Mulching Kit and Glamor Shots

I had some issues with my 42" XT1 blowing leaves and other yard debris all over the yard and into the neighbor's yard too. My wife ordered the mulching kit for me and I installed it today.

The kit was a bit of a pain to install because you have to drop the mower deck and flip it over to install the blades. Following the directions helped, no doubt, and now that I've done it once, I could probably do it again easier. It also took some muscle to break loose the bolts that retain the blades, and I'm glad I had a torque wrench to reinstall them. While I was working on the mower, I also lowered the anti-scalping wheels to the lowest setting.

I've read a lot of negative reviews and complaints about the mulching kit; the main being that clippings kind of squeeze out through the plug as it doesn't exactly seal it up. I have to say I experienced this myself, but it wasn't that big of a deal. I also have read complaints that the blade is covered in thick paint that needs to be ground off for the blade to have any kind of edge. I didn't do this and installed the blade as it shipped. Afterwards, I found the paint had actually worn off the front edge and the rear edge of the blade just after one use.

I'm happy with the cut quality with the mulching blade and how it handled the leaves that were on the lawn too. With the anti-scalping wheels adjusted, I had a really nice, even cut.

Afterwards I took the leaf blower to the XT1 and blew off any clippings and wiped it down with 303 Speed Detailer and 303 Aerospace Protectant (seat, black plastics, and tires). I also wiped down the underside of the tractor wherever I could reach as well as under the cowl.

I am at 4.7 hours of use on this thing since I bought it and I'm very happy with it so far! I think the first "service is at 5.0 hours and requires the greasing of the axles. So I'll need a grease gun now.

Mulching kit plug...


Clean but unpopular motor...


Glamor shots...