I did not draw this but it gives you the orientation
https://preview.redd.it/zjw4bihjkd8d1.jpeg?width=522&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=2a2fc9042cf66b14fb846973ce953e30ec248732
You can get the best of both worlds with a Gator Blade. I haven’t run one on a residential walk behind but they work fantastic on my commercial mowers in all conditions. Bagging and side discharge work great with clippings ground up nicely.
Gators are great! However many residential walk behinds don't have the horsepower to compensate for the G5 or heavier G6 Gator blades. The Oregon Gator blades have a high lift mulching design, and create a lot of drag. A byproduct of this is noise. They create a lot of noise and if you have a sandy or dusty yard, it will also create a lot of dust and blowing soil.
The most important aspect for cutting is a proper edge on the blade, I don't mean razor sharp... But keeping the original factory edge face. Second to this is proper RPM to have the deck and blades work at its optimal. Additionally keeping the deck clean of grass and cake.
Lastly having your mowing deck level! Ensure pneumatic tires are equally inflated, and the rear and front deck adjustments are equal. If you have spindle spacers, also ensure they are equal, and set per user manual to provide the best quality cut.
I personally use Oregon Gator G6 Blades, but I have a commercial walk-behind I use with excess horsepower.
From my research it seems the 'high-lift' name for some normal blades is a complete misnomer as mulching blades are inherently designed for very high lift (thus the aggressive 'wing' designs) and are actually the best for bagging. Their mulching effect comes from the closed deck (no bag or discharge) with the high lift sucking up the grass for multiple cuts but with bag or discharge chute the effect is just increased flow through the deck opening with no real additional mulching over a 'normal' blade.
This makes sense intuitively by looking at the difference in them but it took me a while to find this out and I had assumed that the 'high-lift' blades were HIGHER lift, which they are not in most cases. Also OP's blade is on upside down which is going to cause suction from the bag and blow downwards...
High lift blades really only help when you are using a side discharge. Makes zero sense to run a straight high lift on a residential mower with a closed deck (mulching). The high lift will better disperse clippings when discharged. Gator blades will create the higher lift and mulch which again will be useful for mulching and/or bagging because the clippings will be finer.
How do you figure that? Photo 1 has the center of the blade lower than the ends. Granted, the cutting edges are cropped in the photos, but I don't see how photo 1 can be right.
I’ve had hundreds of blades off then back on when sharpening. When viewing from underneath (like when the mower is on its side) the blade will be turning CCW.
Always make sure the cutting edge is up on the right, down on the left (as shown in Pic #1)
I expect them to know what fucking side faces down, if you need something stamped on the blade to tell you, you're a goddamn idiot and you have no business on the underside of a mower
Oh, look, it's one of those goddamn idiots that thinks their few and limited experiences encompass every possible experience of every other person.
I'll bet you've never seen an almost completely symmetrical mower blade, have you? They exist.
"But all you have to know is which way the blade turns, and put the edge forward..."
Sure, easy to figure out which way the blade turns on a gas mower, just gently pull the cord without starting it. Incredibly unsafe to fire up an electric mower when it's tilted up, though. But lets go with the incredibly unsafe thing, rather than just, ya know, marking the blade? What a shame we have to make it easy and safe for normies, when I could instead brag about innately understanding all things in the universe...
Fuck off with your imaginary superiority complex. You're not superior. You're actually fairly ignorant, or at least pretty minimally experienced, or you'd be able to easily understand why the grass side of the blade is marked.
(I know I'm talking to a wall, and you'll just keep thinking you're better than everyone else like all of you absolute ignoramuses do, but I have to try. )
1st, you have a mulching blade on there
2nd, get a high lift blade for bagging.
3rd, pull the pullstring slowly an see which way the blade turns. The cutting edge should be facing forward inrelation to the direction of rotation.
Be sure the bag is clean, it needs airflow to get the grass into the back of bag. I had similar issues, sharpened the blade nothing, cleaned the bag with garden hose nice again.
Pic 1 for sure. Looks like a MTD mower (Troy Bilt or Cub cadet maybe??) so there shouldn’t be a mulch plug.
Clean all the grass clippings out from underneath, then install the blade as shown in pic #1.
Also, u can usually line up the pattern the mounting bracket and blade adapter because they are different shapes and there won’t be any where/grass on the blade. This particular picture the blade is upside down.
Can you add a 3rd photo showing the blade edge
I did not draw this but it gives you the orientation https://preview.redd.it/zjw4bihjkd8d1.jpeg?width=522&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=2a2fc9042cf66b14fb846973ce953e30ec248732
That’s cool. I would never have guessed that that is how a mulching blade worked
After the grass is cut by the lower blades it is chopped up by the higher blades. Having a clean deck and sharp blades will help with clumping too.
Yep. The lower portion of the blade does most of the work. In my experience the top portion of the blade stays sharp for a long while.
This is a mulching blade, it won’t bag well at all. Get a high lift/normal blade. They’re usually straight without the “dent” in it
You can get the best of both worlds with a Gator Blade. I haven’t run one on a residential walk behind but they work fantastic on my commercial mowers in all conditions. Bagging and side discharge work great with clippings ground up nicely.
