# JD mower deck blades questions



## Chipmaker (Sep 16, 2003)

Have a 54C JD mower deck takes 3 blades on a JD GX 335 tractor. Length of blades is 18 5/8" width is 2 1/2" thickness is .204" and they have a 13/16" center hole.

On Saturday I was cutting grass and hit a surface root, which bent one blade slightly, but enough to cause it to vibrate. Well the JD dealer was closed, and I wanted to finish cutting grass so I ran into HD and they had a package of 3 blades listed for a G100, and also Scotts and Sabre with 54" deck. They have a GY number, but JD blades all start with M. They are packaged in an offical JD package however, and are made by JD in USA. Pack of three only costs $35.00......so I bought them. 

ONce at home I looked up th part number in the JD parts online database, and this blade is not listed in their JD line except for the G100. My manual says to use a M143520 blade. Online parts also shows smae sized blade for other tractors and grass cutting machines with a M115496 number. All appear to be identical in size, all made by JD but the prices are different. So what gives wityh these different numbers on what appears to be the same blade? I can buy the M115496 blade (equivalent USA Made) from Mowmore for $7.50 each or 10 or more and get them for $7.00 each which would be a great price. So just what do I need to be aware of with these different blades and the different numbers. It appears all are regular lift blades as JD said high or medium lift is not available for the 54C deck. I am not interested in mulching.

Blades the manual calls for $52.00
Blades sold by HD made by JD for G100 $35.00
Blades = to OEM and american made sold by Mowmore $7.50 ea.

All apppear to be identical but the price

What blades woould you use?


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## jodyand (Sep 16, 2003)

*Be Happy Dont Worry*

As long as the blades are the same length and the bolt holes are the same it should work with no problem. I would use them without any worry.  
Jody


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## Deere (Sep 16, 2003)

I error on the side that it's not a rocket, and it's not headed for the moon. Just blades on a mower. In your case, a really nice mower. 

If they are the same length and the holes line up, I'd run them. Try a set of the cheap ones just to see if they are any good. My suspicion with them would be that they don't stay sharp as well, or they bend easier perhaps? With JD parts, quality is usually high, and so is the price. 

I do have one case where the cheap knock off in my opinion is the superior product. That is my shaver blades. The Schik Trak 2 or whichever one I have comes with a matching set of OEM blades. The knock off walmart ones that cost about half as much are sharper and give a better shave right out of the box. I shave more times with the walmart knock off than I do with the OEM blade before it is all plugged up and dull. 

So, try the cheaper ones. You might find out that they work better than the expensive ones from JD.

-D


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## Chipmaker (Sep 16, 2003)

So, what your suggesting is to use Wal MArts knockoffs and try them. What do you use to attach them to the mower blade itself? 

I tried the HD packaged blades made by Deere, in the USA, and there is absolutely no difference. I think I will order 10 of the Mowmore blades, and get em for $6.99 each and be done with it. Have enough spares for a while.


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## bigl22 (Sep 16, 2003)

*jd blades*

I went thru this in june on my JDL120 with the 48c deck-- the original JD blades wore down very quickly and I wanted to get a set of replacement -- I went to Hd first and they had JD blades for 56$/set and the scotts brand name for 30$ /set-- I was not sure at that time that they were the same deck and so I went across the road to the JD dealer and priced his replacement blades at 52$/set-- I bought those-- , since then I have learned that all 3 sets are identical , even though the scotts has a different number-- the next time-- I got a set of gator blades-- I do not mulch or bag, I just wanted a set of blades that are tough and long lasting between sharpenings and that will chop up the grass much finer-- they do that very well for me


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## Stewart (Sep 17, 2003)

Check the JD web site they have coupons for 20% off blades. I think I paid less than 30 dollars for mulching blades for my L-130. There are other coupons as well. A penny saved is a penny earned!


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## Chipmaker (Sep 16, 2003)

*How well does mulching blades work*

if you don;t block off the discharge chute? I have never mulched, and don't intend to if I can help it, so what would I gain by using Gator blades on this machine. Do the gator blades have good lift to them? I assume they are longer lasting?

On using the blades I bought at HD, I feel that they do not have quite as much lift as the original blades did. It may be a figment of my imagination, but it sure did not seem to lift or suck like the originals did.


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## Michael (Sep 16, 2003)

I tried using the Viper blades that are sold at HD as they were on sales for $30.00 for my L-120. These blades are a knock off of the Gator blades and I do confess they do a really fine job of cutting the grass and they do a really nice job. I do not mulch or bag just toss the grass out. I do have a bagger only for the reason that it sure speeds up the process of getting all the leaves up from my trees surrounding my 5 acre lot and these blades do a good job with plenty of lift sucking the leaves up and made short work of the leaf pick up.


