idrivemopar
Well-Known Member
I "power rake" every spring, that's because I mulch all summer. Anyway, I use a blade on my mower like this one.
It works great and I usually overlap passes on the lawn by about 25% it helps keep the blade from getting bogged down in the thicker areas of the lawn. Now, if you use this type of de-thatch blade, you can either bag it as you go, and you will make plenty of stops to empty, or you can just use it on your mower in mulching mode, but it will make lost of piles you will have to rake up. Now once I have done passes with the thatch blade, I put the regular blade back on and the bag and lower the deck so I can pick up the grass that didn't get sucked up when thatching. By the way, the orange spikes are replaceable but you shouldn't have to replace them but once a year, unless you have a huge lawn, like 10K sqft or something.
Things to avoid, stopping in one spot with the blade engaged, it will make circles in the lawn. Don't use a blade with metal tines unless you really know what you are doing as it is very easy to cut into the soil, leave circles, and tear out grass that is alive. Before you get started, test on a small area to make sure you have the deck at the right level so you don't want the blade digging into the soil and you don't want it so high that it barely gets up any dead grass. Once you get the height, then off you go! And good luck!
