So I just got a Toro timecutter 50 zero turn (couldn't afford the gravely) with the bagger. Really like the mower but had a wierd thought. I'd like to easily switch between bagging and mulching (I did this on my honda walk mower, bag one week, then pull bag and switch to mulching for the next couple). Seems easy to pull the bagger tube off (will just leave the bags and weights on) so can I always run the mulching blades, or will this cause problems when bagging? I asked the guys at the Toro dealership, 2 said it's fine, 2 said it will cause problems. Anyone know for sure? Thanks.

I have a friend who has a mulch on demand deck, so it came with mulching blades. Every time he replaces blades, he uses mulching blades.

That guy has been using the grass catcher since day one. The clippings are small but they still get to the bagger. Must add that his factory bagger has a vacuum fan that sucks the clippings as they exit the deck.

I told him to switch to hi-lift blades to speed up his mow time, since he never mulches the grass to leave on the lawn but he won’t listen.

I’m not sure if if you have the fan to pull the grass, that might be the trick to using a bagger with mulching blades.

Mulching on a zero turn is not like a push mower. I have a full mulch kit with baffles on my gravely ZTR. You have to slow way down to do it and the mulching blades (wavy) don't have enough lift to cut cleanly. If it were up to me I would side discharge 100% of the time like i used to on my large properties but we have too many mulch beds and the wife says no.

You can use a gator type blade that has serrations in the sail and just discharge the smaller clipping. The lift on those will still give a decent cut and you can pop the bagger on and off at will.

If it has a bagger, then it doesn't have mulching blades.   Mulching blades are designed to keep grass under the deck.  To use a bagger, you need grass to go out the chute.  Get some gator g5 blades like mentioned.  They are designed to discharge after they cut the clippings smaller.  They will work with the bagger fine and discharge small clippings just fine also.  I run them on my scag for all of my accounts.

I’ve learned to blow trimmings to the un-mowed area and keep pushing it aside.  Couldn’t do that with my old rider. By the time I get to the other side of the yard, nothing is left piled up.  
I wanted a bagger, but it’s $2000. Just cannot go there.

Thanks for the guidance guys. After talking to a Toro rep, he informed me that the mulcher would work.....but really badly (as previously pointed out by another poster, the grass wants to go down due to blade design). I looked at the gator blades, but they apparently don't make them for my mower, only a copy of the factory blades. I guess I'm stuck bagging or side shooting. Thanks for the replies and wisdom though.

What model #  timecutter?  Do the blades have a hump in the middle like these?

https://www.mowerdeckpartsplus.com/products/set-of-6-toro-timecutter-z5035-50-zero-turn-gator-mulching-blades?currency=USD&utm_medium=cpc&utm_source=google&utm_campaign=Google%20Shopping&stkn=637d7d5ce104&tm=tc&ap=gads&aaid=adaT0meGjMJDl&cid=1603085699&agid=60545478237&aid=305000092533&kid=pla-520636734467&kw=&nw=g&dv=m&mt=&pl=&gad=1&gclid=Cj0KCQjwxuCnBhDLARIsAB-cq1oeVNnLGe3bMJ9kPl6vLBbBx2zjAp8U2XXi9acBGGnNb6Ojhd8j35MaAky8EALw_wcB