haven't been able to find a set. I ran the Gator blades on my lawn tractor all the time, never swapped them out for different seasons, they did great on the Cub Cadet XT1 42" mower....the OEM blades were fine, but they seemed to not last as long, they got dull quick it seemed like, so I bought the G5 blades and after 2 seasons of mowing an acre each week, plus mulching in the fall, the blades were still fine for another season without needing to be sharpened. The cost of the G3 and G5 blades isn't too bad compared to the OEM blades....I also buy Oregon branded blades for OEM replacement blades as well as they tend to last longer between sharpening compared to OEM blades which tend to be the cheapest blades they can manage to find to put on. The G5 blades are wider, and thicker...so they do require more power to run them but it seemed like my lawn tractor didn't have an issue running the heavier blades.... Neil, slow down those Gator blades will work much better if you aren't trying to race across the lawn....no matter what blades you run, at the speed you were going its not going to leave a very good cut....and the whole machine was just bouncing along in the last clip, so no wonder you got less than good results with the Gator Blades. Just because the machine goes 15mph doesn't mean to mow at that speed.

[@anguslean4058]

I have a husqvarna 46 inch I put the Oregon G5 blades on and notice a couple of thing The grass clippings itself are much finer and dissipate much quicker Also I noticed that it seems to suck up previous dead grass much better then the OEM blades After a few moths cutting I checked the under side of the deck and blades Under deck was clean and the blades pristine One downside is that there is more of the clippings escaping from under the deck which at times does get in my face Cleaning the clippings on the deck around the belt and pulleys is much easier because they are such fine clippings and my blower gets them out pretty quick As for cutting wet grass I don’t know of any blades that are going to give you a super fine mulch I just slow down my cutting and that seems to handle it much better I’m happy with the G5 blades overall and it does seem that I have less mulch build up on the lawn.

[@MessicksEquip]

It was sped up in editing

[@robertsevert]

You could check out Oregon gator blades 396-787 to see if the center hole and length is the same? these blades are g6 with carbide edge just little thicker just a thought 😊

[@karatejoe5049]

Is that where Ferris says to put a jackstand?

[@keegantimber8571]

Great comparison! Thanks! 👍👍👍

[@WilliamPalmer-y4b]

What are you racing

[@davidmason7093]

When mulching you must slowdown in order for the deck to chop up the clippings finer.

[@scottpreble3330]

I find gater blades clump more , especially when damp.

[@bigsway4414]

How about a one and a half year review of that mower. What are your thoughts on the noise and the dust in the cab?

[@MessicksEquip]

Noise is not a bother, but I have always worn ear protection. I don't notice dust inside the cab while mowing, my allergies are vastly better. In no way does the inside stay clean, it's not like a tractor.

[@pooch6178]

slow down Neil, might want to do a video on optimum mowing speed.

[@dennisberghorn9512]

Lol

[@johneubanks5951]

Im a fabricator and i had some titanium pieces that were laying around. I cut the metal to make a blade for a push mower, light weight blade with a 70* bevel ( i like a more laid back, sharper cutting edge. I had it balanced and the cutting edge/bevel machined and damn what a blade. It turned out to be roughly a $569.00 blade but i was bored and just one of those things we guys do. Works great in grass cutting, im nervous about it breaking if it was used in rougher areas with sticks or small pebble rocks. .Next im going to try using a particular steel and have the edges made like a serrated edge bread cutting knife..lol..Any ideas guys, lemme know and i might make it, call your name out on it and test it out with eitger a X mark walk behind, a wright stander or a ariens push mower...lets play..😂

[@MessicksEquip]

Love it

[@timflatt8879]

G5 gator blades will be thinner that the G6 blade and not as heavy . I run gator G5 blades and never have to scrap a deck. High lift OEM and I will have to scrap the deck in the spring.

[@inthedarkwoods2022]

What model dewalt impact you using in the video?

