Ariens 34" Zero Turn/Wide Area Walk Mower Mulching Kit (2009 and newer models)

I have a yard too large for just a walk behind mower, and I have many trees to mow around.

I purchased the mulching kit and immediately installed it (with the needed help of a mower lift).

I was able to quickly adjust the cutting height to match my walk behind, and I now use the combination of the two types of mowers to efficiently mow my several acres.

The 34" cutting width combined with the zero turn radius feature is perfect for this use. I could not be happier.

I read on other sites that the installation instruction were terrible. Not sure what the issues people were having but they are straight forward and easy to understand. There is only about 6 different bolts you have to work with so I am not sure how much easier it can get.

I tested the mulching kit and then switched it back to standard mowing throwing through the side discharge. As another review stated using the side discharge gives a more even cut because it tends to suck the grass up when cutting where mulching seems to blow some of lighter blades of grass down. Yet I have to say my 22 inch mower did the same unless I put the bagger on which then did a lift and cut. I think this is more of mulching issue more so than an issue with this kit. I also tried the throw blades with the mulching kit vice the mulching blades and didn’t see really any difference in the cut.

I read on other sites that the installation instruction were terrible. Not sure what the issues people were having but they are straight forward and easy to understand. There is only about 6 different bolts you have to work with so I am not sure how much easier it can get.

I tested the mulching kit and then switched it back to standard mowing throwing through the side discharge. As another review stated using the side discharge gives a more even cut because it tends to suck the grass up... more

I found the mulching blades to not work well. The standard blades lift the grass much better to get an even cut. Use the mulching plate to block chute. If grass is longer you may need to make a second pass after cuttings dry to remove mulch build up.

So far it has been just what I hoped for: cutting, getting in and around small spaces. Putting the mulching kit together was simple but you do need a torque wrench, just something to remember when ordering the kit. But again just perfect for my 1 acre yard.

And just a side note, delivery was simple, fast and I was happy with the whole process!!

The mulching kit was delivered very quickly and was easy to install; although I would recommend removing the mowing deck to ease removing and installing the blades.

A cheater bar helped along with a short length of 4x4 to keep the blades from moving.

It's a good product and does a great job. Torque the blades as recommended.

Coming off a new hip in January, it was easy to rationalize replacing my Honda walk-behind with a dying transmission (another story).

So did some online research, visited a few local dealers, and determined a "compact" (it's all relative) zero-turn would be the ticket, plus it would just barely squeeze thru the back yard gate.

The Ariens dealer had the 34" Zoom on hand, but it was not set up yet - this on a Tuesday. Called them Saturday - still not set up to take a look and weren't sure when (!), Lost patience and ordered one immediately from mowersdirect, including the mulching kit and lift gate service.

Received a call from the carrier 3 days later arranged for delivery the next day. I was at work, but according to spouse, the driver struggled a great deal getting the crated mower safely off the truck. The problem: the crate was much wider than the lift gate. The driver did manage to get the mower off the truck and into the garage without incident/damage.

Getting the mower out of the crate took some time - would like to see how dealers do it. For me, a reciprocating saw helped. Set up was a piece of cake and the engine started right up thanks to a fully-charged battery. Tire pressure in a wheels was correct.

The mulch kit was back ordered but arrived about a week later as promised. While waiting took the mower out and went up/down the driveway to get used to the handling, which is a little tricky at first.

Mulch kit install was easy once I got the factory-torqued blade nuts loose. That required by hooking up a rather long pipe to my 1/2" socket wrench for added leverage.

Mower pros/cons:

Pros:
- turns on a dime
- fast: cuts mowing time almost in half vs walk-behind
- Kohler twin is powerful and looks cool in a macho way
- it's hoot to use
Cons:
- even when not cutting too much off the top, grass tends to clump with the mulching kit
- lawn looks good but not great after mowing. I attribute this to the mulching option - suspect finished cut would look better using standard blades
- since the deck is not the "floating" variety, blades will scrape lawn when going over fluctuations in the lawn
- you need to slow down a bit when mulching so some of the speed advantage is lost
- Ariens is offering a 4-year warranty for zero-turn machines. Catch: both engine and transmission are covered by separate warranties so the additional covered year is much less meaningful. My past experience with mowers: the engine will last forever with proper maintenance the transmission will prematurely end the life of the mower.

So we are considering getting the big bagger kit to for a better looking lawn and eliminate grass clumps. Would also be greatl in the fall with leaves. Problem is, the bagger adds considerable width to the unit so it won't come close to fitting thru the gate.

Overall, nice mower, fun to operate, but with a few caveats.

Coming off a new hip in January, it was easy to rationalize replacing my Honda walk-behind with a dying transmission (another story).

So did some online research, visited a few local dealers, and determined a "compact" (it's all relative) zero-turn would be the ticket, plus it would just barely squeeze thru the back yard gate.

The Ariens dealer had the 34" Zoom on hand, but it was not set up yet - this on a Tuesday. Called them Saturday - still not set up to take a... more