How good does a sharpened rotary cutter cut?

   / How good does a sharpened rotary cutter cut? #21  
Here's a picture of the blades and pan
 

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   / How good does a sharpened rotary cutter cut? #22  
Stump jumper, that's called.
 
   / How good does a sharpened rotary cutter cut? #23  
RAILTRAC said:
Here's a picture of the blades and pan
Man, those blades look pretty jacked up. Someone must have hit something unforgiving to cause those kinks.
I see why your user name is RAILTRAC. Do you have a train going through your place?:)
 
   / How good does a sharpened rotary cutter cut? #24  
I changed out the tires on my finish mower with Hand truck solid wheels that I found at Home Depot. I think they were 10 bucks a peice I only bought 2 at first, but I think I will pick up 2 more next time Im there. NO MORE FLATS. The tires were just a shade skinnyer than the stock ones but thats what washers are for.
 
   / How good does a sharpened rotary cutter cut? #25  
EddieWalker said:
My biggest complaint about the rotary cutter for cutting grass is the dust it creates. If I cut an area with any exposed dirt on it at all, I'm eating dust. My latest thought is to cut an old tire to create a shield along the front of the mower deck to cut down on this. It's an idea that's building in my brain, so I'll probably do it sometime soon.

The tire shield works good. I cut the sidewalls off with a sawsall. Then I cut the tread in two and cut it to length to fit across the front of my SQ600. I drilled/cut/wallowed/cussed some holes in it and bolted it to the holes already on the bushhog for chain guards. I also cut strips in it with some tin snips so it wouldn't be solid across the front, more like stiff rubber fingers. Knocks down on dust and slows down flying objects. Cheaper than guards from the dealer.
 
   / How good does a sharpened rotary cutter cut? #26  
3RRL said:
Man, those blades look pretty jacked up. Someone must have hit something unforgiving to cause those kinks.
I see why your user name is RAILTRAC. Do you have a train going through your place?:)
They do don't they, it's because of the angle of the stump jumper sitting on the track. The blades are offset and angled toward the cutting edge. I'll get a better picture tomorrow. Yes the blades take a beating some people like to crush gravel with it. One of the perils of having a volunteer work force is the different skill levels of the operators. We are cutting grass in some areas that haven't seen a cutter in maybe 20 years. I could write a book about what we have found or should I say hit.
Yes we have trains and a tractor.
 

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   / How good does a sharpened rotary cutter cut? #27  
My experience using a rotory cutter.

My Woods BrushBull 720 (all BrushBull series) have "quick change" blades. All you need is a 5/8" socket to remove cover on to of mower. The a 3/4" socket to remove a bolt that is torques to 85 ft-lbs. After you remove the bolt you slide the locking plate and shim. Then remove the pin (actually holds blade to stump jumper). I change and sharpen my blades often. I have two sets. Every season a fresh set. Last years set are for rocky areas or unknown areas. I actually have a few customers that request sharp blades or sharpened blades.

One thing I have found is that a newer dull blade cuts better than a sharp older blade. On my woods the blade is of a drop design, cutting edge is lower than the stump jumper. What usualy happens is the outer edge of the blade gets bent upward resulting in a cutting edge that is not flat but more likea shallow dish. Which means more overlap to keep cut quallity in check.

As other have mentioned pto speed vs ground speed play a role in how the cut material is spread. I found the spot that even with 5' to 6" canary reed grass I can get a nice even spread of cut material. But then again I got other fields that are are so rough and rock sloowww is the only way to go. The cut isn't as nice but it is cut and the weed regresion is underway.

Also I have found that pitching the deck slightly forward is the best compromise of cut quality, material spread, hp usage.

My cutter will make a very, very nice cut with new blades, and short grass, and proper pto speed to ground speed. But a 70 hp tractor with ag tires isn't choice for finish work. That's what the John Deere z-track is for:D.
 
   / How good does a sharpened rotary cutter cut? #28  
RoyJackson said:
If you're looking for a finish lawn look...you'll probably not get it with a cutter.
As Alan wrote, these blades aren't sharpened like a finish mower. They actually have a 1/16th inch (give or take) bevel rather then a sharp edge. The blades are also considerably thicker then a mower blade (3/8th's to 1/2").
The cutters pulverize as much as cut.
I agree after looking more closely at the blades and reading everyones reply sharpening the blades is not a good idea. The blades on the RC1072 are more like bars than blades. Anyways I don't think they would stay sharp very long to matter.
 

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   / How good does a sharpened rotary cutter cut? #29  
RAILTRAC said:
RoyJackson said:
If you're looking for a finish lawn look...you'll probably not get it with a cutter.
As Alan wrote, these blades aren't sharpened like a finish mower. They actually have a 1/16th inch (give or take) bevel rather then a sharp edge. The blades are also considerably thicker then a mower blade (3/8th's to 1/2").
The cutters pulverize as much as cut.
I agree after looking more closely at the blades and reading everyones reply sharpening the blades is not a good idea. The blades on the RC1072 are more like bars than blades. Anyways I don't think they would stay sharp very long to matter.
I forgot to mention in the cutter photo. I used a maker pen for comparsion to show how thick the cutter is.
 
   / How good does a sharpened rotary cutter cut? #30  
Great post as I was debated this same question (rough vs. finish). I do have one quick question as a search didn't give me anything - what is the correct position of the cutter? What I mean is if I'm off the tractor looking at the side of the deck, should it be flat/level, the front higher than the rear, the front lower than the rear?

I apolgize if this is consider jumping into a thread, but I do appreciate the conversation so far about the differences of the two types!

Michael
 
 
 
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