[@4runnin1]

A real mulching blade is one with 2 cutting blades at different heights

[@JCWren]

And then there's the age old argument of just how sharp a mower blade should be. Some of these lawn dads think you should sharpen it between every use and that it should be sharp enough to shave with. Other says that OEM blades come sharp enough and to run what you brung (for those of you old enough to remember that expression). You'd think if the OEMs thought you should be sharpening them very frequently, there'd be an easier way to change them without having to buy a mower lift.

[@JohnWilson-ql8ks]

So for me what do I need to do, I have 1.1 Ac. to mow and its all sand. I get at most 2 to 3 months on a set.of blade have tried every brand that i was able to get for my 48" cut deck..

[@johncampbell3735]

My Lawnboy DuraForce works best with OEM blade. There is a reason engineers design a product a specific way.

[@WeSRT4]

Wish blades lasted a year and a half on my zero turn. I get about 20 hours out of a set before the sandy soil has completely eaten them up!

[@Flashman36175]

You need to or get someone to properly temper and sharpen them. Then you will get 60 hrs. My late dad used to temper mine that was used on sandy granet and they lasted 3 times longer at least then new or ones that I sharpened. I wish I paid attention to the process, but I probably do not have the skill set to do it properly anyways. Now I just just cut grass on clay and loam, even new or filed blades last and last; a quick filing sharpens them easily.

[@WeSRT4]

@@Flashman36175 I wonder if tempering lawnmower blades is a good idea from a safety standpoint? It seems like they would be more prone to shattering and sending metal flying...

[@RichB0330]

try some Ballard Gold blades

[@slammerjaxlive]

gator blades were choking because you were mowing too fast, you can't expect to get a nice clean cut on any machine when you're driving that fast.

[@Skynd303]

New blades i uwe a flat file and remove the paint to make it sharp under the paint.

[@Jeg_er_tyk_og_grim]

R u trying to set a Guinness record for mow speeds? Let the mower cut slow down

[@MarkRambo1]

Man, all those equipment manufacturers you work with and they can’t hook you up with a demo lawn sweeper? 😂

[@MessicksEquip]

... that and a lawn roller are on my list. Problem is its either box store junk or golf course expensive. Few solid options for those of us in the middle.

[@wildbill23c]

@@MessicksEquip That's the problem with all equipment honestly....I find such a range of prices....but its not what you'd think of a gradual increase....its like lawn tractor $2,000.....another lawn tractor next to it with a different color $10,000 LOL They all do the same thing, they cut grass, and many are made by the same conglomerate company unfortunately....I'd love to get a Kubota zero turn but not for what they want for them, might get a Cub Cadet....had good luck with my Cub Cadet Lawn tractor for 6 years.....my uncle has it now because he got tired of spending money fixing the Husqvarna lawn tractor he had, so I gave my lawn tractor to him because he needs it more than I do....so next season I'll be in the market for either another lawn tractor or a zero turn....and the zero turns with 42" decks look ridiculously out of proportion to themselves. I've been looking around at 48 to 54 inch decks....since I only have an acre I don't need anything any larger really since I do have the 60" mid mount deck for my Kubota BX2680 that I wish now I wouldn't have bought....$2500 and its more of a pain to deal with than its worth because of what I have to do to install and remove it and store it since the door opening of my shop isn't wide enough to just leave it installed, didn't think about that at the time when the doors were installed 30 years ago that I'd ever have a tractor larger than a riding mower with a 44" deck LOL.

[@MarkRambo1]

@@MessicksEquipyep that’s very true. We have about 2 acres to sweep and went with a 54” All Fit HD sweeper from Home Depot. Only problem was a couple bends in the tube steel, but it was my fault when backing up a full bag into an overgrown field. It’s not heavy-duty but as long as we keep it 5mph or less behind the zero turn or ATV it does the job for us

[@paullambert2668]

Ugh. I hate picking up clippings. I'd rather mow more often without picking up than less often with picking up.

