bush hog blade balance/vibration?

[namesray]

how important is the balance of the weight of the 2 blades on a bush hog? i know if they are way off that would be bad, but what if they were just a little off? over the years i have been just lightly sharpening the blades without taking them off. trying to keep it even. this year when mowing i think i am detecting a slight vibration from time to time and wondering if the blade balance might be off a bit and thinking this winter i might break down and actually take the blades off and balance them when sharpening. if you all think it would be worth it (i have never taken bush hog blades off before=newbie to that) what would be a good way to balance them? and do you think just a little off weight would cause a problem? how accurate does it need to be? thanks.

[Sackett2]

I THINK, that it wouldn't be an issue based upon the low rpm's that a hog really runs at...

[thatguy]

I get the same vibration at time and in an earlier post (yrs ago) someone said that one of the blades could not be fully extended.. If you turn off the PTO and let it spin down and then restart the PTO the blade should be extended and the vibration goes away..

This has worked for me multiple times when i felt a vibration as soon at the PTO in engaged

Brian

[Baby Grand]

Had to lift the cutter to max height, shut down the engine this weekend and get down on my back to see what was causing all the shakin'. One blade had spun 180 degrees and wouldn't straighten itself out. Gave it a yank and got it to about 90 degrees and it staightened out the minute I engaged the PTO at idle.

[clemsonfor]

If your blade is folded up it will shake like crazy not a little. I doubt that sharpening would cause much especially if your trying to do it somewhat even. I think whacking rocks and such would remove just as much metal as sharpening would.

The use that these things get i dont think a bit is gonna hurt it. I mean its pretty violent when i bushhog down a 1.5" sappling, nothing close to slight vibrations!!

[Baby Grand]

If your blade is folded up it will shake like crazy not a little. I doubt that sharpening would cause much especially if your trying to do it somewhat even. I think whacking rocks and such would remove just as much metal as sharpening would.

The use that these things get i dont think a bit is gonna hurt it. I mean its pretty violent when i bushhog down a 1.5" sappling, nothing close to slight vibrations!!

Even better than paying a chiropracter!

[greg_g]

Since they're of the swing-arm design, you don't actually "balance" the individual blades. But when you have them off for sharpening, it's a good idea to weigh each one. Idea is to grind to the point where they both weigh the same when you put them back on.

//greg//

[namesray]

ok guys thanks for the comments. the vibration is only slight (i have felt in the past a time or two when a blade did get stuck back and that was way off balance with a big shake and vibration.) the vibration now is small and slight, so i thought that maybe over the years they got off weight a bit and that was causing it. believe it or now, i haven't hit many rocks but have grounded it when going through sharp gullies and woodchuck holes and such. i mostly do pastures and old fields that are maintained annually so the "brush" and saplings don't occure too often, that is why i was going for the sharper blades. do you guys think they are worth taking off for a real sharpening and to balance the weight, or would another quick sharpening while leaving them on be ok? never taken blades off before. looks like a big nut with lock washer when i looked. i was expecting a castle nut/cotter pin, but didn't see that. would that large nut be a self locking type and only a single time use that i would need to get new ones to stay tight? sorry for all the questions at once. appreciate the help.

[hazmat ranger]

Not sure how many times you've free-handed your sharpening to make for a big balance issue. You could pull 'em to Be better able to get a good sharpening and balance, too. I've only pulled my blades off a few times- most recently to put a new set on (i did put them on a kitchen scale- looked "close enough"). You should be able to re-use the nut. Recheck/retourque after an hour or so of mowing.

[john_bud]

I had a slight vibration and found one blade had snapped in half and was like 4-5 pounds light.

Unless you are way way way off, i'd not worry.