Hi,

First, I have a Craftsman II 14-hp 5-speed 38" deck lawn tractor that
has four blades installed -- two per side in a cross. Has anybody
ever seen this before? Craftsman says only two blades should have
come on the machine, and they have never been changed. I'd like to
replace them with four mulching blades since reducing the number to
two will reduce my # of cuts/revolution by one half. One blade is
straight, the other has a raised section in the center for the first
blade to fit into. The blade adapters are also special -- the main
one has a large square cutout for the second one to fit into.

Second, I have a clay lawn in Central Pennsylvania that is compacted
and drains poorly. The grass is very thin and the roots are in the
top of the soil. What's the best thing to do? I have been told that
80# lime/1000 sq.ft. with some 10-20-10 fertilizer could help, but
I've also read that using a core aerator and following up with a
top-dressed layer of something like Turface or Profield would provide
more immediate results.

Please email replies to

Thanks,

Dan