[@arkyump]

raise your blade make one pass then drop it one point and hit it again. You need a Grasshopper mower.

[@Dan-u2l4b]

Dude sloooow down let the blade hit the grass sheesh

[@damiandeans75]

Pick the deck up a bit! Your law isn’t a putting green. Neil go back to the store and get a baler, you got a hay field for a lawn!

[@dennisberghorn9512]

Lol lol

[@jakeschisler7525]

The gator blades are the only one i run

[@CH-xp5wo]

Just wondering why on earth you are running your ground speed so fast? Just because you can, doesn't always mean you should. Slow your ground speed down a bit and your finished lawn will have a much better cut appearance.

[@MessicksEquip]

Video was sped up

[@CH-xp5wo]

@@MessicksEquip so it worked then, you got the reply count you were hoping for. Nice one.

[@brucealvarez9263]

Neil, 3" is what I mow DOWN to!! ;) Speaking of sharp blades, I've been doing them by hand with a file, so-so results. Happened to be "offered" a video by KZbin where a guy tested a blade sharpening jig you use with an angle grinder and flap discs. Holds the blade AND the grinder. I can't find that video again but here is a similar one kzbin.info/www/bejne/nYHWlaxshpepqck

[@darrelbiolo2596]

You might wanna slow down about 10 mph 🤣😂🤣😂

[@claudenormandeau9211]

Neil, to do this test, you are taking too much of a cut at one time. Based on your measurement of 5 inches that you told use. You kept saying your 40Hp machine was laboring hard, so to do this test properly to truly test the blades, just take the top 1 inch off. The whole point of using the gator blades is for the vacuuming lifting effect. No one cuts just the top 1 inch off, but after all, this is for testing purposes only and will give you better results. If you want to take such a large deep cut in one pass for testing, then you need to consider widening the discharge opening so the clippings are thrown out easier. That is why your machine strains so much. Opening the exhaust shoot makes a big difference. Unless you want to mulch.

[@MessicksEquip]

I was not cutting off 5" . The grass was that high, I cut at 4" so I was taking off about 1"

[@vaughnburrows]

Does anyone make a cab like that for Toro mowers?

[@MessicksEquip]

Ferris, Deere, Kubota

[@richardbritton5280]

landpride 54 in gator blade 3 p set

[@georgesimpson3113]

Next time sharpen them before you install... you'll see an even better cut.

[@billsimpson604]

You cut too fast for the Gator to work properly. You need more horsepower to go that fast.

[@johnmartin-sg7cv]

I believe you are mowing way too fast. My Brother In Law and I had identical zero turn mowers bought from the same dealer on the same day. He always mowed as fast as the zero turn could go. I drove to the conditions. My lawn looked great. His lawn looked like crap. He kept going back to the dealer as he was not happy with the cut. I said to him 2 or 3 times to slow down. Because a mower can go that fast is for transport at that speed. Mowing speed varies on the grass. Did not believe me and to this day he keeps telling friends how crap the mower is, when its all how he uses it. You mow way too fast in my opinion. (Unless that mowing video was sped up in editing)😁😁

[@MessicksEquip]

It was sped up.

[@richardniswander6090]

What if you slowed down a bit

[@corgicliffdivingteam8280]

Neil, you travel way too fast!!! It's recommended by the experts to leave the length between 2 ½" - 4 ½" long for cool season grass AND only remove a third of the blade at a time. I live on five acres and cut four acres of grass each week. Also, I purchase a professional blade sharpener and sharpen the blades every two months.

[@stephendavis7441]

Trying to cut to fast slow down

[@danielwolf2192]

Slow down mowing speed

[@LandonAndrews-qx5gn]

you need to SLOW DOWN you are going way to fast.

[@MessicksEquip]

It's sped up in editing

[@LawrenceBailey-dm1zc]

Slow down

[@TacoTruck17]

Um, slow down, and you will have a better cut!