mulch vs discharge benufits
469797
I like the mulch but I keep my grass low. Also the way I use the mower does make a difference. Some people say that mulching leaves clumps. To avoid this I cut in thinner strips at a time. I never use more then 1/2 the mower. I don't think the brand of mower makes much difference. For me I don't like working with the bag (bending over, emptying the bag est,) I prefer walking around the yard just a little more. When I return from vacation after 3 weeks I do have to rake up. Unless I return from vacation, I always mulch.
469798
Mulch is always better. It returns the nutrients from the cut grass back to the soil. When the. Over is set to Mulch it cuts grass much finer than when you discharge
469799
I prefer using the mulch as it grinds up the grass and provides nutrients to the soil. I also use the mulch on leaves.... much easier than raking. I use the lowest height setting for the front and 2nd lowest for the rear.
469800
Hi there Bob. The biggest difference is that with a mulcher, the shape of the deck and the blade causes the cuttings to be cut over and over due to air flow. When the cut particles are small enough from the repeated cutting they are pushed down to the bottom of the lawn, where they disintegrate and add natural nutrients to your lawn. I hope this helps. All I use is a mulcher and I have the greenest lawn on my street. Good luck with whatever decision you choose.
286052
I have not used this mower in any other mode beside mulching. The mower does not look like it is designed for side discharge. The mower is made for a rear bagger. I am not sure if changing the blade would help with a clogging problem. I know mowing wet grass can clog up a mower. Brent McKittrick
803509
I don't believe that this model is designed to use those bags but more to the point, YOU DON'T WANT ONE!!! Those bags fill-up in a minute or two, are cumbersome, and serve no purpose. Much better to let the clippings sit on your lawn and release nitrogen. Besides, this mower will function as a mulching unit. Recycle, recycle, recycle.
1795284
Yes, you can use with side discharge. You may notice that you can also go at full throttle to mow your lawn.
463035
In my experience with the shredder, if the leaves are dry they are able to be better mulched although green leaves will go through if you go slow. The green leaves have too much moisture and can tend to clog up the machine. If you are mulching freshly cut branches go slow and every ferw feeds use a dry stick and feed it through. It cleans out the mulching chamber.
1795281
I use without a mulcher during the early season and get very good results. The discharge is strong and clippings are fine. I use a mulcher attachment during the summer.
430427
What you see is what you get. There is a plastic chute which angles down from the back of the mower which you have to disconnect and kind of shove up and to the rear so that it is disconnected from the mower deck entirely. Installing this mulching device is kind of a pain. You really would not want to be doing it every other week. I would only order and install if I were going to mulch-mow on a regular basis, to be totally honest.
2245955
I'm not an expert, but you wouldn't need to use mulching blades if you are bagging. Also, I have mulching blades on my mower and I do not see anything that would have me recommend them. My suggestion, keep your blades sharp. Hope this helps.
1463553
Not much on blower function but on mulching/vacuum it is! Infact my neighbor complaint about the LOUD noise.
851162
Yes to all questions. I use mulching but bag comes with unit. The 13 amp gave me the extra little boost over mu prior 12 amp mower. Well pleased with unit.
244599
I bought both because I have a heavily shaded back yard. Back along the back fence it gets no light in the spring and summer. I only put dense shade seed along the back fence and shady nooks everywhere else. Prepped soil as recommended and kept wet for 2 weeks. The shady nooks and the dense both germinated, but the dense was alot slower. Yard is green and thick but the dense is still filling in. I added some miricle grow lawn food to it this weekend. I think the trees are robbing the food Im thinking about feeding it with jonathan green green up this weekend. time will tell.
1801055
Hi Valerie, the Earthwise electric mower I have is the same style, but earlier and without a mulcher. I have a feeling that the addition of the mulcher would have something to do with the battery warranty. Wish I could help further. Linda
1149274
They will Work together However You will not get the full mulching benefit I would place the mulching blade on the inside shaft and the regular blade next to the discharge chute.
292714
The mower mulches the leaves in place really well. I've been doing it for three years instead of raking and I think it has contributed to my lawn's steady improvement every spring. I have a lot of trees on my property so each fall I have to be pretty frequent with mowing to keep ahead of the curve. If you let it go, the mower won't do the whole yard in one shot. In the fall of 2007, the trees in my area of the country seemed to hang on til the last minute. Then in early December, whoosh! The shear volume was a little too much. So I bought the plug-in version, the MM875, to supplement the effort for next year. The mower mulches the leaves in place really well. I've been doing it for three years instead of raking and I think it has contributed to my lawn's steady improvement every spring. I have a lot of trees on my property so each fall I have to be pretty frequent with mowing to keep ahead of the curve. If you let it go, the mower won't do the whole yard in one shot. In the fall of 2007, the trees in my area of the country seemed to hang on til the last minute. Then in early December, whoosh! The shear volume was a little too much. So I bought the plug-in version, the MM875, to supplement the... » Read More The mower mulches the leaves in place really well. I've been doing it for three years instead of raking and I think it has contributed to my lawn's steady improvement every spring. I have a lot of trees on my property so each fall I have to be pretty frequent with mowing to keep ahead of the curve. If you let it go, the mower won't do the whole yard in one shot. In the fall of 2007, the trees in my area of the country seemed to hang on til the last minute. Then in early December, whoosh! The shear volume was a little too much. So I bought the plug-in version, the MM875, to supplement the effort for next year. « Show Less
1797714
I think it will depend on the size of the gravel. I have rock mulch in my yard size is small about 3/8 inch on each side. I have no problem blowing leaves off the rock mulch. The rocks remain pretty much unmoved.
1889460
I found these blades to be not very efficient when it comes to mulching large areas. I live on a farm and I have different types of grasses. these blades cause the mulched grass to get clogged under the deck and I waste a lot of time unclogging the mower. These blades would work well on a manicured lawn in a residential setting.
2055674
It will not skim the leaves 100% efficiently. Some mulch will be vacuumed as well. It depends on the vacuum setting as well as the amount of moisture on the small leaves. The more moisture will force you to increase the vacuum power settings and this is what causes the mulch so be extracted along with the leaves.