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## Stewart (Sep 17, 2003)

Do you leave the mulch plug in or out when mowing? Same question for the leaves, in or out? I am thinking about the bagger for my L-130 but have not convinced myself that I need it. The leaves here have not started to fall but that is not too far away, and the bagger might be worth it. Does anyone know what they cost????


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## Michael (Sep 16, 2003)

I leave the plug off as recommended from other websites. I have tryed once with the plug in and they left grass turds so off with plug. I used the bagger because I have over 30 trees around my property and we went thru a dought this past summer and some my alder trees started to shed early. I left the Vipers on only because I was to lazy to switch to the high lift blades and they did a excellent job of sucking up the leaves.


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## Michael (Sep 16, 2003)

Sorry I forgot the cost of the bagger for a L-120 and L-130 is $300.00 . some folks have stated that it does a poor job if your grass is wet. I only bag once in a while to get the leaves up and only when it is dry out as any bagger tends to clog on wet grass.


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## tisenberg (Sep 20, 2003)

I exclusively bag with my 130 and I have bagged medium tall wet grass with no clogging. The only clogging issue I had was when I went over a bunch of twigs (borderline branches) and it clogged up.


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## Michael (Sep 16, 2003)

I think the issue of the bagger clogging is when you have extremely lush grass and wet grass you will have the bagger clogging in a New York minute. I have both conditions sometimes in the spring and the fall and clogging is a issue then, that being said I do not bag that much except to get the grass up once it is dry and the leafs in the fall. I learned years ago on my old Murray garden tractor with the clog-o-matic bagger that if it is dry when I bag the issue was resolved and since I have a lush lawn (with plenty of leafs) that I only bag the leafs and once or so each month to get the grass grass turds when it is dry.


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## tisenberg (Sep 20, 2003)

Just in case... I hope you are NOT using the mulching or dual purpose blades while bagging... they don't have the air force required to push that grass up into the bag.


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## Michael (Sep 16, 2003)

I have used the high lift blades when I bag but not all the time. This past summer I was just lazy and did not change because it was so dry. With my old Murray high lift or regular blades no difference it was a clog-o-matic bagger no matter what. I had no issues using my mulching blades as they provided plenty of lift on the supper dry grass.


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## DeereBob (Sep 16, 2003)

*Sucking may be better than Mulching*

I have a 48C deck with both a Power Flow bagger and a Mulching Kit. I used the mulching blades and plug until last weekend when I switch over to the bagger. I then mowed the lawn with the unit engagged and it did a better job of cutting the grass than mulching did. Granted the regular blades had be freshly sharpened but I think the extra lift created by the Power Flow unit allowed the blades to cut the grass more uniformly than the mulching blades with the plug. I never noticed this before because by the time the leaves fall the grass is already starting to dry out and go dormant. This summer has been cool and wet so the grass is very close to the condition it was in late Spring. I would not be very thrilled to have to bag grass all season but this certainly gave me food for thought.


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## Windlake (Apr 29, 2010)

Chipmaker said:


> Have a 54C JD mower deck takes 3 blades on a JD GX 335 tractor. Length of blades is 18 5/8" width is 2 1/2" thickness is .204" and they have a 13/16" center hole.
> 
> On Saturday I was cutting grass and hit a surface root, which bent one blade slightly, but enough to cause it to vibrate. Well the JD dealer was closed, and I wanted to finish cutting grass so I ran into HD and they had a package of 3 blades listed for a G100, and also Scotts and Sabre with 54" deck. They have a GY number, but JD blades all start with M. They are packaged in an offical JD package however, and are made by JD in USA. Pack of three only costs $35.00......so I bought them.
> 
> ...


If the blades are the right size, have the correct hole and fit, no problem. I've seen two packs of blades that say they are for "John Deere 42" deck 100 series LT's", like mine, but they are NOT the correct blades. John Deere packaging and all. My mower blades have a single serated "star lock" hole in them, the blades sold at Lowe's and Home Depot do not. Gotta be careful.


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## MFreund (May 2, 2008)

I have used the Gator blades by Oregon. They make them for Deere. I would highly recomend them. I used them all last summer and they did help with my windrowing problem. I have a 72" deck and that is a lot of cut grass coming out the discharge. As a added bonus they also kept the underside of the deck cleaner!! I bought mine on eBay from a Deere dealer in Illinois.


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