Are all lawnmower blades the same?-Not really!
Lawnmowers require blades that correspond to their measurement and hole configurations, and several types are available to help with different mowing tasks.
A lawnmower is a pivotal machine for any house owner who wants a neat and clean yard. Similar to cutting your hair, keeping your lawn in top shape will make it cleaner, more appealing, and more enjoyable for you and your family, as well as for visitors and passersby.
Lawnmower blades feature distinct designs for different purposes. To ensure a blade is compatible with your lawnmower, you need to know the major types of blades and their uses.
Lawnmower blades aren’t universal, so it may be challenging to find a new blade since there are plenty to choose from.
The decision will depend on numerous factors, including your intent with the grass and the features and design of your lawnmower.
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What Are the Types of Lawnmower Blades?
Generally speaking, lawnmower blades are either standard or mulching.
Differentiating between the two isn’t difficult when you know how they work and what you want.
The former or standard ones, also known as the 2-in-1 blades, are made to cut grass, and then the clippings are bagged or removed.
The standard, high-lift blades are straight and aerodynamic, creating a potent lift that can eliminate the clippings from beneath the deck.
On the other hand, the mulching or 3-in-1 blades are made for bagging, discharging, and mulching clippings. They offer greater versatility than the standard ones and do three instead of two jobs, hence the name.
These blades have higher curves and an increased edge.
This enables the blade to cut the grass efficiently and bring it to the deck. There, it’s cut additionally until it’s in much smaller pieces, falling onto the lawn.
Check the shape of the lawnmower blades to easily differentiate between a standard and a mulching blade. The former has fewer cutting edges and a straighter shape, whereas the latter has more cutting edges and is curvier.
When searching for blades for your lawnmower, you may also come across other terms, so here’s what each of them means:
- High-lift blades
These blades have a lifted edge that pushes the grass high and cuts it. They’re mainly used as discharge and bagging blades.
- Bagging blades
These blades are designed for baggers (mowers with a bag). They can be of the standard or of the mulching type.
- Gator blades
Gator is a manufacturer of Gator blades, which can be regular, bagging, mulching, or high-lift.
When Should I Choose a Standard & When Should I Choose a Mulching Lawnmower Blade?
When you’re looking to mulch the clippings from grass, you will do great if you go with the mulching blades.
Otherwise, a standard blade will do a great job.
Standard blades are awesome when you need a pristine lawn since the clippings are cleared into a bag. They are also great if you mow less frequently, every ten to fourteen days.
Bagging is great when you’re looking to eliminate any debris and leaves from your lawn.
On the other hand, a standard blade won’t cut the clippings into tiny pieces as the mulching blades can, so they’re not the best combination with mulching mowers or standard mowers that have a mulching kit.
Avoid using mulching blades on grass that’s overgrown.
This can lead to clogging under the deck and plenty of grass onto the cut lawn. They’re much better for lawns that are mowed every three to four days.
The standard blades are also known as high-lift blades because their design is focused on enabling an aerodynamic lift that will pull the clippings upward and thrust them through the chute for discharge.
The mulching ones have a circulating airflow that directs the grass clippings back toward the blade after the cutting, whereas the regular blades have a one-directional lift.
What Are the Benefits of Mulching?
Mulching is considered an eco-friendly method of addressing grass clippings. The mulched grass clippings and leaves become the grass’s natural fertilizer.
Grass and trees pull nutrients from the soil and store them in the leaves. Mulching helps return these important nutrients to the soil, allowing the plants to reuse them and grow healthy.
Mulching blades are made to maintain the clippings under the deck instead of sending them out right away, so they’re not as good for bagging or discharge mode as the standard ones.
How Do These Two Types of Blades Cut the Grass?
The standard blades will lift grass and then cut it at the set level in one sweep, making one cut. The clippings are taller, and the pieces are larger.
The blades for mulching go beyond one cut. In fact, they cut the grass multiple times so that it can be reduced to very tiny pieces. This mulched grass decomposes faster than the bigger grass clippings, and it’s a perfect nutrient boost to compost.
The mulching blades can be fitted onto almost any lawnmower model. You’ll need to measure the blades and the deck you plan to purchase so that you’re sure they fit properly and can be secured well.
However, if the deck’s design doesn’t suit mulching blades or if the engine is low-power, these blades may not perform optimally.
Final Thoughts
The answer to the question, “Are all lawnmower blades the same?” is “no” because there are different types of blades used for distinct purposes.
There are generally two options: a standard high-lift blade or a mulching blade. Both have distinct designs and are used to achieve diverse goals in your lawn.
The standard ones are highly recommended for grass that is mowed every ten to fourteen days. They are also a good choice when you want the clippings to be bagged and discharged appropriately for a spotless lawn.
On the other hand, mulching blades are great when you want to use the tiny grass clippings they’re able to produce for compost.
They provide nutrients to your grass and are recommended for lawns that are trimmed every three to four days.
Whatever blade you ultimately decide to invest in, make sure you’ve read the manual for your lawnmower and checked its requirements, which blades work best with it, and which ones should be avoided.