If there are dedicated mulching blades made for this deck, I think they should be treated as separate operations (mulching vs bagging) and the appropriate blades installed for each. I base this on what I've read in Consumer Reports which sometimes states (as I recall) that a blade changeout on some brands and models is not necessary, and therefore one blade design works for all activities.

If you have the mulch plate on you CAN NOT collect in teh bag because notheing would flow!!

Your best bet, if I understand you correctly, is to get Gator high lift blades in conjunction with a bagger.

But what is your rationale for having more finely chopped up leaves/grass when bagging?

I have large area's under my trees where nothing grows so I want to spread the chopped up leaves there. If I don't chop them up I would have a mountain.

I have mountains of leaves and if I didn't mulch and bag I would be dumping the bags real quick. I only want the tractor for picking up leaves and mulching them.

well, you could go as far as mulching them then going back around picking them up OR, you buy Gator blades, which are mulching blades, you could run those and your bagger just as eriocaulon said.

Been bagging for 7 years now with a Craftsman 42" deck, going into a 3 bin bagger. Compost the clippings, also the leaves and other debis that is picked up - I mix with potting soil for use in small spring plant business. Also use directly in perinneal beds around plants, prevents unwanted growth, holds moisture. I use sears premium mulching blades 139775, they work great.

Why not just mulch them in place...right under the trees? No need to bag and then dump them back under the trees.

Also, the reason why nothing is growing under the trees probably has to do with the amount of sunlight the area gets.

Thin out the tree canopy or choose shade loving plants...not grass.

Steve2ski thats what I'm going to do. I just bought a Craftsman tractor 46" cut w/20HP and a 3 bin bagger and premium mulch/bagging blades. I also have a large shredder so if the leaves are not shredded small enough I could dump them through the shredder.

To machiem: I will mulch and dump under the trees, but I also have a large lawn. My entire yard is covered in trees.
Here in South Carolina under the trees nothing will grow, we have tried. My wife is a Master Gardener and we have intense heat and not a lot of rain. We have tried lots of stuff but have not had any luck.

Thanks to everyone that responded.

If I understand your needs correctly, consider this option:

Set up the deck for mulching (sans bagger) and attack the area around the trees. The mulched material should be reasonably fine.

Then hook up a tow-behind sweeper (still no bagger) and cut the remaining lawn. The capacity of a sweeper like the one linked below is far greater than your average bagger.

Here is a link that might be useful: Craftsman 42

To varmint: Where were you a couple of days ago. I already bought the whole deal, tractor/mulch and high lift blades with 3/ bagger. The sweeper probily would have been the same price as the 3/bagger. Next time I buy any stuff I'll e-mail you first.

Oops.

One final option that 'might' make sense is to add a dump cart to your soon-to-be-expansive menagerie of tractor tools.

When I started, I found that my 7 bu bagger filled up rather quickly. This meant many trips to the woods behind the house where I emptied it. That many trips meant I was grinding the grass into pulp where I passed through bottleneck areas in my yard (for example, the gate in my fence). Anyway... I used the cart as a local dumping station while I mowed/bagged the front yard. Once finished, I was able to make one trip to the back of the property where I dumped the debris.

This required one minor modification to the cart. I added wooden sides to increase its capacity (volume, not weight). I know the JD 10p dump cart has slots (pockets?) moulded into the sides for this, but I'm sure other carts have something similar.

On a side note, the cart is a useful addition for a hundred other reasons.

Of course, buying the cart means you will need to store it. That means a shed.

A shed requires clearing that wooded section of your lot out in the back corner.

Once the tree are cut and the stumps have been pulled, you'll want to lay a substrate of crushed stone before you pour the concrete slab for the shed. That means buying a Johnny Bucket jr.

In the end, your yard will look so purdy, a mouse will come a-callin'. You'll be tempted to give him a cookie...

Hey varmint: Can I drive under my trees without the 3 bins in place and just let the chopped up leave fall on the ground? Or will they blow all over the place?

I hope this takes a little work out of the leaf thing. In years past I would blow leaves into big piles and then set up my shredder. I would put a sheet of plywood against the top and push the leaves up the plywood into the top of the shredder with a rake. Then rake the chopped up leaves around, under the trees. This process ran from Nov./Dec. until spring.

Not to crazy about the shed thing. I probily will leave the tractor and other junk in the front yard. Down here in South Carolina, thats what we do.

I mulch (Gator blades and mulch kit) a ton of leaves every fall and they disappear into the grass. Sometimes I have to mow them a few times, but most times they are gone after one pass. You may try mowing without the bagger first to see if it is sufficient, if not you can bag.

Ha! Now you're thinking. What we need is something like a 30 hp lawn vac with a long enough tube to reach the upper branches... a tree sucker.

FWIW, I just removed the three oaks that were hassling me the most. I don't mind the maples. They seem to drop all their leaves before the weather turns nasty toward the end of December. But those oaks don't stop dropping leaves until the new greenery starts to fill in. Nothing worse than an obstinate tree.

Why not just mulch them in place...right under the trees? No need to bag and then dump them back under the trees.

Use the mulch setup and don't bother with the bagger.

Return the bagger and get your money back.

In fact, if you're wanting exercise, get a walk behind with mulch ability and return the tractor too.

Sorry for the dumb question, but I'm really new to all this.

I have a craftsman 17.5hp 42in LT with the optional mulch kit installed. (I don't know if these are the 'premium' blades I saw mentioned in this thread). I don't have a bagger or sweeper but am thinking about purchasing one or the other.

Do I have to worry about running over the small branches and acorns that fall from the 4 huge oaks on my property? I'd hate to break the tractor with less than a full season on it.

I get so many acorns in the fall that it's like walking around on ball bearings in some parts of my yard. Mowing over them won't hurt the mower, but I do recommend some type of eye protection as I have had them ricochet out from under the deck even with a mulch plug in place.
I also regularly mow over small branches, hickory nuts. walnuts, and the sundry cans, plastic pop bottles, junk food wrappers, road kill and advertising flyers that people like to deposit on my property as they drive by. About the only thing that I get off the tractor and move any more are glass bottles. They do make a mess. Obviously, if you have neighbors or pedestrians close by, you will want to exercise a little more caution, but twigs and acorns aren't likely to harm your mower.

Clear the big stuff (sticks thicker than .75") before you mow. Otherwise, drive right over them. Most all the branches that fall from an oak will be dead. They'll just get chopped up or sent flying by the mower blades. They simply don't have enough mass to do any real damage.

I had a leaf problem also. I bagged over 200 bags of mulched leaves the last few years. I got smart and cut down about 15 trees. My bagged leaves were done using a CYCLONE Leaf vac www.cyclone.com. This to me is the answer to all leaf vacs. A little expensive but it fits all mowers, it dumps and it stores easily. I wouldn't be without it. Log on and see the demo. GOOD LUCK!

Pacset is totally correct and works smart Cyclone is the only way to go !.