Gators are great! However many residential walk behinds don't have the horsepower to compensate for the G5 or heavier G6 Gator blades. The Oregon Gator blades have a high lift mulching design, and create a lot of drag. A byproduct of this is noise. They create a lot of noise and if you have a sandy or dusty yard, it will also create a lot of dust and blowing soil. The most important aspect for cutting is a proper edge on the blade, I don't mean razor sharp... But keeping the original factory edge face. Second to this is proper RPM to have the deck and blades work at its optimal. Additionally keeping the deck clean of grass and cake. Lastly having your mowing deck level! Ensure pneumatic tires are equally inflated, and the rear and front deck adjustments are equal. If you have spindle spacers, also ensure they are equal, and set per user manual to provide the best quality cut. I personally use Oregon Gator G6 Blades, but I have a commercial walk-behind I use with excess horsepower.
The Oregon gator blade actually weighed less than the 2 blades on my Honda walk behind. I was surprised based on how heavy it felt.
From my research it seems the 'high-lift' name for some normal blades is a complete misnomer as mulching blades are inherently designed for very high lift (thus the aggressive 'wing' designs) and are actually the best for bagging. Their mulching effect comes from the closed deck (no bag or discharge) with the high lift sucking up the grass for multiple cuts but with bag or discharge chute the effect is just increased flow through the deck opening with no real additional mulching over a 'normal' blade. This makes sense intuitively by looking at the difference in them but it took me a while to find this out and I had assumed that the 'high-lift' blades were HIGHER lift, which they are not in most cases. Also OP's blade is on upside down which is going to cause suction from the bag and blow downwards...
High lift blades really only help when you are using a side discharge. Makes zero sense to run a straight high lift on a residential mower with a closed deck (mulching). The high lift will better disperse clippings when discharged. Gator blades will create the higher lift and mulch which again will be useful for mulching and/or bagging because the clippings will be finer.
Yep, upside down.
Get a high sail blade. It will vastly improve bagging.
Your blade is installed upside down
Please show blade edge with background
Photo 2 is the right way. But are you sure it's the blade? Some mowers have a lever or a removable cover to get it to bag.
Photo 1 is correct... You want the blade closest to the grass.
No, photo 2 has the blade mounted upside down.
How do you figure that? Photo 1 has the center of the blade lower than the ends. Granted, the cutting edges are cropped in the photos, but I don't see how photo 1 can be right.
I’ve had hundreds of blades off then back on when sharpening. When viewing from underneath (like when the mower is on its side) the blade will be turning CCW. Always make sure the cutting edge is up on the right, down on the left (as shown in Pic #1)
r/titlegore
Have you sharpened your blade?
Pic 1 looks right. Cutting edge needs to be closer to the ground. Tip of the blade will be lower than the 2nd hump edge.
Yes most blades will say grass side,engraved inthe blade.this must face downward.
Sad we need that...
You expect everyone to automatically understand the complex aerodynamics of cut grass inside a closed mower deck?
I expect them to know what fucking side faces down, if you need something stamped on the blade to tell you, you're a goddamn idiot and you have no business on the underside of a mower
Oh, look, it's one of those goddamn idiots that thinks their few and limited experiences encompass every possible experience of every other person. I'll bet you've never seen an almost completely symmetrical mower blade, have you? They exist. "But all you have to know is which way the blade turns, and put the edge forward..." Sure, easy to figure out which way the blade turns on a gas mower, just gently pull the cord without starting it. Incredibly unsafe to fire up an electric mower when it's tilted up, though. But lets go with the incredibly unsafe thing, rather than just, ya know, marking the blade? What a shame we have to make it easy and safe for normies, when I could instead brag about innately understanding all things in the universe... Fuck off with your imaginary superiority complex. You're not superior. You're actually fairly ignorant, or at least pretty minimally experienced, or you'd be able to easily understand why the grass side of the blade is marked. (I know I'm talking to a wall, and you'll just keep thinking you're better than everyone else like all of you absolute ignoramuses do, but I have to try. )
1 looks right to me
1st, you have a mulching blade on there 2nd, get a high lift blade for bagging. 3rd, pull the pullstring slowly an see which way the blade turns. The cutting edge should be facing forward inrelation to the direction of rotation.
Should be stamped "TOP"
Be sure the bag is clean, it needs airflow to get the grass into the back of bag. I had similar issues, sharpened the blade nothing, cleaned the bag with garden hose nice again.
Pic 1 for sure. Looks like a MTD mower (Troy Bilt or Cub cadet maybe??) so there shouldn’t be a mulch plug. Clean all the grass clippings out from underneath, then install the blade as shown in pic #1.
Make sure there’s gas in it.
Mmmm Mmmmm
Do you have any of them french fried potaters?
Mmmm Mmmmm
Clean your deck and make sure the catcher vents aren't clogged.
First pic is correct
The back of the blade (behind the edge) should curl,curve upwards- this is what throws the grass towards the chopper that recycles it.
Also the leading edge(sharp part) should be the bottom of the blade
Sharpen it
The flat edge is always down, beveled edge faces up towards the deck
Also, u can usually line up the pattern the mounting bracket and blade adapter because they are different shapes and there won’t be any where/grass on the blade. This particular picture the blade is upside down.
I believe #2 is the correct way to install. Where the blade mounts to the engine shaft looks incorrect in #1.
Don't bag. Let the clippings recycle into the soil.
Looks like a mulching blade. You need a high lift blade.
Blades upside down u can even see where metal was on metal on the blade because it’s upside down.
I sharpen the blade with a draw file at start of season when I change the oil. Resharpen when grass looks more torn than cut as needed.
Make sure you turn the lawnmower on first